Celebrating Whole Grains Month in the Kitchen

September is Whole Grains Month, and we’re here to celebrate the wonderful world of Whole Grains! Whole Grains have a well-documented list of health benefits including reduced risk of diseases like stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They also help achieve better weight maintenance and less inflammation. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans place emphasis on whole grains and recommend 2-4 servings daily for adults on a 2,000-calorie diet. 

Apart from being good for health, whole grains are a central part of traditional diets from around the world. Historically, whole grains were an important part of traditional meals and nourished humans for hundreds of years. Their preparation led to connection at the table, making the addition of whole grains a great way to honor both our health and heritage through foods. 

If you’re new to whole grains and unsure where to begin on your journey or are simply looking for ideas on how to add more to your diet, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of my favorite ways to start incorporating whole grains, and what I recommend to friends and family wanting to take a step towards this change. 

Start Small

Every meal or snack is an opportunity where whole grains can be added. Start by trying a new whole grain or partially whole grain food at least once a day, then work your way up.

What does this look like? Maybe for breakfast it’s ordering the whole grain bread or asking about brown rice while out to lunch with friends. When grocery shopping, it’s buying your favorite pasta shape, but the whole grain option. These small steps over time are much easier to commit to and allow us to practice making the whole grain choice. Over time, these small steps can grow into leaps towards a larger goal of adding delicious and nutritious whole grains. Every bite counts!

Start With Something Familiar

When I started at Oldways, I wanted to explore the variety of whole grains, and see how I would incorporate them into meals. I like to start with something familiar – whether it be a recipe or flavor when cooking something new – and this was no exception. 

I went for familiarity and picked out my end-of-week fridge-cleanout bowl. This is what I cook when my fridge is full of random amounts of leftovers and I don’t know what else to make. Usually it’s an assortment of vegetables, an egg, and a grain that is already cooked or can be prepared in 20 minutes or less. I grew up eating fried rice with a lot of garlic (the Filipino way!) and exploring whole grains with the base of a recipe I’m familiar with was easy and a lot of fun. Amaranth wasn’t my favorite for this recipe (I’ve learned that it is better suited for breakfast porridge dishes), but barley has become a new staple!  

When trying this at home, connect your family’s favorite heritage flavors. For example, if your family loves Latin American flavors, try a whole grain corn tortilla, tostada or brown rice with beans. Maybe your family makes a lot of Indian food and wants to explore whole wheat flatbreads like chapatti or try whole grains in traditional dishes. When trying whole grains in your own kitchen, try a classic dish, but swap or add the whole grain option!

Keep an Open Mind 

We all remember what it’s like to try something new for the first time. Maybe there’s a buzz of anticipation, a hint of excitement or even a bit of fear. It might sound silly, but eating something new can bring some of these feelings (even in adults!). Did you know it can take up to 8-10 exposures for babies and toddlers to accept a new food? For adults, we supposedly need MORE exposures, but worry not: food preferences are not set in stone.

Adults have decades of experiences and opinions surrounding foods they do and don’t like. When it comes to adding whole grains, keep an open mind and remember that whole grains are best enjoyed with your favorite recipes and heritage foods. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find the right cooking preparation or flavor pairing to fit your diet. If you’re in need of inspiration, the Oldways Whole Grains Council website has a vibrant recipe catalog and a 28-day meal plan book, Whole Grains Around The World, that takes inspiration from around the globe!

Make Whole Grains a Habit

In nutrition and behavior change, there is a lot of talk about habit formation. Habits aren’t things we do only one time, but behaviors repeated again and again, that become automatic after this repetition. Making whole grains a habit starts with those small, daily choices and making them consistently over time. 

What does this look like? It can be the permanent substitution of brown instead of white rice in your weekly grocery order. Maybe it’s making oatmeal and seasonal fruit a part of your weekday breakfast routine. It could be setting a goal to try one new whole grain each month and trying them out with friends and family. Habits look different for everyone, and what works for you might be different than what works for someone else. I recommend finding something easy and delicious to make the habit something to look forward to. 

Whether you’re a whole grains pro, or just getting started on your journey, we hope these tips inspire curiosity and excitement in the kitchen. Wherever you are, we’re celebrating Whole Grains Month and invite you to join our fun challenge, check out our resources and tune into upcoming events to get involved!

Written by: Bri dela Torre MS, RDN, CLC 

Community Engagement Dietitian