Whole Grain vs Whole Wheat

This GRAIN of Truth Equals a WHOLE Lot of Confusion
By Stacey Nolan Young

Remember when every health expert was touting whole wheat over refined “white” products? We all know that choosing whole wheat bread over white bread is better for us. We know that whole wheat is richer in dietary fibre, antioxidants, dietary minerals and vitamins than refined products. We know that choosing these healthier carbohydrates can lower the risk of diseases like coronary heart disease, some forms of cancer, gum disease, digestive system diseases, diabetes and obesity.

But wait a second, what about whole grain? And come to think of it there is cracked wheat, multigrain, stone-ground, pumpernickel, 100% whole wheat and rye. I’m confused! Which one should I chose? And what is the difference?

What is a whole grain?

When wheat is harvested it includes the bran (the outer protective shell), the germ (the part that provides nourishment for the seed), and the endosperm.

Whole grains are defined as cereal grains that retain the bran, germ and the endosperm. Refined grains only retain the endosperm. Here’s where it gets confusing. Whole wheat CAN be whole grain. But sometimes it isn’t. Have I piqued your interest? Great so pay attention. Not only do you have to read the packaging to pick out what you’d like but it turns out that you should read the actual ingredients on the package.

Why should I read the ingredients?

Because there are many “terms” utilized on packaging that can be misleading. Here are a few examples:

-whole grain
-100% wheat
-contains whole grain
-made with whole wheat
-multigrain
-wheat flour
-stone ground

Many “whole wheat” breads are coloured brown to trick you into believing that these are whole grain products. If you see molasses on the ingredient list, beware. This is used as a colouring agent. A product can also claim its “whole grain health” when only part of the product uses whole grain. For example the first ingredient may be grain while the second is whole grain. This means that the product may only contain between 1-49% of whole grain.

Now for the shocker…

In Canada it is legal to advertise any food product as whole wheat with up to 70% of the germ removed! In essence what you are eating as “whole grain” may be misleading. You may feel like you are making a better choice but in fact, you are not. One of the reasons that companies do this is because of cost. Whole grain products are more expensive because of their high oil content. There are complications with processing, storage and transportation because the product is susceptible to spoiling.

What SHOULD I be looking for?

Check the ingredients list despite what it may claim on the front of the packaging. Canadian consumers can be assured of whole grain quality by a label stating “100% whole grain whole wheat” as the FIRST ingredient listed. This may be followed up with “including the germ”. And beware of the lower calorie breads, pitas and wraps. Generally speaking whole grain products will be a bit higher in calories than more refined products. 

So no matter which type of bread you choose (i.e. pumpernickel, whole wheat, multigrain) you want to carefully examine the ingredients to make sure that the product you are choosing is the one that you actually want.

Add comment May 28th, 2008