Growing up, my mom made our bread; and usually used whole wheat flour for at least part of it. In fact, my dad made a wheat grinder from who-knows-what parts–he was extremely smart, grew up on a farm so had mechanical abilities too, and really enjoyed making something out of nothing (especially when it could save money). In my 20s, there was a whole grain “fad”, and while the effect has died down, we can still see some ramifications from it on the packages of bread in the store. As a kid, there was hardly any whole-wheat bread in the stores, as I can remember (of course, my mom didn’t buy bread except occasionally hot-dog buns or hoagie buns)–everything was made with enriched white flour.

Enriched–that’s good, right? Wrong. Most of the nutrition of a grain is in the bran and germ of the kernel (whether wheat, corn, rye, rice, etc.). The “white” part of the grain is just the starch–almost no nutrients whatsoever. Back in the early 1900s when white flour first became popular, it soon became obvious that people were suffering from nutritional deficiencies, and this was traced back to eating white bread instead of wheat; and specifically, certain vitamins and other substances that white flour naturally lacked. So, they continued making white flour, but put back a few of these nutrients, and then called it “enriched.” Compared to white flour, it was rich; compared to whole wheat flour, however, it was terribly poor. It’s kind of like a guy stealing your wallet with $1000 in it, and then handing you back $100. Sure, it’s better than nothing, but not near so good as the full grand. So, if you look on an ingredients list and see the word “enriched,” you can be pretty sure that it’s actually a poor source of nutrients.

But fast-forward to about 5-10 years ago, and the “whole grains” rage swept the nation. Not only was oatmeal revived as a wonderful breakfast, but bread makers all over the nation scrambled to make whole-wheat bread. The only problem was that most people didn’t like the flavor and texture. That’s nothing against whole-wheat bread–it’s just like anything else–it is an acquired taste. Most people don’t like wine, coffee, beer or tea when they first drink it, but most people do drink at least one of these beverages on a daily basis. So, you can learn to like the hearty, nutty, “earthy” taste of whole wheat bread.

Instead, most bread manufacturers started deceiving people. Not out-and-out lies–that would get the government on their backs–but deception none-the-less. (I quote from the wikipedia definition: “Deception is the act of convincing another to believe information that is not true, or not the whole truth as in certain types of half-truths.”) Walk down the bread aisle of your local grocery store and verify for yourself the information I give you–it might be quite an eye-opening experience. While there is still “white bread” for sale, most of the time you’ll see “wheat bread” for sale, in nice brown wrappers. Whole wheat bread, right? Wrong. It’s white bread. “But it says ‘wheat’!” you may object. Yes, it is made from wheat flour–flour that was made when wheat was ground; but it’s not whole wheat–it’s wheat flour as opposed to barley flour or rye flour….but it’s still “white flour.” What about “multi-grain”? They may have some whole grain in them, but you have to read the label to see how much whole grain it is. Chances are “wheat flour” is the top of the list (and remember that hint about “enriched” meaning stripped of most nutrients? you’ll probably see that word in this ingredients list too). Flour from oats, barley, or rye may be in there somewhere too, but these may not be made from the whole grain either–it may just be the starchy part, just like white flour. They might be whole grains, but in such small quantities that it doesn’t make the food healthy. Then there is the proclamation “made with whole wheat” on some breads. Surely these are whole-wheat breads, right? Wrong. It’s “made with whole wheat” and made from “not whole wheat” too. Again, you have to check the label to see for sure how much whole wheat and how much “enriched wheat flour” (that is, white flour) is in there. (I don’t know if there is some regulation that requires a minimum amount of whole wheat to be in the final product, in order for the manufacturer to label it “made with whole wheat”. If there’s not, then they could probably use as little as a couple of tablespoons of whole-wheat flour per loaf–and several cups of white flour–and still make this claim.)

In short, when you look at baked goods, or baking products to make your own breads and such, then you must read labels to know for sure if a thing is whole-grain or not. Oatmeal is–either quick oats or old-fashioned rolled oats; cornmeal is not–look at the label, which says “degerminated”; white flour is not; white rice is not; whole-wheat flour and brown rice are whole grains. Most barley is not whole-grain, but it is still generally healthful. The most common form of barley is “pearled” or “pot” barley, which is not a whole grain; you can get hulled barley, which is a whole grain, but it is not as common. Only if the label says that it is 100% whole wheat or whole grains is it actually whole-grain bread.