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You are here: Home / Food / Making the New Dietary Guidelines a Part of Your Life: Whole Grains

May 9, 2016

Making the New Dietary Guidelines a Part of Your Life: Whole Grains

The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 was released this year. How can we put these Guidelines to use in everyday life? This isbreads-425279_1280 the second post in a series, explaining the Guidelines’ Key Recommendations and how to apply them. Click here to view the first post on the Dietary Guidelines .

A Key Recommendation in the Guidelines is to eat grains, making half of them whole.

So what are whole grains? Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Refined grains have been processed tGrainKernelo remove the bran & germ. This refinement changes the texture of the grain, but also removes iron, b vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients. These nutrients found only in whole grains are important to our digestion and overall health. For a list of common whole and refined grain products visit MyPlate.gov.

Research has shown that whole grain consumption can help you do the following:

  • maintain a healthy weight
  • lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, & colorectal cancer
  • obtain healthy blood pressure
  • decrease gum disease & tooth loss

How can we put more whole grains in our diets? First, make sure you aren’t falling for advertising: A company can stamp “whole wheat,” “100% wheat,” or “multi-grain”  on their product without it being whole-grain. To ensure products  are whole-grain, read nutrition labels! A product which contains whole grains will list  the whole grain product near the beginning of the ingredient list. Likewise, a whole grain product will usually be high in dietary fiber. This means you should do two things when purchasing grain products: 
WholeWheatLabel

  1. Find if & where “whole grain” or “whole wheat” is listed in the ingredient lists.NutritionLabel (4)_fIBER
  2. Find how many grams of fiber are in the food products.

Choose products with “whole wheat” ingredients near the front of the ingredient list and high fiber content.

Secondly, be creative in how you add whole grains to your diet! The following tips can make eating whole grains easy & tasty!:

  • Bake with half whole-wheat flour & half white flour. You may have to play around with the consistency of the final product. But with a little experimentation, I found the perfect balance to make homemade bread with half whole-wheat flour.
  • Mix brown & white rice, and whole wheat and white pasta. My fiance complains when I cook with all whole wheat pasta or brown rice. But once mixed together, he doesn’t even notice a difference!
  • Eat popcorn; it’s a 100% whole grain snack.
  • Replace common refined grains with whole grain alternatives, such as bran-flake cereal instead of corn-flake cereal.
    WholeGrainWhite
  • If your family dislikes the taste of whole wheat, try 100% whole wheat white flour. Whole wheat white flour comes from a different breed of wheat which is white (instead of traditional red wheat) and has a naturally soft texture. This makes white whole wheat taste similar to refined wheat.. but the germ & bran have not been removed so it has similar nutritional value to regular whole wheat products. 

If you are gluten-free, you can still find great sources of whole grains for your diet. Visit the Whole Grains Council for a list of gluten-free grains.

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WRITTEN BY: Shawna Hite, Healthy People Program Specialist, OSU Extension, Family & Consumer Sciences

REVIEWED BY: Susan Zies, Extension Educator, OSU Extension, Family & Consumer Sciences

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Whole grain model obtained from USDA.

SOURCES:

  • American Heart Association (2016). Heart Healthy Recipes: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Recipes/Heart-Healthy-Recipes_UCM_465114_RecipeLanding.jsp
  • Whole Grain Council (2014). Gluten Free Whole Grains: http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/gluten-free-whole-grains

REFERENCES:

  • American Heart Association (2014). The Greatness of Whole Grains. Retrieved from: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/The-Greatness-of-Whole-Grains_UCM_455739_Article.jsp#.VvwNpvkrLIV
  • American Heart Association (2016). Eat 3 or more whole grain foods every day. Retrieved from: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Eat-3-or-More-Whole-Grain-Foods-Every-Day_UCM_320264_Article.jsp#.VvmVEfkrKCg
  • Minnesota Department of Health (2014). Nutrition facts: whole grains. Minnesota.gov. Retrieved from: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/nutrition/facts/wholegrains.html
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (2012). 10 tips to help you eat whole grains. Let’smove.gov. Retrieved from: http://www.letsmove.gov/blog/2012/08/13/10-tips-help-you-eat-whole-grains
  • USDA (2016). Grains. ChooseMyplate.gov. Retrieved from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/foodgallery-grains
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available athttp://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/
  • Whole Grains Council (2013). Definition of whole grains. Oldways Whole Grains Council. Retrieved from: http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/definition-of-whole-grains
  • Whole Grains Council (2013). Whole White Wheat FAQ. Oldways Whole Grains Council. Retrieved from: http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/whole-white-wheat-faq
  • Zeratsky, K., (2014). How can bread be labeled as both white and whole wheat? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/whole-wheat-bread/faq-20057999

Categories: Food
Tags: #dietaryguidelines, bread, carbohydrates, carbs, grains, health, nutrition, nutrition claims, pasta, whole grains

Avatar for Shawna Hite
Avatar for Shawna Hite

About Shawna Hite

Shawna Hite, MPH was the Healthy People Program Specialist with The Ohio State University Extension, Family & Consumer Sciences in 2016. Shawna received her BA in psychology and communication from Lake Forest College and her MPH from OSU. Shawna has focused her past research and work on the physical, nutritional, and mental health of youth and communities. Her previous jobs using community input to guide health curriculum development and program implementation with LEAD and the OSU Extension have made her passionate about efforts focused on equipping the larger community with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make decisions which benefit their overall health and wellness.

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