Whole Grain Vs. Whole Wheat
Are you eating the healthiest grains and bread or are you being tricked into thinking you are? The whole grains/whole wheat subject is a conundrum. Let me help you clear that up a little.
When wheat is harvested they take it to the refinery. Then they prepare to refine that whole grain. They do this by heating the wheat to a certain point the wheat germ and bran fall off. (WHAT? that is the part we should be ingesting!) The product that is left after all of the good stuff falls off is just plain starch. You have heard that white foods are starchy and not healthy for consumption? Well, this is it! The starch that is left that they use as flour has a longer shelf life and did you also realize that bugs won't eat it? Bugs are smarter than humans in that respect - they know they'll die if they eat this. So after they are left with this plain starchy flour, they have to put nutrients BACK into it - so they "enrich" it with vitamins and a small amount of fiber. Yes, they take the real nutrients OUT to go back and put other nutrients back into your flour. Do you feel cheated? I do!
Whole Grain is the product you should be looking to find on your food labels. (We do get to read a lot of food labels, don't we?) If whole grain is the first or second item listed on your bread or cereal, then you are choosing a good and healthy item. Whole wheat flour doesn't cut it, and also watch out for enriched flour and other such misleading words. If your bread also has molasses - be warned- this is for color. Once they take out the nutrients from your whole grain, to make wheat flour, it lacks that dark nutrient color so they add molasses to make it appear "whole grain" and healthy. Tricky tricky!! Also, when buying a good bread and/or cereal make sure it has a lot of fiber and is low in sugar.
I was tricked for a long time by that 100% whole wheat counter-factual concept.
Are you eating the healthiest grains and bread or are you being tricked into thinking you are? The whole grains/whole wheat subject is a conundrum. Let me help you clear that up a little.
When wheat is harvested they take it to the refinery. Then they prepare to refine that whole grain. They do this by heating the wheat to a certain point the wheat germ and bran fall off. (WHAT? that is the part we should be ingesting!) The product that is left after all of the good stuff falls off is just plain starch. You have heard that white foods are starchy and not healthy for consumption? Well, this is it! The starch that is left that they use as flour has a longer shelf life and did you also realize that bugs won't eat it? Bugs are smarter than humans in that respect - they know they'll die if they eat this. So after they are left with this plain starchy flour, they have to put nutrients BACK into it - so they "enrich" it with vitamins and a small amount of fiber. Yes, they take the real nutrients OUT to go back and put other nutrients back into your flour. Do you feel cheated? I do!
Whole Grain is the product you should be looking to find on your food labels. (We do get to read a lot of food labels, don't we?) If whole grain is the first or second item listed on your bread or cereal, then you are choosing a good and healthy item. Whole wheat flour doesn't cut it, and also watch out for enriched flour and other such misleading words. If your bread also has molasses - be warned- this is for color. Once they take out the nutrients from your whole grain, to make wheat flour, it lacks that dark nutrient color so they add molasses to make it appear "whole grain" and healthy. Tricky tricky!! Also, when buying a good bread and/or cereal make sure it has a lot of fiber and is low in sugar.
I was tricked for a long time by that 100% whole wheat counter-factual concept.
No comments:
Post a Comment