Good carbs include whole grains

To weigh less, enjoy better health and live longer, resolve to eat more whole grains.

The weight-control and other health benefits of eating wholegrain foods, including breads, are outlined in study after study around the world. Each slice of 100 percent whole-grain loaf comes packed with nutrients, including four grams of fiber per typical 50 gram slice.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, estimating that 64 percent of the population is overweight and more than 30 percent is obese, has begun to promote more wholegrain consumption in the new year. Two years ago the agency launched the updated Dietary Guidelines recommending that Americans triple their whole grain consumption. The USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services jointly launched the new MyPyramid.com nutrition guide, which recommends eating more whole grains to improve health and live longer.

The U.S. surgeon general encourages Americans to consume at least three servings of grains daily. The current daily average hovers around half a serving.

Great Harvest Bread Company, with a local bakery in Newbury Park, became the first retailer in America to feature stamps on products to help consumers identify whole-grain foods. The stamps were developed by the Whole Grains Council, a Boston-based group of scientists, chefs and a foodissues think tank.

Servings of the Great Harvest Bread bearing the "Whole Grain Excellent Source" stamp count as a full serving; those with "Whole Grain Good Source" count as a half serving. The stamps are based on the USDA standard of 16 grams of whole grains as a full serving.

In "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy- the Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Living," Dr. Walter Willet writes that the good carbs that should form the keystones of a healthy diet come from whole grains. He explains that human bodies take longer to digest good carbs, making people feel fuller longer.

The American College of Nutrition says that many Americans could benefit from eating more whole grains.

A Harvard School of Public Health study published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming whole-grain foods helps keep weight off. The study, which followed 27,082 men aged 45 to 70 for eight years, found that "additional components in whole grains may contribute to favorable metabolic alterations that may reduce long-term weight gain."

Beyond weight control, studies have established important health benefits from eating whole grains include a reduced risk of cancer, heart attacks and diabetes. Physicians, public health professionals and nutritionists are increasingly drawing distinctions between carbohydrates that, once eaten, turn quickly into sugar in the body versus carbohydrates that are slowly digested and provide essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

Sources of good carbs include fruit; dark, leafy vegetables; beans; and whole grains.

Willet wrote in "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy," "Until the 19th century, humans ate grains either whole or roughly ground. In this form, grains offered a carbohydrate package rich in fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, plant enzymes and hundreds of other nutrients. . . . Whole grains are making a comeback."