Wheat
Wheat, common name for cereal grasses of a genus of the grass family. Classified as Triticum aesitivum.

Wheat has been cultivated for food since prehistoric times by the peoples of the temperate zones and now is the most important grain crop of those regions. Thought to have been growing since Paleolithic times and cultivated for at least 6,000 years, wheat is the world's largest cereal-grass crop. Its status as a staple is second only to rice. One reason for its popularity is that unlike other cereals wheat contains a relatively high amount of gluten, the protein that provides the elasticity necessary for excellent breadmaking. Though there are over 30,000 varieties of wheat, the three major types are hard wheat, soft wheat and durum wheat. High-fiber whole wheat, and particularly wheat bran, rank as the world’s greatest preventives of constipation.

Wheat is high in protein, folic acid, selenium, vitamin E, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus. It also contains good amounts of vitamins A, B complex and small amounts of C. The unprocessed wheat kernel, commonly known as a wheat berry, is made up of three major portions; bran, germ and endosperm. Wheat bran, the rough outer covering, has little nutritional value but plenty of fiber. During milling, the bran is removed from the kernel. Wheat germ, essentially the embryo of the berry, is a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals and protein. It has a nutty flavor and is very oily. The wheat endosperm, which makes up the majority of the kernel, is full of starch, protein, niacin and iron. It's the primary source of many wheat flours. Wheat is also high in soluble and insoluble fibre, resistant starch and contains phytosterols.

Properties of Wheatgerm
It is purely fortuitous that cereal grains such as wheat serve as a food for man and animals, because the purpose of all seeds (which is what grains are) is to produce new plants. The germ of wheat, like the yolk of an egg, is an embryo, and the nutriment that surrounds it is intended by nature to nourish the embryo. The name ‘wheatgerm’ is ill chosen because to many people the word ‘germ’ conjures up a harmful microbe, whereas it refers to germination, i.e., the beginning of growth of a seed. Wheatgerm is a super food because nature has packed into the wheat kernel so much concentrated nutrition.