The words can be seen in bold print and bright lettering on many common household grocery items, but as September marks the “Whole Grains” month, the Whole Grains Council and other nutrition organizations are aiming to bring awareness to what “whole grain” truly means – and why they’re so important. 

According to the Whole Grains Council, they can be found in a variety of foods that many people eat on a regular basis. Oatmeal, many cereals and even popcorn can have some of these beneficial whole grains – which are defined by their content; whole grains are the entire seed of a plant.

It has been widely understood that grains are a crucial component to everyone’s balanced diet – and with every surge of nutrition trends and health-conscious movement, whole grains are typically pushed to the forefront. Whole grains include anything from wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley and quinoa to some lesser known grains such as sorghum, spelt and others. 

The seed, or kernel, contains three parts (which are obviously all edible) – the bran, the germ and the endosperm. When the food industry “refines” these whole grains, the bran and the germ are typically lost – which cuts almost 25 percent of a grain’s protein and many important nutrients. The Whole Grains Council states some food processoring plants add back from vitamins and minerals to “enrich” the now-refined grains, but that eating the natural whole grain is still much healthier and provides more protein, fiber and other valuable nutrients. 

Many health experts and nutritionists urge that at least half of the grains in someone’s diet should be whole grains; they can be consumed whole, cracked, split or ground – they can even be made into flour. The Whole Grains Council reports that “if a food label states that the package contains whole grain, the ‘whole grain’ part of the food inside the package is required to have the same proportions of bran, germ and endosperm as the harvested kernel does before it is processed.”

The Whole Grains Council is using this 2014 Whole Grains month as an opportunity to create a “Make the Switch” theme, including a contest where 16 of the organization’s favorite food bloggers will take a recipe with refined grains traditionally used and reinvent the meal with whole grains; the favorite will be chosen at the end of the month.

The importance of whole grains isn’t stressed without any merit. Once thought of as just a natural means to obtain fiber and promote digestive health, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, new research shows that whole grains provide vitamins and minerals, as well as high levels of antioxidants and other plant-based nutrients. 

To make matters even simpler in incorporating whole grains into one’s diet, the Harvard School of Public Health has created a “healthy eating plate” visual to help consumers better understand how much of what to be eating. A quarter of your plate should be reserved specifically for whole grains. They explain that researchers show it’s the quality of the carbohydrates that people consume, rather than the quantity – and that there is a significant link determined by Harvard studies between whole grains and better health. 

The Harvard School of Public Health has listed a number of diseases that whole grains can have an impact on, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and even cancer. Replacing refined grains with whole grains proved to have a significant impact when it came to cholesterol levels and other influencing factors to cardiovascular disease. In a Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study, whole-grain products – when eaten every day for up to three servings, lowered the chances for women to have a heart attack or die from heart disease over a 10-year period.

Recipes for incorporating whole grains into the meal can be found on a number of websites and in cookbooks. To see the “Make the Switch” recipes from the Whole Grains Council and vote for your favorite, visit www.wholegrainscouncil.org. They also have a convenient tool in order to locate the best whole grains, based on what food type and item you might be looking for. A long list of food items can be searched, and then sorted by country and even brand. The tool even has a filter for items that are gluten-free or sprouted grains-only. The council’s “Whole Grains” stamp can be found on many common grocery items, so be sure to look for the trademarked symbol next time you head down the aisle.