Did you know that people who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases? Grains provide many nutrients that are vital for health and it is recommended that at least half of all the grains  eaten be whole grains. September is National Whole Grains Month, and on average most Americans eat enough grains, but very few are whole grains. What are grains anyway? Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Examples include bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel and examples of these include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and brown rice.

What are the health benefits of consuming whole grains? If included as part of a healthy diet, the benefits include:

*reducing the risk of heart disease

*helping with weight management

*providing many nutrients; including dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium).

Some tips to help make more of your grains whole are:

*Use whole-grain breads for sandwiches and toast

*Try brown rice and whole wheat pasta 

*Add whole-grain flour or oatmeal to baked goods 

*Try 100% whole-grain snack crackers. 

*Choose foods that list a whole grain first on the ingredient list. (such as brown rice, oatmeal, bulgur, wild rice, whole-grain corn, whole oats, whole rye or whole wheat).

*Food color is not always a good indicator of a whole grain. (Example: bread can be brown due to molasses or other added ingredients and not be a whole grain, so read labels carefully.