Kelvin's World of Information

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, corn, or another cereal is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal and grits are all grain products. There are two main types of grain products: whole grains and refined grains.

Whole grains contain the entire grain – the bran, germ and endosperm. Examples include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, whole cornmeal, brown rice and bulgur.

Refined grains have been milled (ground into flour or meal) which results in the bran and germ being removed. This process removes much of the B-vitamins, iron and dietary fiber. Some examples of refined grains are wheat flour, enriched bread and white rice.

Most refined grains are enriched, which means that some of the B vitamins and iron are added back after processing. Fiber, however, is not added back to enriched grains. Some examples of enriched grains are wheat flour, enriched bread and white rice.

Whole grains and nothing but the whole grains

Eating whole grains provides important health benefits:

• Whole grains are generally good sources of dietary fiber; most refined (processed) grains contain little fiber.
• Dietary fiber from whole grains, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.
• Fiber-containing foods such as whole grains help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories and so may help with weight management.

Grains are also important sources of many nutrients:

• B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate) play a key role in metabolism.
• Folate (folic acid), one of the B vitamins, helps the body form red blood cells.
• Iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood.
• Magnesium is a mineral used in building bones and releasing energy from muscles.
• Selenium is important for a healthy immune system.

It’s important to include a variety of grains in your eating plan because grains differ in their nutrient content. Whole grains can be a good source of fiber, but refined grains usually are not.

Getting to know whole grain products

Whole grains are consumed in the United States either as a single food (e.g., wild rice, popcorn) or as an ingredient in a multi-ingredient food (e.g., in multi-grain breads).

Whole grains cannot be identified by the color of the food. Bread, for example, can be brown because of molasses or other ingredients, not necessarily because it contains whole grains. That’s why it’s important to read the ingredient list on the food label. For many whole-grain products, you will see the words “whole” or “whole grain” before the grain’s name in the ingredient list. The whole grain should be the first ingredient listed.

Choose foods that contain one of the following ingredients first on the label’s ingredient list: whole wheat, graham flour, oatmeal, whole oats, brown rice, wild rice, whole-grain corn, popcorn, whole-grain barley, whole-wheat bulgur and whole rye. These are all whole grains.

When grocery shopping, an easy way to identify whole-grain products is to look for the American Heart Association Whole Grain heart-check mark on food labels.