Grains for Your Health

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Foods in the Breads, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta category all are good sources of energy. In addition, they provide thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, and fiber. They are low in fat and cholesterol naturally, because they derive from plant sources. Exceptions include croissants, pastries, fried snacks, some crackers, muffins, doughnuts, and fritters.

The Food Guide Pyramid suggests eating six to eleven servings from the Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta group on a daily basis. It does sound like a lot, but it truly isn't. Following is some common serving sizes to help you determine and choose your five to six servings a day:

A serving is:

One slice of bread
One ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2-cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

For healthier eating, here are some suggestions to get you started:

Choose breads, cereals, rice and pasta made from whole grains. This includes whole wheat bread, bran cereal, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice. Always check Nutrition Facts if you're not sure if you are making the right selection; these foods should provide at least two grams of fiber per serving.
Reduce the amount of high fat or high sugar foods in this category like sweet rolls, croissants, or doughnuts. Try to limit those choices to three a week. If you wish, you could try replacing them with a small bagel, cereal, bread sticks, or an English muffin.
Extra butter, margarine, oil and mayonnaise make foods from this category very high in calories. If you typically spread a teaspoon of butter on your bread, try using half this amount.
For snacks, try pretzels, air-popped popcorn, baked tortilla or pita chips, or bread sticks. To satisfy a sweet craving, try gingersnaps, animal crackers (read the labes on these - some are full of fat and calories), graham crackers, or angel food cake.
Watch portion sizes, even when eating low-fat or low-calorie products. That label is not a free ticket to gorge!
Try something new -- and healthy. Suggestions -- if you are not already familiar with them: Couscous, orzo, risotto, or polenta are good choices if you have not tried them before. Try some Low Fat Recipes or Low Calorie Recipes and make into portion sizes and store leftovers accordingly.