Wheat Basics

Canadian wheat is versatile, healthy, and delicious. Wheat has what you need!

THE WHAT ABOUT WHEAT

Wheat is grown coast to coast by Canadian farmers. It’s a member of a large family of grass plants that includes other cereal grains grown for food use such as barley, rye, and oats.

‘Wheat’ refers to the whole plant – roots, leaves, flowers and seeds (that develop from the flowers). These seeds, called kernels when they are matured, can be eaten whole as ‘wheat berries’ or milled to make flour for foods like bread, pasta, cereals and crackers.

Wheat takes about 110-130 days to grow in the fields and is either planted in the spring or in the fall. As the wheat plant matures in the field, the seeds grow in size, accumulating the nutrients that are important to human nutrition.

While many varieties of wheat grown today have been improved to better withstand pests, disease and harsh weather conditions, the nutritional value of the wheat kernel hasn’t changed much. In fact, research has found the nutritional composition of today’s wheat varieties to be very similar to those grown more than a century ago.

While genetic modification has been used to help some crops grow more efficiently, there are no genetically modified (GM) wheat varieties grown in Canada.

CANADIAN WHEAT:
DID YOU KNOW

Anatomy of a wheat kernel

Whole wheat grains or kernels are made up of three parts:

Bran – the fibre-filled outer layers of the wheat kernel, which contains most of the dietary fibre, but also consists of protein, fat, B vitamins, vitamin E, and some minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium. Bran comprises 12-17% of the kernel.

Endosperm – the starchy carbohydrate middle portion that contains small amounts of protein, fibre, and vitamins. Endosperm accounts for 80-85% of the kernel.

Germ – the nutrient-packed powerhouse found at the end of the kernel. Wheat germ is a rich, concentrated source of saturated fats, plant sterols, antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium. It represents 3% of the kernel.

Common Types of wheat flour

You can find many types of wheat flours in grocery stores and online. In Canada, all wheat flours are regulated by Health Canada to ensure they meet quality and safety standards.

Whole grain, whole wheat flour: This flour is 100% whole grain, containing the bran, germ, and endosperm. Most whole grain whole wheat breads are made with this flour.

Whole wheat flour: Under federal regulation in Canada, up to 5% of the wheat kernel (approximately 70% of the germ) can be removed during processing and can still be labelled whole wheat. It does not mean that the flour is 100% whole grain.

Wheat flour: Also known as refined or enriched white flour or all-purpose flour, this flour has both the bran and the germ removed. By federal law, all refined white flour in Canada is enriched with folic acid, iron and three B vitamins.

Bread flour: This flour is made from hard wheat varieties and has a slightly higher protein content than all-purpose flour. It’s ideal for baked goods like bread, pretzels, and pizza dough, where a stronger structure and durability are needed to handle mixing and shaping.

Cake and pastry flour: This flour is made from soft wheat varieties and has a slightly lower protein content than all-purpose flour. It’s ideal for baked goods like cakes and muffins because it allows for a soft light texture that absorbs sugar and liquids well.

Semolina: This milled product is made from a hard wheat called durum. It’s primarily used for making pasta because of its natural yellow colour, strong gluten, and high protein content, giving pasta the perfect texture and taste. Couscous is also made with semolina. Its yellowish colour and coarse texture easily distinguish it from all-purpose flour.

00 flour or pizza dough flour: This flour is made from high-quality wheat varieties such as hard red spring wheat. The 00 designation refers to how finely the flour is milled using the Italian grading system. The ultra fine texture allows the flour to absorb water more readily than flours that have a coarser grind. 00 flour is ideal for pizza crusts, flat breads, ciabatta and focaccia.

Refined wheat & fortification

“Refined grains” is a term used to refer to grains that are not whole, because they are missing one or more parts of the kernel (i.e., bran, germ, or endosperm).

For wheat, all-purpose flour is the most common example of a refined grain where some or all of the bran and germ have been removed in the milling process, leaving only the white endosperm.

This milling process removes some of the protein and many of the vitamins and minerals naturally found in wheat. To help counter this loss, Health Canada requires refined wheat flour to be enriched to add back some of the key nutrients lost during processing.

Originally, the enrichment of wheat flour simply replaced nutrients lost in the milling process, but today enriched flour is fortified with a higher amount of nutrients shown to provide specific health benefits. For example, folic acid fortification of flour in Canada has greatly contributed to reducing the number of babies born with neural tube defects.

The enrichment and fortification requirements are set by the health and government officials.

WHEAT BASICS FACTSHEET

Are all refined flours enriched?

In Canada, most refined wheat flour is enriched and fortified. You may see it described as ‘enriched all-purpose white flour’ in grocery stores or as ‘enriched white flour’ as an ingredient in many bakery products such as white bread, bagels, or English muffins.

Flours made from other grains, like rice, oat or corn flour are not required by law to be enriched or fortified, so be sure to always check the label. Many gluten-free food products are made with these flours. While they’re extremely important for people who need to avoid gluten or wheat, they don’t always stack up nutritionally because they may not be fortified or enriched with any additional vitamins and minerals.

In Canada, all refined wheat flour is fortified with:

  • Thiamine (vitamin B1)
  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
  • Niacin (vitamin B3)
  • Folic acid (vitamin B9)
  • Iron

Vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, magnesium and calcium may also be added, but this is voluntary.

Supporting your health with wheat

Heart Health and
Whole Grains

Whole grains like whole wheat, support a healthy heart.

Eating a diet rich in whole grains and dietary fibre can:

  • Decrease cholesterol absorption.
  • Lower blood pressure, preventing our heart from working harder than it needs to pump blood around our bodies.
  • Improve glucose and insulin responses in our blood which, if not managed properly, can increase your risk of heart disease.

Wheat is a great source of Fibre

Most people are not getting enough dietary fibre, and fibre matters. Foods made with whole wheat flour are a fantastic source of dietary fibre.

What can happen when you hit your fibre goals?

Research found that people who reach their optimal targets had:

1 Reynolds et al., “Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses”, The Lancet, 2019.

Looking to learn more about wheat nutrition and health?

Visit the nutrition research page for these topics and more: