Maybe not. A new survey* shows that only 4% of Americans eat the recommended six daily servings of grains. This poll found that the average daily grain intake among adults is 3.2 servings, a far cry from the six recommended servings. In addition, this survey found that Americans are also not making "half of their grains whole" as advised by MyPyramid. According to the poll, only 11% of total grain consumption consists of whole grains. What are we missing out on when we don't eat enough grains? Grains (especially whole grains) are a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, and minerals such as iron and magnesium.
Are you wondering just how to get six servings of grains in your daily diet? The Grain Foods Council recently launched a "Daily 6" campaign to encourage healthy grain consumption. The group states that eating enough grains is "as easy as having cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a cup of pasta with dinner." This is a great way to look at it, and if you make your sandwich on whole wheat bread, and choose either a whole grain cereal or whole grain pasta, you have even succeeded in making half of your grains whole! One serving of grain is one slice of bread, 1 cup of ready to eat cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, rice or hot cereal.
Looking for whole grain recipes? Here are a few resources:
http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/
www.arrowheadmills.com/recipes
http://www.bobsredmill.com/
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/
http://www.nuworldfoods.com/
*The Harris Interactive poll of 2,106 US adults.
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