You are browsing for bread at the grocery store, with a motivation to purchase bread that is healthier for you. In the bread aisle, you spend over 10 minutes contemplating whether you should purchase the whole wheat, whole grain, multigrain, refined or enriched bread. You give up deciding on the confusing options, and charge towards the snack aisle for a little comfort food instead. Stop! Rewind! Before you give up, let’s learn about the simple differences between the options. Most importantly, let’s learn which option is truly the best for you.

 

Whole Grain & Whole Wheat

You can visualize the different options on a processed timeline, from the time the grain was freshly picked and ‘whole’, to the point in the process where the grain becomes ‘enriched’. The three parts that make up the grain are shown in the image on the right: the bran, endosperm, and germ, courtesy of The Whole Grains Council. Combined, these three parts provide the body with antioxidants, B vitamins as well as other vitamins, fiber, protein, minerals, healthy fats, starchy carbohydrates, and minerals. This is considered “whole grain”. When you choose to purchase a product that is whole grain, you will benefit from all the nutrients each part of a grain provides. Whole wheat is simply a type of whole grain. This means choosing whole wheat is a healthy choice as well.

grainanatomy

 

Multigrain

Using the visualization of the processed timeline, we’ve moved from whole grain and whole wheat (where the kernel is kept intact, along with all its nutrients) to multigrain. Multigrain does not mean that the grain was kept intact. Multigrain simply means there are many types of grains used, unless specified as whole and multi grained. If the package simply says ‘multigrain’, then it is most likely refined or enriched.

 

Refined & Enriched grain

In the processed timeline, we’ve arrived at the point where the grain has been refined. This process means that the grain has been stripped of the bran, and the germ. “Without the bran and germ, about 25% of a grain’s protein is lost, and are greatly reduced in at least seventeen key nutrients”, according to The Whole Grains Council. When widespread nutrition problems arose from these practices, the process of enriching the grain came to be. This process adds back a small amount of nutrients that were stripped from the refining process. Enriching grain only adds back a small portion of the original nutrients present before refining.

When faced with the options of whole grain, whole wheat, or multigrain, the healthiest choice is any type of whole grain (that includes whole wheat). Look for ‘unrefined’ marked options. Whole grain provides the most nutrients as opposed to refined grains found in white rice and flour. If you still want refined grain, choose options that are enriched, so that you can benefit from some of the nutrients added back in. Also, pay attention to the percentage used. Often you will see 100% whole grain, or whole wheat, but there will be options that are below that percentage as well.