What are Whole Grains?

“71 % of Consumers THINK they are consuming enough whole grains.”
-National Market Industry Report

“…Nearly 40 percent of Americans consume no whole grains.”
-Data based on recall of previous day’s consumption

Need whole grains, but not quite sure what they are or how to get them?

We have all heard the news, “Whole Grains are good for you”, but what does that mean? I was recently in a local grocery store when I saw the following health claim on a box of processed Macaroni and Cheese, “Now with whole grains!”. Hmm… Really? Macaroni and cheese is health food now? This doesn’t seem right. So I investigated.

According to the FDA in order for a food to bear the “whole grain” health claim must:
1. contain 51 percent or more whole-grain ingredients by weight per reference amount and
2. be low in fat. (1)

But is that really what the research is telling us is going to give us cleaner arteries, improved digestion, and stronger energy? Whole grains which have been processed into the same old familiar packaged forms? I don’t think so. What is good for us is food that’s closest to its most natural state; before the crushing, the bleaching, the leaching, the stripping, the molecular modification, the high pressure cooking, the freezing, the canning, and preserving. It’s about returning to nature and bringing what’s natural into our bodies.

So, first, what is a grain?

A grain of truth? A grain of sand? The crystal's seed that flowers into beautiful things? In the sense of nutrition, the word grain refers to the edible seed of cereal grasses. Some of the most important of these include: Wheat, Rice, Maize (corn), Oats, Rye, Barley, Millet. Other non-grasses have edible seeds and are also considered grains: Buckwheat, Amaranth, Quinoa.(2)

What makes it a whole grain?