Grains and cereals include wheat and buckwheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, millet, sorghum, kamut (Khorasan wheat), farro, freekeh, bulgur, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, corn, and rye berries, as well as food products made from these grains such as breads, pastas, breakfast cereals, crackers, muffins, dumplings, and cookies.
Many popular grain products have been processed to make them quicker to cook and easier to chew. These refined grains are then enriched with the addition of key nutrients that were lost in the processing (e.g. B vitamins, iron, folic acid, fibre). This enrichment, however, does not replace all of the nutrients that were originally lost in the processing (e.g. fibre).
Choose whole grains more often than refined grains:
| GREAT CHOICES | GOOD CHOICES | CHOOSE RARELY | |
| Grains and cereals (and breads made from them) | Oats Quinoa Amaranth Barley Bulgur (cracked wheat) Wheat berries (Farro, Freekeh, Khorasan wheat, Spelt) Millet Buckwheat Sorghum Rye Corn, maize, corn meal |
Enriched refined grain breads (e.g. white, brown, buck wheat, matzo, oatmeal, rye, pumpernickel, sour dough, injera, pita, French, Italian) | Refined grain baked goods made with coconut oil, hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortening, lard, suet or butter (e.g. croissant) |
| Cereals (hot or cold) | Whole grain and a source of fibre (≥ 2 g of dietary fibre/serving) using non- hydrogenated vegetable oils as fat source May also include wheat bran, wheat germ, oat bran, ground flax seed as added fibre sources |
Refined grains and low in fibre cereals (e.g. cream of wheat) containing non-hydrogenated vegetable oils and palm or palm kernel oils as the fat source | Sugar coated cereals and granolas |
| Rice and pasta | Brown rice, wild rice, whole wheat pasta, brown rice pasta Whole wheat couscous Whole grain and legume based pastas (e.g. whole grain rice & chickpea pasta) |
White, basmati, parboiled, short or long grain rice, regular pasta, egg noodles, rice noodles, wheat noodles, buck- wheat noodles, instant rice Refined wheat couscous Refined grain pasta made with lentils or legumes (e.g. wheat & chickpea pasta) |
Commercial mix rice/pasta or with added cream, butter or cheese sauces |
| Crackers, bread sticks, crisp breads, rice cakes, dry flatbreads | Products made with whole grains and a source of fibre (≥ 2 g of dietary fibre/serving) containing non-hydrogenated vegetable oils (< 3 g of fat/serving) | Unsalted crackers and plain rice cakes containing non-hydrogenated vegetable oils and palm or palm kernel oils | > 3 g of fat/serving and/or containing coconut oil or hydrogenated vegetable oils |
| Muffins, cookies and baked goods | Products made with whole grains and non-hydrogenated vegetable oils | Products made with refined grains and non-hydrogenated vegetable oils, palm or palm kernel oils | Products made with shortening, lard, suet or butter |
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Baked goods should be eaten less frequently than other grain products as they are sources of added sugars and fats. Choose baked goods made with whole grains and non hydrogenated vegetable oils more often than other baked goods.