Eat More Whole Grains

October 22, 2007
Take charge of your health by eating more whole-grain foods. You'll get key vitamins, minerals and fiber you need to stave off disease.
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How Many Grains Do I Need?

Rita Maas
According to the MyPyramid healthy eating guide from the U.S.D.A., for a 2,000-calorie diet, you need about six servings of grain products each day, and at least half those should be whole grains.
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Tomato and Corn Bulgur Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Tomato and Corn Bulgur Salad Recipe
Bulgur is a dried, cracked wheat often used in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. High in fiber and protein, it makes a healthy addition to this fresh, summery picnic dish. If you'd like a fresh herb garnish, pack the leaves separately, and sprinkle onto the salad shortly before serving.

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Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke
Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions Recipe
This hardy grain is a good source of fiber and potassium and is used frequently in cereals, breads, and soups. Two varieties of barley. whole-grain (hulled) barley and pearl barley, are most often found at markets. Barley flour has a strong nutty flavor when toasted; try adding it to breads. Pearl barley is a great source of fiber; 1/2 cup provides more than 12 grams.
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Blueberry and Feta Bulgur Salad with Mint Dressing

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Blueberry and Feta Bulgur Salad with Mint Dressing Recipe
Add heartiness to a simple salad by creating a wheat bulgur base. You can make this fresh, summery picnic dish up to two days ahead.

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Miso Chicken with Brown Rice

Randy Mayor
Miso Chicken with Brown Rice Recipe
Brown rice has twice the amount of fiber as white rice. When fiber is part of an overall healthy diet it can help reduce blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, and reduce constipation and diverticulosis.

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Cashew and Green Onion Bulgur

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Cashew and Green Onion Bulgur Recipe
Wheat bulgur has a nutty flavor similar to brown rice. Stir into soups or salads, or use as a base for pilaf.
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Smoked Salmon Buckwheat Pinwheels

Smoked Salmon Buckwheat Pinwheels Recipe
Whole grains such as buckwheat are sources of magnesium and selenium. Magnesium is a mineral used in building bones and releasing energy from muscles. Selenium protects cells from oxidation. It is also important for a healthy immune system.

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Mexican Bulgur Salad with Citrus-Jalapeño Vinaigrette

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Mexican Bulgur Salad with Citrus-Jalapeño Vinaigrette Recipe
Bulgur is wheat berries that have been steamed, dried, and then cracked. Whole grains such as bulgur are good non-meat sources of iron, and the vitamin C in this recipe from orange juice and lime juice helps that iron to be better absorbed. The black beans that are mixed in with the bulgur also provide iron and protein.

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Confetti Rice Pilaf with Toasted Flaxseed

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Confetti Rice Pilaf with Toasted Flaxseed Recipe
Its nutty flavor is temptation enough, but flaxseed is also a health powerhouse. Although it has the distinction of being one of the oldest cultivated grains on the planet, flaxseed is a relative stranger to the American kitchen. It shouldn't be, though. Not only does flaxseed's flavor transform cooking, but the tiny, reddish-brown seed is also a mini-bastion of nutrition and other healthy properties. Among its bragging rights: fiber, lignans, and omega-3 fats.
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Millet Muffins with Honey-Pecan Butter

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Melanie J. Clarke and Jan Gautro
Millet Muffins with Honey-Pecan Butter Recipe
Millet is a small, round yellow whole grain that's a staple in many parts of Asia, Europe and northern Africa. It's used mostly for mixed dishes such as pilaf or casseroles, for cooked cereal, and can be ground into flour for bread.

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Spiced Apple-Pecan Oatmeal

Van Chaplin
Spiced Apple-Pecan Oatmeal Recipe
The soluble fiber that's so plentiful in oatmeal and oat bran appears to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Oats also have plenty of vitamins B1, B2, and E and are low in calories–only 150 in a half-cup of dry oats, which also provides 4 grams of dietary fiber.

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Sausage and Bean Ragù on Quinoa Macaroni

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Sausage and Bean Ragù on Quinoa Macaroni Recipe
Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is an ancient grain that is a good alternative to rice because of its lightness. Try it for breakfast by serving it with maple syrup and milk, adding it to pancake and muffin batter, or mixing it with potatoes for croquettes. The tiny beige-colored seeds, about the size of pellets of couscous, cook in about 20 minutes. A good source of protein and fiber, 1/2 cup of quinoa has 14 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.
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Rye Berry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Rye Berry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette Recipe
Rye is most commonly seen as flour, both light and dark. Pumpernickel bread is made from dark rye flour. Also available are whole rye berries, which are green and work nicely in salads–chewy and neutral in flavor, they hold their shape when cooked. Rye is now often available rolled as well. Look for it in supermarkets or health-food stores. Rolled rye cooks quickly and makes tasty breakfast cereals.

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Honey-Oatmeal Wheat Bread

Honey-Oatmeal Wheat Bread Recipe
A simple way to increase the whole grains in your diet is simply to replace regular white breads with whole wheat breads. You get a double dose of grains in this yeast bread since it's got whole wheat flour and oats in addition to all-purpose flour. If you're buying whole wheat bread, make sure it has "100 percent whole wheat" on the label instead of just "wheat bread".

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Yogurt and Berries with Whole-Grain Waffles

Photography: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Yogurt and Berries with Whole-Grain Waffles Recipe
Wheat is the world's largest cereal grass crop, with its thousands of varieties. A few common types are wheat berries (big, chewy, unprocessed kernels of wheat), wheat bran (exterior layer of the wheat berry), and wheat germ. Wheat germ is a concentrated source of vitamins and minerals, a quarter-cup contains 130 calories, 12 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and no sodium or cholesterol. It offers about a third of the daily requirement for vitamin E, one of the antioxidant nutrients. Add to this a little folic acid and a lot of trace minerals–zinc, iron, magnesium, manganese, and chromium–and you've got a powerhouse in each bite.
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Wild Rice Stuffing

Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe
Although wild rice is technically a seed from a type of grass, it's often used in place of grains or mixed in with other grains. Because it's a seed, it's a good source of protein, and like brown rice, high in fiber.
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