Whole grain confusion - processed or not?

[Ed B.]

The General Mills web site
(http://www.generalmills.com/nutrition/hn/wg_101.htm) says
that whole grains include all three parts of a grain kernel:
the bran, germ, and endosperm, but that processed foods can
still contain whole grain. I assume they are saying that it's
ok to grind up the grains as long as you still include all
three parts of it. They give examples of their whole grain
cereals including Cheerios.

My question is: Is there any benefit to eating whole grains
unprocessed as opposed to processed? For instance would I get
the same nutritional benefits as far as whole grains are
conecerned from a bowl of Cheerios compared to a bowl of brown
rice or oatmeal?

Thanks, Ed B. buch75@msn.com

[John 'The]

Once upon a time, our fellow Ed B. rambled on about "Whole
grain confusion - processed or not?." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

>For instance would I get the same nutritional benefits as far
>as whole grains are conecerned from a bowl of Cheerios
>compared to a bowl of brown rice or oatmeal?

IMHO, no.

Of course, there are a number of issues here.

Strictly speaking, *all* oatmeal is *processed*. The *only*
thing really at issue is the degree of processing. Products
available range from extremely processed (ex., instant
artificially flavored oatmeal sold in foil packages) to
minimally processed (ex., "Old Fashion") oatmeal. In addition,
how much can you trust a food processor to be 100% accurate in
their food label?

Relatively speaking, if you are currently a major consumer of
junk food deciding to eat Cheerios could improve your diet.
But, if you have been eating a very good diet; switching to
Cheerios from "Old Fashion" oatmeal would be a step backwards.

In addition, selecting Cheerios would be an improvement from
eating instant artificially flavored oatmeal sold in foil
packages. However, if you don't like the taste of "hot"
oatmeal you could effectively use instant artificially
flavored oatmeal sold in foil packages to transition
gradually over to both eating and enjoying the taste of plain
"hot" oatmeal.

See ~ The Nutrition of Processed and Junk Food ~
http://food.naturalhealthperspective.com/processedfood.html
"It is okay to eat moderately processed foods that contain
more real ingredients than products of food science. You will
know which is which by reading the food labels."

Hark! My private health newsgroup beckons!
--
John Gohde, Achieving good Nutrition is an Art, NOT a Science!

The nutrition of eating a healthy diet is the foundation of
the biomedical model of natural health. Weighing in at 17
webpages, Nutrition (www.Food.NaturalHealthPerspective.com/)
is now with more documentation and sharper terminology than
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