Pearl barley, found in most grocery stores, is put through a pearling machine that polishes off the outer bran layer, leaving a bland-tasting, tender grain. Pot -- or Scotch -- barley is minimally polished, leaving some outer bran, a nuttier flavor and a chewier texture.

Barley is one of the oldest grains, with a history of cultivation dating back over 8,000 years. A 1-cup serving of cooked barley contains 193 calories, less than 1 g of fat, 3.6 g of protein and 6 g of fiber.

Quinoa is species of the Goosefoot plant, closely related to beets and spinach, grown and harvested for its edible seeds. Quinoa seeds have a slight bitter flavor with a grainy texture. If you prepare quinoa incorrectly, it may turn to mush or adopt a vaguely muddy flavor.

Steamed rice adds toothsome, nutty -- and, importantly, gluten-free -- substance to health-minded meals. A rice cooker is the ideal tool to cook rice to fluffy perfection, but a resourceful cook has other options: both new-school electronic steamers and decidedly old-school bamboo steamers do the trick brilliantly.

Although popcorn is the world champion, some other grains and pseudograins -- such as quinoa -- can be popped or puffed to lighten their texture. You won't get the huge puffy kernels you see in commercial cereal, which are created in a vacuum, but puffing gives an interestingly different texture.

Start your day with a bowl of steel-cut oats and set yourself up for dietary success. A 2013 issue of the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"

Sprouted grain bread and whole wheat bread are both whole grain foods, made from entire wheat kernels. Unlike white breads and other refined-grain products that lose the outer bran and inner germ parts of the wheat grain in the milling process.

Whether you're from Italy and call your grits polenta or you're from the South and call your polenta grits, you're talking about stone-ground cornmeal that cooks by absorbing water, like rice does in a rice cooker.

Quinoa, pronounced keen-wah, is a grain-like seed native to South America. Along with corn, quinoa was a food staple for the Incan civilization and has been continuously cultivated for more than 5,000 years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that at least half of the grains you consume each day should be whole grains like brown rice.

Buckwheat has been used as a traditional porridge in Russia, where it's native, and it was grown in the American colonies by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The Japanese even make their soba noodles from buckwheat flour.

Oats are one of the most popular grains worldwide. They're nutritious, provide numerous health benefits and are a versatile cooking ingredient. Oat bran and whole grain oats both begin as oat groats, the product that results after oat grain is cleaned, toasted and hulled.