29. You choose bran cereal because it's high in fiber

THE RESULT: You miss out on whole grains.

THE FIX: Don’t confuse whole grains with fiber. Bran cereal may have more fiber than a whole-grain flake cereal (because it contains only the wheat’s fiber-loaded bran), but it won’t necessarily have the nutritional benefits that other whole-grain cereals offer. For a processed food to be considered whole grain, the product must contain all three whole-grain components: the germ, the endosperm, and the bran. The bran is full of fiber, while the germ and endosperm have many of the phytonutrients (beneficial chemicals found in plant foods), antioxidants, and other compounds believed to contribute to whole grains’ multiple health benefits.