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Up the Whole Grains, Drop the Pressure

If you haven’t “wholeheartedly” embraced whole grain foods, here’s another incentive: They may help to lower your risk for high blood pressure.

When Harvard University researchers recently reviewed data from a large study called the Women’s Health Study, they discovered that women who ate three servings of whole grains each day had a reduced risk of high blood pressure. Four daily servings dropped their risk even more and even a single daily serving of whole grains had some impact. Researchers suspect that the nutrients found in whole grains may be partly responsible.

Some familiar whole grain favorites include oatmeal, popcorn, cereals made with whole grain, whole wheat breads, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta, but you may enjoy experimenting with whole grain barley, buckwheat, amaranth, rye, and quinoa.

Just be wary when you buy: Not all brown breads are whole grain. Read labels and look for foods that have one of the following items listed toward the beginning of the ingredient list: whole oats, whole rye, whole wheat, wild rice, brown rice, bulgur, graham flour, whole grain corn.