Definition

Whole grains are the edible seeds produced by some plants belonging to the Poaceae family (more commonly known as Graminaceae).

Some examples of easily available whole grains are:

  • Wheat (durum wheat, soft wheat, medium and small spelled, spelled, kamut etc.) and related flours (including couscous and bulgur), barley, spelled, corn and relative flour, millet, oats and related flour, rice, wild rice, rye, sorghum, teff and triticale.

Other edible seeds, more correctly defined as pseudocereals, are produced by species belonging to the families Polygonaceae, Amaranthaceae and Chenopodiaceae.

Some examples of pseudo-grains easily available are:

  • Buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth.

Despite making use of some similar nutritional properties, legumes (Fabaceae Family) do not fall within the group of cereals or pseudo-cereals. However, they too can be processed to obtain dehulled seeds and purified flours; therefore there are also legumes and whole and refined legume flours.

For the avoidance of doubt, many other edible seeds such as flax, chia, sunflower, safflower, cotton, hemp, sesame, poppy, dried fruit, etc., if not previously processed (squeezed), do not possess no common characteristics of cereals and pseudo-whole grains.

HOW TO GET IT

Whole grains (and their derivatives) contain all the edible parts of the seed (bran, germ and endosperm), sometimes in slightly different percentages. In the case in which they are subjected to processing (breaking, crushing, rolling, blowing, extrusion and / or cooking), the food product must be reinforced to provide the same pool of nutrients that were found in the original seeds. For example, most whole wheat flours are refined foods and subsequently added.

Whole grains and health

The consumption of whole grains has been correlated to a significant decrease in risk factors for certain cardiovascular diseases, thanks to the lowering of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, which translates into an overall moderation of 26% on diseases coronary.

The consumption of whole grains tends to be also inversely proportional to the incidence of other diseases, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity (also cardiovascular risk factors).

The greater the similarity of the cereal to its natural form, the better the impact on human metabolism. The whole ones are less caloric and have a greater satiating power and a slower digestion and absorption; all this translates into the reduction of two fundamental parameters: the glycemic load and the glycemic index, both of which are responsible for insulin peaks and for the predisposition to insulin resistance (worsened by a sedentary lifestyle).

To conclude, it is also necessary to specify that whole grains are not recommended in case of diarrhea and tendency to malabsorption. In fact, in addition to the fibrous component, whole grains are richer in anti-nutritional elements called phytates. The latter are chelators of certain mineral salts such as calcium and zinc (they reduce their absorption), but they are almost totally degradable with baking and fermentation of yeasts.

Refined VS whole grains

As mentioned in the last lines of the paragraph dedicated to health, whole grains have properties that distinguish them from refined ones.

First of all, abundance in dietary fiber. This, mainly insoluble, is a nutritional element that prevents constipation (in association with the right amounts of water), which improves the trophism of the bacterial flora of the colon (although not as much as soluble fiber), which favors satiety, which slows digestion and modulates nutritional absorption. In fact, the fiber helps to reduce the absorption and reabsorption (bile salts) of fats (including cholesterol) and to slow down that of sugars, preventing spikes in blood sugar and insulin.

Whole grains have a higher concentration of mineral salts (indeed called "ashes") and vitamins. With regard to the first category, the most interesting is undoubtedly magnesium (extremely important for sportsmen); as far as the second group is concerned, however, higher levels of all the water-soluble molecules of group B and of the liposoluble E (tocopherols) are inferred.

Whole grains contain less carbohydrates, more protein (always with a medium biological value) and more lipids. With regard to the latter, we recall that their percentage varies according to the quantity of wheat germ and that the composition is typified by polyunsaturated fatty acids (some of which are essential) and by the presence of vitamin E.

Legislation and Food

Whole grains (and derivatives) must be mentioned in the information list or on the food label.

The simple wording "flour" is not a clear indicator of the fiber content in the product; furthermore, if declared, either "wheat flour" or "whole wheat flour" (without any specific report), the food could contain a percentage between 1% and 51% of wholemeal flour.

This awareness is essential to orient oneself in the choice of the various products. For example, many types of bread are brown colored (with the addition of molasses or caramel) so that they acquire the appearance of an integral product.

In other cases, whole wheat flour is present but represents a quantitatively marginal ingredient.

Ultimately, contrary to what one might believe, the presence of whole grains (or their flours) is not always a good indicator of "high percentage of fiber".

In certain products, the increase in fiber is obtained thanks to the addition with bran, legumes or other ingredients of vegetable origin. It should however be remembered that a "real" whole grain should not be considered as such if it is not germ-free. This, which represents the lipid component of the seeds, is easily perishable (due to rancidity) but also highly nutritious (essential fatty acids and vitamin E).

In the Italian legislation, the definition of flours of the Presidential Decree 187 (2001) deals only with the content of ashes, proteins and acidity. Furthermore, circular 168 (2003) makes no reference to the germ and limits itself to defining the parameters of an "integral food" on the basis of the content in whole wheat flour. It should however be specified that the situation is quite complex and cannot be summarized in a few lines; in fact, if at a first reading the germ would not seem indispensable to characterize an integral product, reference is nevertheless made to respecting the "characteristics of the original whole grain".

A different example is the Canadian one. There, it is labeled "whole grain" or "whole grain based product" any food that, in addition to containing the typical amount of fiber, can be subjected to the removal of the MA germ up to a maximum value of 70%. Buyers can also identify foods of higher nutritional quality thanks to the words "100% wholegrain cereals or flours", ie containing the entire portion of the germ.