From amaranth and barley to wheat berries and wild rice, whole-grain foods both take center stage and play supporting roles in dietitian-approved menus. September is Whole Grains Month, so what better time to learn more about serving delicious and nutritious whole-grain foods to your senior care center residents?

Senior Dietary Guidelines for Whole Grains

 According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, females over the age of 50 need at least 6 daily grain servings, while males age 51 and over need a minimum of 8 servings.

Of these total grains per day, at least half should be whole. In other words, senior women should aim to eat a minimum of 3 servings of whole-grain foods, and senior men should make at least 4 of their grain servings whole.

Health Benefits of Whole Grains

Whole-grain foods offer a host of health benefits. Diets that feature more whole grains have been linked with:

• Reduced inflammation

• Decreased risk of stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

• Slower cognitive decline

• Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

• Living longer

Refined grains, or those that are missing one or more of their three key parts – the bran, germ and endosperm – don’t offer these same benefits to senior health.

Dietitian-Approved Tips for Serving More Whole Grains

Incorporating more whole-grain foods in senior care center meals and snacks isn’t difficult. In many cases, it’s a matter of making an easy ingredient substitution or addition, like:

• Swapping out half of the white flour in baked goods for whole wheat flour

• Using whole cornmeal for muffins and cornbread

• Mixing uncooked oats into burgers, meatballs and meatloaf

• Adding cooked wheat, rye berries or brown rice to soups and stews

Older adults also enjoy trying new foods. Why not try dietitian-approved recipes for whole-grain foods that may be unfamiliar to your senior care center residents, such as:

• Pilafs, risottos and rice-like dishes made with bulgur, quinoa or sorghum

• Whole-grain salads that feature barley, farro or wheat berries mixed with greens and veggies

• Barley bread, teff flatbread and other interesting whole-grain breads

Planning dietitian-approved menus that are rich in whole-grain foods is easy with the Grove Menus. Our food menu program has hundreds of delicious and nutritious recipes, all of which can be modified as necessary to meet the individual health needs of senior care center residents.

Along with dietitian-approved menus, the Grove Menus system includes a suite of user-friendly food menu program tools that can help streamline meal and snack production, reduce waste and cut costs. For senior care centers, adopting our software system is an effective way to facilitate food service operations.

For more information on Grove Menus, or to schedule a free, no-obligation demonstration of how our dietitian-approved menus work to serve up the whole grains seniors need, contact us today.

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A = Beta-caroten (provitamin A) – Foods high in this include red, orange, deep yellow, and some dark green, leafy vegetables. Examples are tomatoes, carrots, spinach, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, winter squash and broccoli. Beta carotens are part of the carotenoids group that includes lycopenes and luteins. Just know that these big confusing words are potent antioxidants that may slow down the aging process and protect against artherosclerosis (hardening/thickening of the arteries). Maybe the fountain of youth is full of Vitamin A!

C = Vitamin C – Probably the best known antioxidant, it protects against infection and bruising.  It also helps in the absorption of Iron. Excellent sources of Vitamin C are oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, strawberries, broccoli, and sweet peppers.

E = Vitamin E – Go nuts for nuts! Walnuts, pecans, almonds, and pistachios contain Vitamin E as well as the germ in the whole grains.

Selenium – A trace mineral found in broccoli (This is 3rd mention of this vegetable – may I suggest more broccoli in your diet?), garlic, and brussels sprouts. This final punch in the knock-out combo protects against certain cancers.

While these antioxidants are good in any form; it is proven they are more effective when provided in food instead of supplements.  So you can get more bang for your buck!

As a bonus, foods higher in antioxidants are also high in fiber, low in saturated fats and low in cholesterol. Go Carbs!

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