Okay, you're being good -- eating six servings of fruit and vegetables a day along with six or so servings of grains. But are you eating whole grains?
It makes a difference, a University of Minnesota test reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The whole grains could reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as a third -- not in comparison with sweets and ice cream, but in comparison with refined grains, according to the nine-year study of some 34,000 women between the ages of 55 and 69.
After the nine years, some 400 women had died of heart diseases while others reporting daily use of whole grain foods had the lowest rate of such diseases -- compared to those who had plenty of grains, but mostly refined grains.
Whole grain foods include dark breads, cooked oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, wheat germ, bran and bulgur. Refined grains include white rice, white breads, pita bread, cookies, cakes -- and doughnuts.
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