Grains
Aim for more: Brown rice, oatmeal, and bread/cereal/pasta with the first ingredient being whole grain or whole wheat.
Aim for less: Refined grains where the first ingredient is not whole grain or whole wheat.
Choose Often
First ingredient must be whole grain AND meet following thresholds:
- Saturated Fat: ≤2 g
- Sodium: ≤230 mg
- Added Sugar: ≤6 g
Examples
- Single Grains
- Rice, oatmeal, quinoa
- Whole grain as primary ingredient
- Whole wheat, brown rice, bulgur, buckwheat, oatmeal, whole-grain cornmeal, whole oats, and whole rye
Choose Sometimes
- Saturated Fat: ≥2.5 g
- Sodium: 231-479 mg
- Added Sugar: 7-11 g
Examples
- Products that do not have a whole grain as their first ingredient – Refined grains
Choose Rarely
- Saturated Fat: ≥2.5 g
- Sodium: ≥480 mg
- Added Sugar: ≥12 g
Examples
- Bleached – “enriched,” “unbleached,” or “wheat” are first on the ingredient list, such as white bread, white pasta, white rice, and white flour
- Crackers – see processed and packaged food