Grains, both enriched and whole, play a key role in healthy dietary patterns and diet quality.
Grains are nutritious, delicious, versatile, and affordable.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend six servings of grains per day, half of which should be whole grains.
Grains from birth and beyond
Enriched and fortified staple grains, like cereals, are part of a healthy diet across all life stages. These foods are linked to better and increased nutrient intake which helps contribute key essential and commonly lacking shortfall macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
As plant-based foods, enriched grains provide iron, folic acid, and fiber to your diet
Next time you reach for your favorite pantry staples such as flour, breads, pastas, cereals, and rice take pride in the fact that your choices significantly contribute iron, folic acid, and fiber to your diet.
“Common characteristics of dietary patterns associated with positive health outcomes include relatively higher intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry, seafood, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils.”
Fueling your day
Less than 1 in 10 Americans consumer the recommended 25-30 grams of daily fiber. Good news: grains provide more than 40% of fiber in the American diet. 2/3 of that fiber comes from enriched grain products.
Get your six (servings, that is)
6 servings of refined enriched staple grain consumption per day is not associated with higher risk of common health conditions. In fact, it is associated with lower risk. Without whole and enriched grain foods, your diet would be lacking important nutrients like fiber, magnesium, potassium, vitamins B and E, and more.
Make every bite count with MyPlate.gov
You know the why, now here’s the how. Check out these calculators, recipes, and more from MyPlate.gov to get more grains into your healthy diet.