The wholegrain revolution! How Denmark changed the diet – and health – of their entire nation | Food

toUnchtime in Copenhagen, Denmark. The place is crowded and customer employees speak on the list. Do we want slow pork with pearl and mushroom barley? What about rye pies with salmon, cream cheese and avocado? Tartari decided the beets with the toast of radish and ice, and a spelling side salad.

This is not a new restaurant in the north – it’s a business canteen. These chefs feed 900 DSB workers (Danish government railways) every day of the week. In addition to the wonderful look and taste, each dish is served here Foldorn ((Classy), from breakfast juices with oats to afternoon treatments such as whole cookies today. There is a good reason for this: DSB recently registered in a national program aimed at obtaining more full tumor to employees.

The initiative leads before Danish whole grain partnershipA group on a mission to make Danish more healthier, one slice of rye bread simultaneously. Among its members are the government and health NGOs (the Danish Cancer Association, the Danish Heart Foundation, the Danish Diabetes Association) and the industry (bakers, food companies, supermarkets). He was incredibly successful. When the partnership began in 2008, the average dance ate 36 grams of full a day. By 2019, they were eating 82 g, the highest level in Europe. On the contrary, the average British eats 20 grams a day, and one in five do not eat anything perfect. In the United States, Only 15 % of grain consumption It comes from full speech (recommends at least 50 % food guidelines).

What is very good in all speech breakdowns? “Eating full food helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. It helps reduce cholesterol in cholesterol, stabilize glucose in the blood and improve the health of microorganisms in the intestine,” says Natasha Silberg of the Danish Heart Association. “Full storms make you feel full, so it can help prevent obesity,” added the campaign leader, Rikke Nes, “The campaign leader added. (Denmark has some of The lowest obesity rates in Europe) “They add the texture to your food – and really taste well.”

In Denmark, there are nine recognized granules: Wheat, shelter, barley, rice (brown and red), rye, oats, millet, corn (dried) and fine corn. The category may be expanded soon to include “false grains” such as Quinoa, Amaranth and Buckweat. Nice says that eating a complete nucleus of grains, which include bran, bacterium and endosperm, means that you benefit from “all good parts”, says Nice – fibers, vitamins and minerals.

“The project started because of [low-carbohydrate] Nice says that sales of bread decreased: “Atkins Diet, who was very popular in Denmark, was baking sales decreasing. At the same time, there was increasing evidence that all words reduced the risk of cancer.”

One of the first moves of the entire grain partnership was to create an orange logo for high products throughout speech. In 2010, 190 products carried the symbol; By 2019, it was 1097. In a 2024 survey, it was recognized by seven out of 10 Danish. “The logo makes it really easy for consumers to choose speech,” says Nice. “We have also received a very positive response from the industry. It gives them a competitive advantage to obtain the logo of their products.” “This logo gives producers an incentive to develop and reformulate healthy products,” Selberg added. according to 2022Report From the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), these products are not more expensive than repeated grain equations.

The government has supported this initiative by updating official food guidelines. In 2009, he recommended four servings of speech every day. In 2013, he set a more specific goal of at least 75 grams per day, and in June last year, this was increased to 90 g.

I visit Lantmännenen Schulstad, the largest producer of Rye Bread, a Danish essential element. “Jodar bread was part of our culture 1000 years ago,” says Nice. But young people are increasingly choosing white bread, wraps and burgers on the boring old rectangular boring rye bread. In response, Lantmänne Schulstad takes out new shapes and sizes that are more suitable for children’s lunch boxes. “We have to make the rye bread great again,” Nice joked.

Lee Bernell Bang Lorman, CEO of Lantmänne Schulstad, shows a absolute table of different types of bread. It is set in different quantities, which shows the amount of each type you need to eat to get your daily share of all grains. Dark rye bread? Only four small slices. White rolls? You should make your way across a tall pile of 50.

For some people, this knowledge is sufficient to make them choose rye bread. But many others build their choice on taste or price, or what children will eat, and it may be postponed by the whole grain logo in signing virtue. For this reason, the partnership encouraged the producers to put a little whole grain flour in everyone Its products, even white bread slices. Most of them began by 3 % – anywhere nearly enough to see or taste – and it increases very gradually: 5 %, 7 %, and perhaps 9 %. All this ghost is listed in the ingredients, but it is not trumpet anywhere on the label. “There are a lot of fast food in Denmark, but the strategy of adding a little blocs to Burger Buns is a good start,” says Nice. This tactic targets 6 % of Danish who eat less than 25 grams of full per day. “We have to get people who eat the least amount to eat more,” said Silberg.

In Valsemincial, a Danish bakery established in 1899, bake bread with Eric Olsen. We try by making fermented dough in different proportions of whole grain flour, from scratch to 90 %. It is amazing how different the difference he causes in appearance, texture, or taste – even Olsen, who has been baking since he was 13 years old. If you like Tang of White with, you can switch to 75 % whole grains and hardly notice.

Olsen also baked some delicious cinnamon cakes with 25 % full cakes. Add a percentage of whole grain flour to the cakes is another easy way to raise people’s intake, especially in Denmark, where Pastries, cakes and biscuits are a big deal. Sweet do not get the entire grain logo – the products must meet with official guidelines about sugar, salt and fat as well – but adding full speech still can make them healthier. Silberg says the same applies to highly treated foods. “Fibers, vitamins and minerals may be in very treated rye bread more important than additives, which may help bread for a longer period.”

The entire grain partnership runs the annual events to increase awareness. On the day of the whole national pills in January, there are activities such as cooking, bread, singing and playing games in schools, libraries and hospitals; This year, the prison participated. Supermarkets contain special offers on whole grain products at this time. “It is a day with a lot of positivity, happiness and society,” says Niz. There is also a SMQRRRRRRRRRBRUTED (Open sandwich) Week in June, breakfast week in September and a new dinner week in November. “Most Danish get a lunch breakfast, but many do not get much in the evening,” Silberg says. “Our new campaign focuses on dinner: whole grain pasta, rice and bread.”

Ask Nice how to get 90 grams a day. “I always eat oatmeal with wild grapes and almonds for breakfast, and a piece of rye bread for lunch, and focus on the full dinner – pasta, rice and pizza – with a lot of vegetables,” she says. “I really like Crispbread as a light meal in the afternoon.”

The European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development granted the partnership of best practices for the promotion of public health, in 2019 and 2022, respectively. “Given strong evidence to support the relationship between whole grain consumption and a decrease in the risk of a specific cancer (such as colon and rectal cancer), type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, DWGP plays an important role in improving the health of the population,” said the report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

How easy is the diet to the entire nation? “It is extremely difficult to change eating habits at the population level,” said Silberg. “You need partners in the industry who can increase the availability of whole grain products and reformulate recipes to increase the amount of whole grains. You have to make sure that customers can make healthy options in supermarkets, and increase awareness and demand for consumer.” Nice agrees that the most important thing is the availability: “It should be easy to make the entire option of grains everywhere we go.” We wander around the center of Copenhagen, appeared in stores and supermarkets. The entire grain logo is everywhere: on bread, grains, pasta, rice, biscuits and snacks …

Nice stresses the importance of cooperation. “We want to increase public health, but this is a difficult task for only one partner to achieve it. But when we work closely, we can achieve this. There is very high confidence “Among the partners, not all countries can work with the government. It is not a political project. Left and right governments were very supportive,” she says.

“Our general/private partnership is a very Danish thing, and it is very successful,” he added. “most Europe It moves more to the right. Politicians are not allowed to determine what is on people’s paintings. “

In fact, Denmark leads the road with this type of alliance. In October 2023, the first country was placed in the world Plant food planAn unlikely agreement between farmers, politicians and environmental groups, aimed at reducing meat consumption for environmental and health reasons. The entire granules are part of this – they fill but require much lower water, ground or energy to produce meat or dairy. “All kinds of carbon contain a low carbon fingerprint,” says Nice. “Only 25 % of Danish realize it.”

The partnership is now trying to spread the word entire grain behind Denmark. “We are part of Alliance of full fortified grains“A Rockefler project is trying to increase the consumption of whole grains in Africa. We also have partnerships in Germany and Japan, and we have just launched a partnership with Sweden,” says Nice. the International whole grain summit It was held in Detmold, Germany, earlier this month, the call to replace the grains that are repeated with whole grains over the next few years.

How can other countries follow the steps of Denmark? “Small steps. You should consider the food industry in what people eat and gradually increase the amount of grains: 3 %, 5 %, etc.,” Nice says. At home, “If you bake a cake with 25 % flour of whole grains, you will never guess. You can make lasagna with 50 % camera pasta, 50 % white.”

On my last day in Copenhagen, I eat breakfast in my hotel. It is easy to choose to speak: a bowl of oatmeal with fruit, a piece of toast with chickpeas, and whole pastries. They fill me on the morning of a tourist attraction – and as Nice promised, they really taste, really good.