Wholegrain breads and cereals are packed with dietary fibre and other nutrients to keep our digestive system healthy and prevent bowel cancer.
Wholegrain breads and cereals are rich in carbohydrates, which is the body’s preferred source of energy. They include foods such as wholemeal and wholegrain bread, rolled oats, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, barley, popcorn, cracked wheat (burghul) and quinoa. Wholegrains contain all of the nutrients found in the outer layers of grains such as fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Refined grains such as white flour, white pasta, white bread and white rice are also rich in carbohydrates, however, they have had most of the fibre removed, and many vitamins and minerals are lost during processing.
Aim to eat:
About 4-6 serves of different bread and cereal foods each day of mostly wholegrain and wholemeal varieties.
Food made from wholegrains contain all of the nutrients found in the outer layers of grains such as fibre, vitamins and minerals to keep your digestive system healthy.
Eating a diet high in fibre from fruit, vegetables, legumes and wholegrains can help reduce your risk of cancer. Fibre is known to protect against bowel cancer.
The fibre in wholegrains helps you feel fuller for longer, which can help you avoid excess weight gain. High body weight is a risk factor for 13 types of cancer including cancer of the bowel, kidney, pancreas, oesophagus, endometrium, liver and breast (after menopause).
For example:
Choose wholegrain, wholemeal or high fibre breads instead of white.
Choose brown rice instead of white rice.
Choose wholemeal or high fibre pasta like pulse pasta, instead of white pasta.
Use wholemeal flour instead of white.
If wholegrain foods are not your favourite you can start by using a mixture of wholegrains and refined grains.
Try mixing half brown and half white rice or pasta.
Try using half wholemeal and half white flour in baking.
Such as:
Plain air popped popcorn
Wholemeal or wholegrain crispbread with cheese and tomato
Handful of nuts
Try:
Wholegrain or wholemeal toast
Oat based muesli
Porridge
Whole-wheat biscuits
© Cancer Council NSW 2024 Head Office Address: 153 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011. Cancer Council NSW is registered with the Australian Taxation Office as an Income Tax Exempt Charity: Charitable Fundraising Authority No. 18521.
Some images on this site have been supplied by Cancer Council Western Australia's Crunch & Sip website
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