I know that they are not really “Holy,” but the MIND diet folks based their assessment of this ingredient on at least 3 servings per day to award the whole 1 point. That is more than any of the other foods, so it does seem to be pretty important.

I’m going to have to work on this one.  I have spent quite a bit of time on low carb diets. I wouldn’t call the TLC diet that I have been on recently low carb, but by the time I eat its other requirements there are not many calories left for carbs. And now the MIND diet wants me to add  beans and nuts.

The first thing I need to figure out is what qualifies as a whole grain. The MIND diet articles do not give any guidance on this.  I found this great site by the Whole Grans Council that explains this well and seems to be an authority. Actually, I am a little leery, because the members of this group are mostly food vendors that vend whole grain foods so they could be a bit biased. I haven’t found a better authority, though, so for now, this site is my authority.

These are things that I eat already that qualify, according to the Whole Grain Council:
Oatmeal
Oroweat whole grain bread
Grape nuts?  And Kroger Nutty Nuggets
Brown rice
Whole grain rotini and egg noodles
Barley in soup
Corn. Does it really count?  Corn tortillas? corn meal?
Muffins made with whole wheat flour

Occasionally,  I eat:
Quinoa. But haven’t found a way to fix it that we really like
Wild rice
Popcorn

I am going to work on adding to my repertoire.  There are tons of recipes.
Suggestions from the USDA.
The American Heart Association is in favor also, but doesn’t give a whole lot of helpful hints.
Rodale’s thoughts on the subject

How can I tell if foods are really Whole Grains?

1. Look for the Whole Grains Council stamp

2. Review criteria set by the Whole Grains Council

3. Check out other sites that give assessments of foods. For example the Fooducate site (or app).  This is its assessment of Grape=Nuts.

Scientific American has some thoughts on why whole grains are not always healthy.