Buckwheat groats, also known as kasha or just simply groats, are a cereal grain with origins in central Asia. They have a nutty flavor and soft texture, and cook in less than 15 minutes. If you're looking for a healthy side dish to accompany meals, consider buckwheat groats.

Low in fat and abundant in vitamins and minerals, grains are an essential part of a healthy diet. The most beneficial grains are the whole grains, which should make up at least half of the grains you eat, recommends the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Whole-grain pasta and white pasta have very little fat. But if you eat too much or add some sauces to your pasta, you might wind up taking in too many calories and gaining weight.

Barley is a nutritious whole grain, rich in fiber and nutrients such as protein, folic acid, calcium and niacin. Pearl barley, processed to speed cooking time, lacks the fibrous outer hull. However, it still provides generous amounts of fiber, believed to help maintain healthy cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Pearl couscous -- also called Israeli couscous -- is good nutrition with a slightly sad twist. Each 1 cup serving is fat and cholesterol free, low in sodium and includes significant amounts of vitamin C, potassium, protein and fiber. The sad twist, however, lies in the 650 calories each 1 cup serving also contains.

A pseudograin, quinoa is actually the seed of a plant closely related to spinach, beets and chard. It comes in a variety of colors, ranging from orange to black, purple, pink and white, but red and transparent yellow are the two most widely available varieties.

Ripe pineapples should be yellow at the base, have no brown spots and should smell sweet at the stem end. They provide many vitamins and minerals; they are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, thiamin, manganese, potassium and dietary fiber.

Although buckwheat was quite popular in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries, its popularity has declined in recent decades.

Wheat bran is a high-fiber food that you can add to baked goods or sprinkle over soups and cereals. While you might sprinkle wheat bran over cooked oatmeal, cooking it like oatmeal will result in an unpalatable, chewy mush. Choose other uses for wheat bran, however, as it is a highly nutritious addition to any diet.

Everyone experiences a certain level of constipation at one time in their life, but if you have constant difficulty passing your stool, you may want to consider the use of wheat bran. Wheat bran is an insoluble fiber and is a by-product of wheat.

Toasting gives oats a nuttier flavor and decreases the cook time for oat varieties that cook more slowly, such as steel-cut and pinhead. You can use toasted oats in place of regular oats in breakfast cereals as well as recipes such as granolas, cookies and as the topping for crisps.

Oats are sneakier than they look. Not only can you use them in cereals, cookies and breads, but you can hide them in soups and smoothies.