Download Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Grains as Part of a Healthy Eating Pattern:
Dietary Guidelines
for Americans 2015 – 2020
The DGA recommends healthy eating patterns
built on nutrient-dense foods.
The Dietary Guidelines for
Americans are released by the
United States Departments of
Agriculture (USDA) and Health
and Human Services (HHS) every
five years to help shape the
publicʼs eating habits.
These patterns help people create eating plans
that meet their individual needs and include a
variety of food groups such as grains, fruits,
vegetables, dairy and protein.
Recommended eating patterns:
Healthy U.S.
The Dietary Guidelines1 provide
evidence-based food and
beverage recommendations for
Americans aged two and older to:
promote health
prevent chronic disease
help people reach and
maintain a healthy weight
Vegetarian
Mediterranean
Grains are versatile, affordable staples
that can easily be integrated into the range of
eating patterns outlined in the DGA.
THE DGA RECOMMENDS THE AVERAGE
HEALTHY AMERICAN ADULT CONSUME:
6
one-ounce servings
of grain foods daily
Enriched Grains
Whole Grains
Whole and enriched grain foods work together
to contribute vital nutrients in the American diet, including: 2
FOLIC ACID
IRON
CALCIUM
B VITAMINS
GRAINS
40%
2
VITAMIN E
MAGNESIUM
POTASSIUM
PROVIDE
MORE THAN
OF FIBER
in the American diet.2
of that fiber comes from
3 enriched grain products.
3
WHOLE GRAINS
ENRICHED GRAINS
Whole grain foods — such
as whole wheat breads and
pastas, brown rice and oats
— may help lower the risk
of chronic diseases such as
coronary heart disease,
diabetes and cancer.
For women of
childbearing age,
iron and folate are
especially vital.
6
Whole grain intake has been
tied to healthier body
weights and lower levels of
abdominal fat in adults.
7,8
Grain foods
provide a daily
average of
4
51% IRON
71% FOLATE
Since the folic acid
fortification of enriched grains
began in 1998, the incidence
of neural tube defects (NTDs)
in U.S. infants has
36%
5
decreased by
grainfoodsfoundation.org
SOURCES
1 Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/purpose.asp
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data (NHANES). Hyattsville,
MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009–2012.
3 Clemens R, et al. Filling Americaʼs fiber gap: summary of a roundtable to probe realistic solutions with a focus on grain-based foods. J Nutr, 2012.
4 http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USFoodSupply-1909-2010
5 CDC. Ten Great Public Health Achievements – U.S. 2001 – 2010. MMWR, 2011.
6 Jonnalagadda et al, J. Nutr., 2011. Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together Health Benefits Associated with Whole Grains.
7 McKeown et al, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 2010. Whole- and refined-grain intakes are differentially associated with abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in healthy adults: the
Framingham Heart Study.
8 Te Morenga et al, Nutr. J., 2011. Comparison of high protein and high fiber weight-loss diets in women with risk factors for the metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial.