Whole grains are healthier!
What are whole grains? Whole grains have all parts of the grain kernel, either as a whole kernel or ground into flour.
Refined grains are the name for grains that had the bran and germ removed. Refined grains are not whole grains.
Whole grains have more vitamins, minerals and fiber than refined grains.
Which are whole grains and which are not? This list can help you choose whole grains.
Whole Grains Not Whole Grains
Rice • brown rice • white rice • brown rice flour • white rice flour
Cornmeal • undegerminated cornmeal • degerminated cornmeal* • whole corn/flour • corn flour • whole grain corn/masa/maize/grits • white hominy • hominy • grits • popcorn
Rye • whole rye flour • white rye flour
Wheat • whole wheat/flour • enriched flour • sprouted wheat • refined flour • 100% whole wheat/grain • bleached flour • wheat berries • wheat flour • whole wheat couscous • white flour • multi-grain** • unbleached flour
Other Grains • amaranth • whole barley • pearl barley • buckwheat, kasha • millet • oats, rolled oats, quick oats • steel cut oats • whole spelt • spelt
Look at the Ingredient Label An ingredient label lists all the ingredients used to make the food in the order of weight, from the most used to the least used. If a whole grain ingredient is listed first or near the start of the ingredient list, it is more likely to be a whole grain food.
Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, enriched flour, skim milk, brown sugar, egg, oat bran, baking powder, cinnamon, salt
* degerminated means germ and bran are removed ** sometimes multi grains means many grains, other times it means a mix of whole and refined grain
Can you tell if a food is whole grain by its color? Yes, almost all whole grain foods have a natural yellow, tan or brown colored coating called the bran. The color remains when the grain kernel is grown into flour. However, some whole grain flours are bleached. This makes it harder to choose by sight alone. Which is brown rice and which is white rice?
A. B. ______rice ______rice
Which is whole wheat flour and which is white flour? The Whole Grain Stamp makes it easy to spot whole grain foods. The Basic Stamp may be used on a food package made with a mix of whole grain and refined grain, and must contain at least 8 grams per serving. This stamp will show the exact whole grain content of that food in grams. A. B. ______flour ______flour The 100% Stamp shows that all the grain in a food is whole grain. The exact whole grain content appears Fiber is one good reason to eat whole grains. on the Stamp, and must be greater than 16 grams per serving. The Nutrition Facts label lists the amount of dietary fiber in a serving of the food and compares it to what we For more materials about whole grains visit: should eat each day. http://tiny.cc/NEEDswholegrains Try it out: This food has 8 grams http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ of fiber per serving. This is 32% food-groups/grains.html of what we need each day. Women should get at least 20-25 Make half your grains whole
grams fiber and men at least 30
grams fiber each day. servings 4 Men, servings: 3 Women: Label: Nutrition to Answers Answers to Flour: A is white wheat, B is white flour white is B wheat, white is A Flour: to Answers
How many servings would you rice white B: rice; brown A: Rice: Whole to Answers need to get the fiber recommended for you?_____
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Developed by the NEEDs Center at the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition at RIT with funding from the Pennsylvania (PA) Department of Human Services (DHS) through PA Nutrition Education TRACKS, a part of USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). To find out how SNAP can help you buy healthy foods, contact DHS’s toll-free Helpline at 800-692-7462. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.