Let’s start with the term whole grain and understand what it means. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definition of “whole grain” as it relates to food items includes “cereal grains that consist of the intact and unrefined, ground, cracked or flaked fruit of the grains whose principal components — the starchy endosperm, germ and bran — are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain.” Examples include: barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, brown rice, rye, oats, whole wheat and wild rice.  The Whole Grains Council has their definition: “Whole grain” means that all the parts of the grain are kept in the product (the outer bran layer, the healthy nutritious germ and the starchy endosperm).

Whole grains help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes and help with weight control because you feel more full after eating them. Here are the tips to help you make smart choices:

1. White flour has most or all of the germ and bran removed during processing (refining). By the way, did you know that the main reason white bread has a longer shelf life is that the germ has been removed?  Besides vitamins and minerals, the germ contains fat that speeds up rancidity or causes the bread to go bad more quickly.
2. The term ‘enriched flour’  is not the same as whole grain flour. So bread with enriched wheat flour is not equal to bread made from whole wheat flour. Here’s why. During processing when the bran, germ and endosperm are removed, so are most of the vitamins and minerals, good fat and phytochemicals. During the enrichment process, only a few vitamins and one mineral are added back to the now refined white flour: specifically thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron.
3. Wheat bread or wheat flour is not equivalent to whole wheat bread or whole wheat flour. When you look at the ingredient label, you want to see the word ‘whole’ or ’100% whole’…whole wheat, whole corn, and whole rye. Whole grain is not as clear…doesn’t tell you which whole grains. The words ‘wheat flour’ mean refined whole wheat flour or ‘white flour’. When you see whole wheat flour followed by wheat flour on the label, the bakery used a blend of whole wheat and refined wheat or white flour.
4. Unbleached flour has a more natural taste because it has not been processed with the chemicals used to bleach flour. Bleaching flour has been used for two reasons, cosmetic and aging of the flour. For the longest time, consumers wanted refined white flour and white bread. Bleaching whitens the flour and at the same time shortens the time required for the natural aging of the unbleached flour (which turns the flour lighter in color) so it’s ready for the shelves sooner. As palates have changed and nutrition science has shown us the benefits of whole grains, it’s easy to find unbleached flour in most grocery stores.
5. White wheat flour is different from wheat flour aka white flour. White wheat flour or what’s called hard white wheat is nutritional equivalent to the red wheat flour that we are use to for whole wheat flours. The flavor is not as strong nor the color as dark as red wheat but the whole grain fiber is intact. Both white wheat and red wheat are whole wheat flours. White wheat is more golden in color and sweeter in taste.

To learn more about wheat, fiber and flour check out the following resources or go to our resource page at the Nutrition & Health Center at WDBO.com.

International Food Information Council (IFIC):

http://www.ific.org/publications/factsheets/wholegrainsfs.cfm

Whole Grains Council:

http://www.oldwayspt.org/wgc.html

Wheat Foods Council:

http://www.wheatfoods.org/

I hope these tips take away a lot of the confusion when buying breads or flour.

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