Not all of our products bear the stamp, but we're working to add it to all of those that qualify.

In part two of our “Demystifying Label Terms” series, we’ll cover the term Whole Grain. Parts 3 and 4 will cover Gluten Free and Kosher.

Whole Grain: The Food and Drug Administration has defined whole grains as “cereal grains that consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked fruit of the grains whose principal components — the starchy endosperm, germ and bran — are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain.” To use the term “whole grain” on a label, it must meet the above definition. While the term is not as strictly enforced as the term “organic”, it is regulated and is trustworthy when found on a label. However, terms such as “wheat bread”, “multigrain”, “100% wheat”, are often used in place of “whole grain” to confuse and mislead consumers into buying products that are not made with whole grains. Always check the ingredient statement to be sure the one of the first ingredients is indeed whole grain.

A useful tool developed by The Whole Grains Council is the Whole Grain Stamp (see above right). This stamp is appearing on more and more products. The whole grain stamp comes in two different forms- either “100% Whole Grain” or simply “Whole Grain”. Contrary to what you might think when seeing the “100% Whole Grain” stamp, this stamp simply means that all of the grain-derived ingredients in the product are whole grains. What this means is that your whole grain bread bearing the “100%” stamp will not contain things like wheat germ or oat bran- it will only contain whole grain ingredients like whole grain rye flour. It might still contain ingredients like sugar and yeast, but these are not grain-derived products. The “Whole Grain” stamp simply means that the product is a good source of whole grains, containing at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving. Products bearing this stamp may contain ingredients like oat bran and wheat germ.

At Bob’s Red Mill, we strive to bring you delicious whole grain products. As you know, we also make things that are good for you, but are not whole grains like dried beans and seeds. Heck, Flaxseed Meal is not considered to be a whole grain product and it’s one of the best foods you can add to your diet. We are working to add the stamp to all of our qualifying products, but if you find a great product that doesn’t bear the stamp, it doesn’t mean that it’s not whole grain or that it’s not good for you. Always read the ingredient list and, when in doubt, give our customer service team a call. They’re always happy to hear from you and love helping find answers to your questions.

January is national oatmeal month. Did you know that more people eat oats in January than any other month? (At least, according to some sources.) I have trouble buying it based on how often we talk to our customers about eating oatmeal. I’ve always known our customers are special- they eat oats all year round, many almost every day!

Whether you’re a once-in-a-while oatmeal eater or the everyday sort, January is a great time to celebrate oatmeal! Most of us are already thinking about eating better and after spending almost 6 weeks indulging in holiday foods of every variety, oatmeal is good way to clean house.

Oats are not just delicious and soothing, but they also have some special qualities that provide incredible health benefits.  Oats have been proved to reduce cholesterol and they’re a great source of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Oats contain soluble fiber, which soaks up cholesterol in the intestines and prevents it from being absorbed, eventually carrying it out of the body. The body recognizes this decrease of cholesterol in the intestines and responds by pulling cholesterol out of the bloodstream to replace the cholesterol that was removed from the intestines (aren’t our bodies amazing sometimes?). As a result, the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream goes down and so does the risk of heart disease!

If that’s not a good reason to enjoy oats, how about some of these?

• Bob’s Favorite Scottish Oatcakes
• Hearty Oatmeal Bread
• Oregon Orchard Oats Brülé
• An Argentinian Love a Pear

Giveaway:

In honor of National Oatmeal Month, I’m giving away an oat-themed gift pack to three lucky winners! Each gift pack will contain four of our favorite oat products! You have until midnight on January 21st, 2011 to enter.  Winners will be selected at random using Random.org and announced on January 24th.

01/22/11: THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED

Here is how to enter:

Mandatory: Leave a comment here, on the blog, telling us why you love oatmeal. It doesn’t have to be a love ballad, it can be simple.

For extra entries (you can do each of these only once, for a maximum of 5 entries including the mandatory entry): These can be posted here on the blog or on our facebook profile page (sorry, no tweets this time)

1 entry: Post a link to a recipe using oats that you think sounds delicious.
1 entry: Post an interesting fact about oats. It can be something about their nutritional benefits, how to use them, how they are grown, anything really.
2 entries: Write a haiku about oatmeal.

Go to it and celebrate oatmeal!

If you receive our newsletter, this information may be redundant, but we got very positive feedback about our newsletter for January 2011 and I thought I would go ahead and share the same information here. If you are not familiar with our e-newsletter and would like to receive articles and announcements of which product are on special each month, please visit here and sign up.

With the start of a new year, we often find ourselves reevaluating our lives and trying to make improvements. For most of us, that usually involves some commitment to eating better/healthier/cleaner. To help you navigate all of your options, I’ve put together some definitions for the common terms you’ll encounter on food labels. To get us started, let’s start with the most common and often most confusing terms- Natural and Organic.  In subsequent posts, I will define Whole Grain, Gluten Free and Kosher.

This logo for the National Organic Program is an easy way to spot organic products.

Natural: Probably the most common and most misunderstood term on labels today. What does it really mean? Absolutely nothing; there are no regulations regarding the use of the term “natural” and can be applied to any product. At Bob’s Red Mill, we use the term natural to describe our use of quality ingredients in their most natural state with minimal processing. Be careful when the product seems too good to be true, it very easily could be. If you are skeptical that the brand of dish soap you are using is really “natural,” it is worth the extra time to investigate. Most companies who are using the term “natural” truthfully will have a good explanation about their processes and ingredients on their website.

Organic: Unlike the term “natural”, “organic” is highly regulated and strictly enforced by a governing agency. The National Organic Program follows the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to ensure “site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.” If you see the term “Organic” you can be sure that the products have been inspected to meet the requirements of the act. This term has no relation to whether the product is nutritionally sound or not.

For New Year’s, we often try our hand at ways to improve our health and happiness.  Integrating more whole grains into our lives is a delicious, easy way to start.  Intact foods are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are just a few of the benefits of whole grains that your body will surely thank you for.  During the month of November, I avoided all processed foods and sugars and noticed that I had more energy and felt better overall.  I partook in my share of holiday treats during December and I could tell that my body wasn’t happy about it.  I look forward to starting the New Year once again with a focus on whole grains.  If this sounds like a good New Year’s resolution to you, here are some ideas for introducing more whole grains in your diet. 

Whole grains can be added to both your cooking and baking for delightfully delicious foods.  This two part series of helpful hints starts with cooking with whole grains. We’ll tackle baking next.

Whole grains Millet, Spelt, Amaranth and Quinoa

Tips for Using Whole Grains:

• Eat barley, quinoa, brown rice, kasha or another whole grain as a side dish instead of white rice or potatoes.  All you have to do is cook them according to the directions for a more wholesome side kick to your meal.

• Use grains such as quinoa or barley in entrees like risotto, pilaf and stuffed peppers.  Bob’s Red Mill has many such recipes available on the Recipes portion of our website.

• Add whole grains to soups, stews and salads.  You can follow a recipe or simply add ½ cup of cooked whole grains to your favorite dishes.  Depending on the recipe, more could be added.

• Soak whole grains in the morning to cut down on cooking time for dinner preparation.  Simply place the grains in a pot, cover with water called for in the instructions and let soak 4-8 hours.   When ready to cook, prepare as usual, except the cooking time will be less and vary depending on the grain.  

Whole Grain Recipes: 

• Bean and Barley Burgers

• Szechwan Peanut Salad

• Whole Grain Polenta

• Creamy Mushrooms & Grain Soup

• French Beans & Berries Salad

• Wheat Berry Minestrone Soup

• Kasha Scramble

• Quinoa Salad

Again, the article above explains planning your food intake up to 24 hrs before a race from the voice of a professional dietician/nutritionist and includes what types of food to eat and the timing of eating before racing and training for optimal digestion and performance.

From my personal experience, my overall diet varies very little whether I am racing, training or in an “off” season.  The variable that changes the most is portion size/caloric intake. (If I am training a lot or in cold weather, I will likely need to consume more overall calories) This will vary person to person depending on size, gender and activity level.

For me, the average 24 hours before a race begins with morning breakfast of Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats with fruit and maple syrup and 1 cup of decaf coffee with soy milk and agave. Most days of the week I train on the bike within 2-3 hours of eating my breakfast.  After training I will often have leftovers from the night before as lunch and a recovery meal.  Some athletes prefer to make a shake in the blender with fruits and protein powder or chocolate milk with banana with peanut butter.  I will often make a shake in the summer when it’s hot and easier to get in some quick calories, but during cross season I tend to prefer warm foods.  Later that day I will have a snack of a Clif Bar energy bar or homemade energy bars.

For dinners, I try to keep meals balanced with a plant-based protein such as tofu, tempeh, beans or seitan and 2-3 vegetables such as leafy greens, potatoes, broccoli or squash.  Meals will often combine a combination of these ingredients with whole grains such as brown rice, barley, polenta or quinoa.

Eating consistently tends to keep my overall energy and blood sugar more level for training throughout the week and then racing on the weekends.

On race day, I start with my usual steel cut oats and decaf about 4 hours before my race.  Then, 2 hours before start time, I usually have an English muffin with light peanut butter and a bottle of electrolyte sports drink.  While warming up in the hour before the race starts, I will continue to drink water and sports drink.  About 15 minutes before race start I will have a gel and then off I go for 40 minutes of all out racing!

I believe that the more you practice anything, the easier it will become.  That goes for nutrition as well.  My diet of plant-based foods, whole grains, fresh veggies, no preservatives, minimally processed foods and little sugars isn’t a diet in the way we have some to think of “diets”.  We tend to think of nutritional change in a more healthful direction as something so difficult that it’s hard to get started.  I get that eating well is also really expensive and because of the way our food industry is set up, not affordable for a lot of people.  It’s cheap to eat less healthy.  I hope someday soon that changes. In the meantime, I suggest starting with one meal a week.  Take the time to get a recipe, go to the market and get ingredients and make a fresh, home cooked meal, preferably vegetarian while you’re at it.

I’m lucky that I love to cook and play in the kitchen, so it’s easy for me to stay on a healthy eating routine.  Last night’s dinner is almost always tomorrow’s lunch, be sure to make extra but be mindful of your portions.  I have been posting a recipe of the week in my weekly race reports.  Each recipe highlights a Bob’s Red Mill product.  For some midweek meal options here are some of my favorites:

Roasted Delicata Squash with Pearl Barley: http://thevegandelicious.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/roasted-delicata-squash-with-seasoned-pearl-barley/

Easy Pasta Alfredo: http://thevegandelicious.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/easy-alfredo/

Chickpea Cutlets: http://thevegandelicious.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/chickpea-cutlets-or-bites/

And lastly, the best way to avoid eating non-nutritious items is to not buy them. Yes, sounds simple but most of us fall out of sync with healthy eating by purchasing unhealthy midday snacks or drinks loaded with sugar and empty calories.

Here is a great article by Monique Ryan who writes for Velonews. She is a registered dietician and nutritionist. http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/09/coaches-panel/the-feedzone-with-monique-ryan-eat-right-for-cross_13709

I am not trained in the science of recovery or nutrition, so I highly recommend following the advice of a licensed professional if you are seeking a scientific approach to nutrition and performance.