The "Whole" Truth About Grains
Grains and grain products constitute a significant
proportion of the average American diet. In fact, close to 60% of Americans
meet or exceed the grain intake recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans daily; however, a much smaller percentage of Americans meet the daily
recommendation for whole grain
intake. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you make half of the
grains you consume every day whole—but what exactly are whole grains, and why
should you consume more of them? To answer this question, we need to start at
the beginning, when grains are first harvested from the field…
What’s in a grain?
In order for you to understand what distinguishes whole
grains from other grains, you must first understand the composition of
grains in their most basic, original forms. A grain is a small,
hard, dry seed that is grown and harvested from a cereal or legume crop. Some
common grains include wheat, oats, rice, barley, rye, corn, triticale, and
millet, to name a few. A mature, freshly harvested grain is composed of three
edible parts: bran, germ, and endosperm.
The bran is the
hard, the outer layer of the grain seed where much of the grain’s antioxidants and B vitamins are concentrated, along with the majority of the grain’s
fiber content.
The bran layer surrounds the endosperm, the middle and, proportionately speaking, largest layer
of the grain seed, which is composed of starchy
carbohydrates.
Finally, the smallest, innermost layer of the grain seed is
the germ. This portion of the seed
is rich in B vitamins, minerals, healthy
fats, and some proteins.
“Whole” vs “Refined”
vs “Enriched” Grains
Whole grains are
grains for which all 3 of the original edible parts (bran, germ, and endosperm)
are still intact and present in their natural proportions—in other words, these
are grains that have retained the entirety of their original nutrient content
through any kind of processing they may have been subjected to.
Refined grains are
grains that are no longer whole because both their bran and germ components have
been removed during processing, leaving only
the starchy endosperm. Since the 2 components that are removed are the most
nutrient-dense parts of the grain seed, this translates to a loss of about 2/3
of the grain’s original nutrient content during the refining process, including
most of the grain’s original B vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and
healthy fats, and at least ¼ of the grain’s original protein content.
Enriched grains
are refined grains that have had some of the original nutrients that were lost
during the refining process artificially added back in. The keyword here is some of
the original nutrients. Enrichment replaces only a select few micronutrients of
the many that were removed, and those nutrients are usually added back in proportions that are different from
those in which they originally existed in the grain seed.
Moral of the story: whole
grains are undeniably the most nutrient-dense choice!
For example, the graphic below demonstrates the relative
nutrient density of wheat subjected to different levels of processing:
Whole Grains for
Better Health
All grains, whether they are whole, refined, or enriched,
are an excellent source of carbohydrates, which are the body’s main source of
energy. Therefore, all grains can be
considered a nourishing part of a balanced, healthy diet. However, because
whole grains contain higher amounts of important nutrients such as
antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, consuming whole grains, in particular, is associated
with many health benefits, including:
·
Improved weight & glycemic control
·
Lower bad cholesterol
·
Lower blood pressure
·
Reduced inflammation
·
Improved digestive health
·
Lower risk of chronic diseases (obesity, type 2
diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, etc.)
Choosing Whole Grain
Food Products
Some grain-based food products clearly state that they are
“100% whole grain,” or “made with 100% whole grains” on the front of the
package label; however for other products, it may not be immediately clear
whether the grain ingredients are whole or refined. Here are some tips for
discerning between whole and refined grain products:
·
If a food is labeled as “whole grain,” but not
“100% whole grain,” you cannot be certain that all of the grains in the product are whole; it is possible that a
majority of the grains used in the product are actually refined!
·
“Multi-grain” ≠ whole grain! This is a common mistake—many consumers
buy “multigrain” products thinking that they are choosing whole grains.
However, the label “multigrain” simply tells us that the food product was made
using more than one type of grain; it
does not tell us whether any of those individual grain components are refined
or whole.
·
Most products that are considered good sources
of whole grains will have the Whole Grain Stamp displayed on the package label.
This stamp specifies a minimum amount of whole grains that you will get from
consuming one serving of the product, and may also specify the proportion of
grains in the product that are whole (e.g. 50%+ or 100%).
·
However not all
products that contain whole grains display the Whole Grain Stamp. When in doubt,
take a closer look at the ingredients list on the nutrition label. Some
examples of whole grains that may be listed as ingredients include 100% whole
wheat, brown rice, oats, wheatberries, and whole [other grain]. Refined or
enriched grain ingredients will typically be listed with a qualifier such as “refined,”
“enriched,” “degerminated,” or “white” preceding the name of the grain.
For a complete list of whole, additional tips for identifying
whole grain products, and more, visit https://wholegrainscouncil.org.
Sources: