Eating whole grains lowers your risk of heart disease and diabetes by 25 percent, and is a simple way to get your family eating healthier. From brown rice to barley, Rachael gives you the whole truth about whole grains:

• Brown rice
Rachael shares an easy way for parents to incorporate brown rice into their children's diets when it comes to sandwiches. "Put white bread on top, brown bread on bottom and they'll never see it coming!" Brown rice has three times more fiber than white rice, but if your family is not used to brown rice, Rachael suggests mixing a bowl with half white rice and half brown rice. You can do this when you're ordering takeout Chinese food or if you're cooking it yourself. (Note: white and brown have different cooking times; you have to start the brown first and then add the white.)

• Millet
This heart-healthy grain is high in magnesium and super easy to mix into family recipes such as mac n' cheese. "They'll never notice it, but you're bumping up the antioxidants for the whole family."

• Barley
Rachael suggests using barley the next time you make risotto for a nutty, delicious flavor that has lots of fiber. Barley is also terrific in soups (Beef & Barley, Vegetable & Barley) and a great way to stretch a buck because it adds bulk to your soups.

• Farro
The lowest in calories of the whole grain family, farro also packs more fiber and protein ounce for ounce. It can be used to make risotto, can be incorporated in soups and cold salads, and is a good choice if you're wheat-sensitive because it's low in gluten.

• Buckwheat
This grain cooks up quickly and adds a hearty texture to soups and stoups, but Rachael suggests toasting it before you cook with it to give it a richer, more earthy flavor.

• Quinoa
Although this high-protein grain with the funny name is light and fluffy, it has a slightly crunchy texture and is fantastic in cold salads.