Incorporating tasty and well-liked whole-grain foods can be as simple as substituting whole-grain buns for refined grain at lunch or switching to wholegrain cereals for breakfast. It can also involve testing and serving new dishes made with brown rice, whole-grain pastas, and more novel grains such as kamut or barley.
National guidelines recommend eating at least three servings of whole-grain foods every day. Most Americans get less than a single daily serving. Children and adults are encouraged to make half of their grain intake whole grain. We all need to know about the benefits of whole-grain foods, what a whole grain is, and how to identify and purchase whole-grain foods.
Benefits
Whole grains contain disease-fighting nutrients and phytochemicals, such as B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, and fiber. Epidemiological evidence shows that at least three daily servings of whole grains can decrease the risk of:
 Heart disease by 25%–36%
 Stroke by 36%
 Type 2 diabetes by 21%–35%
 Digestive system cancers by 21%–43%
 Hormone-related cancers by 10%–40%
People who consume whole grains are at a decreased risk of obesity and may have a lower cholesterol level.
Definition
A whole grain is defined as containing the entire edible seed of the plant, including the germ, bran, and endosperm, while refined grain includes only the endosperm. After the whole grain is processed, each part of the seed must be present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain for the product to be considered whole grain. Refined grain products are those made with grain that has had one or more parts of the grain kernel removed during processing (all-purpose flour, white rice).
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The USDA defines a grain serving as containing 16 grams of flour. This means 48 grams of whole-grain flour must be consumed to meet the three daily recommended servings of whole-grain foods. A good way to help meet this recommendation is to find whole-grain alternatives for refined grain items.
Packages
The food package contains several clues to help identify whole-grain products.
These include the ingredient list and the use of the whole-grain health claim or a whole-grain symbol.
Ingredient list
Look for whole grain as the first ingredient in the ingredient list to help determine whether the product is whole grain.
There may be several sources of whole grains in one food. The first ingredient will represent the primary ingredient in the product, but if the second, third, and fourth ingredients are whole grain, the product can still represent an important source of whole grain.
Some whole-grain products have a higher fiber content than refined grain counterparts (as indicated on the Nutrition Facts Panel), but this not a foolproof way to identify a whole-grain product. The fiber content of a food depends on the type of grain used. Some grains contain less fiber than others.
For example:
Grain (100 grams) Fiber
Whole wheat 12.2 grams
Whole corn meal
Brown rice
7.3 grams
1.8 grams
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http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/g
The amount of fiber in a food made with these grains will also vary (a 30-gram serving of brown rice has 0.5 grams of fiber and a 30-gram serving of corn chips made with whole corn meal has 1 gram of fiber), but both are considered wholegrain foods.
Examples of whole grains and whole-grain food products include:
 amaranth
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 barley brown rice buckwheat bulgur whole cornmeal farro
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 grano kamut grain millet oatmeal popcorn
 quinoa
 spelt
 triticale
 whole rye
 whole wheat
 wheat berries
 wild rice
For additional information http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/grains_counts.html
Modifying menus: substituting whole grains or whole-grain foods for nonwhole-grain familiar foods
 Mix whole-grain pasta with non-whole-grain pasta.
 Use brown rice instead of white rice or serve a mixture.
 Serve whole-grain couscous.
 Use whole-grain bread products to make garlic toast.
 Serve whole-grain crackers with soup.
 Serve cornbread made with whole cornmeal.
 Serve whole-grain flour tortillas.
Source: Whole Grains, Keeping Kids From Falling Short, U of MN Extension service 2006
University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
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