Healthful Whole Grains!

Healthful Whole Grains!

Common Types of Whole Grains
*.Brown rice (regular, quick)
*.Oatmeal, whole or rolled oats (regular, quick, instant)
*. Popcorn
*.Whole wheat
*.Wild rice

Have you been looking for low fat, nutritious foods that satisfy your hunger? Whole grain foods are a great choice. Would you be willing to eat more whole grain foods if they would help reduce your risk for heart disease and cancer? If you are like most people in a recent survey, you would.

A whole grain consists of three parts bran, germ, and endosperm. They are typically a good source of B-complex vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron, and  fiber as well as other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables. Most of the antioxidants and vitamins are found in the germ and the bran of the wholegrain.

Whole grains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, primarily by decreasing cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood coagulation. They have also been shown to reduce the risks of many types of cancers. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that they help regulate blood glucose levels in diabetics. Studies have shown that people who consume more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who consumed less whole grain products.

1. Eating a variety of whole grains each day will help ensure that you get the nutrients needed to stay healthy.

2. All types of grain foods are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates. Nutrition experts recommend that we eat most of our daily calories as carbohydrates, especially complex ones. They supply energy for daily activities.

3. Whole grains are low in fat, and because they are from plants they have no cholesterol.

4. They are high in fiber, plant protein, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, resistant starch, phytate and many other healthful substances.

5. Whole grains provide many of the nutrients that are low in America’s diet, including fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, and the minerals selenium, zinc, copper and magnesium.

6. There is a long list of other naturally occurring substances in whole grains, besides soluble and insoluble fiber. Some of them are: tocopherols, beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate, glutamine, phytoestrogens, lignans, flavonoids, oligosaccharides, inositol, phenolics, saponins, lectins, and protease and amylase inhibitors. These healthful factors may help prevent diseases from developing, lower blood cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar or improve immune function.

Healthy eating tip:Limit sugar, salt and refined grains

If you succeed in planning your diet around fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get in the way of your healthy diet—sugar, salt and refined starches.

Sugar and refined starches

It is okay to enjoy sweets in moderation, but try to cut down on sugar. Sugar causes energy ups and downs and adds to health problems like arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, headaches, and depression.

* Give recipes a makeover. Often recipes taste just as good with less sugar.
* Avoid sugary drinks. One 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
* Eliminate processed foods. Processed foods and foods made with white flour and white sugar cause your blood sugar to go up and down leaving you tired and sapped of energy.

Salt

Salt itself is not bad, but most of us consume too much salt in our diets.

* Limit sodium to 2,300 mg per day – the equivalent to one teaspoon of salt. Most of us consume far more than one teaspoon of salt per day.
* Avoid processed, packaged, restaurant and fast food. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen meals contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended teaspoon a day.

What You Can Eat

	Food Groups	Enjoy Adequate Amounts Of	Limit
	Grains	Breads, brown and regular rice, ready-to-eat flaky whole grain cereals, pasta, oats, tortillas, pita bread	Baked goods made with heart-unhealthy fat (See Fats & Oils below)
	Vegetables	All fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables	Vegetables topped with cream sauces, whole milk cheese, and butter
	Fruits	All fresh, frozen, and canned fruits	Fruits topped with cream
	Dairy Foods	Nonfat and low fat milk and yogurt, reduced and low fat cheeses, and light ice cream	Whole milk, 2 percent milk, whole milk cheeses, and full fat ice cream
	Meats & Meat Alternatives	Lean cuts of meats, such as tenderloin, sirloin, round, and lean or extra lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken, low fat luncheon meats and hot dogs, dried peas and beans, skinless poultry, fish, beans, tofu, peanut butter, nuts, egg whites, and egg substitutes (Keep meat, poultry, and fish to about six ounces daily)	Fatty cuts of meat such as untrimmed meats, hot dogs, sausages, and bacon, excessive egg yolks*, organ meats (liver), poultry with skin, and fatty luncheon meats, such as bologna and salami
	Fats and Oils	Soft margarine, olive, soybean, canola, corn, peanut, sunflower, and sesame oils	Whole milk, yogurt, and cheeses, full fat ice cream, cream

*Since an egg yolk contains over 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, these need to be balanced within your diet in order to harness your daily cholesterol intake. Egg whites are free of dietary cholesterol.
- By Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN. Blake is a nutrition professor at Boston University and a nationally known writer, lecturer and nutrition expert.
Source What you can eat