wholemeal or wholegrain bread?

frosty66

which is better and whats the difference?

huskerdu

I am not sure if either term is protected, so it can mean anything,
They both kinda mean the same thing - that the entire grain was used
in making the flour, as opposed to removing the germ and bran to get
white flour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wholewheat

http://www.odlums.ie/index.php?page=wholemeal-flour

Wholegrain bread or wholemeal bread contains wholemeal flour or some amount of wholegrains, but may only contain a small amount. You would need to read the ingredients list to find out more.

A bread might describe itself as "Containing wholegrains" but only contain a small amount of wholegrain and be mostly made of refined white flour.

marcus2000

huskerdu wrote: »

They both kinda mean the same thing - that the entire grain was used
in making the flour, as opposed to removing the germ and bran to get
white flour.

So white bread/rice is similar to wholegrain bread/rice except the flour used to make it has had its germ and bran removed???

So is the difference between white and wholegrain simply the good stuff has been removed, rather than white being just a hell of a lot worse for you?

blatantrereg

I think they use the terms interchangeably.
Most bread is crap. White bread is about as good for you as cake.
I get Seán's wholegrain quarter soda bread which is only wholegrain flour, buttermilk, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Not sure how widely available it is. There are a few different breads by the same brand and most of them do have processed flour in them too - but this particular one does not.
Most wholemeal breads have processed flour in them too, as Huskerdu indicates, often as their main ingredient, and often in the breads you think least likely.
Some even have hydrogenated vegetable oil in them, which is especially bad for you and official recommendations are to avoid it altogether - there is no "safe" limit to consumption of it.