Grains

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of foods in the grains group.

Grains are divided into 2 subgroups, whole grains and refined grains.  At least half of all of the grains eaten should be whole grains.

Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Examples include:
whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, popcorn, and brown rice.

Refined grains 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.  Some examples of refined grain products are white flour, degermed cornmeal, white bread, white rice.

Most refined grains are enriched.  This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing.  Fiber is not added back to enriched grains.  Check the ingredient list on refined grain products to make sure that the word “enriched” is included in the grain name.  Some food products are made from mixtures of whole grains and refined grains.  Look for ingredient lists where whole grains are listed before enriched grains.

In general, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent from the grains group.

What is your favorite way to incorporate whole grains into your diet?