Refined, Enriched, and Whole: the grain breakdown

Our beloved grain-based carbs come in many shapes, textures, and sizes, but more importantly, they come processed in different ways. When perusing the options, we're left to decide between refined, enriched, and whole grain products.

If you're looking for the healthiest breads, cereals, and pastas, those made with refined grains (such as white bread and white rice) aren't going to make the cut. Unlike whole grains, refined grains are stripped of their bran and germ, which contain fiber, heart-healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. What you're left with is a product with a finer texture, longer shelf life, and lack of nutrients. Enriched grains, which are refined grains that have some of their lost nutrients added back in, are a step up, but their all-important fiber content doesn't make a reappearance. Without a doubt, whole grains take the win!

Now that you've got that portion narrowed down, you're left to decipher between whole grain and multigrain goods. You may not have given this much thought previously, but, yes, the two do differ! While whole grain products are made up of a single type of grain (such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or whole grain oats), multigrain products are made from more than one type of grain. This gives your bread, baked good, or cereal a denser consistency and heightened flavor.

Both options make for healthy choices, but as I've mentioned in previous posts, just because a grain is included on the ingredients list doesn't mean that the entire grain is used (making it refined). Be on the lookout for grains listed without the word "whole" preceding them, especially when selecting multigrain products. There are more opportunities for manufactures to include only a portion of any given grain, so pay close attention to labels to ensure you're getting the full load of benefits.

You can find whole grain and multigrain products in a variety of forms, including tortillas, pastas, chips, and flours. To add some nutritional value to otherwise unhealthy foods, you could sub the usual all-purpose flour with oat, multigrain, wheat, or quinoa flour (just to name a few options). These flours are great for making homemade brownies, cakes, cookies, pancakes and pizzas! (I'd be down for a slice of whole wheat Margherita right about now...) Each type of flour will provide you with a different taste and texture, so if you experiment with one of these whole-grain options and decide you aren't a fan, consider giving another a try!

Switching from refined foods to those made with whole grains is an easy way to improve your diet. After some time, you may not even miss the old loaf of white!