Have you spotted either of these stamps on a label? Read on to learn more!

The current recommendation is for most people to eat more whole grains. The stamps above have been developed by the Whole Grains Council to help consumers identify foods that are whole grain.

A food can either be a whole grain (Table 1) or it can contain a whole grain (Table 2). The difficulty is in determining when a food in Table 2 contains enough whole grain to qualify it as a whole grain.

• Foods that can provide whole grains
• Bread, rolls, bagels, muffins, crackers, cooked and ready-to-eat cereals, rice, pasta,tortillas, popcorn, pancakes, waffles, pita bread, pretzels, or soup if they are made from whole grains
• Table 1. Foods that can provide whole grains

• Foods that are whole grains
• Oatmeal, brown rice, barley, popcorn, whole wheat flour, corn, whole grain cornmeal, rye, wild rice, buckwheat, triticale, bulgar (cracked wheat), millet, quinoa, sorghum, araranth
• Table 2. Foods that are whole grains

Up until recently, the usual way to determine if foods in Table 2 met the criteria to be a whole grain was to read the ingredient list. If it listed any of the foods in Table 1 as the first ingredient, then the consumer knew the product was a whole grain.

Now the stamp will do the work for you. Notice that the stamps are slightly different. The one on the left tells you that the product has at least 8 grams of whole grain while the other one tells you that the product has 16 grams or more of whole grain and is 100% whole grain.

What is a serving of whole grain?

A serving is equivalent to 16 grams of whole grain. This will usually be a one ounce-equivalent or 1 slice of 100% whole grain bread, a cup of 100% whole grain cold cereal, or ½ cup of 100% whole grain hot cereal, cooked whole pasta, brown rice or other whole grain. Thus eating a serving of a food with the stamp on the left will be equal to one-half serving of whole grains while eating one with the stamp on the right will be equal to one serving.

How many serving of whole grains are recommended?

Three per day is the minimum number of servings of whole grains recommended for most people nine years and older.

What qualifies a food as a whole grain?

A whole grain has three parts of the original grain: the bran (outer layer), endosperm (middle layer), and the germ (inner layer).

What is the benefit of whole grains?

They contain fiber and protective antioxidants not found in other foods. Fiber, of course, has long been known to be important for digestive health. Recent studies are showing that whole grains may also help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. They may lower triglycerides, improve blood sugar, slow plaque buildup in arteries, and help manage body weight. Pretty impressive!

What are some misleading terms?

Words like stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat or bran are deceptive terms. Use the information you have read above to be sure you are buying whole grain.

Is there a listing of products with the whole grain stamp?

Go to http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org for a listing of more than a 1,000 products that have the Whole Grain stamp.

So now you’ve learned the whole (grain) story!