Many popular grain-based products, from pizza dough to pastries, originate from wheat berries. From there, these grains are often stripped of nutrients, ground into white flour, highly processed, and sold on the shelves of local supermarkets.
These highly processed foods may not be particularly healthy, but they're rich in fiber, protein, and essential nutrients that are important for everything from maintaining your heart to maximizing bone strength.
What Are Wheat Berries?
The wheat berry, also known as wheatberry, is the whole grain form of wheat, containing the wheat germ, bran, and endosperm. Refined grains, on the other hand, are stripped of the nutrient-rich bran and germ during processing, resulting in a final product that is lower in essential vitamins and minerals.Due to its composition, the wheat berry is rich in protein, fiber, and micronutrients, offering numerous health benefits. It can be cooked and added to various dishes, ground into wheat flour, or grown into wheatgrass, a popular health food found in juices and supplements.
The modern milling process, which removes the germ and bran, is a relatively new method. Originally, stone mills were used to grind grains between stones, preserving their nutritional quality. However, the invention of roller mills during the Industrial Revolution led to the removal of the bran and germ, resulting in a product with fewer nutrients and health benefits.
By choosing whole wheat products like wheat berries, you can ensure that you are getting the full nutritional benefits of these whole grains.
Wheat Berry Nutrition Facts
Wheat berries are rich in fiber, manganese, and zinc, as well as various essential vitamins and minerals. The nutritional content may vary slightly depending on the specific type of wheat berries used, but most varieties share similar profiles. For instance, a quarter-cup serving of 100 percent organic einkorn wheat berries (approximately 48 grams) provides about:
- Calories: 170
- Total Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Total Fat: 1.5 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Manganese: 1.4 mg (61% DV*)
- Zinc: 2.3 mg (21% DV)
- Phosphorus: 200 mg (16% DV)
- Magnesium: 60 mg (14% DV)
- Niacin: 2 mg (13% DV)
- Vitamin B6: 0.2 mg (12% DV)
*Daily Value: Percentages are based on a diet of 2,000 calories a day.
In addition to the nutrients mentioned above, wheat berries also contain copper, folate, selenium, potassium, pantothenic acid, thiamine, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin A, and vitamin E.
Benefits
1. Promoting Regularity
Wheat berries are a rich source of fiber, providing up to 24 percent of your daily fiber needs in just a quarter-cup serving. Fiber plays a crucial role in various aspects of health, particularly in supporting the digestive system.
When consumed, fiber moves through the gastrointestinal tract slowly and undigested, aiding in adding bulk to stool and promoting regular bowel movements. A review published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology examined the findings of five studies, demonstrating that increasing fiber intake in individuals with constipation effectively increased stool frequency.
Dietary fiber may also offer benefits for other digestive conditions and has been shown to help protect against intestinal ulcers, assist in the management of Crohn's disease, and improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Due to their high fiber content, wheat berries may have a positive impact on heart health. Fiber has been demonstrated to lower cholesterol levels, which can help prevent the accumulation of fat in the arteries, optimize blood flow, and maintain overall heart health.
In a study conducted in Seattle, taking a fiber supplement for 51 weeks resulted in a 12.1 percent reduction in bad LDL cholesterol and an 8.5 percent decrease in triglycerides, without affecting beneficial HDL cholesterol. Additionally, a study involving nearly 10,000 adults from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans found that a higher intake of fiber was linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
Elevated blood sugar levels can contribute to various negative symptoms associated with diabetes, such as increased thirst, fatigue, and headaches. Prolonged high blood sugar can lead to more serious effects like nerve damage and impaired wound healing.
Incorporating wheat berries into your diet is a simple way to help manage your blood sugar levels. This is due to their high fiber content, which slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
Multiple studies have indicated that increasing your consumption of whole grains like wheat berries could offer protection against diabetes. For example, a large-scale study published in PLoS Medicine revealed that consuming two servings of whole grains per day was associated with a 21 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Wheat berries are a rich source of fiber, providing up to 24 percent of your daily fiber needs in just a quarter-cup serving. Fiber plays a crucial role in various aspects of health, particularly in supporting the digestive system.
When consumed, fiber moves through the gastrointestinal tract slowly and undigested, aiding in adding bulk to stool and promoting regular bowel movements. A review published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology examined the findings of five studies, demonstrating that increasing fiber intake in individuals with constipation effectively increased stool frequency.
Dietary fiber may also offer benefits for other digestive conditions and has been shown to help protect against intestinal ulcers, assist in the management of Crohn's disease, and improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
2. Supporting Heart Health
In a study conducted in Seattle, taking a fiber supplement for 51 weeks resulted in a 12.1 percent reduction in bad LDL cholesterol and an 8.5 percent decrease in triglycerides, without affecting beneficial HDL cholesterol. Additionally, a study involving nearly 10,000 adults from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans found that a higher intake of fiber was linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
3. Regulating Blood Sugar
Incorporating wheat berries into your diet is a simple way to help manage your blood sugar levels. This is due to their high fiber content, which slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
Multiple studies have indicated that increasing your consumption of whole grains like wheat berries could offer protection against diabetes. For example, a large-scale study published in PLoS Medicine revealed that consuming two servings of whole grains per day was associated with a 21 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes.
4. Aid in Weight Loss
Fiber can help promote satiety and reduce appetite and food intake. Protein, on the other hand, can decrease levels of ghrelin, the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger.
Additionally, some studies have found that eating more whole grains like wheat berries could reduce the risk of obesity. One study published in Public Health Nutrition, for example, showed that a higher intake of whole grains was associated with a lower body mass index and less belly fat.
5. Strengthen Bones
Although more research is needed, animal studies have found that a deficiency in this vital mineral can result in bone loss. Meanwhile, a 2008 animal study out of South Korea showed that manganese supplementation actually helped increase bone formation as well as bone mineral density in rats.
6. Help Prevent Anemia
Wheat berry is a great source of iron. Supplementing your diet with iron-rich foods like wheat berry can help prevent iron-deficiency anemia to promote healthy red blood cell production. Be sure to pair wheat berries with other sources of iron like grass-fed beef, lentils and spinach, as well as vitamin C foods to help boost iron absorption.
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Nutrition