Great Grains: The Dieter's Practical Guide

Easy ways to add whole-grain goodness to your life.

5 min read

You probably already know that, for all sorts of health reasons, we should all be eating more whole grains. But just how do we go about doing that in our white-bread world?

While you may not be ready to switch to whole grains entirely, everyone can add a serving here and there. And that can be enough to make a difference in your health.

Your goal should be to eat at least three 1 oz servings per day of whole-grain foods -- preferably in place of refined grains, according to the latest dietary guidelines.

One serving can be:

  • 1 slice of whole-wheat or other whole-grain bread
  • 1 small muffin made with a whole grain
  • 1 cup of ready-to-eat whole-grain cereal
  • 1/2 cup of hot whole-grain cereal
  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta

It's actually pretty easy to hit the "three servings a day" mark. It's a matter of substituting whole grains for refined ones in foods that we already know and love.

Here are examples of some whole-grain choices you could make through the day. Have just one at each meal and you've hit your three-a-day goal.

Breakfast:

  • Hot oatmeal or a cold whole-grain cereal
  • Pancakes, cinnamon rolls, muffins, crepes, or waffles made with part whole-wheat flour, part oats, or oat bran
  • Whole-wheat or whole-grain toast

Lunch:

  • A sandwich on whole-wheat or other whole-grain bread
  • A soup made with barley, whole-wheat pasta, or bulgur
  • A burrito or quesadilla made with a whole-wheat tortilla
  • A cold pasta salad made with whole-wheat pasta
  • A fruit-and-cheese plate served with 100% whole-grain crackers

Dinner:

  • Any entree served with cooked brown rice, barley, millet, quinoa, bulgur, or a whole-wheat or whole-wheat blend pasta
  • Dinner rolls made with part whole-wheat flour
  • A soup or stew made with barley, bulgur, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, etc.

Dessert:

  • Your favorite dessert recipe made with part whole-wheat flour
  • A dessert featuring oats (oatmeal raisin cookies, fruit crisp, etc.)
  • Rice pudding made with brown rice

Ready to start adding more whole grains to your life? Here's a rundown of some you're likely to find in your neighborhood supermarket.

Personal endorsement : Amaranth flour has a sweet, spicy, nutty flavor. It's best used as an accent flour in waffles, pancakes, or muffins.
Nutritional selling points : 1/4 cup of dried amaranth contains 7 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.
Does it contain gluten? (for those who have a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance): No

Personal endorsement : It's actually not terribly brown once you cook it. I've made light fried rice with brown rice, and nobody even noticed that the rice wasn't white. Switching to brown rice will boost your fiber from 1 gram to 3.5 grams per cup of steamed rice.
Nutritional selling points : 1 cup of cooked long-grain brown rice contributes: 216 calories, 3.5 g fiber, 5% Daily Value for vitamin E, 17% vitamin B-1, 20% B3, 18% B-6, 30% magnesium, and 35% selenium.
Does it contain gluten? No

Personal endorsement : One of my favorite whole grains, I admit. Oats can be the star attraction (hot oatmeal) or a recipe ingredient (cookies, cakes, crisps). I like to use oat bran in combination with whole-wheat and unbleached white flours for many of my bakery recipes. This way, I get soluble and insoluble fiber from the two grains.
Nutritional selling points : 1/2 cup of dry rolled oats contributes: 156 calories, 6% Daily Value for vitamin E, 26% vitamin B-1, 21% magnesium, and 25% selenium.
Does it contain gluten? Yes

Personal endorsement : When cooking at home, I tend to use part whole-wheat flour and part unbleached white flour; otherwise the texture is too dense and the color too brown to pass muster with the rest of the Magee clan. And don't forget you can include whole wheat in your day just by buying a nice 100% whole-wheat bread.
Nutritional selling points : 1/4 cup of whole-wheat flour contributes: 102 calories, 3.5 g fiber, 2% Daily Value for vitamin E, 12% B-1, 13% B-3, 7% folic acid, 15% magnesium, and 39% selenium.
Does it contain gluten? Yes

Personal endorsement : The two rye flour products you're most likely to come across are rye bread and rye crackers. Try both for a change of pace from your usual choices. Rye bread is particularly tasty when paired with tuna salad, sliced turkey, or provolone or other mild cheese.
Nutritional selling points : 1/4 cup of dark rye flour contributes: 104 calories, 7.2 g fiber, 11% Daily Value for vitamin E, 9% B-1, 9% B-3, 9% B-6, 11% folic acid, 28% magnesium, and 21% selenium.
Does it contain gluten? Yes

Personal endorsement : Hulled barley still has the bran, so that's the one you want to buy. But even if you purchase pearl barley, which has the bran removed, you'll still get around 50% of the original fiber. That's because barley's fiber is found throughout the grain (unlike the wheat kernel). Barley has a nut-like flavor and can be used instead of rice or added to soups and stews.
Nutritional selling points : 1/2 cup whole cooked barley contributes: 135 calories, 6.8 g fiber, 8% Daily Value for vitamin E, 7% B-1, 10% B-3, 6% B-6, 8% magnesium, and 33% selenium.
Does it contain gluten? Yes

Personal endorsement : Groats, the hulled kernels of buckwheat, come whole or cracked. You might find a side dish recipe or two calling for groats, or you can use them in soups and stews. (Don't confuse them with buckwheat flour, which is very dark and dense and is usually added to pancake recipes in fairly small quantities).
Nutritional selling points : 3/4 cup cooked buckwheat groats contributes: 136 calories, 3.4 g fiber, 5% Daily Value vitamin E, 9% B-3, 7% B-6, 12% folic acid, and 27% magnesium.
Does it contain gluten? No

Personal endorsement : Bulgur is wheat in disguise. It's just been steamed and dried, which is why you generally have to just soak it to make it tender. It's used in Middle Eastern dishes like taboulleh and pilaf.
Nutritional selling points : See whole-wheat flour, above.

Personal endorsement : You'll find millet hulled in cracked or pearled form. It can be sweetened and used as a cereal or pudding, and it can take the place of bulgur in recipes.
Nutritional selling points : 3/4 cup cooked millet contributes: 214 calories, 2.3 g fiber, 17% Daily Value vitamin B-1, 11% B-2, 16% B-3, 12% B-6, 19% folic acid, and 28% magnesium.
Does it contain gluten? No

Personal endorsement : Not as well-known as the other whole grains, quinoa is a mild-flavored grain that can be baked into breads and casseroles or paired with vegetables and beans.
Nutritional selling points : 1/4 cup dry quinoa contributes: 140 calories, 4 g fiber, 5 grams protein, 26% Daily Value vitamin E, 12% B-2, 8% B-3, 12% folic acid, and 32% magnesium.
Does it contain gluten? No