You've heard of the five-a-day message for fruit and vegetables, but do you know about the three-a-day whole grain message? It's an easy way to remember that health experts recommend most people should aim to enjoy whole grains as part of a balanced diet

For 10,000 years, mankind has been cultivating grains to sustain the community and provide a year-round supply of healthy nutrition. Depending on where you are in the world, the main grain you eat might be wheat, rye, sorghum, millet, quinoa, rice, corn, or one of several other grains.

Grains are a staple in our diet and are an underlying component for good health. Grains provide carbohydrates which are needed for energy. But the type of carbohydrates we consume can make a difference to our health.

But it is only in the last 100 years that refined grains, those that have been processed to make foods such as white bread or white rice, have become widely available. While these may be useful for variety in the diet, experts recommend that we eat as our ancestors did by consuming more portions of unrefined whole grains.

Fast-releasing carbohydrates, from sugar or refined grains (such as white flour) provide fairly instant energy but do not sustain us throughout the day. On the other hand slow-releasing carbohydrates, which come from whole grains, including wild rice and popcorn, beans and vegetables, give us a steady supply of energy throughout the day.

This is important to help us to concentrate, to keep energy levels constant throughout the day (including that typical slump-time of mid-afternoon), and to help maintain a healthy weight.

It's particularly important to get enough fibre in the diet and whole grains are undoubtedly one of the most important sources. Fibre helps to keep us 'regular' and is linked to a reduction in bowel diseases. Some types of fibre also help to regulate cholesterol levels and are linked to lower risk of heart disease. It is estimated that a switch to eating whole grains daily can reduce risk of heart disease.

Did you know?
Whole grains are grains which are, as the name implies, whole, containing all the edible parts of the grain. This means that the grain has its husk intact, which is rich in fibre. The germ is rich in healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids. In general, whole grains contain essential minerals such as magnesium and zinc, as well as B-vitamins and vitamin E. Refined grains, and products made from them, on the other hand, have been processed and stripped of the outer husk and many have the germ removed too. This means they have less fibre and also have lost some minerals (though they are often added back as iron in cereals and calcium in white bread).

So there are lots of reasons to substitute whole grains for refined grains for part of your meals, at least three times a day. It is quite easy to do once you get into the habit. Here are some ideas:

Breakfast
Start your day with a bowl of whole grain breakfast cereal. This could be bran flakes, muesli or porridge oats. Whole grain cereals might state they contain whole grains on the pack. Alternatively, make your morning toast from wholemeal bread. For an interesting variation try rye bread. For a Sunday breakfast treat why not make wholemeal flour or buckwheat pancakes to start your day?

Snacks
Keep a handy supply of rye crackers or oat cakes for snacking on when you feel a hunger pang. Spread them up with hummus, peanut butter or some cottage cheese for variety. Wholemeal breadsticks are also a great standby. For a tea-time treat, try wholemeal muffins or wholemeal banana bread.

Light meals
When you make yourself a sandwich, use wholemeal bread (take care because 'brown' bread is not necessarily wholemeal and is usually just coloured brown. Look out for the label that says wholemeal). For variety, experiment with wholemeal pitta pockets, wholemeal wraps or wholemeal bagels. Salads containing brown rice, wholemeal pasta or cracked (bulgar) wheat are also another way to up your whole grain intake.

Main meals
Always make sure that you include a portion of carbohydrate with your meal, around 1/3 of your plate. Instead of potatoes (which are not classified as whole grains) you could base dishes on brown rice, wholemeal cous-cous or brown pasta. A Japanese alternative to brown pasta is soba noodles made from buckwheat.

In the kitchen
Most dishes that use flour can be adapted to wholemeal flour, sometimes substituting the whole amount and sometimes using 50/50 white and wholemeal flour. For instance, stuffing, crumbles, scones, muffins and cakes are delicious made with wholemeal flour.