University of Wisconsin - Extension

MADISON, Wis: "Don't be fooled by brown-colored breads and foods labeled as 'wheat,' 'multi-grain,' and 'stone-ground,'" says Susan Nitzke, UW-Madison/Extension nutrition specialist. "They may or may not be made from whole-grain ingredients."

Color is not an indication of whole grain. Bread can be brown because of molasses or other ingredients, not necessarily because it contains whole grains. Food products labeled with the words "multi-grain," "stone-ground," "100% wheat," "cracked wheat," "seven-grain," or "bran" are usually not whole-grain products.

"It seems simple enough to advise people to choose whole grain foods more often, but actual food product distinctions can be very confusing," Nitzke says.

To help clarify the situation, the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) has proposed the following definition:

Whole cereal grains and foods made from them consist of the entire grain seed usually referred to as the kernel. The kernel is made of three components the bran, the germ and the endosperm. If the kernel has been cracked, crushed or flaked, then in order to be called whole grain, it must retain nearly the same relative proportions of bran, germ and endosperm as the original grain.

How do you know if a grain product is a whole grain?

"Read the ingredient list on the food label," says Nitzke. "For many whole-grain products, the words 'whole' or 'whole grain' will appear before the grain ingredient's name. The whole grain should be the first ingredient listed. Wheat flour, enriched flour, and degerminated cornmeal are not whole grains."

Another tip for finding whole-grain products is to look for the whole grain health claim on food product labels. The claim states that: "Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers." This claim can only be used on a product label when the food contains at least 51 percent whole grains (by weight) and is also low in fat.

To increase your intake of whole grains, Nitzke recommends choosing foods that name one of the following whole grains first on the label's ingredients list: brown rice, bulgur, graham flour, oatmeal, pearl barley, popcorn, whole-grain corn, whole oats, whole rye, whole wheat or wild rice.

According to the Food Guide Pyramid, almost everyone should have at least six servings of grain foods each day, and several should be whole grains. Grains provide vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates (starch and dietary fiber), and other substances important for health. Whole grains, as part of a healthful eating pattern, may help protect against many chronic diseases. Fiber-containing foods, such as whole grains (and many fruits and vegetables), promote proper bowel function and fiber-containing foods also help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.