Ask Tufts Experts

In your August newsletter it is stated that we should not fry fish. My wife says you are talking about battered fish or shrimp that is deep-fried, such as fish sticks or fast-food fish sandwiches. She says it’s OK to “fry” fish such as plain Tilapia in a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet on the stove top. I say that your article means neither deep frying nor skillet frying should be done. Who’s right?

You owe your wife a nice fish dinner (baked, not deep-fried). The research we cited refers specifically to commercially fried fish, mostly breaded and fried in hydrogenated fat, of the sort your wife has in mind. Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Center on Aging at Tufts, says, “If someone wants to fry at home that is fine, just as long as they use liquid vegetable oil and don’t need to be concerned about the extra calories. I frequently saute onions in a pan and then ‘fry’ salmon. I am not certain other people would call that frying but it looks like what your wife is thinking of. The advantage of my technique is you don’t heat the oven up and you have only one pan to clean up.”

In your July newsletter, you indicated that whole grain consists of bran, germ and endosperm. For years I have been purchasing wheat germ and wheat bran and using a heaping tablespoon of each in a liquid mixture at breakfast and dinner. From your article I gather that I am failing to consume a whole grain product. Is the endosperm essential? Do I need to change this consumption pattern?

Each part of a whole kernel of wheat brings something to the nutritional party. According to the Wheat Foods Council and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the bran (outer layer) contains the largest amount of fiber, though otherwise it has little nutritional value. The germ (inner part—essentially the embryo of the berry) is a rich source of trace minerals, unsaturated fats, B vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals. The germ has a nutty flavor and is oily, which causes it to turn rancid quickly. The endosperm (middle layer) contains mostly protein and carbohydrates along with small amounts of B vitamins, niacin and iron. The endosperm actually makes up the majority of the kernel, and is the primary source of many wheat flours.

When scientists have studied the health benefits of whole grains, much of their data has come from looking at people’s dietary patterns. Researchers have not looked separately at the health benefits of the individual components of wheat, so we don’t know whether consuming these components separately will have the same effect as eating whole grains.

Moreover, people who seek out whole-grain products are likely eating in other “heart-healthy” ways that reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, notes Tufts expert Alice H. Lichtenstein. “Even though researchers try to correct for those factors, my feeling is it is the whole package, not just one component,” she adds.