Finding Your Way to a Healthier You

This is the name of new guidelines from the United States Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services based on the Dietary Guidelines for American 2005. One of the guidelines is make smart choices from every food group. One of the food groups this refers to is the Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta group. The recommendation is to make half of your grains whole.

Whole grains, as well as foods made from them, consist of the entire grain seed, usually called the kernel. The kernel is made of three components - the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. When grains are refined most of the bran and some of the germ is removed losing much of the fiber. Whole grains retain the fiber. Eating foods high in fiber can reduce the risk of several diseases such as heart disease and may help in weight maintenance.

The recommendation is that at least three servings from the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group be whole grains. A serving is 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of dry cereal or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta.

Cereals
One good source of fiber in our diet is whole grain cereals, but remember not all cereals are equal. Here are some tips for navigating the cereal aisle at your supermarket.

• Check the fiber content. The goal is at least 3 grams per 100 calories.
• To get the most fiber, look for whole grains - whole wheat, wheat bran, whole barley, brown rice, oats and corn. Corn and oats are always whole grains, but the others - wheat, barley, and rice are often refined and may be missing the outer bran layer.
• Check the vitamin fortification. It's fine to have cereals fortified, but getting 100% of vitamins and minerals through a cereal may be more expensive than just taking a daily vitamin pill.
• Check the sodium content. It's best if the milligrams of sodium is about equal to the number of calories per serving. Add your own dried fruit to keep cost of cereal more reasonable.
• Check for added sugar because that means extra calories. It doesn't matter if it's sucrose, fructose, maltose, corn syrup, rice syrup, brown sugar or honey - they are all forms of sugar. Set your goal to be 10 grams or less or sugar per serving.
• Shop by price. Store brands are often the same as national brands and cost less.

Bran Muffins 1 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon baking powder 2 cups bran cereal 1-1/4 cup skim milk 1 egg ¼ cup vegetable oil ½ cup raisins Combine cereal and milk. Set aside to soften cereal (5 minutes). Stir together whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Set aside Add oil and egg to cereal and milk. Mix well. Add flour mixture. Stir until combined. Fold in raisins. Spoon into lined muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 18. Nutrition information per muffin: 110 calories, 3 g fat, 13 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber.