What Is The Difference Between Whole Wheat & Whole Grain?

Food labels can be confusing and even purposely misleading. As more consumers begin trying to eat a healthy diet, it is profitable to market foods as healthier. Knowing just a few simple things about whole-grain labeling can make you a savvier consumer able to make healthy choices without being misled.

Dietary Guidelines

The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommend that a minimum of half of the grain products we eat be whole grain. In addition to helping to lower your overall calorie intake by providing more fibrous and filling foods with relatively fewer calories, this measure is aimed at improving the intake of the minerals and B vitamins in which whole grains are rich.

Whole Wheat

Wheat is the most common grain from which bread products are made. Check the ingredients label on products like sliced bread, pizza crusts, pasta, muffins and dinner rolls for the words "whole wheat" or "100 percent whole wheat." Watch out for labeling tricks like listing multiple kinds of flour. Sometimes foods include a little bit of whole-wheat flour as well as several other kinds of refined flours, which results in very little whole-wheat flour overall. Also, if a label simply says "wheat flour," it is still the refined white flour and not a whole grain.

Whole Grain

Wheat is not the only grain we eat on a regular basis. Breads are made from rye, barley and oats as well. Each of these grains can be ground into either a whole-grain flour or a refined flour, so check bread and pasta labels to ensure that each flour is "whole." You can also switch from white rice to brown rice as part of your plan to eat at least half of your grains as whole grain.

Variety

Getting a wide variety of foods is also an important factor in a well-balanced diet. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that instead of getting all of our fruits and vegetables from just a few choices like apples and carrots, we try a wide variety. The same is true for grains. Instead of just eating all of your grain servings from wheat or rice, why not try something you've never tried before? Barley makes a great addition to soups like lentil, vegetable and tomato. Quinoa is a versatile and easy-to-prepare grain that has a full complement of amino acids, making it a whole protein. Try adding something new once a week to keep your diet interesting and well-rounded.