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Scuka1 t1_iy4jrjd wrote

Reply to comment by brookemeinhalf in ELI5: What do food product labels that say “whole wheat” or “100% whole grain wheat” mean? Are these better for health? by acousticentropy

What are you talking about? "Whole wheat" is not a buzzword. It's a fact about the type of flour used.

Most common type of flour used pretty much everywhere is processed wheat flour.

Wheat seed has 3 parts - bran, endosperm, and germ. When processing the flour, bran and germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm.

Whole wheat flour, on the other hand, is exactly that - flour made out of whole seed with nothing removed. That means it contains more micronutrients (fiber, vitamins, minerals) than processed white flour, which makes whole wheat flour a better choice health-wise compared to the same amount of processed flour.

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Ahab_Ali t1_iy4nlqs wrote

While I would agree that the phrasing "using buzzwords to trick you" is a bit much, I believe the poster is essentially making the same point /u/ACMEPrinting did a little later. In the US, the FDA does not have any specific label requirements that differentiate "wheat flour" from "whole wheat flour" from "100% whole grain wheat". They make recommendations, but the manufacturer ultimately can use whatever language they want. The onus is on the consumer to check the nutrition label.

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