Grains are the seeds of both cereal and pseudo-cereal plants. Cereals are actually a type of grass plant. They produce grains such as wheat, oats, barley, rye, millet, maize and rice. Pseudo-cereal plants also produce grains, such as quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. They are called pseudo-cereals simply because they are not a grass plant like the true cereals.

Grains are a staple in our diets. They can be eaten raw, used in cooking, ground into flours, used in baking, used in making pasta, bread and cakes! They are also the basis of many products like freekeh, bulgur wheat, semolina and couscous.

What’s the difference between whole grains and refined grains?

Whole grains are the full seed, not refined. Refining removes the bran (the outer layer) and the germ (the nutrient rich part of the grain that sprouts.) So, whole grains are higher in fibre and more nutrient rich than refined grains. Examples of whole grains are whole-wheat flour or brown rice. Examples of refined grains are things like white rice and white flour.

What’s the difference between heritage grains and modern grains?

Heritage grains are the original varieties of wheat, oats, barley and rye (pre-dating modern industrialised agriculture), and can grow well without the need for chemicals such as fertiliser or pesticides. They are lower yielding, but crucially they are deep-rooting, and genetically diverse, making them more resilient to water scarcity and disease. Heritage grains include varieties of wheat such as spelt, emmer, einkorn and Kamut. Most of the grains that we eat today are modern hybrid grains, developed to produce more per acre, but being less resilient, they often require a lot of fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides to grow.

Now that you know what grains are - check out our article on pulses, which are the seeds of legume plants!