Ever since the whole “whole grain” craze hit the US, food manufacturers have become more and more deceitful regarding the whole grain content of their foods.

Personally, I am a big believer in the whole grain movement. Two years ago, I lost 30 pounds, mainly due to a diet that consisted of almost entirely whole grain carbs. As such, I’m always on the lookout for breads, pastas, crackers, etc, that are 100% whole grain.

The problem is that almost everything is labeled “whole grain” these days, yet most of these products only contain a minimal amount of whole grain. Take this ECCE PANIS “Multigrain Boule” that I saw in ACME the other day; on the back of the bag, in large letters, it says:

“WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, FLAX SEEDS, OATS, CRACKED WHEAT, BULGAR WHEAT, WHEAT BRAN, AND WHEAT GERM ARE DELICIOUSLY COMBINED IN THIS SWEET MOIST BREAD.”

What you are told, if you are into this kind of thing, is to look at the ingredients to make sure “whole grain” flour is the first ingredient. In this case, this text seems like the ingredients, but is actually just marketing text. Looking to the side of the bag, in much smaller text, regular wheat flour is actually the first ingredient.

A coincedence? Maybe, but I believe the food makers are purposely trying to deceive the public into thinking they are buying healthy food.

Is this a good thing?