People who consume plenty of whole-grain foods, particularly fiber-rich cereals, may be less likely to develop health conditions that put them at increased risk of diabetes, new research published in the February, 2004 issue of “Diabetes Care” suggests.

Researcher, Dr. Nicola M. McKeown of the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston said, "In our study, the health benefits of whole grain foods were observed among people who consumed three or more servings of whole grains per day." People who ate this much whole grain had better insulin sensitivity and were less likely to have the metabolic syndrome, she said.

But the Boston researcher noted that the average American consumes less than one serving of whole-grain foods per day.

"Adding whole grain food to our diet does not require dramatic changes in our eating patterns, and there could be substantial health benefits," McKeown said.

For instance, people can increase their consumption of whole grains by switching from white bread to whole-grain bread and by choosing brown rice instead of white rice.

"But identifying whole grain products is not always that simple," McKeown cautioned. She said consumers may be deceived by breads labeled "nine-grain," "rye bread" or "made with whole grain." Breads with these labels are in fact primarily made with refined wheat flour, not whole grains, she said.

"Consumers need to carefully examine the food labels in order to identify whole grain products," McKeown said. Whole grain products should list a whole grain ingredient, such as "whole wheat," "whole rye," "whole-oats" or "graham flour," as the first ingredient on the label, she said.

So, even though many people are watching their carbohydrates, there are good carbohydrates and there are bad carbohydrates. It is important to choose wisely if diet is to add to health.