Blog

When there's Big News in the Whole Grains Council, we send out a press release and post it in the press release section of this website. But every day, the momentum of whole grains moves forward in many smaller ways, which you can read about here. Come back often, and see what's new!

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Barley balls to keep ponds clear

It's spring, so I was thumbing through a catalog from gardeners.com, even though I have the most un-green thumbs in the world. My attention was of course grabbed by something called a "barley ball" – a perforated clear plastic globe containing barley straw. We all know barley is great for human health, but who knew that barley straw could contribute to the health of your fish pond or backyard fountain? I had to know more, and found a great article on the Purdue website that explained how barley straw might (or might not...) work to reduce algae in small ponds. Nice to know that, as we all eat more good whole grain barley, there may be a good use for all the leftover straw. (Cynthia – May 13, 2008)

Any Stamp Collectors out there?

Earline, a whole grains lover from the Florida panhandle, called us today to ask if the Whole Grains Council offers any sort of prizes or premiums for collecting Whole Grain Stamps. It is an idea that has crossed our minds – but not surprisingly, our ratio of new ideas to programs we actually have time to carry out is about 382:1. So we had to tell Earline that, at the moment, better health is the only prize she gets for collecting our Stamps.

Are there more of you out there just itching to collect Whole Grain Stamps? Email Kara with your ideas, and if enough people contact us, we'll move that idea way up the priority list. Earline told us she's going to hang onto all the Stamps she's already clipped, just in case. (Cynthia – May 8, 2008)

Whole grains invade Chicago

Although not a literal invasion, whole grains maintained a strong and unmistakable presence at this year's All Things Organic / Fancy Food Spring show in Chicago. For three days, thousands of people were introduced to delicious whole grain breads, snacks, treats, pastas, and the honest to goodness "real deal" whole grains themselves as 20 Member companies of the WGC set up shop in the city's expo center. In addition to our Members, we found whole grains at other exhibitor booths promoting products for Moms and Dads, babies, and - you guessed it - man's best friend, the family dog. Yours truly did NOT enjoy samples of whole grain dog treats, but I confess to pausing often for a variety of other goodies while I wandered. Food shows are tough work, and nothing gets you through a day of non-stop walking quite like the sustained energy of whole grain goodness! (Kara - May 1, 2008)

Your Mom will thank you

Here's a Mother's Day idea for you: give Mom time off from the kitchen, by sending her a selection of delicious home-style meals, complete with whole grains. I stumbled upon the Home Bistro catalog recently, and was heartily impressed by the company's whole grain repertoire. It's so great to see a food catalog where the vast majority of the grains are whole. Sides include mouth-watering choices like brown rice pilaf with edamame, pecans and currents; whole wheat couscous with confetti vegetables; whole wheat grilled vegetable ravioli; and lemon-mint tabouli. And get this: the soups all come with a bread-bowl loaf of artisanal stoneground whole wheat bread. Choose from scores of sous-vide-packed entrées which arrive at Mom's door ready to reheat. (Cindy – April 29, 2008)

Cookies! Gimmie!

Who can say no to cookies? Honestly, think about it - have you EVER thought to yourself, "I don't like cookies"? No, of course not! And for those of us here in Boston, we now have another healthy cookie option to satisfy that sweet tooth craving. Walking through my local Whole Foods Market, I stumbled across World of Grains, a cookie-snack hybrid right out of your sweet but crunchy daydreams. My flavor of choice was Oatmeal Raisin, but there are five you can choose from. We actually debuted World of Grains on our New Product Announcement page a while back, but only in the last few weeks have they migrated up north to Boston area Whole Foods stores. Go on a cookie hunt next time you go shopping - after all, you like cookies too, right? (Kara - April 24, 2008)

Got zits? Try whole grains

This month's Journal of Dermatological Science reported on an Australian study that recruited 50 young men with mild to moderate acne, and tested the impact of diet. Half the group ate a typical Western diet, while the other half ate lean meat, poultry, and fish, consumed more fruits and vegetables, and substituted whole grain bread, cereals and rice for refined foods. After 12 weeks, the whole grain eaters' acne had "improved dramatically, by more than 50 percent."

This isn't the first time researchers have linked clearer skin to whole grains. A few years ago, Loren Cordain and his fellow scientists at Colorado State University found that production of the bacteria responsible for acne increased proportionally as people ate more refined grains. You can see our list of whole grain health studies by clicking here. (Cynthia - April 23, 2008)

We've discovered UFood Grill

On the way to Toronto yesterday to support our new Canadian Stamp (see below), we faced the purgatory of airport food before an early morning flight. What a pleasant surprise to discover UFood Grill, a new franchise offering Real Food, and enjoy an egg-cheese-and-turkey-bacon breakfast sandwich on a whole wheat bagel. At UFood Grill you don't even need to make a special request to get whole grains: that whole wheat bagel is standard, as is the whole wheat bun on the burgers and the brown rice in the "UBowls."

The chain's first three locations are at Logan Airport in Boston, in Naples ,Florida and in Roseville, California, with seven more franchises in four states in the works. Five more Massachusetts locations currently operate under the name KnowFat Lifestyle Grill. (Cynthia - April 16, 2008)

PF Chang's China Bistro Promotes Whole Grains

Our friends at PF Chang's just sent us a mouth-watering photo (at left) of their Citrus Soy Wild Salmon lunch bowl on a bed of asparagus and brown rice. PF Chang's is a lifetime member of the WGC, by dint of being a winner in our 2007 Whole Grains Challenge. In 2007, forty-five percent of customers at PF Chang's China Bistro and sister chain Pei Wei's Asian Diner chose brown rice over white rice. (April 14, 2008)

Whole Grains Most Sought After in Canada

The new bilingual Canadian version of the Whole Grain Stamp has begun appearing on grocery shelves in Canada. B.C.-based Ryza brown rice milk, sold in 30% of Canadian groceries, and breads from ACE Bakery are the first products to bear the Canadian Stamp, followed quickly by sixteen Barbara's Bakery and Weetabix cereals.

The Canadian Stamp comes none too soon for most consumers. The Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition, in its most recent Tracking Nutrition Trends survey, reported that 84% of Canadian consumers are either "somewhat" (34%) or "very" (50%) influenced by whether a product is whole grain, when they shop. Whole grain content was more influential than any other factor, beating out omega-3s, organics, and other considerations. (April 10, 2008)

Website Update: Whole Grains A to Z

Educators have asked us to make more of the great information on the WGC website available in PDF format, so it can more easily be used as handouts. We're always happy to support those who are helping to spread the word about whole grains, so we've just created a PDF of Whole Grains A to Z. (April 7, 2008)

Whole Grain Stamp featured at UK Show

British Bakels, one of the newest members of the Whole Grains Council, has become the first company outside of the US and Canada to use the Whole Grain Stamp. Here's how the Stamp was featured in Bakel's trade show booth (or "stand" as they say in the UK) at this week's Baking Industry Exhibition in Birmingham, England. (April 6, 2008)

The introduction of the
Whole Grain Stamp in the UK,
by British Bakels