A whole grain contains all edible parts of the grain, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. The whole grain may be used intact or recombined, as long as all components are present in natural proportions (source: Whole Grains Council).
Health Benefits
You can’t go wrong with eating whole grains! Not only will eating whole grains improve your diet by packing in lots of fiber, B vitamins, protein, and antioxidants, but also help reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer. Plus, whole grains can improve your bowel movements because of the high fiber content (something no one can ever hate), and contribute to lower percentages in abdominal fat (source: Framingham Heart Study).
Eat more whole grains!
It’s really easy to introduce more whole grains into your diet. When you’re at the grocery store, stay cognizant of what the product says. Look for whole wheat pastas and bread, substitute white rice for brown rice, enjoy a bowl of oatmeal in the morning, or get adventurous and try versatile whole grains such as quinoa or millet!
Unfortunately, most Americans don’t even get one serving of whole grains per day (source: Whole Grains Council). There’s an important difference between “whole grain” and “multigrain” when you’re at the store looking for some delicious bread or whatnot to buy. “Multigrain,” “100% wheat,” “stone ground” and “cracked wheat” may sound innocently healthy, but none of those terms actually indicates whole grain goodness.
The Storefront has a whole array of whole grains available! Some products include
Not sure what to make?
More recipes will eventually be posted, but here’s a simple, delicious, (and healthy!) oatmeal recipe.
Chocolatey Peanut Butter Oats (from Yack Attack)
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
3/4-1 Cup of Water or Non Dairy Milk
1 Tbsp. Cocoa
1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
Very small Pinch of Salt
Directions:
Put oats, cocoa and water in a very small pot over medium heat. Stir together until it warms completely and is a little thicker; add in peanut butter, maple syrup and cinnamon. Stir until the oatmeal is as thick as you like, pour into a bowl, drizzle with a little more maple syrup and eat! :)
