A reader wrote in:
Do you know if whole grain oat cereals are the same, better, or worse than just plain oat bran?

To answer this question and get to the bottom of whole grains, I went straight to a prestigious medical source — the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic has a whole page dedicated to just how great whole grains are and why you should add more to your diet.

image via tvol on flickr

First a definition — whole grains are any grains that haven’t had their brand or germ removed by milling. Sometimes bran or the germ are sold alone, but these do not provide the complete benefits of whole grains.

While all grains are low in fat, good sources of complex carbohydrates, and full of vitamins and minerals, refined grains cut out the nutrient-rich bran and germ. The bran contains extra fiber, essential to digestive health and the germ contains selenium, potassium, magnesium, and other vital vitamins and minerals.

Even if you know how good they are for you, it can be confusing to identify whole grains.

Sources of Whole Grains

Did you know white rice is not a whole grain? But wild riceis!

Couscous, corn flakes, enriched pasta, grits, white rice, and white bread are among the popular foods that use refined grains — avoid these. Brown rice, wild rice, whole wheat (or rice) pasta, bulgur, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, popcorn, and whole wheat bread all contain whole grains — pick these instead.

Eat lots of whole grains — it’s an easy way to improve your diet and your health!  And try to buy organic grains to avoid unhealthy pesticides and herbicides.

(A special thanks to the Mayo Clinic for its excellent and informative page on whole grains!)

Whole Grains — What's the Big Deal? is from groovy vegetarian