Whole Wheat & Wheat Berries: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Whole wheat here means the wheat kernel eaten whole, often sold as "wheat berries" (Triticum aestivum, grass family Poaceae). The kernel still has its bran, germ and starchy middle, so it has more fiber and minerals than white flour. People eat it for fiber, steady energy and for the heart-health links seen in whole-grain studies. Wheat contains gluten, so this page puts the safety facts first and keeps the food apart from flour, bread and bran, which have their own pages.

Read this first

• Wheat contains gluten. It is not safe for people with celiac disease, and a gluten-free diet is the treatment. [1] [2] Do not stop eating gluten before testing: NIDDK warns that results may then be inaccurate. [1]
• Wheat is a major food allergen. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face, lips or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [3]
• Raw flour is not a ready-to-eat food. CDC and FDA say most flour is raw and can carry E. coli or Salmonella; baking or cooking kills them. [4] [5]
• Evidence in one line: pooled trials show whole-grain diets lower LDL cholesterol a little, and large cohort studies link more whole grain to lower heart disease and diabetes risk, but cohort studies show association, not proof. [6] [7] [8]

What is in it (USDA values)

The values are for dry hard red winter wheat kernels (USDA FoodData Central item 168890, SR Legacy). [9] Wheat berries are boiled or soaked and cooked before eating, so the dry weight does not match a cooked portion. The serving column is the USDA household portion, 1 cup dry, 192 g. [9]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, growing place and milling. Soft red winter wheat (item 168891) is similar: 331 kcal, 10.35 g protein and 12.5 g fiber per 100 g. [10] The 1 cup dry portion is large, about 628 kcal, so most people eat much less.

Plant compounds: we did not read a source that measured named plant compounds in wheat berries for this page, so we do not list any.

What research says

Eaten as food vs other forms. The trials above mostly used whole-grain foods such as bread, cereal and pasta, not boiled wheat berries alone. Wheat bran, germ and flour are separate products. [6]

How much is a normal serving

We did not read a grain-specific official serving for wheat berries. The USDA household portion is 1 cup dry (192 g), about 628 kcal, which is information and not a prescription. [9] The NHS says starchy foods should make up just over a third of what you eat, and to choose wholegrain varieties where you can. [14] The sources we read did not give a cooked-berry portion.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Celiac disease: gluten in wheat triggers an immune attack on the small intestine in people with the disease; about 1% of people worldwide have it and many are undiagnosed. [15] NIDDK lists wheat and its types (durum, emmer, semolina, spelt), barley and rye as sources of gluten. [1] In the US, a "gluten-free" label means under 20 parts per million of gluten. [1] [16]
• Non-celiac gluten sensitivity and FODMAPs: a review notes that many people who feel gluten sensitive do not test positive, and gas from fermentation of fructans in wheat may be the cause. [17] See beans, gas and FODMAP digestion for the same idea with beans.
• Wheat allergy: wheat is on the list of foods that most often cause food allergy. [3] A rarer form, wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, occurs when wheat is eaten together with exercise, alcohol or anti-inflammatory pain medicines; omega-5 gliadin is the main allergen. [18] Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency: call 911. [3]
• Raw flour: do not eat raw dough or batter, and keep children from raw-flour dough. [4] Flour is milled from raw grain and milling does not remove germs. [5]
• Cooked grains left out: spores of some food poisoning bacteria survive cooking and can make toxins if cooked grains sit at room temperature; reheating does not remove the toxins. Cool within 1 hour and refrigerate. [14]
• Mold toxins: WHO lists deoxynivalenol and zearalenone as typical wheat mycotoxins and advises discarding moldy, discolored or shriveled grains. [19]
• Phytates: whole grains contain phytate, which can reduce mineral absorption in the same meal; whether this matters in a mixed diet is unclear in the review we read. [12] See antinutrients in whole grains.
• Medicines, pregnancy, kidneys, diabetes: we did not find a source we could read describing a medicine interaction with whole wheat, or pregnancy-specific advice beyond the raw-flour warning. Whole grains contain phosphorus and potassium (see table); people with kidney disease should ask a clinician, see kidney disease, potassium and oxalates. People with diabetes should follow their care team's plan.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• WHO advises inspecting whole grains, discarding any that look moldy or discolored, buying fresh, and storing dry and cool. [19]
• "Whole grain" on a package is not the same as 100% whole grain; see fiber and whole-grain claims on packages.
• Refrigerate cooked wheat berries within 1 hour and eat within 24 hours (NHS advice for cooked rice and grains). [14]

Related pages

• Whole grains and ancient grains
• Gluten, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity basics
• Whole wheat bread
• Wheat bran and germ
• Food allergy basics and emergency signs
• Wheatgrass (the young plant, a different product)