Putting a Healthy Whole In Your Diet

The first federal definition of whole grains could make it easier for you to know whether your favorite bread, cereal, crackers and pasta are whole-grain wonders or merely half-baked.

That's important to know, because nearly half of Americans never eat a whole grain, according to the Eric Hentges, executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The government's 2005 dietary guidelines recommend that most adults eat three, one-ounce servings of whole grains daily.

Knowing what is a whole grain -- and a one-ounce serving -- isn't always easy, however. And by all accounts, the new Food and Drug Administration definition may still leave the picture a little grainy for consumers since it's a recommendation, not a regulation.

Skip whole grains-- popcorn, oatmeal, shredded wheat, graham crackers and corn tortillas, to name a few -- and you not only miss foods with great flavor, you also don't get important protection against heart disease and some types of cancer.

Plus, whole grains could help your waistline, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's report. In one large study, for every 40 grams of whole grains added to the daily diet -- roughly equal to three slices of whole wheat bread -- body weight decreased in women by about a pound. Why is not certain, but it may be because they ate less of other foods. In another, body mass index was least in those who ate the most whole grains. And in a study that looked at the children of participants of the landmark Framingham Heart Study, those who ate the most whole grains had the lowest body mass index and the smallest waist-to-hip ratio -- important predictors of heart disease, diabetes and obesity risk.

So what gives whole grains their punch? They're packed with minerals and vitamins that are good for the heart, the immune system and blood, and they help protect against neural tube defects, including spina bifida in newborns. While whole grains are rich in complex carbohydrates, they can also provide a surprising amount of protein, up to 10 percent of the daily intake.

And the good news is that they're turning up as ingredients in a growing number of popular foods, from Chips Ahoy, raisin bread and English muffins to Rice-a-Roni, Fig Newtons and some, but not all, Wheat Thins. The challenge, notes Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition for Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): "You have to know which products are whole grains and which ones aren't."

Here's how you can figure that out:

Eyeball the ingredients label . Look for products that list whole grain as one of the first ingredients. That means whole wheat, whole rye, whole oats, whole corn, whole graham and whole barley. Other whole grains are brown rice, wild rice, bulgur, quinoa, triticale, amaranth, whole graham flour and sorghum.