Looks like food makers are heeding the call to offer more whole grain foods.

According to the folks over at the Wholefresh News, retail sales in core grain foods that included rice, flour, oatmeal and dry grains reached just over $5 billion in 2008, a whopping 17% increase over the previous year. That information, from the group Packaged Facts, attributes some of the boost to whole grain promotions from big time food makers.

Why is this good news? Whole grains are a better grain option for our bodies. The U.S. dietary nutrition guidelines suggest that children, ages 2 to 3, eat three ounces a day and children, ages 4 to 8, eat four to five ounces a day. Adults should focus on between five and eight ounces of whole grain a day.

If you aren’t sure whether or not the breads you buy are whole grain, here’s a simple way to check. The first ingredient on the label should include the word “whole.” See the word “enriched,” and you might as well put it back on the shelf.