Whole grain

A cereal grain or grain food containing the bran, germ, and endosperm in their original proportions. These components may remain intact or be recombined after processing.

Bran: The fiber-rich outer layers of a cereal grain kernel, containing minerals and B vitamins. It is the kernel’s outer component retained in whole grains.
Whole-wheat flour: Flour milled from the entire wheat kernel, including bran, germ, and endosperm. It is a familiar whole-grain ingredient, though texture differs from refined flour.
Refined grain: A grain processed to remove some or all of its bran and germ. Its missing kernel components distinguish it from whole grain.
Dietary fiber: Carbohydrates and related substances that resist digestion in the human small intestine. Bran makes many whole-grain foods important sources of dietary fiber.
Germ: The embryo of a cereal grain, containing oils, protein, vitamins, and minerals. This embryo is preserved alongside bran and endosperm.
Brown rice: Rice with its bran layer and germ retained after the inedible hull is removed. It illustrates a whole grain sold as an intact kernel.
Enriched grain: A refined grain with selected nutrients added back after processing. Added nutrients do not restore the bran and germ removed during refining.
Whole-grain health effects: The effects of consuming whole-grain foods on health outcomes and disease risk. Research on these effects motivates dietary advice about whole grains.
Endosperm: The starchy tissue inside a cereal grain that supplies energy to the developing plant embryo. It remains present in both whole and refined grains.
Rolled oats: Oat groats steamed and flattened into flakes for cooking and food products. Flattening changes the grain’s form without removing its components.

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