Bread and Pasta Are Back!

The avoidance of carbohydrates has eased and a 20-year specific trend of declining grain food consumption has reversed. A national study by the Grain Food Foundation suggests that the turnaround is more than a one-time sales blip due to pantry loading. The study revealed one-third of Americans named pasta and bread as foods that are comforting during a stressful time.

In addition to the comforting flavor, this trend provides valuable health benefits. Bread and pasta are nutritionist approved and provide nutrients for healthy aging such as B vitamins, magnesium, selenium, iron, folate and fiber.

When asked to identify comfort foods with nutritional advantages, consumers named bread and pasta as the top two.

“For years, we’ve been telling consumers that grain foods are the foods we love that love us back,” said Christine Cochran, executive director of the Grain Foods Foundation. The highest-ranking comfort foods were ice cream; baked goods like cakes, cookies and pastries; salty snacks; candy; and fast food.

However, when asked to identify comfort foods with nutritional advantages, consumers named bread and pasta as the top two. To learn more about grain foods as part of a healthful diet, visit grainfoodsfoundation.org.