Every five years the U.S. government is required by federal law to update its Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and today was the big day when the latest update was released. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans* call for us to “whenever possible, replace refined grains with whole grains.”
The overall recommendation for whole grain consumption remains the same: Make at least half your grains whole. That’s the same guidance as in 2005, when the Dietary Guidelines were last updated. But there’s a twist this time. The new Guidelines put a big emphasis on switching to healthier eating, by expliciting calling on people to reduce their consumption of refined grains, to make room in their diets for more whole grains.
We’re also pleased to see the Dietary Guidelines give more specifics on what counts as a whole grain food, with an official nod to the Whole Grains Council’s approach of labeling grains with the number of grams of whole grain content, with a minimum whole grain content at least half a serving (8g) of whole grain ingredients. Here’s what they say:
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Whole Grains Council