Celebrate Whole Grains Month in September

September is Whole Grains Month

September is whole grains month and every year the Whole Grains Council celebrates with special events and promotions all month. In 2010, we're featuring two very special programs for Whole Grains Month:

Whole Grains: Chat 'Em Up –
Our 2010 contest

What are YOU doing to celebrate Whole Grains Month? We're encouraging people to try a new whole grain recipe... convert a skeptic... bake whole grain cookies for their Scout troop... or otherwise help advance the whole grain cause - and to report their activities to us during September.

We want you to chat up whole grains with your family and friends, and then tell us all about it.

We'll be sending a discount coupon for a delicious whole grain product to everyone who contacts us – giving you an extra incentive to try something new.

And we'll pick a Grand Winner from all our entries – to win the wonderful Whole Grain Gift Basket shown here.

Click here now to learn more and to enter our contest during Whole Grains Month.

The Boston Whole Grains Dine Out

We're big believers in thinking globally and acting locally. Our second major Whole Grains Month project will be to get as many Boston restaurants as possible serving whole grains in September.

Every member of the Oldways staff is pitching in on this WGC project, which we're calling Whole Grains Dine Out; we'll be fanning out across the city to spread the word. We'll be blogging and tweeting and otherwise featuring restaurants that participate, doing everything we can to drive more customers their way and reward them for getting on the whole grain bandwagon. What an example we can set for other cities, once Boston goes whole grain!

Serving whole grains at your location and want to know more? Read on!

What can you do?

Whole Grains Month is a great time for everyone to get on the whole grains bandwagon. Eating better is not an all-or-nothing choice; every little improvement you make in your food helps.

Post this list of "baby-steps" on your fridge, and try as many as possible this month:

  • I'll buy three different loaves of whole-grain bread and taste all of them to see which one we like best.

  • I'll serve bulgur or brown rice instead of potatoes with dinner one night this month.

  • I'll look for the Whole Grain Stamp every time I shop.

  • I'll try a new breakfast cereal with at least 16 grams of whole grain per serving.

  • I'll buy some whole-wheat pasta and try it.

  • I’ll visit the health food store or a major grocery and look at all the different grains in bins.

  • I'll make my favorite whole grain recipe for a friend.

  • On the weekend, I’ll try cooking a pot of steel-cut oatmeal.

  • I’ll make pizza for the kids with whole wheat pita as the crust.

  • I’ll make our favorite cookies with whole wheat flour next time instead of white.

  • I’ll serve hamburgers with whole wheat buns this week.

  • I'll try all of the WGC's Dozen Easy Family Whole Grain Recipes.

What else is the Whole Grains Council planning?

Here are a few more ways the WGC celebrates Whole Grains Month every year:

Support for Health Professionals. Teachers, RDs, doctors, and nurses are helping us spread the word about the health benefits of whole grains. And we're supporting them with educational materials, "Just Ask for Whole Grains" buttons and stickers, and posters, through our "Just Ask for Whole Grains" campaign. If you're an educator, order your free educational materials ahead of time, so you'll be ready for Whole Grains Month.

Sampling and Coupons. Members of the Whole Grains Council offer special consumer promotions, including discount coupons, new product introductions and instore sampling.

The Whole Grains Store Tour. We've designed a great resource for supermarkets – or community health professionals – who want to introduce the public to whole grains. Click here to learn more about this kit, which can be downloaded from the Resources section of this website. It's now available in both English and Spanish.

The Whole Grains Challenge. Every year we run a Whole Grains Challenge around the time of Whole Grains Month. The Challenge is open to any restaurant or foodservice operation that offers at least one whole grain choice at all times, day in and day out. You can learn more about the 2010 Whole Grains Challenge by clicking here.