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Making whole grain foods a part of your everyday diet
is a great start at leading a heart healthy lifestyle. You know the
grains you’re eating are of whole value if they are compromised of three
particular things--germ, endosperm and bran. Simply put, grains are
considered whole when they aren’t stripped of their nutritional value,
like white bread and rice. Like fruits and vegetables, whole grains
contain a high concentration of antioxidants to help keep your body
strong and healthy. In fact, there are antioxidants found in whole
grains that are not found in any fruits and vegetables.
Other benefits of eating grains that have not been stripped are the
numerous vitamins found within them, such as vitamin B, iron, and fiber.
They also provide protection against heart disease by helping to lower
your cholesterol and your blood pressure. And due to the high
concentration of antioxidants found in the grains, they may even help to
protect you against certain cancers. Furthermore, eating a diet that is
rich in whole grain foods can help to regulate blood sugar levels.
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Whole Grain Intake Recommendations
The USDA recommends that adults receive no less than three servings of
whole grain foods per day for optimum health benefits and to help reduce
your risk of disease, cancers and heart disease. But eating as little as
one serving a day does offer some of the same health benefits. What’s
more is that eating a diet that is rich in whole grains along with
regular exercise can help you lose weight and keep it off for good.
Making the Switch
Although it might be hard to switch to a whole grain diet all at once,
there are steps you can take to incorporate the grains into your diet
without sacrificing taste. For example, you can consider replacing half
of your white flour for whole grain flour in things like muffins, bread,
pancakes, pizza dough and cookies. You can also use whole wheat pasta
when making spaghetti, or mix white and brown rice together for a stir
fry. Other options include using oatmeal in cookie and cake recipes or
adding wild rice and barley to your soups.
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Foods You Already Know
Some foods that are high in whole grains are probably already on your
list of frequently eaten foods, such as popcorn. This is important
because an easy way to incorporate this heart healthy food into your
diet on a regular basis is to enhance what you already love to eat. So
instead of having ice cream for dessert, consider sprinkling some
cinnamon and sugar on your popcorn for a sweet treat. You might even
think about making a homemade apple pie using oatmeal as the crust, or
baking chocolate chip muffins made with applesauce and whole rye.
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