The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise at least half of an individual's daily
grain servings should come from whole
grains with the remaining
servings coming from
enriched or whole -
grain products.4 Folic acid fortification makes refined -
grain products an important source of this B vitamin, which is associated with decreased risk of birth defects, including neural tube defects (NTD), and heart disease.15, 16 With the exception of both hot and cold breakfast cereals, most whole -
grain foods are not fortified with folic acid or other vitamins and minerals.
The second was to replace each
serving of
enriched grains with dark green vegetables and legumes (one cup of each per
serving of
enriched grains on an 1,800 calorie food pattern).