Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Food and Nutrition Educator
The Co-op Food Stores

A healthful way to improve your family’s diet is to increase the amount of whole grain foods you serve. Whole grains retain all three parts of the seed: fibrous bran, nutritious germ, and starchy endosperm. Diets rich in whole grains have been shown to reduce the risks of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.

Unfortunately, it has become more difficult to spot truly whole-grain products. Some cereal manufacturers have the words “whole grain” splashed in big letters across their cereal boxes even though the cereal inside contains only a half serving of whole grain. Other products, such as breads, are labeled as whole wheat, whole grain, multigrain, or seven grain, while they are actually made with mostly refined white flour.

These tips will help you to find 100-percent whole grains and whole grain foods with whole grain as the major grain used in the product.

Quickest tip: If the front label says “100 percent whole-wheat” or “100 percent whole-grain,” then it is truly a whole-grain product.

If the label doesn’t clearly spell out “100-percent whole grain,” check the ingredient list and make sure the first ingredient listed is a whole grain. Ingredients are listed from most to least by weight.