Do you find yourself eating white rice throughout the week, either as a side dish, with stir-fry or in your salads? If so toss it from your pantry today.

White rice has been striped of 90% of its B vitamin, 60% of its iron, and most of its fiber and essential fatty acids during the refining process.

A better substitute for white rice is brown rice. If you long ago switched to brown rice and feel tired or bored with it I recommend the following substitutes; bulgur, wheat berries, or farro. All of these are great whole grain options and you cook them the same way you would your rice.

Adding whole grain foods to your diet not only gives you the carbohydrate that your body craves in a healthy fashion but it also provides more “bulk” so you will be satisfied longer. Adding whole grains to your diet will provide as much as 8 grams of fiber and can reduce your risk for heart disease by roughly 20%. Start today and add bulgur, wheat berries or farro to your soups, salads or stir-fries to increase your whole grain intake.