BOSTON, August 20, 2009

 — Imagine a week off from kitchen duty, while you and your family or friends enjoy delicious dinners prepared by an award-winning chef! That’s the Grand Prize in the “I Love My Whole Grains” contest being run by Oldways and the Whole Grains Council (WGC) to help celebrate Whole Grains Month this September.

In addition to the Grand Prize, two First Prize winners will receive an entire library of whole grain cookbooks, to help them explore new whole grain tastes. The top three winners and 45 Second Prize winners will all also receive a wide selection of tasty whole grain foods.

Entering the contest is easy: Just upload a photo that shows how you enjoy your favorite whole grain food. It could be a snapshot of you eating oatmeal with blueberries, a picture of your famous triple-decker guacamole whole-corn chips, or any photo that contains a bona fide whole grain food.

“It’s no wonder whole grain consumption has increased 20% since 2005,” reports Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food and Nutrition Strategies for Oldways and the Whole Grains Council. “More than 2,800 products now use the Whole Grain Stamp. It’s easier than ever to find whole grain products, so our contest offers consumers an opportunity to share their favorite discoveries in the world of whole grains.”

The “I Love My Whole Grains” contest launches August 20, 2009 at WholeGrainsCouncil.org, with entries being accepted until September 30. Winners will be announced October 15. Full contest rules and restrictions, and a complete description of prizes, can be found on the website starting August 20.

Additional events are also on tap to celebrate Whole Grains Month, including:

  • Whole Grain Video-A-Day — we’ll be featuring a new whole grain video every day in September, on the WGC website. Stop by often, and learn all about whole grains.

  • 3rd Annual Whole Grains Challenge — Foodservice outlets (schools, restaurants, cafeterias, catering, etc.) serving at least one whole grain daily during the month of October, can compete for prizes in ten categories in a nationwide challenge that ends October 31.

Details of these programs and more are at WholeGrainsCouncil.org.

Studies show that eating whole grains instead of refined grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, with some studies showing reduced risks from as little as one serving daily. Other benefits include reduced risk of asthma, healthier blood pressure levels, and less gum disease and tooth loss.

The Whole Grains Council thanks the following generous donors of prizes: Chef Paul Lynch and Chefs Mary and Joel Schaefer for private chef services; the authors and publishers of The Oldways Table, The Power of Flour, Whole Grain Breads, Whole Grains for Busy People, Betty Crocker’s Whole Grains, Whole Grains Every Day Every Way, Whole Grain Baking, the Complete Whole Grain Cookbook, Simply Organic, and the New Whole Grain Cookbook, for our cookbook library; and the following companies for donating food prizes: Annie’s, Arrowhead Mills, Barbara’s Bakery, Barilla, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Bob’s Red Mill, ConAgra Mills, Corazonas Foods, De Wafelbakkers, Dr. Kracker, Essential Eating, Flowers Foods, FritoLay, Frontier Soups, Kashi, Mestemacher Bread, Nature’s Path, Nestlé Lean Pockets, Mahatma Rice, Minute Rice, Success Rice, and Shiloh Farms.