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Count Chocula grins hungrily at the boast on his cereal box: "Made with whole grain!"

Flip it over, and a scientific-looking questionnaire asks: "Are you getting enough?"

The Count isn't the only one who's wondering.

Ever since a series of studies showed whole grains help lower the risk of heart attack and stroke - right around the time people were tiring of low-carb diets - consumers have been hopping aboard the grain train.

Supermarkets are awash in the stuff: The number of new whole-grain products introduced in North American markets has nearly doubled every year for the past three years, according to Mintel, a global market research firm.

But in their rush to reap the benefits of whole grains, consumers may be falling for junk food dressed up as health food - whole-wheat doughnuts from Krispy Kreme, multigrain pizza crusts and, of course, sugar cereal with claims of wholesomeness.

Call it wheat-washing.

"Overall it's been good for public health," Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director for the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, says of whole grains' popularity. "But I think people are still getting tricked."

Consumers are being fooled in two ways. First, because of lax Canadian labelling standards that were written decades ago, products that advertise themselves on the front of the box as whole wheat, whole-grain or multigrain may not actually contain any whole grain.

You have to look for "whole-grain" in the ingredients list, as in "whole-grain whole wheat." Ingredients such as enriched or untreated wheat flour are not the same. And if you don't see the words "whole-grain" near the top of the ingredients list, there may not be much in the food.

Even the new Canada Food Guide falls into this trap, recommending people eat whole-wheat pasta to get their recommended servings of whole grains - but you have to check the label to make sure you are eating whole-grain, whole-wheat pasta.

The second caveat about whole grains is that grainier foods are not necessarily healthier. For example, a one-cup serving of Count Chocula includes whole-grain corn - along with three teaspoons of sugar.

"Take a couple steps back and take a look at the whole product," advises Toronto dietitian Sue Mah. "Don't fool yourself into thinking it's a healthy food just because it's made with a little bit of whole grain in it."

Still, whole grains are healthier than refined grains, and if you are going to eat a snack, a whole-grain one may do you some good. Substitution is easier to swallow than deprivation, which is one reason whole grains have become so popular. You don't have to give up pasta, for example - just switch to a whole-grain version.

"They're taking a refined product with negligible health attributes and replacing it" with something similar, says Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior analyst with Mintel.

And in a sea of nutrition information, whole grains stand out for their apparent ease.

Marketers, however, are skilled at exploiting consumers' desire for simplicity. To get the most out of whole grains, nutritionists say, buyers should be sure to read the fine print.

"Consumers are always looking for a magic equation that makes it clear they're eating well," Ms. Mogelonsky says. "Whole-grain is this year's shortcut. It's not a bad shortcut, but you have to look at everything else, too."

Whole grains 101

Check the ingredients list for the phrase "whole-grain." If it's not at or near the top of the list, the product may contain little or no whole grain.

Whole wheat may or may not mean whole-grain. Look for the words "whole-grain whole wheat" in the ingredients list to be sure. Don't be fooled - enriched wheat flour and untreated wheat flour are not whole grains.

Remember the other ingredients. Whole grains are great, but they're not magic. Keep an eye on sodium, sugar, calories and fat content. Be colour-blind - brown bread often gets its colour from caramel or food colouring, not necessarily from whole wheat flour.

Brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, quinoa, barley, buckwheat and popcorn are whole grains.

Rebecca Dube

Multigrain Tostitos

Health claim

The goodness of whole grains!

Top three ingredients

Corn, vegetable oil, corn starch.

The skinny

260 calories for 14 chips

(50 grams); 12 grams fat; 3 grams fibre; 240 milligrams sodium.

Wheat-washed?

If you eat these instead of Tostitos Restaurant Style chips, you'll get the same amount of calories and fat, plus 30 grams more sodium, in exchange for one more gram of fibre.

Count Chocula

Health claim

Made with whole grain.

Top three ingredients

Whole-grain corn, sugar, marshmallow bits.

The skinny

120 calories per 1-cup serving;

13 grams sugar; 1 gram fibre;

150 milligrams sodium.

Wheat-washed?

As promised, the Count delivers whole grains - along with three teaspoons of sugar per serving. Parents looking for a healthy breakfast cereal should look elsewhere, dietitians say.

Health claim

Made from 100-per-cent whole wheat.

Top three ingredients

Whole wheat flour, dextrose (a form of sugar), vegetable shortening.

The skinny

180 calories per doughnut, versus 200 for the original glazed doughnut; 11 grams fat, including 3.5 grams trans fat.

Wheat-washed?

KK's attempt at being healthy puts the d'oh! in doughnut.