Seeking a Grain of Truth in ‘Whole Grain’ Labels
24:57 minutes
Whole wheat, stone-ground, multi-grain. Have food labels got you confused? Joanne Slavin, a nutrition professor at the University of Minnesota, and David Ludwig, a pediatrician and obesity doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital, discuss the meaning of “whole grain,” and whether intact grains like wheat berries pack more nutritional punch than their ground-up counterparts, such as whole wheat flour.
Segment Guests
Joanne Slavin
Joanne Slavin is a professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota.
David Ludwig
David Ludwig is author of Always Hungry (Grand Central, 2016). He’s a practicing endocrinologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.
Related Links
- WashPost: Whole grain and the 2010 Dietary Guidlines
- NYT: Controversy in the Bread Aisle
- NYT: And Down This Aisle, Many Whole Grain Options
- MinnPost: Foods labeled ‘whole grain’ are often unhealthy, Harvard study finds
- Toronto Star: Do whole grains deserve a place on your plate? Food fight answers
- WebMD: Tips for Reaping the Benefits of Whole Grains
- Whole Grains Council
Meet the Producer
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.