I try to incorporate as many whole grains as possible into my family's diet. We always opt for whole-grain pastas, crackers, and most of our cold cereals are whole grain (we slip a few treat cereals in now and then). We also eat plenty of oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain cous-cous. But, other than adding barley to soups now and then, I run a little short on ideas for other healthy whole grains.

There are so many delicious whole grains to try -- such as quinoa and triticale. The Whole Grains Council has a library of recipes to try.

Eat Better America has a recipe for tabbouleh with fruit that sounds wonderful. I'm a big fan of tabbouleh and this is a new twist I can't wait to try. Some of the ingredients include bulgar, fresh herbs, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, as well as olive oil and cinnamon.

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Eggs, the old standby breakfast food, are a fantastic source of protein. But figuring out what kind of eggs to buy is becoming more and more daunting. Labels boasting free-range, cage-free and fortified might leave you scratching your head -- luckily The New York Times in shedding some light on what they all mean. Here are a few pointers:

• Cage-free means the bird was kept out of a cage, but this doesn't mean they ever saw the light of day
• Free-range means they had regular access to the outdoors, but 'outdoor' could mean a parking lot.
• Pasture-raised means that at least some of their diet was natural (like greens and bugs.) But there's no regulation on how much of their diet needs to be natural.
• Animal Welfare Approved means they spent all their time outdoors in a pesticide-free pasture. They are bathed and not fed any animal byproducts.

Intrigued? Read more here.

(via Well)

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Trans fats are bad. But fiber is good. So maybe as you ditch the bad fat from your diet, you could replace it with some good fiber. It's never tasted better, says Prevention magazine. You might not even miss your fats when you give these fiber-filled foods a whirl.

• Grain: Air-popped popcorn, 3 cups, 4 grams of fiber

• Cereal: Quaker Oats (cooked), 1/2 cup, 5 grams of fiber

• Fruit: Blueberries, 1 cup, 4 grams of fiber

• Vegetable: Broccoli, 1 cup, 5 grams of fiber

• Protein: Black beans (cooked), 1 cup, 15 grams of fiber

• Other: Dark chocolate, 5 pieces, 3 grams of fiber
  
  

These are just a few ideas. The list goes on -- just hop on over here and you'll stumble upon tasty treats like orange juice, chickpeas, canned pumpkin, pears, whole wheat pasta, and so much more.

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I'm on a mission to better understand whole grains because as we all know and Maggie recently told us, it's kind of confusing trying to figure out what counts as a whole grain and what doesn't. Slowly but surely and with some help from The Whole Grains Council, I'm unraveling the mystery. And so I thought you might want to know what I'm learning.

First, a definition from The Whole Grains Council: Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the essential parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed. If the grain has been processed (e.g., cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, and/or cooked), the food product should deliver approximately the same rich balance of nutrients that are found in the original grain seed.

And now, here are examples of whole grain foods and flours.

Amaranth
Barley
Buckwheat
Corn (including whole cornmeal and popcorn)
Millet
Oats (including oatmeal)
Rice (both brown rice and colored rice)
Rye
Sorghum (also known as milo)
Teff
Triticale
Wheat
Wild Rice

This list is not comprehensive but serves as a general guide of whole grains most familiar to consumers.

Oilseeds and legumes -- flax, sunflower seeds, soy, and chickpeas -- are not whole grains.

This is just a snippet of what The Whole Grains Council has to offer. I'm definitely going back for more. I'll let you know what else I discover.

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We all know the foods that help us pack on the pounds. It's time to focus on those with the power to help us drop a few. Check out these four.

Walnuts
They're high in calories but have lots of protein, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids which will keep you feeling full. They can also help lower cholesterol. Don't go overboard but try 10-12 walnuts for a mid-afternoon snack. Or add a few on top of your salad at lunch.

Whole Grain Cereal
This high-in-fiber food takes longer to digest and keeps you feeling full longer. Oatmeal, also a cholesterol-lowering food, does the same.

Watermelon
The water in this fruit -- try lettuce, cantaloupe, and cucumbers too -- will fill you up without a lot of calories. The vitamins and antioxidants in this treat will also boost your immune system.

Green Tea
Green tea can help you lose weight because of compounds called catechins which increase metabolism and help your body burn fat more quickly. Forget the milk and sugar and this tea has no calories.

Check out this AOL Body site for more diet basics.

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DiYLife blogger Francesca Clarke wrote recently about 11 foods with the power to increase energy and improve mood. No need for supplements and special drinks, says Clarke. These tasty treats will do the trick all on their own.

As you plan your meals for the days to come, consider incorporating these feel-good items. Some are pretty darn appetizing. Check out the last one. Now that's an invitation for happiness -- but only if pursued with moderation, of course.

• Milk
• Chocolate
• Whole grain rice or pasta
• Mackerel
• Broccoli
• Coffee
• Turkey
• Liver
• Blueberries
• Brazil nuts
• Any food that tastes good

Here's to good food and good moods!

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I'm not a vegetarian per se, but I don't eat much meat and I'm pretty active so I'm always looking for good sources of protein that don't come from animals. One of my favourites is Quinoa. Never heard of it? I'll give you the run-down.

Quinoa is an ancient grain that comes from Peru. That doesn't mean it's hard to find here though -- you can pick some up at most health food or organic grocery stores in North America. What's great about Quinoa is that it's really high in protein -- in fact it's about 12-18% protein. It's also got essential amino acids and lots of fiber, making it a pretty perfect food.

You can cook quinoa much like you cook rice -- add twice as much water with the quinoa in a pot, bring it to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes or so and voila ... you have a healthy grain to serve as a side dish or use in your entree. For some recipe ideas, click here.

How do you serve your Quinoa?

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It seems like the more health-conscious we all get the more confusing grocery shopping becomes because food manufacturers keep coming up with new gimmicks and catch phrases to try and trick us into buying their not-so-healthy products. One area that can be especially confusing is whole grains. Whole grains are great for you because of all the nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that are left intact due to less processing, but finding them can be tricky due to terms like 'wheat' and 'multigrain' that are intended to be misleading.

The best way to get around all the hype is to go straight for the ingredient list, and in the case of whole grains you'll want to see 'whole wheat flour' at the top as the #1 ingredient (as opposed to'wheat flour' and 'unbleached enriched wheat flour' which are the refined versions). Of course you can also look to the nutrition label and get a fiber reading -- whole grain foods will have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving in most cases.

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I'm relatively new to this fitness blog and one of the biggest benefits that I've discovered from writing posts is that it gets me to search out and learn more and more about health and fitness. One of the tings I've discovered since I started is the concept of a superfood. As Bethany mentions in her post 'What exactly is a superfood', these items are basically just incredibly good for you as they're high in a number of nutrients, vitamins and more.

The author of this piece takes the time to discuss 5 personal favorites, and the breakdown and accompanying information go something like this:

• Whole grain bread - Find a loaf with 2g of fiber or more per slice. It should also be made with whole wheat or whole grain (as opposed to enriched) flour.
• Wild salmon - As many of us have heard, farmed salmon is often full of harmful chemicals. Stick to wild salmon and you'll consume all of the Omega-3 goodness with far fewer accompanying chemicals.
• Green vegetables - Anything that has a rich, green color like kale, broccoli or spinach is great for you as these foods are full of fiber, vitamin E and calcium.
• Blueberries - This is one fruit I'm hearing about constantly lately. They contain loads of antioxidants (more than any other food, according to the article) and also provide you with a bunch of vitamin C. Plus, they're just as healthy frozen as they are fresh.
• Avocados - I know a lot of people who avoid avocados because they contain fat. This is true, but it's monounsaturated fat, which is good for your heart. Plus they contain vitamins C, K and B6 as well as fiber and folate.

To find out the rest of what the author of the article said about each superfood, take a look here.

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Americans consume some 17 billion quarts of this whole grain, good for you treat that is low in calories. That's 54 quarts per man, woman, and child. Many people who have dietary restrictions regarding hulls can not tolerate popcorn. A favorite snack in our family and even for the dog, but with colon problems now affecting several family members, I decided to do a little research to see if there was some kinds of popcorn that had less or no hulls. We are going to give them a try knowing there can be no guarantee that they can be tolerated better. But to continue eating our favorite snack it is worth the try. So I thought I would pass along some information to those others that might have the same problem. Try at your own risk in small amounts first.

Popcorn is a whole grain. It is made up of three components, the germ, endosperm, and pericarp,also know as the hull. There is no such thing as "hull-less" popcorn. All popcorn needs a hull in order to pop. Some varieties of popcorn have been bred so the hull shatters upon popping, making it appear to be hull-less. Although there is no hull, there is still some fiber matter from the endosperm of the kernel. Turquoise popcorn is an heirloom variety which is Mostly Hull-Less. Another type of popcorn that shatters the hull when popped is Mixed Baby Rice which is small like its name implies and light tasting. The kernels are shaped something like rice and are white, red, and striped red in color. When popped,it has less volume than other varieties.

I think its time to go pop a movie into the DVD player and enjoy some light airy no calorie snacks.

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Researchers have rediscovered an ancient form of wheat that has more nutritional value than our current varieties. Scientists at the University of California at Davis identified a specific gene in the wheat that is responsible for the grain carrying a higher percentage of zinc, iron, and protein. It is unknown how or why, but somehow the gene became non-functional over the years as wheat was domesticated by humans.

This is big news because wheat represents 20% of all calories consumed worldwide, and the numbers are staggering at how many people get too little zinc, iron, and protein in their diets. Other positives about this new "old" wheat variety is that, having been achieved through conventional cross-breeding methods, it is not genetically modified and there is no difference in taste.

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