Are whole wheat and grain the same thing?

Whole wheat and grains are related but not exactly the same thing. Grains refer to the seeds of cereal grasses, such as wheat, oats, barley, corn, and rice. Whole grains are grains that contain all three parts of the grain kernel: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.

Whole wheat, specifically, refers to wheat grains that have not been refined or processed to remove the bran and the germ. It contains all the nutrients naturally present in the wheat kernel, including fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

So while whole wheat is a type of whole grain, not all whole grains are whole wheat. Other whole grains include brown rice, whole oats, whole barley, and whole cornmeal.