Beyond Pasta

By Christine Gorman

Remember the good old days when you could eat all the pasta you wanted and still feel virtuous? After all, pasta (along with rice, potatoes and bread) contains lots of complex carbohydrates--the stuff that nutritionists keep telling us is the foundation of a healthy diet. Turns out, things are more complicated than that. Complex carbohydrates are still good for you. But Americans get most of their complex carbohydrates from refined grains--which have been stripped of their fiber and many nutrients--and don't eat enough foods made from whole grains. Researchers are just beginning to understand why that matters. A number of studies conducted over the past five years suggest that eating whole grains--including oats, barley, rye and wheat--can reduce your risk of heart disease, minimize your chances of developing the most common form of diabetes and forestall several types of gastrointestinal disorder. Indeed, many nutritionists expect to see a greater emphasis on whole grains in the upcoming revision of the government's dietary guidelines, due out next year.

Whole grains contain all three parts of the kernel: the bran, which is packed with fiber and B vitamins; the carbohydrate-rich core, or endosperm; and the germ, which is also full of B vitamins as well as other micronutrients. Finely milling the grains produces a flour that lacks the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm behind. Manufacturers enrich their refined products with some of the missing vitamins, but researchers suspect that it's the combination of everything--the fiber, the vitamins, the minerals and, no doubt, other as yet undiscovered nutritional ingredients--that makes whole grains healthy.

Some grains, like oats, barley and rye, are rich in soluble fiber, which slows down digestion and helps lower cholesterol. Others, like wheat, are full of insoluble fiber, which helps keep bowel movements regular. (Another benefit of eating whole grains: fewer hemorrhoids as your stools become easier to pass.) You need both types of fiber for a balanced diet.

Don't get confused by the labels in the grocery store: multigrain, stone ground, cracked wheat. What's important is the first item in the list of ingredients. You're looking for the word whole. If it says enriched or wheat flour, it's a refined product.

If this still sounds like eating sawdust, try changing your diet in stages. Start with wheat bread, then switch to whole wheat. Some brands are milder than others. You might even mix a teaspoon of oat bran or wheat germ into your yogurt.

Another reason to go slow: your intestines need a week or two to adjust to the extra fiber. Drink plenty of water to keep your bowels from getting blocked. "You don't have to eat all bran all the time," says Susan Roberts, professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston. "But you should try to get some fiber at every meal."

Whole grains, of course, are not the only source of fiber, vitamins or complex carbohydrates. Don't forget your beans, peas and other legumes (rinsing canned beans in cold water helps cut down on gas). And as nutritious as these food groups are, they won't protect you from patently self-destructive behavior--like smoking, overdrinking or leading a sedentary life. But that's food for another column.

To read more about nutrition on the Web, visit www.navigator.tufts.edu You can e-mail Christine at gorman@time.com