There are a lot of opinions out there about grains. Unfortunately, there is a pervasive idea that grains are bad. That is the first thing I want to address: Grains are good! Not only are they good, but they are to be the "staff of life."So what is it about grains that is good? Well here is a list of nutrients that are typically found in grains.
- Fiber—associated with a decreased occurrence of cardiovascular disease (1)
- B Vitamins—important for metabolism, and a healthy immune system (2)
- Folic Acid—critical in the early stages of pregnancy for neural development (3)
- Iron—grains are a good source of non-heme iron and is important for preventing anemia (2)
That being said, you can get more of these important nutrients per serving* when you use whole grains instead of refined grains. A whole grain uses every part of the original grain, and refined grains typically remove the bran and germ of the grain. This also removes most of the original nutrients in the grains (4). 
You can be sure the grains you are eating are whole grains if the first ingredient on the ingredient label has "whole" as a part of it. Sometimes we are deceived when the first ingredient is "wheat flour". But saying something is "wheat flour" is only distinguishing it from say "oat flour" or "tapioca flour" or any other type of flour. Another misconception is when the packaging says "multigrain". Multigrain doesn't necessarily mean whole grain, it only means they've used more than one type of grain (wheat, oats and tapioca). I know, it can be confusing, but the real key is if it shows the word "whole" listed next to every grain in the product.There are so many different grains to try. Check out the different types you can try here. I've included a delicious recipe that uses corn and wheat as whole grains.
*Folic Acid is actually added to refined grains to help prevent neural tube defects in the population. For this reason it is not recommended that refined grains be completely eliminated from the foods you eat.
- Threapleton DE, Greenwood DC, Evans CEL, et al. Dietary fibre intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal. 2013;347:f6879.
- http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/grains-why.html
- http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/folic-acid.html
- http://wholegrainscouncil.org/