Fortified white wheat flour adds essentials to our diets (The Ottawa Citizen)
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The Ottawa Citizen 2006.03.02 Final News Letters A13 Laura Pasut The Ottawa Citizen 250
Re: Follow new food guide and you'll get fat: MD, Feb. 28. Dr. Yoni Freedhoff criticizes the proposed revision of Canada's Food Guide, and specifically the recommendations of the grain products food group. It is unfortunate that he suggests Canadians should not consume "refined" carbohydrates such as white wheat flour. White wheat flour and food products made from it provide Canadians' diets with complex carbohydrates and similar levels of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron found in whole wheat flour products. Since 1998 white wheat flour has been fortified with folic acid, which while important for the production of healthy body cells in everyone, is also vital for infants because it prevents life−threatening neural−tube birth defects such as spina bifida. Fortification of white wheat flour has been directly attributed to a dramatic 50 per cent reduction in these types of birth defects. And there has been an improvement in the folate status of Canadian women, a reduction in neuroblastomas (a tumour seen in infants), and a reduction in serum homocysteine levels (an indicator of cardiovascular disease). On the website www.GrainsEssential.ca, there are fully referenced reviews on the addition of the folate to white wheat flour and the benefits of whole grains to inform health professionals, including dietitians and physicians, and fact sheets for consumers. Laura Pasut, Barrie Ms. Pasut is the nutrition consultant for GrainsEssential program, which is sponsored by the Baking Association of Canada, the Canadian Wheat Board and the Canadian Pasta Manufacturers Association.
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