Whole grains are a good source of fiber and other nutrients. Choose whole grains for at least half of all the grains you eat in a day. Foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, or barley are all grain products.
Whole grains are a good source of fiber and other nutrients. Choose whole grains for at least half of all the grains you eat in a day. Foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, or barley are all grain products.
To make half your grains whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined one. Try brown rice instead of white, or whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.
Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack with little or no added salt and butter. Try whole-wheat crackers or whole-grain cereal as easy grab-and-go options.
Cook a big pot of brown rice, quinoa, or whole-grain pasta when you have time and refrigerate or freeze the extra. Reheat a portion for a fast side dish later in the week.
Use whole grains in mixed dishes, such as barley in vegetable soup or stews and bulgur wheat in a casserole or stir-fry. A whole-grain salad mix could include kasha or wild rice.
For a change, try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Try brown rice stuffing in baked green peppers or tomatoes, and whole-wheat macaroni in macaroni and cheese.
Experiment by substituting whole-wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle, muffin, or other flour-based recipes. They may need a bit more leavening to rise.
Read the ingredients list and choose products that name a whole grain — such as "whole wheat" or "brown rice" — as the first ingredient. Color is not a reliable clue.
Check the food label to see if a product is a good source of fiber. Many, but not all, whole-grain products are good or excellent sources of dietary fiber.
Words such as "multi-grain," "stone-ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "seven-grain," or "bran" do not always mean whole grain. Look for the word "whole" before the grain name.
Begin the morning with whole-grain cereal, such as oatmeal, or whole-grain toast. A warm bowl of oatmeal topped with fruit is filling and full of fiber.