Nutrition & Wasa
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Whole Grains & Healthy Eating
The relationship between health and healthy eating is clearly evident; lifestyle and dietary habits are closely connected. The importance of dietary fiber as part of a healthy diet is increasingly recognized. Wasa Crispbread is an excellent source of dietary fiber since it contains 100 percent whole grain.
Numerous large-scale research studies throughout the world have confirmed the benefits of healthy eating. Incorporating fiber-rich products into a healthy diet has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease as well as the risk of stroke and diabetes. Scientists still cannot fully explain why fiber-rich health foods have these beneficial effects. They are presently trying to establish the single or the most important elements in the dietary fiber complex. It seems unlikely that one individual component is decisive. Researchers cannot, as yet, determine which cereals have the best effects in these health respects. Few comparative experimental studies have been carried out. All cereals have interesting characteristics and all can be baked as whole grain products.
Rye is especially interesting from a healthy eating perspective since it is most often used as whole grain flour. Rye is also unique in its favorable combination of starch, fiber and protein. It’s a well-balanced base for making wholesome and tasty whole grain bread. Rye is high in lignans and alkylresorcinols, low in fat, a valuable source of carbohydrates and protein, has a high content of interesting phytochemicals and offers plenty of fiber.
Rye and Heart Disease
Towards the end of the 1970s, a research team was able to demonstrate the remarkably strong relationship between healthy eating and a diet high in fiber-rich cereal products and the reduced risk for coronary heart disease. Since then, numerous large-scale studies have confirmed the benefits of healthy eating and a diet full of fiber-rich products, particularly whole grain products, in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
One study of 22,000 men in Finland showed that the risk of coronary heart disease decreased in relation to the amount of fiber in the diet. The Finnish group was monitored over six years and the conclusion was that healthy eating and healthy diet foods, including whole grain cereals, were more strongly associated with a protective effect than other fiber-rich products such as fruits and vegetables. Other recent studies show similar results. Thus, there is now clear evidence that healthy eating and a diet containing plenty of whole meal products are associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease.
Health Claims
An often-heard view is that it is too late in life to change eating habits. However, research clearly shows that adopting a new diet pays off, regardless of age. Studies also show that health benefits may begin with consumption of one or two servings of whole grain health foods per day as part of your healthy eating plan.
In the United States, three servings of whole grains per day are recommended. Since 1999, U.S. food companies have been permitted to promote the heart disease and cancer fighting benefits of whole grains. In Great Britain, a typical claim used on food packaging is: "Most of us know that whole grain foods are good for us, but increasing evidence suggests that they may help keep your heart healthy as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle."
