More Healthy Whole Grains

Last week, you were asked to start paying attention to portions, focusing first on carbs, especially grains and starchy vegetables, which are the most caloric high-carb foods. You learned all about healthy versus unhealthy carbs as well as how many you need. Need a refresher? Check out Choosing the Best Carbs.

If you've been following the Challenge plan or you keep up with nutrition news, then you probably know that to get the biggest weight-loss (and health) benefits from grains, you should be choosing whole grains. But besides whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals, you may not be familiar with all the other delicious options, which include:

Barley
Hulled barley, a whole grain, is best, but pearl barley is still a good choice because although part of the grain has been removed, it still contains fiber and other key nutrients. Some canned soups and cereals contain whole-grain barley, and you can also buy it plain and cook it up as a side dish.

Brown rice
Aside from being used as a side dish, this whole grain is often an ingredient in crackers, rice cakes, chips, cereals and pasta. If you don't have the 45 minutes it takes to cook brown rice, opt for precooked frozen brown rice, quick-cooking parboiled (like Uncle Ben's Minute Rice) or brown rice in a shelf-stable pouch.

Buckwheat groats
You can buy this nutty-tasting grain in its whole form or ground as flour. Look for buckwheat pancake mixes and the side dish kasha, which is made from buckwheat groats.

Bulgur
A form of cracked wheat, bulgur is the base for tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad often found in the refrigerated section of markets. The finely cut type of bulgur is best for tabbouleh, and the coarser cuts make a great stand-in for rice and are cooked basically the same way.

Millet
This grain, which is a staple in India and other countries, has a mild flavor and is sometimes mixed with other grains or toasted before cooking.

Oats
Oats are rich in soluble fiber, a type of fiber that can help lower cholesterol. Oats are always whole grain, so if you see them (or oat bran) on the label, you can feel confident that you're getting the real deal. A good source of oats is, of course, oatmeal. But cold cereals, like Cheerios and Cascadian Farm Organic Purely O's, as well as some breads also contain oats.

Quinoa
Pronounced keen-wah, this crunchy grain is high in protein and is used to make some varieties of pasta and hot and cold cereals. It's also a nice change from rice or pasta as a side dish.

Whole-wheat couscous
Couscous isn't actually a grain; it's a quick-cooking form of pasta made from wheat, but you can now find whole-grain versions at your supermarket. Serve it as a side dish or top it with vegetable stew.

Wild rice
Although it's lower in fiber than other whole grains, wild rice is rich in protein, iron and B vitamins. You can mix it with brown rice to make a richly textured pilaf or with vegetables to create a tasty grain salad.