Health Talk: Multi-Grain vs Whole Grain

Each week Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, of the American Institute for Cancer Research addresses one diet/cancer related question.

This Week: What’s the difference between “multi-grain” and “whole grain”?

Collins: Multi-grain simply indicates that a product is made from more than one kind of grain. It is not the same thing as whole grain. For example, multi-grain bread could be made from a combination of wheat, oats and barley. The term does not give any information about whether the grains included are whole grains or refined grains. No matter how many grains are used, if the bran and germ of the grain are removed, much of the fiber, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B-6 and vitamin E are lost. Natural phytochemicals that may help fight inflammation and reduce cancer development are also gone.

Checking to see if a multi-grain product is a whole grain can be challenging!

Check the ingredient list and look for the term “whole.” If all grains listed are whole grains (for example, whole grain wheat, rolled oats or brown rice), then it is a 100 percent whole-grain product. Also, look at the front of the package. If it says 100 percent whole grain, then it is. The official yellow Whole Grain stamp is also on foods indicating that they contain 100 percent or a half serving of whole grains.

Higher fiber can be a sign of whole-grain content, but if the fiber comes from added bran or isolated fiber (e.g., inulin, polydextrose polyols, wheat dextrin), it’s not bringing along the other healthful components of whole grains.

The ingredient list also provides some information on how many whole grains are included. If one or more whole grains are listed first, followed by one refined grain, then although this is not completely whole grain, the product offers more nutrition than something made only of refined grains.

The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.