Whole grains for life

In June, researchers from the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health tied eating whole grains to lower risk of premature death. The researchers combined data from 12 studies, providing a meta-analysis of 786,076 people in the U.S., U.K. and Scandinavian countries from 1970 to 2010. Compared with people who ate little or no whole grains, those who ate the most (70 grams per day) had a 22 percent lower risk of mortality, including a 23 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and 20 percent lower risk of dying from cancer. According to Men’s Fitness, here are some easy ways to incorporate more whole grains into your diet:

• Eat oatmeal for breakfast

• Make sandwiches on whole-grain bread

• Choose whole-wheat pasta

• Switch to brown rice

• Eat more corn on the cob

• Grab energy bars with whole grains

• Try cooking soba noodles

• Get on the quinoa bandwagon