Tag: Whole Grains

Another way to boost fiber and complex carbohydrates is to shun white -- white bread, rice, and pasta -- in favor of whole grains.

More than 25 studies find that people who regularly eat whole grains reduce their risk of heart disease. In the Harvard Nurses' Health Study, which followed 80,000 women for more than 20 years, women who ate at least one serving of whole grain foods daily had about a one-third lower risk of heart disease than women who rarely ate whole grains. It's not just the soluble fiber in whole grains that provides benefit. Other plant nutrients, including tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E not found in most supplements), are also at work. Yet Americans average just one serving of whole grain foods a day. Ideally, however, you should get seven to eight servings a day.