Whole grains are packed with vitamins and minerals, a protein content that matches human requirements, dietary fibre and an array of protective phytonutrients. Whole grains are one of the PCRM plant plate key food groups (whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit). They are on our plate at most meals, our favourites being rolled oats, brown rice, millet, corn tortillas and whole wheat pasta. The Australian dietary guidelines give an entire food group to “Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties”. It’s heartbreaking to see grains disparaged by low-carbers and relegated to discretionary calories by nutritionists.

Australian food consumption data is sketchy, but a 2024 ABS report reported that the proportion of whole grain and high-fibre grain products had fallen to 31.5% of grain consumption. We doubt it is this high. Perhaps this includes wholemeal bread products, most of which are less than 50% wholemeal. At a recent visit to our local supermarket, our favourite Coles pasta was out of stock, and there was not one brand of whole grain pasta in the entire pasta section.

On a more positive note, we came across a report on the Danish Whole Grain Partnership, a coalition of NGOs, government, and food industry representatives formed in 2008. The partnership has encouraged producers to add a little whole grain to everything, including pastries, cakes, and biscuits.  Consumers don’t notice the difference, and the Danish people are supportive of the program. By 2019, the Danish whole grain intake had increased from 36g to 82g per day. The Danish dietary guidelines now recommend 90g per day.

Whole grains (including wholemeal flour) include all edible parts of the grain, the bran, germ and the endosperm. Most of the nutrients are found in the bran and germ, while the endosperm contains most of the calories. Refined grains have lost most of the bran and germ components. This can make a big difference to your nutrient intake.

If there is one nutrient that Australians should be concerned about, it’s dietary fibre. Whole grains and legumes are the main dietary sources. Vegetables and fruits less so, because most of their weight is water. Whole grains provide a diversity of dietary fibre types that support a healthy gut microbiome, which produces protective substances like short-chain fatty acids, which nourish the gut lining and improve our metabolic health. Intact whole grains, such as brown rice, millet, and rolled oats, offer even greater benefits than flour products. Intact whole grains reduce the glycaemic load on the body by slowing the absorption of starches and deliver small, undigested fragments of starch to the colon’s microbiome. However, cohort studies still find that wholemeal bread consumption is associated with better health outcomes.

Whole grains have a moderate caloric density. In their uncooked or dried state, they come in at over 300kcal per 100g, but in their wet, cooked state, the caloric density is 125kcal/100g, the sweet spot for maintaining a healthy body weight. Contrast this to meat at over 200+kcal/100g or nuts at 600kcal/100g. Replacing grain flour with nut flour is a recipe for weight gain.

Whole grains, on average, have about the right proportion of protein to meet our daily protein requirements. On a protein per 100kcal basis, whole grains have about the same amount of protein as nuts. Whole grains, therefore, deserve a place in the dietary guideline protein group, alongside nuts and legumes.

Quinoa is not the only high-protein grain:

• Wheat 15% protein
• Oats 14% protein
• Quinoa 14% protein
• Brown rice 9% (Rice is a little lower)

The recommended protein intake is approximately  10% of calories.

Many other nutrients and phytonutrients are concentrated in the outer, bran layer of grains and are removed by processing. Whole grains are moderately high in minerals, including iron. Iron deficiency is common in Australia, most often affecting women, with similar prevalence in meat-eaters as vegetarians. We attribute this to the displacement of moderately high-iron content foods with calories derived from zero-iron foods, such as olive oil and sugar, as well as iron-absorption-blocking foods like dairy products and refined grains, which have been partially stripped of iron and other nutrients. You can’t out-eat the displacement principle. When you eat a portion of your calories from refined grains, you remove a portion of your calories that could have come from whole grains.

Nutrients in wholewheat pasta vs white pasta:

• Iron 3.9 g vs 1 g
• Zinc 1.4 g vs 0.6 g
• Fibre 9.9 g vs 3.2 g
• Calcium 63 mg vs 18 mg
• Magnesium 85 mg vs 30 mg

Refined grains are seriously nutrient-depleted.

Phytonutrients, also known as phytochemicals, are the thousands of health-supporting substances in plants that have a positive effect on our metabolism. Although not essential nutrients for life, they are vital for good health. When people think of phytonutrients, they usually think of greens and berries. Whole grains, while often beige, are packed with phytonutrients. We have mentioned how dietary fibre supports a healthy gut microbiome. Beta-glucan, a type of fibre found in oats and barley, binds to cholesterol (from food and bile), providing a pathway for cholesterol excretion. Whole wheat has a higher polyphenol content than extra virgin olive oil. There are dozens of other phytonutrients in whole grains that are known to have positive effects on our health and metabolism.

Nutritional research has consistently found that whole grains are associated with better health outcomes. (Those with coeliac disease must avoid the gluten-containing grains). For example, the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study (Huang et al 2015) found that, “Consumption of whole grains were inversely associated with risk of all-cause mortality and death from cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, respiratory disease, infections, and other causes.” This is not the only study to show that whole grains, which are high in carbohydrates, are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Some examples of whole grains that we eat:

• Rolled oats (porridge, cookies or granola)
• Brown rice, red & black rice
• Millet (boiled intact grain)
• Maize (tortillas, corn on the cob)
• Buckwheat (boiled intact grain, flour
• Sorghum (boiled intact grain)
• Wholemeal bread
• Whole wheat pasta
• Whole wheat flour (used in baking or pancakes)

Whole grains are a core food group on the WFPB plate, along with legumes, vegetables, and fruit. Whole grains have only ever been associated with less chronic disease and better health outcomes. Enjoy them every day. Try a few different grains for variety. Choose whole grains over refined grains. Enjoy them as part of your favourite cuisines.

We presented a Facebook livestream on whole grains on 11^th May 2025. You can watch the recording on our YouTube channel here – The healthfulness of whole grains

References

• Dixon, R. (2025, 23 April ). The wholegrain revolution! How Denmark changed the diet – and health – of their entire nation. The Guardian.
• Huang, T., Xu, M., Lee, A., Cho, S., & Qi, L. (2015). Consumption of whole grains and cereal fiber and total and cause-specific mortality: Prospective analysis of 367,442 individuals. BMC Medicine, 13(1), 59.
• Kyro, C., Tjonneland, A., Overvad, K., Olsen, A., & Landberg, R. (2018). Higher whole-grain intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes among middle-aged men and women: The Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort. Journal of Nutrition, 148(9), 1434-1444..
• Liu, R. H. (2007). Whole grain phytochemicals and health. Journal of Cereal Science, 46(3), 207-219.
• Tang, G., Wang, D., Long, J., Yang, F., & Si, L. (2015). Meta-analysis of the association between whole grain intake and coronary heart disease risk. American Journal of Cardiology, 115(5), 625-629.
• Wu, H., Flint, A. J., Qi, Q., van Dam, R. M., Sampson, L. A., Rimm, E. B., . . . Sun, Q. (2015). Association between dietary whole grain intake and risk of mortality: two large prospective studies in US men and women. JAMA Intern Med, 175(3), 373-384.

Page created 31 May 2025
Page last updated 11 July 2025