Grains at the grocery store
We’re always promoting ways you can include more grains into your diet, or how to cook Ontario grains. But, one question we do hear, is where in the grocery store can we find grains.
Throughout the store, you can find many food and household items that contain Ontario grains. In fact, Ontario grain corn can be found in over 2,500 items in an average grocery store!
Below is a list of where you can find grains in grocery stores. Knowing where to find them, can help you and your family include more whole grains in your everyday meals.
Barley
Find barley in lots of different items including whole grain cereals, vinegar items and even in the pet food aisle! Whole barley can be found as either pearl or pot in the dried beans section along with dried pasta and rice.
Looking for a quick snack? Pretzels found in the chip aisle are made form whole grain barley flour.
Corn
There are many, many items in a grocery store that can be made from grain corn. The starches, flour, and sugars as well as the many other nutrients can be used in lots of food and household items.
Find cornstarch and cornmeal in the baking aisle. You can use this as coating, toppings or the next time you want to make homemade cornbread!
This one is always a surprise, but did you know many chips and taco shells are made from cornmeal? Corn based chips and corn tortillas and taco kits are made from grain corn. Find them either in the chip aisle or in the aisle that also sells salsa and premade taco kits. Tortillas can probably also be found in the bread section.
Oats
We love a good oatmeal breakfast. Look no further than the cereal aisle for many cereals and oatmeal that are made from oats. In the baking aisle you can also find whole grain oats either as rolled, whole or steel cut for your baking needs.
Soybeans
Soybeans are also a commonly found items in grocery stores. The oil from soybeans can make many things like mayonnaise, salad dressings and even waxes for candles! The protein, however, can be used to make soy butter and tofu.
Wheat
The easiest place to find whole wheat foods is in the bread or the baking sections of a grocery store. Wheat makes flour which in turns make a lot of food items. Whole wheat bread, puns, pitas as well as crackers, cereals, cookies, pasta and even gravy are all made from wheat!
Looking for whole wheat flour or wheat bran for baking? Check out the baking aisle.
Regardless od how you choose to eat your grains, make sure that at least half of your daily grain choices are whole grains. Canada’s Food Guide recommends that half your grains should be whole grain each day, and this can easily be found but carefully reading the ingredient list on the food product.
Look for the wording “whole grain” for each of the grains, and if is a true whole grain ingredient, it will be listed closer to the top of the ingredient list.
