This week my inbox has been inundated with messages from dodgy online pharmacies who seem concerned about my husband's virility. I would have thought that Chloe is enough of a defence, but Hans Monty and Sammy Spanks (seriously) are absolutely sure that we need Viagra. In fact, when I checked the spam folder in my email, there were 1,471 messages, mainly dedicated to marketing performance enhancing drugs.

So this got me thinking about the extent to which erectile dysfunction (ED) must be a problem. When I looked it up (and I am still waiting for a warning from IT), I found out that approximately one in ten men in the world suffers from ED.

Though there are several causes, vascular disease is one of the main culprits, which gives me a whole new argument when it comes to wholegrains! You see, wholegrains are rich in fibre which helps to prevent plaque in the bloodstream from being deposited on artery walls.

A build up of plaque doesn't just cause a problem with blood supply to the heart - it cause problems with blood supply elsewhere too. Normally, when men are asked to eat a more healthy diet, the reasoning revolves around living into old age. This often falls on deaf ears, but funnily enough, the threat of ED doesn't.

So, for all the men out there, it's time you paid attention and started eating your wholegrains. As an added bonus, wholegrains are of course heart healthy and also help to prevent constipation, so it's really worth aiming to eat several servings a day. The trouble is, that much of the food labelling regarding wholegrains is misleading - and the products featured here this week are a perfect example.

As with all white rice, the Uncle Ben's brand featured here has been processed to remove the outer, fibrous coat of the grain. This means that the fibre content of the white rice is exactly nil.

Yet the carton still boasts the logo of the American Heart Association, because the rice does not contain any saturated fat or cholesterol. Now this is true, but eating healthily isn't simply about avoiding foods that are low in the bad stuff, it's also about proactively choosing foods that are rich in valuable nutrients. This doesn't always amount to the same thing.

By comparison, the Lundberg brown rice does qualify as wholegrain and contains 3g of fibre per serving. It's also delicious with a really deep, nutty flavour. However, be prepared as it takes much longer to cook (which is why white rice is so popular) - approximately 45 minutes.

If you don't have the time to cook brown rice, or if you'd like to try something different, then give Quinoa a try. Although Quinoa is in the same food-family as leafy green vegetables like spinach, it actually looks and tastes like a whole grain. It's easy to get into a boring three-day rotation of potatoes, rice and pasta so adding quinoa to your diet adds variety. I've served it with stir-fry, curry, chili and bolognaise. It's also great cold - mixed in with olives, sundried tomatoes, cucumber and chicken as an alternative to a pasta salad at lunch time.

If you look at the chart, you'll also see that Quinoa has 11g of fibre per serving so it's a fantastic way to raise your intake, especially if you bear in mind that many wholegrain breads and cereals only contain 2 or 3g of fibre per serving. Note that the fat content of quinoa is higher, but this is good fat that occurs naturally in wholegrains, not bad saturated fat. And incase you need any more reasons to try it, check out more information on quinoa below.

1. It's a slow releasing carbohydrate. Because it hasn't been refined, quinoa releases its natural sugar nice and gently. This means that it provides lots of energy over a sustained period of time, without disrupting blood sugar.

2. It's high in protein. There's almost as much protein in one serving of quinoa as in one egg. This makes it a great source of protein for vegetarians, especially when mixed with other vegetarian proteins like beans and lentils. The protein in quinoa is also extremely well balanced, containing all nine essential amino acids. This means that not only is it high in protein, but the protein is easily and well utilised within the body.

3. It's gluten-free. This makes it a great choice for those with wheat or gluten intolerance, or for those who are celiac. If you find that pasta or couscous make you feel heavy or bloated, give quinoa a try instead.

4. It's alkaline. Most other grains are fairly acidic. Including quinoa in your diet is a great way to help maintain the acid-alkaline balance within the body.

5. It's rich in magnesium, manganese and copper. Magnesium helps to combat stress and relaxes blood vessels - great for combating migraines and heart disease. Manganese and copper are both co-enzymes for something called Superoxide Dismutase, a powerful antioxidant that helps to minimise free radical damage.

6. It's rich in lignans. Lignans are nutrients that are converted by friendly bacteria in the digestive tract, into substances that protect the body from breast and other hormone-related cancers.

7. It's rich in Lysine. Lysine is critical for tissue growth and repair.

Stores: Supermart, Lindos (DV), Marketplace, Down to Earth, Harrington Hundreds, Lindos

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com