Nutritional Content of Whole Grains
VS Their Refined Flours
It is a generally understood fact that several nutrients are removed from grains as they are refined into flours. A nutritional study from information compiled by the USDA and down loaded from the fatfree.com was made to see if this was so and found the following:
Refined Flour made from Wheat:
- The calorie content of refined white flour actually increases about 10% because of everything else that has been taken out.
- An average of 66% of the B vitamins have been removed.
- An average of 70% of all minerals have been removed.
- 79% of the fiber has been removed.
- An average of 19% of the protein has been removed.
Most refined flours made from wheat are fortified. Let's take a look at the nutritional content of fortified flours:
- The B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin and niacin have been added to enriched flours giving an average of 230% of these vitamins over hard red wheat.
- Most of the vitamins B6 and folacin has been removed in refined flour. These two nutrients are already fairly low in wheat and aren't generally fortified in enriched flour.
- Of 9 minerals, Calcium, phosphorus, and iron are the only minerals that are fortified in refined flour. And of them, it is not a sure thing that even each of these minerals will be fortified. Check the label before you buy.
- Mention should be made about chelation. The minerals that have been taken out are chelated, or wrapped in protein. In their chelated form, these minerals are easily absorbed by our bodies. As chelated minerals are expensive, I would expect the minerals that have been added back in are not chelated, and therefore have a very low ratio of absorbtion by our digestive systems.
Summary: In the flour refinement process, except for the carbohydrates, most of the nutrients are removed. To give us confidence in their products, it is sold as fortified flour. Yet the refined flour we buy, except for the few nutrients they choose to fortify, has far fewer nutrients than the wheat it was born from. When we eat white flour, we are eating a nutrient poor food that happens to be fortified in some areas. It is questionable that the nutrients they do fortify are as natural or health promoting as the nutrients they took out of the wheat during the refinement process.
Cornmeal fares much better during the refinement process than flour made from wheat. As it is less refined than wheat flour, most of the nutrients have been left in:
- 20% of the protein has been removed.
- 19% of the W3 and W6 essential fatty acids have been removed. Getting the essential fatty acids is one of the big reasons for eating corn.
- 70-100% of the fiber has been removed.
- 31% of the B vitamins have been removed. Depending on the cornmeal you buy, B vitamins may have also been fortified by an average of 180%.
- The same is generally true for the minerals. On average 20% of the minerals that have been taken out, but a greater quantity of minerals have been added.
Summary: Cornmeal isn't harmed significantly by the refinement process and is still a healthy food. Probably the biggest drawback to cornmeal, however, isn't what has been taken out, but rather what has been left in: the oleic acid (18:1) and linoleic acid (18:2/n6). These are fats, of which linoleic acid is especially good for us and is one of the two essential fatty acids we must get from our diets. Cornmeal contains by weight 2 and1/2% of these two fats. So how can eating an oil that is so good for us be bad? Nothing if the corn has been freshly ground. However, these fatty acids oxidize and go rancid rather quickly and are less than nutritious when eaten rancid. The rancidity also destroys the flavor of the meal. Grind your corn fresh and you will be surprised at how delicious it is compared to the cornmeal pulled from the grocery shelves.
Triticale and Buckwheat Flour:
Both of these flours have not been significantly harmed by the refinement process and retain 85-100% of the nutrients found in the seed they were made from.
Rye flour didn't manage so well.
- 36% of the protein has been removed.
- 40% of the B vitamins have been removed.
- The Minerals: Rye flour did better here, only losing an average of 11%.
Below you will find abbreviated nutritional data for white flour, cornmeal, triticale, buckwheat and rye flour. In each table the nutritional content of the flour or meal has been compared to the whole grains they came from and are displayed as a percentage of the nutritional content of the whole grain. For example, the first row and column in the white flour table shows white unenriched flour contains 111.3 percent of the calories found in wheat. Be aware, the flour has been fortified with a nutrient any time you find a number well over 100 percent. If you find these tables interesting, all the numbers used to calculate this data can be downloaded in spreadsheet text and comma format. You should be able to import this csv file into any spreadsheet. (8K zip file)
Nutritional Percentage of Different Refined Wheat
Flours Compared to Hard Red Winter Wheat
Flour Flour Flour
White White Flour White
All-Pur All-Pur White All-Pur
Un- SelfRis Bread Enriched
Nutrient Enriched Enriched Enriched Bleached
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Food energy 111.3% 108.3% 110.4% 111.3%
Protein 81.9% 78.4% 95.0% 81.9%
Total lipid (fat) 63.6% 63.0% 107.8% 63.6%
Carbohydrate, by diff. 107.2% 104.3% 101.9% 107.2%
Total saturated fat 57.6% 57.2% 90.7% 57.6%
Ttl monounsaturated fat 43.5% 43.0% 70.0% 43.5%
Ttl polyunsaturated fat 65.9% 65.4% 115.9% 65.9%
Cholesterol Not applicable2
Sodium 100.0% 63500.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Total dietary fiber 21.4% 26.2% 19.0% 21.4%
Vitamin A Not applicable2
Ascorbic acid Not applicable2
Thiamin 31.3% 176.0% 212.0% 205.0%
Riboflavin 34.8% 360.0% 445.2% 429.6%
Niacin 22.9% 106.7% 138.3% 108.1%
Vitamin B6 14.7% 16.7% 12.3% 14.7%
Folacin 68.4% 110.5% 76.3% 68.4%
Vitamin B12 Not applicable2
Potassium 29.5% 34.2% 27.5% 29.5%
Calcium 51.7% 1165.5% 51.7% 51.7%
Phosphorus 37.5% 206.6% 33.7% 37.5%
Magnesium 17.5% 15.1% 19.8% 17.5%
Iron 36.7% 146.4% 138.2% 145.5%
Zinc 26.4% 23.4% 32.1% 26.4%
Pantothenic acid 45.9% 45.9% 45.9% 45.9%
Copper 33.2% 25.8% 41.9% 33.2%
Manganese 17.1% 0.0% 19.9% 17.1%
Ash 29.9% 275.8% 29.9% 29.9%
Water 91.0% 80.8% 102.0% 91.0%
Food energy 111.3% 108.2% 110.4% 111.3%
Myristic acid (14:0) 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% 0.0%
Palmitic acid (16:0) 63.2% 94.0% 93.2% 63.2%
Stearic acid(18:0) 53.8% 53.8% 76.9% 53.8%
Palmitoleic acid(16:1) 0.0% 1075.0% 62.5% 0.0%
Oleic acid(18:1) 45.3% 202.1% 70.3% 45.3%
Linoleic acid (18:2/n6) 65.2% 3.7% 114.2% 65.2%
Linolenic acid(18:3/n3) 81.5% 81.5% 159.3% 81.5%
Histidine 80.7% 77.2% 89.1% 80.7%
Isoleucine 77.9% 74.7% 96.9% 77.9%
Leucine 83.1% 79.6% 97.0% 83.1%
Lysine 68.1% 65.4% 69.0% 68.1%
Methionine 91.0% 87.1% 104.5% 91.0%
Cystine 68.0% 65.2% 83.5% 68.0%
Methionine+Cystine 76.9% 73.6% 91.6% 76.9%
Phenylalanine 87.8% 84.1% 99.8% 87.8%
Tyrosine 80.6% 77.0% 84.8% 80.6%
Phenylalanine+Tyrosine 85.0% 81.3% 93.9% 85.0%
Threonine 77.0% 73.7% 87.7% 77.0%
Tryptophan 79.4% 75.6% 86.9% 79.4%
Valine 74.6% 71.4% 90.3% 74.6%
Arginine 70.1% 67.1% 69.9% 70.1%
Alanine 73.8% 70.4% 81.3% 73.8%
Aspartic acid 68.0% 65.0% 75.6% 68.0%
Glutamic acid 87.0% 83.3% 105.0% 87.0%
Glycine 70.3% 67.4% 77.7% 70.3%
Serine 88.1% 84.3% 99.0% 88.1%
Nutritional Percentage of Cornmeals
Compared to Yellow Dent Corn
Corn Flour Cornmeal
Whole Self rising
Grain Bolted Plain
Yellow/ Enriched
Nutrient Yellow Yellow
-----------------------------------------------
Food energy 98.9% 91.5%
Protein 73.6% 87.9%
Total lipid (fat) 81.4% 71.7%
Carbohydrate, by diff 103.5% 94.6%
Total saturated fat 81.4% 71.7%
Ttl monounsaturated fat 81.4% 71.7%
Ttl polyunsaturated fat 81.3% 71.7%
Cholesterol Not applicable2
Sodium 14.3% 3562.9%
Total dietary fiber 28.5% 0.0%
Vitamin A 100.0% 100.0%
Vitamin A 100.0% 100.0%
Ascorbic acid Not applicable2
Thiamin 63.9% 171.7%
Riboflavin 39.8% 199.0%
Niacin 52.4% 145.9%
Vitamin B6 59.5% 86.8%
Folacin 131.6% 300.0%
Vitamin B12 Not applicable2
Potassium 109.8% 88.9%
Calcium 100.0% 5157.1%
Phosphorus 129.5% 382.9%
Magnesium 73.2% 67.7%
Iron 87.8% 212.5%
Zinc 78.3% 90.5%
Pantothenic acid 155.2% 100.2%
Copper 73.2% 47.8%
Manganese 94.8% 102.7%
Ash 120.8% 454.2%
Water 105.2% 121.4%
Food energy 99.0% 91.6%
Palmitic acid (16:0) 81.4% 71.7%
Stearic acid(18:0) 81.3% 72.0%
Palmitoleic acid(16:1) 75.0% 75.0%
Oleic acid(18:1) 81.4% 71.7%
Linoleic acid (18:2/n6) 81.4% 71.7%
Linolenic acid(18:3/n3) 81.5% 72.3%
Histidine 73.5% 88.2%
Isoleucine 73.6% 87.8%
Leucine 73.6% 87.9%
Lysine 73.6% 87.9%
Methionine 73.6% 88.3%
Cystine 73.5% 87.6%
Methionine+Cystine 73.6% 88.0%
Phenylalanine 73.4% 87.9%
Tyrosine 73.6% 88.0%
Phenylalanine+Tyrosine 73.5% 87.9%
Threonine 73.7% 87.9%
Tryptophan 73.1% 86.6%
Valine 73.6% 87.8%
Arginine 73.4% 87.9%
Alanine 73.5% 87.9%
Aspartic acid 73.6% 87.9%
Glutamic acid 73.5% 87.9%
Glycine 73.6% 87.8%
Serine 73.6% 87.9%
Nutritional Percentage of Triticale, Buckwheat & Rye Flour Compared to the whole grains they came from.
Buck-Triticale Wheat Rye
Nutrient Flour Flour Flour
--------------------------------------------------------
Food energy 100.6% 97.7% 105.7%
Protein 101.0% 95.2% 63.6%
Total lipid (fat) 86.6% 91.2% 70.8%
Carbohydrate, by diff. 101.4% 98.7% 111.1%
Total saturated fat 86.9% 91.4% 69.0%
Ttl monounsaturated fat 86.7% 91.3% 68.6%
Ttl polyunsaturated fat 87.0% 91.3% 68.8%
Cholesterol Not applicable2
Sodium 40.0% 1100.0% 50.0%
Total dietary fiber 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Vitamin A Not applicable2
Alpha tocopherol 22.2% ? % 61.7%
Ascorbic acid Not applicable2
Thiamin 90.9% 412.9% 90.8%
Riboflavin 98.5% 44.7% 45.4%
Niacin 200.0% 87.6% 40.4%
Vitamin B6 292.0% 277.1% 91.2%
Folacin 101.4% 180.0% 31.7%
Vitamin B12 Not applicable2
Potassium 140.4% 125.4% 128.8%
Calcium 94.6% 227.8% 72.7%
Phosphorus 89.7% 97.1% 55.3%
Magnesium 117.7% 108.7% 62.0%
Iron 100.8% 184.5% 79.4%
Zinc 77.1% 130.0% 53.4%
Pantothenic acid 163.8% 35.7% 33.8%
Copper 122.3% 46.8% 63.8%
Manganese 130.4% 156.2% 203.7%
Ash 83.0% 121.0% 74.3%
Water 95.2% 114.4% 90.0%
Food energy 100.6% 97.7% 105.7%
Myristic acid (14:0) 88.9% 92.0% 66.7%
Palmitic acid (16:0) 86.9% 91.3% 69.0%
Stearic acid(18:0) 87.1% 91.5% 66.7%
Palmitoleic acid(16:1) 88.9% 91.3% 70.0%
Oleic acid(18:1) 86.5% 91.3% 68.6%
Gadoleic acid (20:1) 86.7% 91.7% 69.2%
Linoleic acid (18:2/n6) 86.9% 91.3% 68.8%
Linolenic acid(18:3/n3) 86.9% 91.0% 68.8%
Histidine 101.0% 95.1% 56.9%
Isoleucine 101.0% 95.2% 65.9%
Leucine 101.0% 95.2% 66.2%
Lysine 101.1% 95.2% 53.7%
Methionine 101.0% 95.3% 56.5%
Cystine 101.1% 95.2% 56.2%
Methionine+Cystine 101.0% 95.3% 56.3%
Phenylalanine 100.9% 95.2% 70.5%
Tyrosine 101.0% 95.4% 54.6%
Phenylalanine+Tyrosine 101.0% 95.3% 65.2%
Threonine 101.0% 95.3% 61.1%
Tryptophan 100.6% 95.3% 68.8%
Valine 101.0% 95.3% 62.9%
Arginine 101.0% 95.2% 52.3%
Alanine 101.0% 95.2% 54.6%
Aspartic acid 101.1% 95.1% 54.9%
Glutamic acid 101.0% 95.2% 71.6%
Glycine 101.1% 95.2% 51.1%
Serine 101.0% 95.2% 75.0%
References:
1: All data was computed from USDA data downloaded from the fatfree.com
2: Data not applicatable because the whole grains the flour came from contains none of this nutrient.