Whole Grains: The Practical To-Do List

Grains that keep the bran, germ and endosperm, such as whole-wheat flour, oats, brown rice and barley. They carry most of a grain's fiber and micronutrients, and higher intakes are linked to lower heart disease and type 2 diabetes risk.

Key takeaways

• Dietary Guidelines advice: make at least half your grains whole grains
• Grains at 2,000 calories: 6 ounce-equivalents a day, at least 3 whole
• Most useful single change: Swap the version of a food you already eat rather than adding new ones.
• Commonest mistake: Trusting a brown color, which can come from caramel coloring or molasses.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

Do

• Swap the version of a food you already eat rather than adding new ones
• Try whole-wheat pasta and brown rice mixed half and half at first
• Keep oats in the pantry as one of the cheapest whole-grain breakfasts there is
• Choose bread where whole-wheat flour is the first ingredient

Do not

• Trusting a brown color, which can come from caramel coloring or molasses
• Assuming "made with whole grain" means mostly whole grain
• Cutting grains out entirely rather than switching the type

The numbers behind the list

Here are the figures the checklist is drawn from.

If you change one thing

Swap the version of a food you already eat rather than adding new ones. That is the opening item above. Doing only that is still doing something.

Related topics

• Carbohydrates and Blood Glucose: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Diabetes)
• Snacking: What Published Guidance Supports (Healthy Recipes)
• Reading the Nutrition Facts Label: What the Evidence Actually Says (Food Safety)
• Diet and Eye Health: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Eye Health)

Where to go next

• The Evidence on Whole Grains, Without the Hype
• Understanding Whole Grains: A Plain-English Explainer
• Whole Grains — the reference entry
• Nutrition: The Complete Guide
• The Evidence on Food Labels, Without the Hype
• What the Guidance Really Says About Meal Planning

When to speak to a doctor

People with celiac disease must avoid wheat, barley and rye and should choose oats labeled gluten-free. See your doctor for persistent bloating, diarrhea or weight loss after eating grains, which should be tested for celiac disease before you remove gluten from your diet. Call 911 for signs of a severe allergic reaction after eating, such as trouble breathing or swelling of the throat.

Where this comes from

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases — Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Celiac Disease

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.