How to Choose the Right Grains for Your Diet
By Genevieve Cunningham
If you’ve ever looked into eating a healthy diet, you’ve probably heard plenty about eating veggies, lean meat, and whole grains. While the first two are easy -- who doesn’t know about veggies and chicken? -- whole grains are a little more difficult to understand. Unless it explicitly states whole grains on the package, many of us are at a loss. In order to finally round out your diet with these healthy carbs, take a look at these tips for choosing the right whole grains for your diet.
At Breakfast: Choose Oatmeal
If you want an easy way to eat whole grains, start with the first meal of the day. Instead of reaching for sweetened cereal or a granola bar, choose old fashioned oatmeal instead. This is a whole grain that is easy to find in the store, easy to cook, and simple enough to eat often. If you absolutely must have some variety in the morning, switch out oatmeal with a whole grain cereal (it will say it on the box!) and start each day off on the right foot.
At Lunch: Choose Whole Grain Bread
This is another really easy way to add whole grains to your diet. Instead of eating white bread on your sandwich, choose whole grain wheat bread. This bread should be labeled accordingly on the package, but you can also tell by the color and texture of the bread. Whole grain bread will be darker in color, and will contain little seeds throughout.
At Dinner: Choose Brown Rice
Rice is a really easy side that goes with so many different meals. But instead of reaching for the traditional white rice that so many of us are accustomed to, reach for the slightly healthier brown rice instead. Brown rice and white rice are the same … except white rice has had the outer layer removed. This outer layer is what gives the rice its brown color, and it makes it healthier as well.
Eating whole grains does not have to be a difficult or complicated process. Even if you're not familiar with whole grains, these foods can give you a great starting point. Start with what you know, and then expand from there. Before you know it, your diet will be full of plenty of whole grain options to enjoy and to boost your diet for good.
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