Top 16 Whole Grain Foods & Tips on How to Include Them Into Your Diet

You’d like to be as healthy as possible, wouldn’t you? Then be sure you eat whole grains. Eating at least three servings of whole grains daily will help you fight diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. Whole grains can even help you fight cancer.

It’s been known for years that eating a lot of vegetables and fruit can protect your health, but now nutrition experts are aware that whole grains can provide similar benefits.

Here is a list of sixteen whole grains, how they are beneficial to your health and tips on how to incorporate them into your diet.

Oats

If you eat a lot of whole grain oats and have high cholesterol, your cholesterol will probably be lowered. You can eat oats as a breakfast cereal and add oats to bread and muffin recipes.

Bran

Grain has a hard outer layer called bran. Removing this hard outer layer causes grain to lose some of its nutritional value. Bran is rich in fiber and also contains vitamins and minerals. It’s a good idea to put bran in breads, cereals, pancakes, waffles and muffins to enrich them and provide more fiber.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is a type of whole grain and is much better for you than white rice. It’s unbleached and chewier than white rice and has more nutritional value. It is less constipating than white rice as well. It used to be considered less desirable than white rice, but now it is more expensive since there is less of it and it is harder to store because it becomes rancid more quickly than white rice.

Buckwheat

This whole grain can be eaten as an alternate to rice and it is also used as a cereal. It isn’t really a cereal grain but is related to rhubarb, which means it can be eaten as a substitute for wheat grains for those who are allergic to wheat. Buckwheat seems to be able to lower cholesterol and reduce blood pressure. It contains flavonoids which act as antioxidants. Buckwheat can help protect your body from heart disease.

Cracked Wheat

This is a wheat product made from crushed or cut whole raw wheat kernels. It is carried by many grocery stores. It can turn rancid and should be kept in a cool dry place.

Bulgur Wheat

Bulgur is similar to cracked wheat. It too is made by cracking or crushing wheat kernels. However, bulgur is made from steamed and toasted wheat kernels before being cracked. They don’t need to be cooked for very long because it has already been partially cooked. Bulgur has a nutty flavor and is very nutritious with lots of fiber in it too.

Millet

Birds eat millet in their packaged bird food, but it’s for people too. It’s delicious and can be creamy or fluffy depending on how you cook it. It’s available most of the time from grocery stores. Millet comes in several different colors and is quite small and round. Millet encompasses several different kinds of grains.

Barley

This nut-flavored whole grain is often used as a cereal and has a chewy consistency. It looks like wheat berries only lighter in color.

Wild Rice

Wild rice isn’t actually rice but is a grass. Most of it isn’t even wild but cultivated. It has a chewy texture and a nutty flavor. The size of each grain can vary from about one-half inch to one-inch in length. It’s good for you.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a good source of fiber. It can be healthy if it is air popped and not loaded with butter.

Amaranth

This nutritious grain can be a substitute for wheat and other grains. The high-fiber seeds are full of vitamins and minerals. The leaves are good for you too and are vitamin-rich.

Quinoa

This South American grain can be found in health stores and in some supermarkets. It comes in several different colors. After it has been cooked, quinoa expands a lot. The grain has creamy and crunchy textures depending on what part of the grain you’re eating. Quinoa grains need to be washed in a strainer to remove the powdery residue that comes with it.

Rye

Rye is one of your best whole grain choices and is available most of the year. It looks like wheat but is really a cereal grain. It’s very nutritious since it’s difficult to remove the germ and bran from the rest of the rye grain.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is available throughout the year, has a nutty flavor and is popular with those who want to eat healthy meals. Flax seeds have a hard shiny shell and are a little larger than sesame seeds.

Spelt

Spelt looks a lot like wheat, but it has a tougher husk. Because of this characteristic, nutrients are less likely to be removed. Spelt tastes slightly sweet and has a nutty flavor. If you are allergic to wheat, you might want to try this whole grain. You can find spelt products in health stores.

Wheat Berries

Wheat berries are crunchy and add a delicious and nutritious touch to salads and bread. They are a good source of fiber since wheat berries refer to the entire kernel of wheat – not including the hull. You can find wheat berries at health food stores and online.

Conclusion

So there you have sixteen nutritious and delicious whole grain choices to add to your daily food selections. If you choose to eat grains from this list, you’ll do yourself a big health favor and arm yourself with a powerful health weapon.