Hi everyone this is Monica Reinagle the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty

tips for eating well and feeling fabulous I want to talk today about whole grains and why the advice you always hear to eat more whole grains can be misleading.

September is Whole Grains Month, a-long celebration of the virtues of Whole Grain

Foods.

This annual event is brought to you by the Whole Grain Council, a non-profit organization who

are, quote, working to increase consumption of whole grains for better health, end quote. The fact that the members of the Whole Grain Council, who are primarily companies that sell whole grain products

also benefit when you eat more whole grains is of course purely

coincidental.

Now we hear a lot about the benefits of whole grains all year long

and not just from the people who sell them to us.

Getting people to eat more whole grains is also a major pillar of the dietary guidelines

for Americans.

We're told that people who eat more whole grains are healthier.

They have lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and many other diseases.

But you know what? There's a little bit more to the story.

People who eat whole grain products such as whole wheat bread

instead of refined grain products like white bread

do appear to be healthier, but most of the benefit comes from the fact that they have

reduced their consumption of refined grains.

When people simply eat more whole grains without eating less refined grain, they don't get the same benefits.

The fact is, most people do not need more grain-based foods in their diet.

And while whole grains are definitely a better choice than refined grains,

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