Cereals (such as wheat, barley, rye and oats) are made up of three parts: the bran (the outer layer), the germ (rich in nutrients) and the endosperm (the central part which is rich in starch and protein).
Whole grains in particular have all three parts intact. and are high in iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, B vitamins and dietary fiber.
Substituting whole grains in one's diet for refined grains is an ally in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The Mediterranean diet, in fact, puts whole grains at its base, along with other plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and seeds.
What are whole grain foods?
Wholemeal products are made from wholemeal flour as opposed to white flour which only contains the endosperm of the seed.
Such products include cooking flour, breakfast cereals, bread, toast, pasta and brown rice. On the other hand, the terms multigrain or rye products do not necessarily mean whole grain. Read the nutritional information on labels carefully to learn more about a product.
What are their advantages?
In the bran and germ of the cereal used during whole milling, there are valuable vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and trace elements and plant fibers.
As far as calories are concerned, whole grain products do not differ from their conventional refined grain equivalents, but because of the dietary fibers they contain, they fill us up more.