Grains

What Foods Are in the Grains Group?

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas and grits are examples of grain products.

Grains are divided into two subgroups – whole grains and refined grains.

Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel – the bran, germ and endosperm.

Examples include:

whole-wheat flour
bulgur (cracked wheat)
oatmeal
whole cornmeal
brown rice

Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron and many B vitamins.

Some examples of refined grain products are:

white flour
de-germed cornmeal
white bread
white rice

Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing. Fiber is not added back to enriched grains. Check the ingredient list on refined grain products to make sure that the word "enriched" is included in the grain name. Some food products are made from mixtures of whole grains and refined grains.

In general, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent from the Grains Group.

Go to "What Counts as an Ounce Equivalent of Grains?" for specific amounts of different grains that count as 1 once equivalents servings towards your daily recommended intake.

Go to "Tips to Help You Eat Whole Grains" for help choosing the best grain foods for your daily intake.

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