Whole grains are an important source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, and B-vitamins. These foods are also low in fat and can reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes and help you maintain a healthy weight.
Experts worry that Americans aren’t eating enough of these super nutritious foods. The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans (the federal government’s advice on healthy eating) recommend having at least three one- ounce servings of whole grain food each day. An ounce is about the same as a slice of bread, a cup of dry cereal or a half a cup of cooked rice or pasta.
Great Grains
Eating whole grain foods isn’t hard work. Choose oatmeal for breakfast; try low-fat, whole grain crackers; use at least half whole wheat flour when you’re baking; enjoy plain popcorn for a snack.
It helps to check the labels when you are shopping for whole grain foods. If it doesn’t say whole grain, then it probably isn’t. For example, “wheat flour” may sound good, but actually means the food is made with 75 percent white flour and only 25 percent whole-wheat flour. And, "bleached," "enriched," or "refined" all mean that the grain has been processed.
So What Makes a Grain Whole?
The physical components of all grains are essentially the same: the outer layer of a kernel is bran; the seed is the germ; and the endosperm is the largest part, made up mostly from protein and carbohydrates. When you see the term "whole" on a grain, it means that all three parts of the kernel remain. During processing or "polishing," however, the germ and the bran are removed, leaving only the endosperm, the least nutritious part of the grain.
Also, a substantial amount of the protein content is lost in the refining process, along with other health-giving compounds, including some phytochemicals, which scientists are now discovering to be crucial components in the body's ability to repair or rebuild damaged cells and to fight disease, including cancer and heart disease.
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