Grains Quiz — Test Your MyPlate Food Group Knowledge

Grains Quiz

Test your knowledge of whole versus refined grains and the 'make half your grains whole' goal, based on USDA MyPlate guidance.

1. Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain is in the Grains Group.

• True
• False

2. Folate (from foods such as spinach and black-eyed peas) and folic acid (from fortified foods such as enriched grains and from supplements) are especially important for which of the following groups?

• Women of childbearing age
• Men 20–45 years of age
• Children 2–10 years of age
• Men over the age of 60

3. What is the most common food from the Grains Group eaten in the United States?

• Bread
• Rice
• Pasta
• Oatmeal

4. What is the best way to know that the bread you are buying is a whole-grain bread?

• An ingredient includes the word "whole"
• An ingredient is labeled "multigrain"
• An ingredient includes the word "enriched"
• An ingredient lists "refined flour"

5. Refined grains are grains that have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Which of these foods is a refined grain?

• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• White rice
• Quinoa

6. The Grains Group could also be called the Carbohydrate Group because all foods that contain carbohydrates are in the Grains Group.

• True
• False

7. Many people do not eat the recommended amount of whole grains. To eat more whole grain foods, you should just add more of them to what you already eat.

• True
• False

8. About how much of the grains you eat should be whole grains?

• One quarter
• One half
• Three quarters
• All of them

9. Which of these grain products is available in both refined and whole grain varieties?

• Pasta
• Bread
• Cornbread
• All of the above

10. What food made from grains is pictured here?

• Pita bread
• Tortilla
• Naan
• Bagel

The basics

The grains group includes any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain, and it splits into whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains keep the entire kernel — bran, germ, and endosperm — so they retain more fiber, iron, and B vitamins, while refined grains are milled to remove the bran and germ. A key MyPlate message is to make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains, which is easiest to do by swapping refined versions for whole-grain ones like whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, or brown rice. Checking the ingredient list for a grain described with the word "whole" is the most reliable way to spot a true whole-grain food.

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