The wheat kernel is the seed of the wheat plant and is a storehouse of food used and needed by man for thousands of years. Each tiny seed has three parts: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ.   The endosperm is the largest part of the kernel and takes up 83% of the kernel’s mass. This is the area where the starch is stored and where the largest amount of flour comes from. The endosperm contains carbohydrates, protein, iron, and B-complex vitamins.

The wheat bran is the outer coat of the kernel and, is a very good source of fiber. It comprises about 14.5% of the kernel’s mass. It contains protein, B-complex vitamins, and indigestible cellulose material also called dietary fiber. It is included in whole-wheat flour.

The wheat germ is the sprouting section of the wheat kernel. It makes up about 2.5% of the total kernel mass. The germ also contains a great deal of B-complex vitamins and trace minerals.

Whole Grain Bread: The Healthier Choice

When a product contains whole grains, such as oats, whole wheat, and rye, all of the grain, except for the non-edible husk, is used. In comparison, white bread is a refined product, which means that most of the nutritional parts of the grain kernel (the bran and germ) are removed. This leaves mostly the starchy remains, which bake into a fluffy loaf. To increase whiteness, volume and shelf life, various bleaches, bromates, and additives are often added.

The problem occurs when you remove these grain parts, you also remove nutrients such as iron, zinc, fiber, and B vitamins. Because of these nutrient losses, white bread must be fortified with Iron and the B vitamins--thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate. However, only these five nutrients are added back, without synergy from dozens of missing nutrients, and also not in the proportions found in the original grains.

Additionally, other nutrients are lost in this refining process but are not replaced. For example, enriched white bread has only 24 percent of the fiber, 36 percent of the zinc, 18 percent of the vitamin B6, and 23 percent of the magnesium found in whole-grain bread.

Not only are nutrients being lost, but also phytochemicals. The US Department of Agriculture data lists 99 phytochemicals in wheat. Phytochemical is a collective name given to health-promoting substances naturally occurring in minute amounts in whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts and vegetables. These phytochemicals are said to prevent 114 disease complications. The vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals found in whole wheat produce nutritional synergy that can’t be duplicated by white flour. (The Whole Truth, Rise Rafferty, Weimar Institute Newsletter, Sept./Oct. 2000).

"Kernels of Truth" about Whole Grains

• Whole grain foods are an important source of folic acid, an essential nutrient in preventing neural tube birth defects.

• One bushel of wheat contains approximately one million individual wheat kernels.