benefits of whole grains

One of the main sources of carbohydrates is grains. Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain fits into this food group.

However, you'll quickly see that when these grains are heavily processed, they lose much of their nutrition quality. Basically, the milling process removes the outer bran layer, where much of the fiber is found, and may also remove the center of the kernel, known as the germ. This is where a lot of the vitamins and protein are found. This makes the flour very light and fluffy, but nutrient-poor.

Enriched white bread uses refined wheat flour, but has many nutrients added back in. One hundred percent whole wheat flour, on the other hand, has been harvested and processed to include the whole grain, which makes a denser flour and a nutty-flavored bread with all the naturally occurring minerals such as iron, B-vitamins, vitamin E and calcium.

Whole Grains:

Oatmeal
Steel-cut Oats
Whole Rye, Barley, Triticale
Buckwheat
100% Semolina Flour
Brown Rice
Bulgar (Cracked Wheat)
Quinoa
Millet
Cornmeal
100% Whole Corn Tortilla

Refined grains include:

Flour Tortillas
White Rice
Polished Rice
Par-boiled Rice
Enriched Wheat or Rice Flour
Bleached, Bromated Flour
Degermed Cornmeal

Learn more about unrefined and refined grains.

make at least half your grains whole grain

Most Americans have no problem consuming enough carbohydrates from grains. However, they're mostly refined varieties, which lack nutrient density. The Dietary Guidelines recommend making at least half your choices whole grains.

Choosing oatmeal, unsweetened cereal or corn tortillas for breakfast, as well as whole-wheat bread, brown rice and wheat pasta as staples in your diet make this easy to accomplish. Some enriched grains are better than others too; for example, some breakfast cereals may contain a rich supply of added vitamins and minerals where some refined snack foods do not. See whole grain products.