Hilarity File: Teens Don't Eat Enough Grains

From MarketWatch. This ought to be good.

"Teens are not consuming enough whole grain foods, according to a recent study from the University of Minnesota at St. Paul and featured in the January issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

The study, that analyzed adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2004), found that less than one third consumed more than .5 whole grain ounce equivalents per day.

The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January 2011 recommends that all adults eat at least half their grains as whole grains - that's at least three-to-five servings of whole grains. Even children need two-to-three servings or more. According to the Whole Grains Council, consumption lags far behind these recommendations. For example, the average American eats less than one daily serving of whole grains, and some studies show that over 40 percent of Americans never eat whole grains at all.

"This is an opportunity for food companies, school nutrition programs and retailers to market the health benefits of grains and create easier access to products and recipes," says Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com. "Whole grain intake has been associated with improved chronic disease risk factors and weight status in adults, and we know that healthy food habits start young."

Perhaps it's because whole grains need some sort of production to be made edible, like soaking, or fermenting, or god knows what else? Teens are the least likely candidates for taking the time and applying the know-how for the required processing, and will skip these foods for ready-to-eat fare...like instant oatmeal, boxed breakfast cereal, and bread.

Smart teens will skip grains altogether and eat Paleo leftovers for a fast meal. Not-so-smart teens will continue to look for the easy way out, fall victim to the marketing lure of food processors, gain hideous amounts of weight, and eventually teach the same behaviors to their own kids. Can you hear the "cha-CHING" from here?

The sentence above that says increased grain intake has been associated with improved cardiac health is DEAD WRONG when you consider the fact that grains break down into sugar, and sugar invades all our organs, displacing protein and other nutrients, hampering function. However, the Whole Grains Council is trying valiantly to steer you right into the jaws of food processors, where you'll never escape, except to avoid grains altogether.