Many people say that whole wheat is healthier than white flour. And sometimes when people go on diets they cut out white flour, but haven't you ever wondered what white flour is made of and why it's so "unhealthy"? Well, here you go...A wheat kernel is composed of 3 parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm (kinda fun how it rhymes, right?) Let's break these down.
The bran (wheat bran) is about 14% of the kernel. It contains most of the fiber and some vitamins and a little incomplete protein. It's like the peel of the kernel.
The germ (wheat germ) is less than 3% of the kernel, but it contains almost ALL of its nutrients. The germ is the seed and contains the stuff to grow new life.
The endosperm is 83% of the wheat kernel!! It is almost all starch and contains minute amounts of nutrients. This is what white flour is made of.
This is why 1. white flour is used in more things; because it doesn't have any nutrients it has a virtually infinite shelf life, and 2. people say whole wheat is healthier, because it's made from the germ of the kernel, where all the nutrients are.
Pretty cool huh?
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