The study was conducted with the knowledge that the participants were lacking essential nutrients from their daily diets beforehand. While this did not affect the study’s outcome, it further highlighted the importance of consuming refined grains such as bread, ready-to-eat cereals and all-grained foods in order to compensate for the lack of nutrition occurring elsewhere.

“Whenever you remove entire food groups or a majority of foods from select food groups, you will have nutrient shortfalls and likely will not have the kind of energy needed to sustain your daily activities, and grains are no exception,” said Stacey Krawczyk, principal consulting registered dietitian for the Grain Foods Foundation and president of FoodWell Strategies. “There are not many peer-reviewed studies out there that examine the nutrient contributions of staple refined, enriched and fortified grains in the American diet, so the hope is that this data will provide people with the understanding they need to help recover potential nutrient shortfalls in their diet.”