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https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/23/the-wholegrain-revolution-how-denmark-changed-the-diet-and-health-of-their-entire-nation>
"Lunchtime in Copenhagen, Denmark. The place is packed and staff are talking
customers through the menu. Would we like the slow-roasted pork with pearl
barley and mushrooms? How about the rye pancakes with salmon, cream cheese and
avocado? I decide on the beetroot tartare with horseradish and rye toasts, and
a spelt side salad.
This isn’t a fancy new Nordic restaurant – it’s a work canteen. These chefs
feed 900 workers from DSB (Danish State Railways) every weekday. As well as
looking and tasting great, each dish served here contains fuldkorn
(wholegrains), from breakfast smoothies with oats to afternoon treats such as
today’s wholemeal scones. There’s a good reason for this: DSB recently signed
up to a national programme that aims to get more wholegrains into employees.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Danish Whole Grain Partnership, a group on
a mission to make Danes healthier, one slice of rye bread at a time. Its
members include the government, health NGOs (the Danish Cancer Society, the
Danish Heart Foundation and the Danish Diabetes Association) and industry
(bakers, food companies, supermarkets). It has been incredibly successful. When
the partnership began in 2008, the average Dane ate 36g of wholegrains a day.
By 2019, they were eating 82g, the highest intake in Europe. In contrast, the
average Briton eats 20g a day, and one in five don’t eat any wholegrains. In
the US, just 15% of grain consumption comes from wholegrains (dietary
guidelines recommend at least 50%).
What’s so good about wholegrains? “Eating wholegrains helps to reduce your risk
of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. They help
lower your cholesterol, stabilise your blood glucose levels and improve the
health of your gut microbiota,” says Natasha Selberg of the Danish Heart
Association. Rikke Neess, the campaign’s leader, adds: “Wholegrains make you
feel full, so can help prevent obesity.” (Denmark has some of the lowest
obesity rates in Europe.) “They add texture to your food – and taste really
good.”
In Denmark, there are nine recognised grains: wheat, spelt, barley, rice (brown
and red), rye, oats, millet, corn (dried) and sorghum. The category may soon be
expanded to include “pseudo-grains” such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat.
Eating a grain’s whole kernel, which includes the bran, germ and endosperm,
means you benefit from “all the good parts”, says Neess – the fibre, vitamins
and minerals."
Via
Positive.News
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
