Unfortunately, most Americans aren’t listening, or aren’t acting on what they hear. Wheat is the grain we eat most (think bread and pasta), but as of 1997, only 2% of the 150 pounds of wheat flour consumed by the average American each year take the form of whole wheat flour. Refined white flour lacks the nutrient-filled germ and the fiber-rich bran layer of the whole wheat kernel. Research shows that eating grains in this weakened form contributes to a variety of health problems, from constipation to cardiovascular disease.

Making the Change

If you are among the majority who did not grow up eating whole grains at home, you can do the right thing for your health without much difficulty by using whole grain forms of wheat, rice and corn in almost all situations where you’re accustomed to using the more processed, less nutritious forms. I grew up eating white rice, but when I was in college I learned about the superior nutritional quality of brown rice. I made the change immediately, found that I loved it and never looked back. I also grew up on white bread, but made the transition to whole grain breads as well. On those rare occasions when I have white bread (at restaurants, mainly), it usually seems a pale imitation of the real thing.

As to whether you’ll have to master esoteric cooking skills to make the transition, think of it this way—if you have the cooking skills to boil white rice, you’re fully capable of boiling brown rice. It just takes a bit longer to cook. Similarly, if you know how to spread peanut butter and jelly on a slice of white bread, those skills fully qualify you to spread PB&J onto 100% whole wheat bread. The whole grain versions are healthier in many ways, and their fiber content also means that you’ll feel full sooner. That means you’ll take in fewer calories and therefore be less likely to put on unwanted weight. The empty or nearly empty calories of processed foods like sugar, white flour, soft drinks and alcohol are a major factor (along with excessive fat intake and too little exercise) behind the alarming fact that two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.

You may be eating whole grains already without realizing it. When you have oatmeal for breakfast, you’re eating a whole grain cereal. Popcorn for a snack? Whole grain, too. It shouldn’t come as a surprise; after all, those are whole corn kernels you’re putting into the popper. Though the fully-popped version looks and tastes quite different from the yellow-gold kernels, nothing has been removed in the popping. It’s all still there—bran, germ, and everything else.

Getting Used to Something New

It’s true that you’ll have to get used to some new tastes in order to eat your grains in their natural, whole grain form. Some people find this more challenging than others. Having made such changes myself, and having seen family members, friends and patients go through their own personal transitions, I’d say that for the less adventurous types, it’s a good idea to allow your taste buds a bit of time to adapt. That might mean trying breads that are half white flour and half whole wheat. It might mean alternating brown rice and white rice dishes during a transitional period of a month or two.

But the goal is to shift to whole grains as fully as possible. The federal government’s health agencies, seeking to be practical and understanding that for many people, change only comes gradually, recommends that people shift their diets so that at least 50 percent of grains are in the whole grain form. Remember, the current American white-to-whole grain ratio is something like 95:5, so 50:50 would be a large change in a healthy direction. But why stop there? It would healthier by far to flip the current ratio completely, so that 95 percent of dietary grains are eaten in a whole grain form, which is what my family and many of my friends have done. Unless you are afflicted with specific grain intolerances like celiac disease or serious gluten sensitivity, or are allergic to wheat or other grains, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.