It's Getting Easier To Go With The Grain

There's good news for those who want to incorporate more whole grains into their diet. Thanks to innovative menu planning and a growing number of products, it's getting easier for consumers to include whole grains on a regular basis.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid recommends that adults consume at least three servings of whole grains per day. That's the same as three ounce equivalents. But according to a recent survey by the Whole Grains Council and Knorr®-Lipton® Sides™ Made with Whole Grains, 68 percent of adults are unaware that they should consume at least three daily servings of whole grains.

USDA research has indicated that the majority of whole grain servings are consumed at breakfast, followed by snacks. Whole grain intake drops at lunch and dinner as each of these meals account for only 15 percent of daily whole grain consumption.

Fortunately, with a little creativity, it's possible to find a number of ways to add whole grains to a family's diet. Here are 10 quick tips:

• Buy quick-cooking whole grain pasta or rice side dishes for dinner.

• Make risottos and pilafs with whole grains such as barley, brown rice, bulgur, millet, quinoa or sorghum.

• Enjoy whole grain salads like tabbouleh.

• Try whole grain breads. Kids especially like whole grain pita bread.

• Add half a cup of cooked wheat or rye berries, wild rice, brown rice, sorghum or barley to your favorite canned or home-made soup.

• Substitute half the white flour with whole-wheat flour in your regular recipes for cookies, muffins, quick breads and pancakes.

• Add half a cup of cooked bulgur, wild rice or barley to bread stuffing.

• Use whole corn meal for corn cakes, corn breads and corn muffins.

• Look for cereals made with grains such as kamut, kasha (buckwheat) or grano.

• Snack on multigrain chips and crackers or air-popped popcorn.