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 Whole grains contain all the components of the grain - the bran, germ and
endosperm. The outer layers (bran and germ) contain nutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Whole grains contain three parts, and when grains
are milled or refined, the bran and germ portions
are removed, leaving only the endosperm.
The structure
of all grains is about the same.
- The bran, the fiber-rich outer part,
accounts for 14-16% of wheat, 5-6% of corn.
- The endosperm, the starchy middle
part, makes up anywhere from 61-80% of all grain.
- The germ, the nutrient-rich inner
part, accounts for about 2-3% of wheat, 10-12%
of corn.
Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel
while refined or "enriched" grains have
the outer covering and germ removed, leaving only
the starchy part. By law, refined grains must be
"enriched" with B vitamins and iron since
most of these nutrients are lost in processing.
However some important nutrients and fiber are still
lacking in refined grains.
Examples of whole grain foods include cooked
cereals like oatmeal, bulgar, quinoa and barley,
and whole grain ready-to-eat cold cereals. Brown
rice, whole-grain pasta and whole-wheat or whole
grain breads. Whole grains can often be found in
the health-food section of most supermarkets, or
in health-food stores. Other examples of whole grains
include:
- Whole wheat berries, whole wheat bulgur,
whole wheat couscous and other strains of wheat
such as kamut and spelt
- Brown rice, wild rice
- Corn, whole cornmeal, popcorn
- Oat groats, steel-cut oats, rolled oats
- Whole rye
- Hulled barley (pot, scotch and pearled barley
often have much of their bran removed)
- Triticale (pronounced try-ti-KAY-lee)
- Millet
- Teff (reported to be the world’s smallest
grain and to have a sweet, maltlike flavor)
- Buckwheat, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah),
and amaranth
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