Going with the grain

Amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, einkorn (an ancient wheat), farro, freekeh (freaky?), Kamut (it’s trademarked), kaniwa, millet (includes pearl millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, finger millet/ ragi, and fonio), oats, quinoa, rice, rye, sorghum, spelt (huh?), teff (double huh?), wheat and wild rice. That’s the Whole Grains Council’s list of cereal grains -- and while you may not have heard of them all, they make up a great menu of high-fiber, heart-loving choices.

Enjoying grains -- steel-cut oats for breakfast, barley in your soup at lunch, and quinoa in a dinner stir-fry -- is an effective way to reduce bodywide inflammation and cut your risk for cardiovascular disease. That’s the conclusion of research published in JAMA Open Network. Investigators looked at the healthy-heart benefits of the fiber in cereal grains, vegetables and fruit, and found that only cereal was consistently associated with reduced levels of inflammation -- reducing CRP (Creactive protein) by 14%, for example. They also found that cereals are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. Increasing your intake of fiber by just 5 grams a day has great benefits.

But the anti-inflammatory powers of cereals aren’t the only way grains protect your heart -eating more grains knocks less healthy foods off your plate and improves your gut biome, too. The Cleveland Clinic recommends three to six servings a day and suggests you make sure to eat only 100% whole-wheat pasta and 100% wholegrain cereals (no sugar, syrup or honey added). So go with the 100% whole grain!