Recent hype about the success of low carbohydrate diets has left many women wondering whether they should be eating their butter without the bread and enjoying the sauce without the pasta.

Eliminating whole grain products from your diet is a risky proposition. You may lose weight on a low-carb diet, but you are likely to gain it back, and you miss valuable nutrients.

The answer is to eat a variety of foods that offer the most nutritional value. In terms of grains, the most nutrition comes from the least refined products. Each grain of wheat has an outer layer of bran, a middle called the endosperm, and a small "germ" at the center. When grain is refined to white flour, only the endosperm remains. Lost with the bran and germ are many of the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber that help protect against coronary heart disease, cancer and, possibly, diabetes.

The goodness of whole grain may be the result of many nutrients working together, an effect that no pill can mimic. That is why the U.S. Surgeon General recommends at least three servings of whole grain foods each day. Most people eat less than one daily serving.

Once you decide to eat more whole grains, be sure you get the real thing. A loaf of bread labeled "wheat" may actually be made from refined, white flour. Check the ingredients; the first ingredient should be whole wheat, whole wheat flour or another whole grain. The same rule applies to breakfast cereals. Read the label to be sure that the first ingredient listed is a whole grain. Next, check the grams of fiber listed in the Nutrition Facts. Choose the cereal with the most whole grain.