I've always purchased 100% whole wheat products (bread, cereal, pasta) for my family, but I've recently started making all of our baked goods. They're yummy (and tempting!), but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm doing the best I can for myself and my family. My big question: If I buy 100% whole wheat flour to use in my baking, is it the same as "whole grain"? What is/are the difference(s)?
I'm struggling to stay OP w/WW, partly because I always feel tired. I'm trying to remember to take vitamins but ,even more importantly, I'm trying to make sure I'm getting the benefits of vitamins in my food; I've heard that whole grains are excellent sources of the B vitamins we need to maintain energy levels, but am I getting these by using the "whole wheat" I've been relying upon for so long?
I hope this question is "okay" for this forum; I just read a reference in another post here regarding whole grain/whole wheat, and thought this might tie in.
100% Whole grain products include breads, pastas, and cereals that are made with 100% whole grain and not white processed flours. Whole grains are just that, the inside part of the grain and the outer covering. Processed flours remove the outer covering which gives a lighter texture and taste to baked goods but removes a lot of the nutrition and fiber. Enriched breads have some nutrients returned to the bread, so be sure to read the labels when you are shopping.
There isn't much of a difference between 100% whole wheat bread and 100% whole grain bread. According to the USDA Nutrient Database one slice of whole grain, or 7 grain bread would have almost identical nutritional value as one slice of whole wheat bread.
Whole grain foods and flours include 100% whole wheat, brown rice, bulger, corn, buckwheat, oatmeal, spelt, and wild rice. The USDA suggests that each of us get at least 3 servings of whole grains every day. Food manufacturers are also using more whole grains in their kids' cereals and forms of whole grain flour that are similar in texture to white flour.
When the whole grain is made into flour, it is not as good for us as the whole grain. If a bread has whole grains in it, you will actually see little pieces of it. Those whole grain cereals are a joke. Loaded with sugar and not nutritious.
I've been trying to include true whole grains in my bread and other baking as well; I've added rolled oats to my muffins and breads recently. My next attempt is going to be adding whole wheat nuts (not the snack food, but the whole grain wheat, soaked to soften it slightly). I just don't know how the loaf will turn out -- it takes a bit of experimenting with these ingredients to get a loaf that's lighter than a brick!
I agree with Susan about the "whole grain" cereals; manufacturers are really using the term as a gimmick to get folks to buy their products thinking they are healthy. I"ve successfully "brainwashed" (aka, taught) my kids, and we only get cereals w/ between 2-5 gms of suger per serving. Some of these things have 23 grams!!
Actually the new whole grains in 'sweet' cereals are better than white flour but not the same as a whole grain. It is just like wheat bread is just the same as white bread.
It isn't the 'grains' or 'whole grain flours' that is the issue for unhealthy it is the added sugars to them. Right now there are many 'reduced' sugar and 'whole grain flours' which are better than what it was. It is a step in the right direction.
Whole Wheat vs. Whole Grain?
