Nutrition - Grains

Any food made from cereal grain is considered to be a grain product. Examples include bread, oatmeal, tortillas, cream of wheat, and breakfast cereals. Grains are divided into 2 groups: whole grains and refined grains.

Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel. Examples include oatmeal, whole-wheat flour, and brown rice. Refined grains have gone through a process that removes part of the grain kernel. This gives the grain a finer texture and makes them last longer in storage, but also takes out the dietary fiber, iron, and many of the B vitamins. Examples of refined grains are white flour, white bread, and white rice. You may also see the words “bleached” and “degermed” with refined grain products. If you must choose a refined grain product, you should at least choose an “enriched” product, which means that some of the B vitamins and iron were added back after processing. Fiber is never added back to refined grains.

Some grain products contain lots of bran. Bran provides fiber, which is important in helping move material through the intestines. However, products with added bran are not necessarily whole grain products. You should read the nutrition label and ingredient list for the words “whole grain” or “whole wheat”.

The Grain group provides many health benefits. People who eat whole grains have a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Although Americans usually eat plenty of grains, too often they are eating refined grains. For your best health, at least half of the grains you eat should be whole grains.

Grains provide many vital nutrients important to healthy bodies. Grains are a wonderful source of fiber, carbohydrates, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium).

  • Dietary fiber helps reduce the level of blood cholesterol and may lower the risk of heart disease. Fiber helps move material through our intestines efficiently, and promotes healthy tissues in our digestive tract. This also helps reduce constipation. Foods that contain lots of fiber, as part of a healthy diet, reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. Remember, though, that refined grains have little or no fiber. This is a major reason at least half your daily grain allowance should be whole grain products.

  • Grains fortified with folic acid before and during pregnancy helps prevent certain birth defects in babies.

  • B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate) play a major role in metabolism. They help the body release the energy stored in protein, fat, and carbohydrates. These vitamins are also important in keeping our nervous system healthy.

  • Folic acid also helps the body form red blood cells. Adequate folic acid helps prevent certain birth defects in newborn babies. The body needs iron (related to folic acid) to carry oxygen in the blood. Many people, especially women and teenager girls of child-bearing age, have iron-deficiency anemia. They need to eat foods high in heme-iron (meats) and other iron-containing foods. Whole and enriched refined grain products are important sources of non-heme iron in American diets.

  • Magnesium is a mineral that the body uses to build strong bones and to release energy from the muscles. Selenium protects cells from oxidation and promotes a healthy immune system.

Some tips for including grains in your healthy diet:

  • Substitute whole grain products for refined grain products whenever possible.
  • Try brown rice instead of white rice and whole-wheat macaroni and pastas.
  • Snack on ready-to-eat, whole grain cereals or whole grain snack chips
  • Eat more popcorn (yes, that a whole grain!), but go easy on added salt and butter.
  • BEWARE! Foods with the words “multi-grain”, “stone-ground”, “100% wheat”, “cracked wheat”, “7-grain”, or “bran” are usually not whole-grain products.
  • Read the Nutrition label and look for products with a higher % Daily Value (%DV) for fiber and a lower %DV for sodium (less than 140 mg sodium is considered “low sodium”.)
  • Read the ingredient label. Watch out for words that indicate added sugars (any word ending with “–ose”, honey, or molasses) and oils (especially partially hydrogenated vegetable oils or Trans fats). These add extra calories that can hurt your healthy diet.