Replacing refined carbohydrates in your diet with whole grains is an important step in improving your health. Consuming them increases the intake of nutrients your body needs to perform biological processes and heal imbalances. Manufacturers remove nutrients from grains when they refine them by removing the the outer layers which contain vitamins, minerals, omega-fatty acids and fiber. The refining process extends the shelf-life of packaged food products. Refined-grain products include white rice, white flour, white and wheat bread, cereal and pasta. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends each American consumes three whole-grain products daily.
Step 1
Begin your day with a bowl of whole-grain cereal, like oatmeal, whole-millet, whole-amaranth or whole-wheat cereal. This provides more fiber compared to refined cereal, which will help you maintain your energy level until lunch.
Step 2
Give yourself a boost of energy and eat a mid-morning snack that includes a toasted whole-wheat English muffin spread with peanut butter and bananas.
Step 3
Satisfy your lunchtime hunger with a bowl of vegetable soup with barley or tomato soup eaten with multi-grain crackers, or maybe a whole-wheat pasta salad.
Step 4
A dinner with brown rice, vegetables and a small serving of meat or poultry provides important nourishment and nutrients.
Step 5
Finish the day with a fruit cobbler made with whole-wheat pastry flour.
Tips and Warnings
- The Whole Grains Council is a non-profit agency that labels packaged foods in the U.S. with a stamp identifying 100 percent whole-grain and 50 percent or less whole-grain foods. Look for the label, which will help you determine the percentage of whole grains in the product. Whole grains listed in the ingredients on a food label does not indicate the percentage of whole grains in the product.
Things You'll Need
- Whole-grain bread
- Whole-grain flour
- Brown rice
- Whole-grain cereal
- Whole-grain pasta
References
- "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases"; Whole Grain Intake and Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis; Philip B. Mellen, et al.; May 2008
- Whole Grain Council: Identifying Whole Grain Products
- MayoClinic.com; Multigrain vs. Whole Grain: Which is Healthier?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; February 2010
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; The Scoop on Whole Grains; July 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Whole Grains; Hearty Options for a Healthy Diet; July 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Information Center: Whole Grains
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