Health officials love whole grains. In the US, dietary guidelines recommend that at least half of a person’s total grain intake be whole grains, and to “limit the intake of refined grains”. In the UK, the National Health Service says that starches should account for about a third of a person’s food intake, and that a person “choose high fiber or whole grain varieties”.
But are whole grains really superior to refined grain products like white rice, bread and pasta?
They certainly have health benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, whole grains can help control cholesterol levels, weight and blood pressure, and can help lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
That doesn’t mean refined grains need to be entirely avoided, experts say. In fact, focusing too much on specific foods and nutrients rather than one’s overall health and lifestyle can have more deleterious effects than eating a slice of white bread.
Here’s what you need to know about whole grains versus refined grains.
What is the difference between whole grains and refined grains?
Grains are the edible, dry seeds of grasses grown for food. Every whole-grain kernel is made up of three components, explains Dena Champion, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner medical center: a hard outer coating known as bran, a small core known as the germ and a large, starchy middle layer called endosperm.
When a whole-grain kernel is processed to make a refined grain, like white flour, it is stripped of the germ and bran, leaving only the endosperm. The endosperm is the largest component of whole grain, but it also contains the fewest nutrients. Removing the germ and bran from grains also removes significant amounts of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Generally, this processing is performed to create softer flavors and textures, says Champion. Think of the light, fluffy mouthfeel of white bread as compared with the dense texture of whole rye bread.
What are the benefits of whole grains?
Whole grains contain more nutrients overall than refined grains. And the superstar nutrient? Fiber.
The fiber in whole grains helps improve digestive health by supporting gut bacteria and regular bowel movements, says Dr Lisa R Young, adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. It also helps the body control blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing one’s risk of diabetes. Fiber also keeps you fuller for longer, Young says.
Additionally, as registered dietitian Ashli Greenwald told Johns Hopkins Medicine, whole grains contain phytonutrients, which are plant-based compounds that can reduce inflammation and may reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Some whole grains can also be “good sources of protein”, she says.
What are the risks of a diet high in refined grains?
By contrast, one of the biggest risks of a diet high in processed and refined grains is not getting adequate fiber, says Champion. “Most Americans are not consuming enough fiber, and consuming more whole grains can have a big impact,” she says.
According to the American Society for Nutrition, only 7% of American adults meet current fiber-intake recommendations: 14g of fiber per 1,000 calories.
Products made with refined grains are also more likely to be highly processed and to contain added sugar, saturated fat and sodium, Champion says – “for example, a packaged pastry”.
Due to the lower levels of fiber and higher levels of highly processed ingredients, diets rich in refined grains are more likely to lead to poor gut health, increased blood sugar spikes and increased inflammation, says Young.
Should you avoid eating white rice, bread and pasta?
Refined grain products have been demonized in the era of low-carb diet culture. But they are a staple of many cultural cuisines – sushi rice in Japan, for example, or baguettes in France. These cultures “often have better health markers than the US”, Young notes. She adds that these refined grains are merely one part of lifestyles that tend to include smaller portion sizes, less ultra-processed food, more balanced meals and more physical activity.
One’s overall diet is more important for health than any single food, experts say. “No one needs to consume 100% whole grains 100% of the time,” Champion says. In general, she says, a healthy diet contains “whole grains more often than refined, lots of fruit and vegetables and plenty of fiber”.
The low-carb diet craze of the 90s and early aughts was “more about restricting than swapping or diversifying our diets”, says Malak Saddy, a registered and licensed dietitian. “If you wanted to have carbs, you could only have whole grains,” she recalls. As wonderful as whole grains can be, you “can also find those nutrients in fruits and vegetables”.
It’s important not to oversell the promise of whole grains. As Saddy notes, diet is only one component of overall health.
“If you don’t have access to food, or a safe place to sleep, or you’re not financially stable and don’t have a support system, then you can eat as many whole grains as you want and you still won’t receive the benefits of it,” she says. “Those other determinants are impacting you way more.”
What’s more, refined grain products can often be more affordable than whole grain foods. A loaf of Ezekiel sprouted grain bread costs about $8, for example, while a loaf of classic white Wonder Bread costs just over $3.
Whole grains and refined grains need to be morally neutralized, Saddy says.
“It becomes a sense of elitism: because I eat whole grains, I am better than you,” she says. This attitude, she argues, creates a dynamic that can contribute to disordered eating patterns where some foods are deemed good and others bad. “That is much more harmful to our health than just eating the white rice or the white tortilla,” she says.
How do you identify whole grain foods when shopping?
Terms like “multigrain”, “wheat” or “made with whole grains” can be clever ways companies try to make products seem whole grain when they’re not, says Young.
Instead, experts say, one should look at nutrition labels to determine a product’s ingredients and fiber content. Ingredients like “whole wheat” or “100% whole grain” should be named first on the list of ingredients, Young says. And a true whole grain product should contain at least 3g of fiber.
One can also buy unprocessed whole grains – for example, quinoa, farro, oats or brown and black rice.
