A History Of Refined Grains

I became interested in this topic when I worked as a nutrition educator for a non-profit organization. One of my clients asked me, “If we are supposed to be eating more whole grains because it is healthier, why do refined grains exist?” An excellent question, that I was not equipped to answer at the time. Whole grains nutritional value is significantly reduced when processed. Many B vitamins, minerals like iron and fiber are stripped away. Manufacturers compensate by enriching these products, this means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added after processing; however, fiber is not.

Why do we enrich our grains and eliminate the parts that offers the most nutrients?

Part of the answer can be found in the book, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond. The author talks about the cultivation of crops including whole grains that have been a dietary staple to the world's population for millennia.

Grains become more edible and more digestible when processed. This requires milling to remove indigestible outer hulls and grinding grain. Before milling became an industry, it was discovered that less-coarse flour could be obtained by sifting ground grains. Sifting required more time than regular meal or flour, making it more expensive. This meant that only the wealthy could afford the refined bread made with it. Attributing to its status symbol, refined bread was lighter in color. Unrefined darker color bread was considered to be only suitable for the lower class and slaves.

By 50 C.E. bread made from sifted flour was beginning to be produced in larger masses. The milling process became more advanced with the invention of watermills and windmills. When the roller mill was invented in the early 1870s, which operated at higher speeds, tons of flour could be produced with less manpower. This meant that refined flour was no longer a luxury.

So why do we continue to refine our grains?

ChooseMyPlate was introduced along with updated USDA food patterns for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In incorporated different shape to help grab consumers’ attention with a new visual cue.

In a short answer, old habits die hard. In 1992 the U.S. government released the Food Pyramid Guide, which did not focus on consuming whole grains, but rather consuming an adequate amount of grains in the diet. In 2005, the Pyramid was updated to include whole grains. By 2011, the Pyramid was revised to the MyPlate. Although whole grains are encouraged, the USDA recommends making at least half of your grains whole grain. In addition, the shelf life of refined grains is extended, making it more available, more convenient and less expensive. It can also be due to personal taste and preference. I am not saying it will be easy to make the change, but it is possible. I grew up eating white bread and white pasta, but I prefer whole grain bread and whole grain pasta now. I think a great start is to try to incorporate more whole grains in the diet. After all, the USDA is only suggesting to make half your grains whole grain because they know it won’t be easy to revert to the old days when refined grains did not exist.

So how do you distinguish between refined and whole grains? In my next post I will talk about how to recognize refined grains and whole grains.

References:

A Brief History of USDA Food Guides. Choose MyPlate. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/brief-history-usda-food-guides . Published November 30, 2018. Accessed August 12, 2019.

All about the Grains Group. Choose MyPlate. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains . Published July 18, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2019

Diamond JM. Guns, Germs, and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company; 2017.