Grains are rich in B vitamins and fiber. Grains can be a great addition to a balanced meal and the nutrition educators at FLIPANY work extra hard to make sure that the TOUCH initiative encourages whole grains instead of refined grains.

Whole grains include brown rice, whole wheat bread, quinoa, oatmeal, rolled oats, whole-grain corn, whole rye, wild rice, bulgur, teff, millet, barley and buckwheat. To be a whole grain the entire grain particle must remain intact keeping its 3 parts: germ, endosperm and bran.

When reading a food label look for the words “whole” and be wary of catch statements such as multigrain or just “wheat bread”.

Whole grains should take up roughly ¼ of a plate using the My Plate diagram and combined with fruits and vegetables should count as 45-55% of the carbohydrate daily intake.

Remember… there is a WHOLE lot of benefit with grains!

For more tips on how to include more grains in your child’s diet, please click here.