WHAT ARE REFINED & ENRICHED GRAINS?
Whole grains become refined or enriched when one or more parts of the grain have been removed. Nutrition expert and registered dietitian Jenna Gorham says, “Refined grains are processed to remove the germ and bran part of the grain. They do this to get a softer texture and to expand the shelf life, but it actually removes quite a bit of nutrients.” For example, when the bran and the germ are removed from a whole grain during refinement, roughly 25% of the protein naturally occurring in the grain is removed. Nutrients can be added back into a grain, creating an enriched grain. However, an enriched grain will contain less than half of the nutrients removed during refinement.