Whole Grains in the Teen Diet

Better health for your teen could be as close as your breadbox. The more whole grains teenagers eat, the leaner they are and the less likely they are to develop diabetes, a recent University of Minnesota study found. With obesity and diabetes rising among children, that's a slice of good news.

Why are whole grains healthy? "The carbohydrates in the grains provide the energy growing teens need," says Connie Diekman, R.D., director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "They provide protein, complex carbohydrates, several vitamins and are good sources of iron and zinc (important to sexual development)." Whole grains may also help prevent heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Whole grains consist of the entire kernel, inside and out. In refined grains, the milling process removes the kernel's outer layer and the fiber.

Most teens and adults need at least six servings of grains every day. Try to make one or two of them whole grains.

Gaining grains

Nutritionists offer some simple ways to add whole grains to your teen's diet:

Breakfast

• Serve whole-wheat toast or multigrain muffins instead of pastries.

• Try oatmeal, barley or other whole-grain cereals.

Lunch and snacks

• Make sandwiches on whole-grain bread or a whole-grain bagel.

• Mix whole-grain cereals together for a snack.

• Bake or buy cookies made with oatmeal or whole-grain flour.

• Make popcorn

Dinner

• Serve brown or wild rice instead of white rice.

• Use whole-grain bread in stuffing and meatloaf.

• Try whole-wheat pasta.

• Substitute whole-grain flour for refined white flour when you bake.

• Add barley to soup.

• Use corn, not flour, tortillas

You can also check out http://www.deliciousdecisions.org. Search for "wheat" or "grain" on this American Heart Association site, and you'll find recipes to make your meals more nutritious.