Eat Smart: Report Card — Grain consumption

Consuming the recommended amount of whole grains products can reduce the risk of several chronic diseases such as heart disease and may help with weight maintenance.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a minimum of 6 daily servings of grain products with at least 3 of these being from whole-grain foods.

The guidelines also recommend that grain products be prepared with little added saturated fat and low amounts of added sugars.

Whole-grain products can be identified by the ingredient list. Typically, the words "whole" or "whole grain" will appear before the grain ingredient's name. The whole grain should be the first ingredient listed. Wheat flour, enriched flour, and degerminated cornmeal are not whole grains. The Food and Drug Administration requires foods that bear the whole-grain health claim to contain 51 percent or more whole-grain ingredients by weight per reference amount and be low in fat.

Learn more about whole grains and how to eat more.

How do King County employees and their spouses/domestic partners stack up?
Improving but does not the national goal.

In 2008 one-tenth (10%) of Wellness Assessment respondents reported that they ate 6 or more servings of whole grain or enriched bread, cereal, rice or pasta daily. This is an increase of almost 3% since 2006.

Healthy People 2010 specifies the health objectives for the nation. The Healthy People 2010 goal for grain consumption is:

• Objective 19-7: Increase the proportion of persons aged 2 years and older who consume at least six daily servings of grain products, with at least three being whole grains to 50% or more.

King County currently does not meet the Healthy People 2010 goal for consumption of at least six daily servings of grain products.

(Note: Wellness Assessment data only provides information on overall grain consumption. It does not provide information specific to consumption of whole grain foods.)