How Healthy is Wheat?

Wheat breeding has traditionally focused on traits that aim to improve grain yield, disease resistance, a biotic stress tolerance, and industrial quality. This breeding effort has resulted in substantial improvements in industrial quality that has helped meet the energy needs of people around the world. Recent evidence suggests that apart from producing more food, improvement in the nutritional quality of food is essential.  It is estimated that three billion people suffer from iron and zinc deficiencies worldwide. Iron deficiency anemia is by far the most common micronutrient deficiency observed in developing countries and millions more are also at risk of zinc deficiency. There are several strategies that are currently used to increase the nutritional value of wheat; these are food fortification, and education. Food fortification meaning adding traces of elements and vitamins into wheat.

There is about three hundred million tonnes of wheat produced in developing countries. It is estimated that four hundred and forty million tonnes will be needed by 2020 due to the increase in the population according to Annals of Applied Biology article, “Adapting wheat cultivars to resource conserving farming practices and human nutritional needs” written by Dr. Trethowan. This projected increase in production will have to be achieved against a backdrop of less water for agriculture and little new available land for production. Because of this, the idea is not to increase the amount of wheat produced, but to enhance the quality of the wheat. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Mexico has been conducting research on nutrition-related traits for more than two decades. They have come up with the theory that the solution to improving wheat may be in the economic policies. These policies would allow research to be conducted in different parts of the world headed by the CIMMYT, in order to achieve the perfect wheat.




Improvements in the nutritional quality will be largely achieved by genetic improvements. Some Governments have realized the importance in genetic improvements and have introduced food fortification programs to reduce iron and zinc deficiencies and hopefully malnutrition. Dr. Trethowan believes introducing genes from other species using genetic transformation is the only genetic alternative to improving the nutritional value of wheat. Wheat is widely known for having various concentrations of iron and zinc. Wheat flour holds twenty eight percent of iron and twenty seven percent of zinc. However, the genetic variation currently available in the wheat gene pool for iron and zinc may prove to be insufficient to meet the dietary needs of low-income families across the nation.

Best sources of high iron and zinc concentrations are in wheat variations that exist in the wild. Iron and zinc levels in wheat vary depending on the growing environment and the genetic composition of the materials. To improve iron and zinc grain concentrations, plant breeders require genetic variations for these characters that are genuine to various locations. According to Dr. Trethowan, past attempts have shown these efforts to be expensive and unsustainable in the long term. To further complicate matters, genetic variation for other essential elements and vitamins, such as vitamin A, are not present in wheat.




The reason it is so important to improve the nutritional value of wheat, is because it is one of the main ingredients in, supposedly, healthy cereals. The cereal advertised as being the secret to a healthy living; whole grain cereals. According to Dr. Ragaee, head scientist on, “Effects of fiber addition on antioxidant capacity and nutritional quality of wheat,” whole grain cereals contain essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. Even if the grain had been processed, it will hold the same nutrients that are found in the original grain. Whole grain cereals contain high concentration of starch, which increases the glucose in the blood stream. Decreasing the amount of starch in cereal could increase the nutritional quality of cereal while also emphasizing the amount of slowly digestible starch and resistant starch. Slowly digestible starch is a starch fraction that is digested in the small intestine at a lower rate. It also creates an average flow of glucose in the blood. Resistant starch is the starch portion that cannot be digested in the small intestine, but ferments in the large intestine. This results in the production of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and short chain fatty acids; all results are good for the human body. To increase the levels of SDS and RS will not be easy due to the change in the environment in the last three decades and the increase in demand for wheat.

Professor Ben De Lumen of University of California Berkeley, Ph.D in Agricultural Chemistry and Biochemistry from University of California Davis, believes, “Digestibility is not a serious issue in starch. If one wants to take advantage of carbohydrates in starch, it has to be digested and converted into sugars. All starch can be digested eventually whether slowly or rapidly.  Any starch which is not digested acts like dietary fiber which has its benefits too.” That being said, further research in decreasing the amount of starch in cereal may be put on hold, due to the lack of significant to the human race.




It is safe to say improvements in the nutritional quality of wheat will largely be realized through genetic improvement. CIMMYT recent breeding efforts of transferring high iron and zinc concentrations from wheat and other wild species have made recent breakthroughs. Dr. Trethowan happily shared that the synthetic wheat created by breeders in Mexico, has been identified of having high levels of iron and zinc. This is due to the addition of Triticum dicoccum, and Aegilops tauschii; two grains found in wild wheat species.  The cross breading in CIMMYT’s wheat breeding programs are now trying to grow the synthetic wheat in different locations in the world.  Elite breeders are working on growing the synthetic wheat in large areas in South Asia. So far, there have been higher levels of iron and zinc in the new fields. These may be due to the effects of different breeding techniques and the environment interaction with the seeds. Further assessments are being made to validate the findings. Improving wheat’s nutritional value will take a while, but that doesn’t mean one should avoid products that contain wheat. However, a product may not be as healthy as advertised. 

A stalk of wheat located in the CIMMYT breeding program in Mexico from apimages.com

- Bernard Essoka

I want YOU to make a better decision

As you march down the crowded city of Big Apple, New York City, or any major city around United States, you can easily spot McDonalds, Burger Kings, Taco Bells and numerous different kinds of fast food industries. You can easily step into those fast food restaurants and order yourself the new dollar meal or the premium combo that now comes with extra large fries or extra large fountain beverages.

But are you aware of what is in those fast foods? According to Dessa Bergen-Cico, fellow of the American Academy of Health Care providers and assistant professor of department of public health in Syracuse University, states that most of the consumers do not know detailed information of what is in fast foods however they are aware of the potential damage that can be inflicted upon the human body. Nevertheless, everyday more people are stopping by and visiting fast food chain restaurants than any other restaurants in the world. Furthermore the fast food is taking its toll by leading adults to gain more mass, furthermore something that is more devastating is that the obesity is reaching down to the children as well. There has been significant numbers of sign where kids appear to have problem with blood pressure comparable to a 30-year-old man.

With such terrifying information from the intake of necessary basic nutrient, food, people started taking serious initiatives starting with pointing fingers. Doctor Glyn Morgan, professor in Maxwell School in Syracuse University in Political Science, Philosophy and Ethics, claims “it is difficult for one to accept obesity and the fact that they [consumers] brought this health matter upon themselves by their [consumer’s] decisions” therefore the leading option for majority of the people was to blame on the fast food industries. Nevertheless, we, the consumers, cannot blame the fast food industries, as it is us that are pushing the fast food industries to obtain methods to make the meat more fat and juicy within such fast time period. Can you imagine yourself standing and waiting for a time period of 20 to 30 minutes for a perfect Big Mac from McDonald? The answer is no. Nowadays the waiting period is a rare and unwanted occasion for us to intervene with. Just as how we crave for better and faster technology, we also are leaning this idea on our food to be made faster and tastier in a quick timely manner. Therefore, ultimately, regardless of the fact that fast food can have devastating affect on one’s health, the main cause of obesity and many other health and society issues are caused by our own decision-making.

What is stopping you from approaching that kitchen and make some healthy pasta or some egg salad? According to the research, Fast Food Shake Up by Charles S. Clarke, the three primary reasons why people lean more toward fast food is because they are fast, taste good and cheap. The decision to just take a little walk or take a ride fore five minutes to get a burger combo may be less time consuming than making your own food. However there are also different kinds of initiatives that you can take to make food faster and tastier at home, furthermore sometimes getting fast food can be more time consuming.

Similar to how people get addicted to nicotine or smoking, we are also getting addicted to the taste offered by the fast food industries. In order for us to break apart from this horrid addiction, we can start lessening the consumption of fast food and start to cook more often for our health. By taking advantage of advanced technology it is getting easier for us to get tastier recipes! Promoting Healthy Choices: Information versus Convenience by Jessica Wisdom, George Lowenstein and Julie S. Down states the average cost of fast food is roughly around seven to nine dollars per sitting when for home food varies through eight to twelve dollars. The price difference is there but not in such a margin for us to always choose fast food.

Article, Fast-food Consumption among US adults and children by five nutritional epidemiology specialists from Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University, lifts society issues that are now arising along with other health issues within the population. The main issues are arising from the cause of obesity. Sadly, children who are suffering from obesity are many times looked down upon by others and therefore leading to depression and other mental cases. As the children are our upcoming future we have to implement initiatives. Remember as people consume more and more fast food the population of society who are suffering from obesity also increases.

So what can we do? Start your day off with the RIGHT choice. Research from Promoting Healthy Choices: Information versus Convenience shows that as one start with a good choice of food, it leads to better choices and health benefits are surely reflected. As for the children, they grow looking up from the basic actions we take such as what kind of food we consume. Making better decisions will surely lead to healthier life not only for us but for the children as well. Remember, every time we step into fast food restaurants we are being in support of the fast food industries. As we, the people, start to make healthier options, surely even the fast food industries will start to shift their direction to healthier and more benefitting options. A little glimpse of hope can be seen in the research of Promoting Healthy Choices: Information versus Convenience by Brian Wansink and Koert Van Ittersum as they discovered through changing the lighting and music in restaurant can lessen the consumption of fast food and enjoy the food even more!

Artwork of Uncle Sam done by R_Carlisle from Flickr.com

- David H. Lee

Concerns of Childhood Obesity

Concerns of Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity has doubled in children and tripled in teens the last twenty years. Parents should be aware of the obesity epidemic and concerned about what their children are eating in school, so this issue may cease to exist.  With fast food restaurants on the rise and video games being the new after school activity, it is no surprise that children, along with the rest of America, are gaining weight. However, there can be ways to prevent this from happening. Since children and teens spend half of their adolescence at school, eight hours a day, seven days a week, it is the school’s responsibility to get involved and influence what kids eat. It is the responsibility of the government and citizens of the Unites States to make sure schools enforce healthy policies. If schools provided less junk food and more nutritious food, as well as incorporated more physical activity in their curriculum, this would greatly impact the well-being of student’s and their weight. Parents need to pay close mind as to what kinds of food schools are providing to their children and make sure they are getting more than just an academic education but a physical one as well.

According to Michael Jacobson, author of, "Funding Schools...with junk food," he claims that schools have contributed to children gaining weight.  He explains that schools realize kids love junk food, so in order to ensure they will make enough money to cover their budget they buy food that they know students will purchase. Almost all schools have a vending machine, which is mostly filled with chips and other non-nutritious snacks. In addition, the soft drink has become increasingly popular among students and is one reason getting into shape, is such a struggle for students. Lynn Brann, Ph.D., R. D.. Assistant Professor. Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition at Syracuse University, can also attest to the fact schools contribute to a student’s health. She says, “Foods sold at school (those not included as part of the lunch program) are often of poor nutritional value.”   Also, not only are students not always eating what they should be in school, but while they are in school there is very little physical demand. In the past some schools have cut out physical education due to budget concerns. Laura C. Leviton, the author of "Children's Healthy Weight and the School Environment,” believes that school contributes to the overall balance and energy of children’s lives. With that being said since children spend forty hours a week at school they need exercise. Finally, more and more students are skipping after school activities and going straight home to watch TV or play video games, and eat, while remaining a sedentary lifestyle.

Some of you may be wondering why you should care. Why should I be so concerned about a school’s health policy, what if my child is not overweight? Regardless of whether or not your child is over-weight or even has concerning health issues, all parents should be concerned about the type of food and nutrition schools are providing students and what actions should be taken to maintain a healthy lifestyle for kids. For starters, no one wants high insurance or expensive medical bills, but more importantly no one wants their child to have a health risk or issue. Continued weight gain due to poor nutrition and bad eating habits pose future threats such as, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, high cholesterol, and even mental health can become a future health issue. According to the article titled “Obesity” obesity is a dimension of the body image based on what society deems as acceptable. With that being said, psychosocial stigmatizing of the obese has a hostile impact on the education of people as well as their occupation, social interaction, and self-esteem, due to the fact that when people are overweight they generally have lower self-esteem and a poor self-image, this results in discrepancies when it comes to their social skills in interactive environments. This can take a damaging toll on a young child who may be mocked in school because of his/her size and also make it difficult for them to succeed in school.

Fortunately more people are becoming aware of the obesity crisis and schools are finding new ways to ensure students are staying fit.  One way is schools are providing healthier snacks. Things like chips and soda are being replaced with granola bars and water. Also, schools are incorporating fun ways to be active such as video games like Dance Dance Revolution. Physical education and health education are now required in more schools curriculum. In addition, according to the “National Academies” the government is playing an active role in efforts to making children healthier.  In certain districts of the United States new zoning restrictions on fast food restaurants have been put in place so that children are not as tempted or have as much availability to get food that is causing them to be unhealthy. School programs also are being put into place so that kids are spending less time being sedentary in front of the TV and video games. Furthermore, local governments have put in place a greater tax on higher calorie, lower nutritious foods.

When asked if parents were to blame for the overweight issue Lynn Brann responded, “No, it is not fair to blame parents.  Parents are responsible to the types of foods offered to their children when they are in their care.  There is a great deal that parents can do to make sure their children are healthy, have access to good quality food, and have access to opportunities to be physically active.  However, our environment is filled with media messages promoting “junk food” and this is problematic.” So while parents are not entirely to blame for childhood obesity, it is however important for parents to understand and realize the other negative influences children can have surrounding them when it comes to eating healthy and staying active. Parents need to educate their children about staying healthy and get involved in making sure their schools try and do the same. 

Lunch at a southern middle school from blogworld.com

- Olivia Byrne

Poor Families Equals Fat Families

While sitting here, contemplating on what to write, I think about my diet the last couple of days. I think about how much money I spent on what I bought and I think about the type of food that I have put inside my body.  I feel like I am a relatively healthy middle-aged man and I always try hard to eat well. But here is one thing that I have begun to learn about eating healthy and money; it is next to impossible to maintain a healthy diet without money. It is important for parents to use their money wisely when buying food for their children. Instead of buying McDonalds for their children every day, parents should instead save up and buy healthier food for their children at the supermarket. The question I ask myself based on this information is comparatively is healthy food truly more expensive than healthy food? This article states the problem with food prices in America and how people with socioeconomic struggles have trouble affording good, quality food. 

The obvious truth is that healthy food is too expensive and people don't have the money to buy this healthy food so they settle for fat, saturated unhealthy food as a substitute. When interviewing Dr. Christine Himes, a professor at Syracuse University and research specialist in obesity and health, she talks about how part of the reason that the reason why healthy food is more expensive is due to the time intensive aspect of healthy food. In addition, less healthy foods usually are most filling so therefore these less healthy foods gives someone more for their dollar. She makes a great point in the aspect that the more time you put into something, the more expensive they will be. Between a combination of fattening food and a lack of exercise people become overweight and obese and can't buy what they need to. Dr. Christine Himes states “obesity happens from an imbalance of food and activity. Americans have a problem with both, we eat too much and exercise too little.” Exercise and eating healthy have to coexist in order for a person to remain healthy and not obese.

Lets first look at the actual price of food. When first looking at this question, I immediately assumed that this question is easily answered. However, through research, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as one might think. When looking at it at first glance, McDonalds is definitely cheaper than lets say Wegmans. Although the prices individually might look cheaper, there are many ways to look at prices. According to an article written by Andrea Carlson called Are Healthy Foods Really More Expensive? It depends on How You Measure the Price” there are three specific ways to measure price when comparing healthy foods and fast foods. These three ways are: by calorie, by edible gram and by average portion. The findings were very intriguing. In regards to by calorie, the results showed that food low in calories tended to be, on average, more expensive than that of price per calorie of unhealthy foods. To use this in real-life terms, fruits and vegetables, that are low in calorie, is a generally expensive way to purchase food energy.  This would make sense to me, as I do in fact believe healthy food is more expensive than fast food.

While keeping this all in mind the main question being asked is does socioeconomic background truly have an impact on the weight of a human being? Lets think about this for a second. You are enjoying a leisurely day in the city with your family. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and you are having a great time. As you walk the streets of NYC you notice many homeless men/women on the street corner, begging for some spare change. Now, one would think that this homeless man would be skinny, considering he doesn’t eat that much. I don’t know about you but I don’t recollect seeing many skinny homeless men on the streets. In fact, most of them are fat. I believe this is the case due to the food prices in this country. Since fast food is so inexpensive, homeless people just spend all their money on Big Macs instead of saving up for something better than you. According to an article written by David C. Holzman called White House Proposes Healthy Food Finance Initiatives, that about 23.5 million people who live in low-income areas are at least one mile away from a good supermarket. Although one mile doesn’t seem like a lot, when you don’t have a car, it is very far, especially when carrying groceries. I am willing to go out on a limb here and say that many people live a lot closer to a McDonalds than they do to a good, healthy supermarket. If this doesn’t change obesity will continue to be an epidemic in America. Dr. Christine Himes during our interview gave a very clear cut, obvious response to this question. When being asked this exact question she stated, “we know that people with lower incomes and education have higher rates of obesity.” Someone with an expertise in obesity and economics to give such an emphatic answer just shows how big of an issue this is in the United States.

In addition to how far people live from supermarkets, lets just take a look at about how many people are actually obese. According to an article written by Basakha Sen called “"Racial disparities in obesity for males & females in three southern states in the US, across SES categories,” there is strong evidence of a relationship between income and obesity. Through research, she has found this strong correlation just based on the fact that they lack access to nutritious food, parks/recreation and poor neighborhood safety.  These are all driving reasons as to why low-income people as well as minorities are at such a risk when it comes to their weight and obesity.

As a parent, you might be wondering how all of this has anything to do with you. Well, lets take a look at how children react when they are forced to eat healthy food and change their diets. According to an article by Monica Eng called “You Can Lead Kids To Broccoli, But You Can't Make Them Eat It: Students' Reaction to Healthier Lunches Highlights Challenges for Schools,” just because people serve healthy food to children doesn’t mean that they will eat it. No matter what food is served, kids will always opt for the food that tastes better. A survey done at a Chicago school found that when offered healthy options in addition to a spicy chicken patty, ninety percent of the kids chose the chicken patty. That is an abysmal statistics. The key is to make healthy foods taste better. This is where you, the parent, come in. You need to lead by example. You need to be able to show your kids how important eating healthy is for their body. In addition, spend your money wisely. Food prices can really sneak up on you and the more healthy food you buy, the better off everyone is.

Animated obese family from trailx.com

- Adam Rothstein

Food Prices: Why Are They Increasing and What Can Parents do to Put Healthy Food on the Table While Maintaining a Budget?

As I flip through the channels one morning, from news station to news station, I cannot help but notice the constant stories concerning obesity, especially the growing number of children becoming obese, which now includes over one-third of all children and adolescents. And for a majority of the country, the cost of fresh, healthy food is a big reason why parents are struggling to put nutritious food on the table, and also a big reason in why your son is starting to form a belly as soon as he becomes a teenager. A change has to be made, and it all starts at the grocery store, when choosing how much to pay and what type of meal to put out for your family. Why is the price of food going up so dramatically, and what kinds of things can you do, as parents, to ensure your kids are eating healthy?

Climate change, a sudden rise or drop in the temperature of the Earth, is an extremely relevant issue in determining why food prices are increasing. Lester Brown, author of “Rising Temperatures, Rising Food Prices” says, “With each passing year, the agricultural system is becoming more out of sync with the climate system.” Meaning, the farmer’s crops they are hoping to sell will not be as full as prior years and the stores will have to buy them for more money. And, of course, with the rise in price of production, consumers can be sure to feel the heat of rising prices at the cash register, as well. When interviewing Josh Chilcott, nutritional science PhD student at SUNY Buffalo, he stated that “climate change  is an aspect of global warming, but solely focused on the temperature and weather patterns of the Earth. If the rate continues, which it should, prices of milk, bread, and other necessities could be double in another twenty years or so.” These are scary predictions, and if the economy stays the way it is, it will be much harder to pay for groceries, especially for you parents out there with multiple children.

Food shortage affects everyone; however, the Unite States has enough food. The problem is, that in order to stock the shelves of Wegmans’ and Tops’ around the country, stores are purchasing groceries from countries around the world (where they have a severe lack of food) for an obviously higher price. This results in, you guessed it, a much bigger hole in your pocket. The price of three basic essentials for cooking pretty much anything (corn, wheat, sugar) is dependent on the farmer’s crop of that good. Since the price of these three goods have increased by over twenty percent in the last twenty years, the shortage is more relevant than ever. In my talk with Josh Chilcott, he said that “with the combination of climate change and shortages in foreign countries, food prices are going to begin rising immensely.”. Do not take this issue lightly; food continues to dwindle so much that people around the world are losing their lives because of it. Even in places where the shortage isn’t as big of a concern, like the United States, the impact is still felt, only on the price tag instead.

Food corporations are always trying to get the leg up on the competition. How do they do that in a food market in which all options seem rather similar? With state-of-the-art technology, world-renowned experts, and through advertising, companies strive to be unique. And what do all of these tactics have in common? They cost lots and lots of money. Advertising itself could be a reason why food prices have been increasing, with new commercials and billboards popping up just about daily. However, advertising makes up only a tiny percentage of the total company spends to maintain themselves; in this world, a company must strive to be unique in order to stand out. Unfortunately for you parents, with children to keep an eye on, and their nutrition to worry about, that comes at a price.

With implications like these, and the economy just beginning to bounce back, parents around the country need to be mindful of what they are spending, and can follow a few pointers:

o   Try to shop with a final price in mind, instead of impulse buying.

o   Restricting your shopping route to the outer walls instead of venturing into the middle aisles of the store; you can find everything you need to make healthy, simple meals on the outside.

o   Go shopping when you have time to pay attention to the labels; knowing what is in the food you are buying can help you make healthy and cost-efficient purchases.

o   Clip coupons from your local newspaper; you can find up to fifty dollars on savings in each issue, and most of the time, the coupons are more focused on healthier items.

These tips can help you spend less at the register, as well as keep your family healthy, which, as a parent, is very reassuring.

These are our children we are talking about here, the next generation of doctors, scientists, teachers, and presidents. Trying to maintain a budget for your family’s eating is so difficult, yet so vital to living a long, healthy, and enjoyable life. As parents, you take on a responsibility to keep your children healthy, but one can veer from that if money is hard to come by. With the predictions Mr. Chilcott made earlier that prices at the register will only get worse, it is vital that you shop with a better mindset, both for you, and for your kids’ sake.

Photo of bad corn crop in Indiana from bbc.co.uk

- Adam Sessa