Does whole wheat pasta count as a grain?

It is a starch made from ground grain. It is not a whole grain.

I would definitely consider whole wheat pasta to be a whole grain. I also consider whole wheat bread and whole wheat tortillas (or other whole grain products) to count towards my whole grain daily goals.

Breads are made from flour, which is processed grain, so are not whole grains. It's a bit of a play on words -- whole grain bread is bread that is made from a flour which was made from a whole grain. So two generations ago, it was a whole grain -- it isn't now. While clearly flours made from whole grains are better than flours made without the bran, "whole grains" mean just that. It's the "fruit" of the plant, in its entirety.

To claim all the benefits of whole grains, look for buckwheat, millet, brown rice, spelt, quinoa, bulgur wheat and wheat berries. It's simple to cook these grains, usually 2 parts water to 1 part grain with a pinch of salt will do. Boil the water, add the grain and cook for 30 to 45 minutes covered.

Breads and pastas made from whole wheat have the same benefits as whole grains. The tricky part is that a lot of products call themselves whole wheat or whole grain if they have any whole grain flour in them at all. You need to look for pasta and breads that have 100% whole grain. You have to watch out for added fat and sugar, too.

Thanks Cher! That answered my question.

My understanding is that the rule-of-thumb is that less processed a food is, the more beneficial it is, so there are therefore better ways to consume whole grains that pulverizing them. Having said that, I readily eat bread (a whole grain pita, typically) but I do so in full recognition that I'm not getting the same benefits as if I were to have a proper gruel.

You're probably right, bicker, that they aren't completely comparable. I think that most people aren't going to give up baked goods entirely, though, so looking for the real thing is worthwhile. Another possibility is grinding whole grains yourself, which would probably be the best compromise. I've made oat and rice flours in a coffee mill.

I second the notion of trying new whole grains in other ways, though.

This can be a confusing subject. The truth is, there's a huge difference between "100% Whole Wheat" and "Whole Grain." This link leads to an excellent WebMD article giving the low down on all things wheat and grain. In short, in order for a grain to be considered "whole," it must contain "all edible parts of the grain, including the bran, germ, and endosperm," so our friend Bicker not only stated it correctly, but explained it quite well. While whole wheat is better than refined white flour, whole wheat does NOT carry the same benefit as whole grains, as you'll read in the above-referenced article.

In short, the less refined the grain and the higher fiber count, the better. So in the case of whole wheat bread, you're not just looking for "100% Whole Wheat," but you're also looking for "Stone Ground" and a fiber count of at LEAST least 3-4 grams per serving.

I'd say if you're interested in reaping the benefits of whole grains, you're a heck of a lot better off eating brown rice and something than whole wheat pasta and something, as the latter is, as Bicker said, a couple of refined generations away from the real thing.