Enriched Grains vs. Whole Grains

                Toast or sandwiches are a common choice of food when it comes to breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. We are often faced with the decision between white or wheat? It all depends on which one we personally prefer. Deep down, it’s more than just what color the bread is, but the important nutrients that each one contains. Whole grain has more nutritional benefits than enriched breads.

To make these breads, it all starts with the wheat kernel. The wheat kernel comprises of three parts; bran, endosperm and germ. The bran is rich in nutrients and fiber. The endosperm contains starch and proteins. The germ contains vitamins and minerals.

The process of how enriched grain and whole grain products are made is what sets them apart. When making enriched grain products, refined flour is used.  Refined flour is a finely ground endosperm that is usually enriched with nutrients and bleached for whiteness; sometimes called white flour (Whitney, and Rolfes). On the other hand, whole grain products are made from whole-wheat flour. This uses the entire wheat kernel. All of the nutrients are intact, making whole wheat products a more nutritional choice.

There is a history of major drawbacks of refined flour other than making it white,

When it became a common practice to refine the wheat flour used for bread by milling it and throwing away the bran and the germ, consumers suffered a tragic loss of many nutrients. As a consequence, in early 1940s Congress passed legislation requiring that all grain products that cross state lines be enriched with iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. In 1996, this legislation was amended to include folate, a vitamin considered essential in the prevention of some birth defects (Whitney, and Rolfes).

Many of us are unaware of the benefits of eating whole grains. According to nutritionmythbusters, “Whole grains help your heart by clearing out plaque that may be in your arteries. This plaque is typically known as blood cholesterol. Whole grains also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease due to the soluble fiber in the whole grains.” From thegreatplate, “A slice of whole-wheat bread usually has about 2x the fiber of a slice of enriched wheat or white bread. Whole-grains are good sources of vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, zinc, fiber and phytochemicals (refined grains are poor sources of these nutrients).”

Be honest, a lot of us don’t even bother to look at the nutrition facts panel when we go grocery shopping. If you can take the time to text or play games on your phone, then you can take the time to look at the nutrition facts. It won’t hurt and will only take a few moments of your time. When shopping for bread, don’t be fooled by the labeling. Companies use all kinds of words to convince you to buy their product. Look for the descriptive words whole grain or whole wheat and check the fiber contents on the Nutrition Facts panel of the label—the more fiber, the more likely the bread is a whole-grain product (Whitney, and Rolfes). On a food package, the ingredients are arranged in order by weight.  Keep an eye out for “whole wheat flour” as the first ingredient.

Warning, not all wheat breads are created equal. There are fake wheat breads out there. The website thegreatplate states that,

“Honey Wheat,” “Country Wheat,” “Mulitgrain Bread,” or simply “Wheat Bread,” may throw in some specks of grains to appear healthier (or add some high-fructose corn syrup to help give the bread a healthful-looking brown color) but are not necessarily much different nutritionally from white bread. Some of these products may be made with whole wheat flour, but the only way to really tell is to check the ingredient list. “Enriched wheat flour” is not the same as “whole wheat flour.” 

Don’t be fooled by the brown color. Look at the nutrition facts panel carefully to make sure you are buying real wheat bread and not a fake one in disguise.

                It’s not just breads that are made of whole grain. Many types of pasta are also available as a whole grain alternative. Examples of whole grain foods are amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn (and popcorn), couscous, millet, oats (and oatmeal), quinoa, rice (brown or wild), whole rye, and whole wheat (Whitney, and Rolfes).  It’s easy to start eating whole grain if you incorporate some of these foods in your meal.

I <3 Whole Grain =]