How much whole grain should you eat per day?

Wholemeal bread, oats, brown rice and wholewheat pasta are all easy ways to add whole grains to your meals. But how much whole grain should you actually eat each day? A new meta-analysis published in the European Heart Journal offers an interesting answer. After looking at 87 trials, researchers found that the strongest results for several measures linked to heart and metabolic health were generally seen at around 60–100 g of whole grains a day. But that does not mean everyone should now aim for exactly 60 or 100 grams.

What did the new study find?

The researchers brought together 87 randomised trials reported in 101 publications. These studies looked at what happened when adults ate different amounts of whole grains. The researchers considered several measures, including cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, body weight and waist size.

Overall, eating more whole grains was linked with small improvements in several of these measures. For every additional 48 g a day, the researchers found reductions in LDL and total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar and systolic blood pressure. Small favourable changes in body weight and waist size were also seen.

There is an important distinction, though. The study looked mainly at health measures linked to the risk of disease. It did not show that eating a particular number of grams of whole grains each day will directly prevent a heart attack, stroke or diabetes.

Should you eat 60–100 g of whole grains a day?

Not necessarily. When the researchers compared different amounts, the strongest effects for many of the measures they studied were generally seen at around 60–100 g per day. Some results continued to change at higher intakes, but there was less evidence available at those levels, making it harder to draw firm conclusions.

There is another reason not to turn 60–100 g into a kitchen rule. The study measured whole grains using their dry weight. This means 100 g in the study is not simply the same thing as eating 100 g of wholemeal bread, cooked brown rice or cooked wholewheat pasta.

For example, the researchers say that 48 g of dry whole grains is equivalent to roughly 90 g fresh weight or three servings using the measures adopted in the study. The 60–100 g figure is therefore useful for understanding the research, but it is not a simple portion size to weigh out at home.

What do UK and US guidelines say?

For readers in the UK, the advice is simpler than the numbers used in the study. The NHS guidance on starchy foods says foods such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and cereals should make up just over a third of what we eat. Where possible, it recommends choosing wholegrain varieties to get more fibre.

US guidance uses servings instead. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 recommend prioritising fibre-rich whole grains. For a 2,000-calorie eating pattern, the goal is 2–4 servings of whole grains per day, with the amount adjusted to individual calorie needs. Examples of one serving include a slice of whole-grain bread or half a cup of cooked oats, brown rice, barley, quinoa or buckwheat.

So there is no need to start weighing exactly 60–100 g of whole grains every day because of the new study. A much easier approach is to choose whole-grain versions more often instead of refined ones: wholemeal bread instead of white bread, brown rice instead of white rice, or wholewheat pasta in place of regular pasta.

The new research helps us understand how the amount of whole grains may make a difference, but it does not replace national dietary advice. The 60–100 g figure is a finding from the study, not a new universal daily target.