Why is it important to eat grains, especially whole grains?
The new year bring many resolutions by people to do or not do a variety of things. One of my resolutions is to be more active and to continue to look for opportunities to eat healthy. Rather than making a resolution which is often forgotten, take time to set some goals for the year. An easy goal that focuses on healthy eating is to increase the amount of whole grain products that you are consuming on a daily basis. The MyPyramid recommends three one-ounce servings of whole grains daily. There are many ways to add whole grain foods to our diet.
Eating grains, especially whole grains, provides health benefits. People who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseass. Grains provide many nutrients that are vital for the health and maintenance of our bodies.
Choose foods that name one of the following whole-grain ingredients first on the label's ingredient list:
"brown rice"
"bulgur"
"graham flour"
"oatmeal"
"whole-grain corn"
"whole oats"
"whole rye"
"whole wheat"
"wild rice"
Top Left: Brown rice
Top Right: Bulgar
Middle: Oatmeal
Bottom Left: Whole Wheat Graham Flour
Bottom Right: Barley
Tips to Help You Eat Whole Grains
- To eat more whole-grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product - such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice.
- Use whole-grains in mixed dishes, such as barley in vegetable soup or stews and bulgur wheat in casserole or stir-fries.
- 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.
- Try rolled oats or a crushed, unsweetened whole grain cereal as breading for baked chicken, fish, veal cutlets, or eggplan parmesan.
- Purchase cereal and crackers made with whole-grains.
- Snack on ready-to-eat, whole grain cereals such as toasted oat cereal.
- Add whole-grain flour or oatmeal when making cookies or other baked treats.
- Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack with little or no added salt and butter.
Whole-Grain Popcorn
- For a change, try whole-wheat pasta.
Whole-Grain Pasta
Find healthy choices fast by choosing products that have the Whole Grain stamp.