This month we are going to talk about whole grains. Did you know that all grains start out as whole grains? Whole grains are the entire seed of a plant and includes three components: bran, germ, and endosperm. It isn’t until grains undergo some processing that they may no longer be considered a whole grain. An example of this is white rice is really brown rice that has been processed to have the outer bran removed. According to MyPlate, we should make half of our daily grains whole grains. The bran, or outer most layer of a grain, is where a large portion of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber are found. Those are the good things that we want to keep in our food! Examples of whole grain foods (assuming they have all three components still intact) include: Amaranth, Barley, Oat, Quinoa, Brown rice, Popcorn, Wheat, Wild Rice, and many more. Research has shown that consumption of whole grains may improve diabetes, risk of colorectal cancer, delay cognitive decline, and improve overall health. You can easily add whole grains into your daily diet with a few small swaps.

• Swap out half of your regular all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
• Add old fashioned oats to meat when making meatballs or meatloaf.
• Make homemade granola and add it to your yogurt.
• Purchase 100% whole wheat bread.
• Add cooked quinoa, wild rice, or barley to a salad.

All grains have fiber, but some have more than others. Make sure to read the nutrition facts label to check how fiber is in various grains and processed products. A food must contain at least 5 grams of fiber per serving to be labeled as “high in fiber”. Bulgur wheat, barley, and rye are some of the grains with the highest percentage of fiber per grain.

In Good Health,

Chelsea Reinberg, MPH, RDN

Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health Agent