Whole Grains 101

What is a Whole Grain?

A Whole Grain Includes Everything

• Whole grains or foods made from them contain all three essential parts and all the naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.
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• If the grain has been processed (e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, lightly pearled and/or cooked), the food product should deliver approximately the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed.

List of Whole Grains

• • Amaranth • Barley (not including pearled barley)
• • Buckwheat • Corn, including whole cornmeal, popcorn
• Millet • Oats, including oatmeal
• Quinoa • Rice (brown and colored rice)
• Rye • Sorghum (also called milo)
• Teff • Triticale (a rye / wheat hybrid)
• • Wild rice
• Wheat, including varieties such as spelt, emmer, farro, einkorn, Kamut®, durum and forms such as bulgur, cracked wheat and wheatberries
• * Grains in red are gluten free. Oats may also be gluten free if tested as gluten free.

• All of the following are whole grain, when eaten with ALL their bran, germ
• and endosperm:

100% or partially whole grain?

• Much as milk comes in different forms for different tastes, so do whole grains.
• Some people prefer to start with partially whole grain foods until they get used to the nuttier, fuller taste of 100% whole grains.

• Hard core!

• Partially healthier

What counts as a serving?

• 100% Whole Grains
• This amount of food counts as a WG serving
• • 1/2 cup pasta
• • 1/2 cup rice/other grain
• • 1 slice bread
• • 1 cup cold cereal
• • 1/2 cup hot cereal
• • 1 small bagel, muffin

• Partial Whole Grains
• 16 grams of WG
• Amount varies by whole grain content. 16 grams or more of whole grain ingredients counts as a serving.