• Wheat, the most common grain found in breads and cereals.Wheat image by Winks from Fotolia.com
  
  Grain foods, bread, cereal, rice and pasta provide the main source of fuel for your brain and muscles. Grain products fall into one of two subgroups, whole grains and refined grains. A grain kernel or seed contains four parts. Grains processed for use in food products have the inedible hull or outer covering removed. The bran containing B vitamins and fiber, the starchy endosperm and the germ, which contains antioxidants and fat, make up the remaining three parts.
  
  

Bread Products

• Bread products and bakery items, produced with whole grains or refined flours, include items processed with and without yeast such as breads, buns, muffins, bagels, cakes and cookies. To prevent birth defects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations published in the Federal Register, March 1996, require "specific enriched cereal-grain products to require the addition of folic acid," a form of folate, which is a B vitamin. This regulation applies to refined breads, flours, rice, macaroni and other products. According to FoodConsumer.org, although the enrichment process adds back some of the lost vitamins and minerals, enriched refined grains remain nutritionally inferior to whole grain products.
  
  

Cereal

• Cereals in the whole grain group have a higher fiber and nutritional content. The ability of fiber to aid the metabolic process makes it a major dietary component. According to DrMirkin.com, the refining process of grains used in the majority of children's cereals increases the sugar content and decreases fiber and protein. In April 2008, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association published the results of a study by Marlene B. Schwartz, Ph.D. et al, indicating, "The majority of children's cereals (66%) failed to meet national nutrition standards."
  
  

Rice and Pasta

• Brown rice contains the whole grain, while white rice goes through a refining process. The pasta group contains macaroni and noodles made with grains such as wheat, buckwheat, rice and barley. While most pasta is processed from refined wheat, whole grain pasta provides additional nutritional benefits. According to Joy Bauer, nutritionist with the Today show on MSNBC, pasta made with whole grains contains more fiber making it denser, heavier and more filling than pasta made with refined flour.