What Makes Whole Grains So Healthy?

If you read a lot of articles about diet and nutrition, you probably find that most nutritionists and diet experts frequently recommend introducing whole grains as central aspects of your everyday diet. This is one of those dietary guidelines that we all try to follow, yet most people aren't quite sure about what makes whole grain breads so different from breads that aren't labeled as such. Is there really a huge difference, or is it all just hype?

Whole grains vs. processed grains
The fact is that there is a major difference. From a health perspective, studies have shown that eating whole grains on a regular basis can reduce one's risk of certain types of cancer, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes. Most provide a good amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, specific whole grains have benefits of their own. For example, oats have been shown to reduce cholesterols, while some of the more exotic whole grains such as quinoa provide large amounts of protein.

The alternatives to whole grains are much less healthy, mainly due to the fact that they have been more thoroughly processed. When grains are refined for processing into non-whole grain breads, many of the healthy parts of the grains are filtered away, creating a soft and easily digestible product that may taste good but is practically devoid of the good things about grains. Bread that has been heavily processed is basically a loaf of carbs with no nutritional value.

Where to find whole grain products
Finding whole-grain products is really easy given the fact that most of them are clearly labeled as "whole grain." Still, many people assume that products labeled with terms like "wheat," "stone-ground," "cracked wheat," "multigrain," or "bran" are whole grain, but this is simply not true. While we tend to think of standard wheat bread as being more healthy than white bread, the difference is actually insignificant unless that wheat bread is whole grain. Many wheat breads are not.

While many whole-grain products are easy to find, some of the more exotic ones can only be found at health-food stores or more forward-thinking supermarkets. Quinoa, for example, is rarely found in traditional stores, even though it is one of the healthiest and tastiest whole grains.

How much whole grain should you eat?
Most authoritative bodies recommend that adults get anywhere from 6 to 11 servings of whole grain per day. This may seem like a lot, but it's actually not so much when you break it down. For example, on a typical day you might have two servings of oatmeal for breakfast, three servings of whole grains in your bread at lunch, and three more whole grain servings for dinner in the form of pasta or a slice of bread.

Of course, if you consume this much bread in the form of non-whole grain varieties, it's not so healthy. Even just a few servings of refined grains per day is too much, especially when you consider their relatively low nutritional value.

Caterina Christakos is a published author and reviewer. Read her about her number one picks for starting your own internet business and owning a franchise.

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