The Truth About Whole Grains | Midwest Weight Control

Unfortunately for dieters and those attempting to eat healthy, marketing geniuses know exactly what to say to get people to buy their food products.

“Low-fat candy!”

“Made with real fruit juice!”

“Cookies filled with 7 whole grains!”

By repackaging junk foods and simply adding a healthy ingredient to them here and there, food companies do everyone-especially dieters-a disservice.

It’s true that whole grains are an important part of a healthy diet. They help lower cholesterol, increase fiber, and some studies show that they improve the body’s ability to metabolize insulin. By adding whole grains to our diets in the form of bread, cereal, rice and pasta, we can lose weight and improve our health; keep in mind that it works this way only if these items are used as a substitute for the normal breads, cereals, pastas and rice we eat.

If you add additional items to your diet simply because they’re labeled “healthy” and don’t consider the additional calories they could be adding to your daily intake, then you most likely won’t lose weight. For example, adding high-fiber, whole-grain cookies to your diet will increase the amount of sugar and calories you take in, which defeats the purpose of eating healthy.