We learn of more and more benefits associated with whole grain foods. Not only are whole grains good for weight management and disease prevention but they also play a big role in general health and wellness. The power of whole grain foods shouldn't go unnoticed. Your children can consume plenty as you aim to increase your own intake.

Kids need at least two to three servings of whole grain foods a day. At least half of their grain servings should be whole grain which means it's even better when most of your child's grain servings are coming from whole grain sources. A school-aged child can easily get one whole grain serving in a number of ways. A whole-grain serving for a child can easily be 1 cup of ready-to-eat-whole-grain cereal, cup of cooked cereal, a slice of whole-grain bread, brown or wild rice and whole-wheat pasta.

Boost your child's intake of whole grain in every meal. For breakfast try a bowl of ready-to-eat whole-grain cereal that comes unsweetened or in a low-fat variety. If the cereal could use some help try adding a sliced banana or raisins. Your best choice of cereals are those with at least 3-5 grams of fiber per serving. Try cereals like Cheerios, Original Total Whole Grain, Wheat Chex, Shredded Wheat and Quaker Essentials Crunchy Corn Bran. For those of you whose child prefers hot cereal try giving them a bowl of plain oatmeal topped with either dried cranberries, raisins, sliced bananas or a little bit of brown sugar and milk.

At lunchtime chunk out the white bread and use 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread for your kid's sandwiches instead. Sometimes even if the bread looks brown it is not always whole wheat. That could just be caused from the grains or coloring. It should read "whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" on the package so be sure to check carefully when in the grocery store. Some days your kid may get tired of the same old sandwich. In this case you can try wraps, which are quick and easy to pack in a lunchbox. Roll up lean deli-meat, cheese slices, mustard, lettuce and tomato in a whole wheat or whole grain tortilla. There are also whole wheat pita pockets available.

Dinner is another mealtime where you can implement your family's whole grain diet. If you're planning on making spaghetti for supper try replacing your refined white noodles with those made from whole wheat. If your plan included pasta then use whole wheat lasagna noodles. You can find whole wheat varieties for just about any type of pasta noodle. If your kids don't really care too much for it try mixing in half-and-half whole wheat noodles with your standard white noodles at first until they've developed a taste for it. Another easy way to get your kids eating whole grains is Nature Valley snacks. They offer tasty nutritious snacks that you can have at breakfast, pack for lunch or just an in-between-meals snack. Nature Valley's crunchy and chewy bars use wholesome ingredients to make the best granola bars with new flavors and types that appeal to all tastes. Now they're also offering Nut Clusters in assorted varieties now.

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