Wholegrains

Wholegrains are a smart carbohydrate choice, closely linked to better heart health. Their impressive nutrient profile and natural plant compounds provide key health benefits. Research shows that people who eat diets rich in wholegrains have healthier hearts than those who consume more refined carbohydrates.

What are wholegrains?   Identifying wholegrain food

Checking the label for wholegrain   Why eat wholegrains?

Tips to boost your wholegrain intakes

What are wholegrains?

Wholegrains, such as whole wheat, rye, rice, and oats, undergo minimal processing and retain all three parts of the grain, giving them their unique heart-protective nutritional benefits. The three parts of a wholegrain are:

• Bran: The fibre-packed outer layer, full of B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and plant compounds called phytonutritents.
• Endosperm: The starchy middle layer that provides energy, a little protein, and some B vitamins.
• The germ: The nutrient-rich core which, if germinated, would grow into the new plant. It contains healthy unsaturated fats, vitamin E (a strong antioxidant), B vitamins, and phytonutrients.

Including wholegrains in your diet is a simple way to look after your heart and overall health.

What are refined grains? 

All grains start out as wholegrains. However, the processing of refined grains removes the nutrient-rich bran and germ, leaving them lacking many of the heart-healthy nutrients found in wholegrains. It's refined grains that give carbs a bad name!

Refined grains include all sugars, white flour, white bread, white pasta, white rice and products made from white flour and sugars such as cakes, biscuits and pastry products.

Examples of wholegrains

There is a wide variety of wholegrains to choose from, allowing you to add different flavours and textures to all your dishes.

What are wholegrain products?

Wholegrain products are foods made with wholegrains which have been through some processing, but still have most of their nutrients. For example:

• wholemeal bread, wraps, pittas and chapatti
• wholegrain breakfast cereals such as wheat biscuits, wheat flakes, and oat flakes
• porridge oats
• wholewheat pasta
• wholewheat couscous
• wholemeal flour
• bulgur wheat
• rye bread and rye crackers
• oat cakes – choose reduced or low salt
• muesli – choose unsweetened unsweetened)
• popped corn – choose plain options, or options without salt and sugar.

How do I know if a food is wholegrain?

The definition of 'wholegrain food' varies from country to country, but most agree that a food is wholegrain if more than half of the ingredients in it are 'wholegrain'.

There is no universal labelling in the UK and wholegrain products have different names. Try these tips to help you choose wholegrain options.  

• Look for the word ‘whole’ in front of the product name. For example, wholewheat pasta and wholemeal bread.
• Check the ingredients list and make sure the grains are first to appear. If the grain is lower down the list, it may only contain a small amount.
• All varieties of the following grains are always wholegrain:
  • oats
  • wild, red, black, and brown rice
  • buckwheat
  • quinoa
  • bulgur wheat
  • millet
• Hulled or hull-less barley are wholegrains. Pearl barley has had some or all of its outer bran removed, but it is healthier than other refined grains.
• Dark rye flour is a whole grain. Light rye flour has had some of the bran removed but is still a healthy option as it contains more fibre than most refined grains.

What is multigrain?

Multigrain is not the same as wholegrain. It means that the product contains more than one type of grain, but it’s not necessarily wholegrain. It’s a good idea to check the labels to make sure the product is wholegrain.

Watch out for added sugar, salt and fat

Some wholegrain products, like crackers and breakfast cereals, can have sugars, salt, and saturated fat added to them. Try to choose the product that’s closest to the natural grain and check the labels for salt, sugar and fat.

Why eat wholegrains?

Eating wholegrains regularly as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle can help support overall health. Their unique combination of key nutrients, fibre, and phytonutrients works together to promote heart health.

• Diets rich in wholegrains have been linked to better heart health, lower risk of type 2 diabetes and healthier body weight.
• Eating more wholegrains is a great way to get more fibre into your diet. This is important because many of us don’t eat the recommended 30g of fibre a day.
• Oats and barley are especially high in a type of fibre called beta-glucan which has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol if you eat enough of them. Find out more.
  

What about other healthy carbs?

Potatoes with the skin on, yams and plantains are also sources of fibre and energy. Keeping the skin on potatoes and small yams means they keep more of their fibre, vitamins and minerals.

There is a lot of confusion about carbs, but carbohydrates can be a great source of energy and nutrients for a heart healthy diet.

Find out more about healthy carbs