Whole Grain First Ingredient

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The Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient. Now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient, with the same great taste. You will see whole grain as the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of "The Doctors," identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting products with whole grain as the first ingredient. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words "whole" or "whole grain" are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here´s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

People really want to make healthy eating decisions, but there are a lot of messages vying for their attention in the supermarket. This can be especially true when it comes to determining which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

• Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day´s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.
• Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.
• Don´t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don´t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

Tune into "The Doctors" on January 13th when the experts will discuss the importance of whole grain. Plus, check out Dr. Travis Stork in this brief video on how to find whole grain.

To help make it easier to find whole grain products, General Mills developed "Fast Lane for Whole Grain," an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.

In connection with healthier lifestyles, a diet rich in whole grain has been linked to healthier body weights, and it may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

Make a commitment to incorporate more whole grain into your family´s diets by starting their day with a bowl of cereal with the white check, including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®. For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the "Fast Lane for Whole Grain" sweepstakes visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.

In addition, you  can visit http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/d537/ to download a printable coupon for $1.75 off the purchase of any (2) cereals with the white check today!