Editing Cereal (section)

== Nutrition ==

=== Whole-grain and processed ===

[[File:Home made whole grain bread.jpg|thumb|Whole grains as used in this bread have more of the original seed, making them more nutritious but more prone to spoilage in storage.<ref>{{cite web |title=Storing Whole Grains |url=https://wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes/cooking-whole-grains/storing-whole-grains |access-date=10 February 2024 |website=Whole Grains Council}}</ref>]]

As [[whole grain]]s, cereals provide [[carbohydrate]]s, [[polyunsaturated fat]]s, [[Protein (nutrient)|protein]], [[vitamin]]s, and [[Mineral (nutrient)|minerals]]. When processed by the removal of the bran and germ, all that remains is the starchy endosperm.<ref name="Better Health">{{cite web |date=6 December 2023 |title=Cereals and wholegrain foods |url=https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/cereals-and-wholegrain-foods |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Better Health Channel |quote=in consultation with and approved by Victoria State Government Department of Health; Deakin University}}</ref> In some [[Developing country|developing countries]], cereals constitute a majority of daily sustenance. In [[Developed country|developed countries]], cereal consumption is moderate and varied but still substantial, primarily in the form of refined and processed grains.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mundell |first=E.J. |date=9 July 2019 |title=More Americans Are Eating Whole Grains, But Intake Still Too Low |url=https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/food-and-nutrition-news-316/more-americans-are-eating-whole-grains-but-intake-still-too-low-748156.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102033043/https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/food-and-nutrition-news-316/more-americans-are-eating-whole-grains-but-intake-still-too-low-748156.html |archive-date=2 November 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021 |work=[[HealthDay]]}}</ref>

=== Amino acid balance ===

{{further|Complete protein|Protein combining}}

Some cereals are deficient in the essential amino acid [[lysine]], obliging vegetarian cultures to combine their diet of cereal grains with [[legume]]s to obtain a balanced diet. Many legumes, however, are deficient in the essential amino acid [[methionine]], which grains contain. Thus, [[protein combining|a combination]] of legumes with grains forms a well-balanced diet for vegetarians. Such combinations include [[dal]] (lentils) with rice by [[South India]]ns and [[Bengali people|Bengalis]], [[beans]] with [[Corn tortilla|maize tortillas]], [[tofu]] with rice, and [[peanut butter]] with wholegrain wheat bread (as sandwiches) in several other cultures, including the Americas.<ref name="vogel301">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/primemovernatura0000voge |title=Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle |date=17 August 2003 |publisher=[[W.W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=9780393247312 |page=[https://archive.org/details/primemovernatura0000voge/page/301 301] |url-access=registration}}.</ref> For [[fodder|feeding animals]], the amount of [[crude protein]] measured in grains is expressed as grain crude protein concentration.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Edwards |first1=J.S. |last2=Bartley |first2=E.E. |last3=Dayton |first3=A.D. |year=1980 |title=Effects of Dietary Protein Concentration on Lactating Cows |journal=[[Journal of Dairy Science]] |volume=63 |issue=2 |page=243 |doi=10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(80)82920-1 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Comparison of major cereals ===

{| class="wikitable" 
|+ Nutritional values for some major cereals<ref>{{cite web |title=FoodData Central |url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ |publisher=[[US Department of Agriculture]] |access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |Per 45g serving
![[Barley]]
![[Maize]]
![[Millet]]
![[Oat]]s
![[Rice]]
![[Rye]]
![[Sorghum|Sorgh.]]
![[Wheat]]
|-
|Energy
|kcal
|159
|163
|170
|175
|165
|152
|148
|153
|-
|[[Protein (nutrient)|Protein]]
|g
|5.6
|3.6
|5.0
|7.6
|3.4
|4.6
|4.8
|6.1
|-
|[[Lipid]]
|g
|1
|1.6
|1.9
|3.1
|1.4
|0.7
|1.6
|1.1
|-
|[[Carbohydrate]]
|g
|33
|35
|31
|30
|31
|34
|32
|32
|-
|[[Dietary fiber|Fibre]]
|g
|7.8
|3.3
|3.8
|4.8
|1.6
|6.8
|3.0
|4.8
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|[[Calcium]]
|mg
|15
|3
|4
|24
|4
|11
|6
|15
|-
|[[Iron]]
|mg
|1.6
|1.5
|1.3
|2.1
|0.6
|1.2
|1.5
|1.6
|-
|[[Magnesium]]
|mg
|60
|57
|51
|80
|52
|50
|74
|65
|-
|[[Phosphorus]]
|mg
|119
|108
|128
|235
|140
|149
|130
|229
|-
|[[Potassium]]
|mg
|203
|129
|88
|193
|112
|230
|163
|194
|-
|[[Sodium]]
|mg
|5
|16
|2
|1
|2
|1
|1
|1
|-
|[[Zinc]]
|mg
|1.2
|0.8
|0.8
|1.8
|1.0
|1.2
|0.7
|1.9
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|[[Thiamine|Thiamine (B1)]]
|mg
|0.29
|0.17
|0.19
|0.34
|0.24
|0.14
|0.15
|0.19
|-
|[[Riboflavin|Riboflavin (B2)]]
|mg
|0.13
|0.09
|0.13
|0.06
|0.04
|0.11
|0.04
|0.05
|-
|[[Vitamin B3|Niacin (B3)]]
|mg
|2
|1.6
|2.1
|0.4
|2.9
|1.9
|1.7
|3.0
|-
|[[Pantothenic acid|Pantothenic acid (B5)]]
|mg
|0.1
|0.2
|0.4
|0.6
|0.7
|0.7
|0.2
|0.4
|-
|[[Vitamin B6|Pyridoxine (B6)]]
|mg
|0.1
|0.1
|0.2
|0.05
|0.2
|0.1
|0.2
|0.2
|-
|[[Folic acid|Folic acid (B9)]]
|mcg
|9
|11
|38
|25
|10
|17
|9
|19
|}