Abstract
Being the most widely cultivated and consumed plant food, cereals have been known to humans since ancient times. The rich nutritional profile of cereals, namely, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates; together with the abundance of certain secondary metabolites makes cereals an excellent source of high value nutraceuticals and bioactive compounds. This chapter describes the types, characteristics, and food/health applications of the major nutritional and bioactive molecules from cereals.