Is Wheat and Flour Good For you?
There’s a lot of debate over such a simple grain. Wheat. Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? Should everyone avoid eating products made from wheat? Some studies suggest that eating diets high in bread are terrible for you. Gluten sensitivities and allergies are on the rise. But is the wheat really the culprit?
In this post, I’ll talk a little about the health of wheat and how we can do better. Spoiler…it doesn’t involve cutting wheat products from your diet. In fact, many people who have a gluten intolerance can actually eat wheat with no problem. Let’s take a look at how it all works.
What Is Wheat Used For?
According to Wikipedia, Einkorn wheat is the oldest known wheat variety and one of the very first plants to ever be domesticated. It’s been around for about 10,000 years. That’s a lot of time for humans to come up with some creative uses for wheat. And we have!
Today, wheat is used in things like hair conditioner, paper, biodegradable items, and much more. However, the most common use is food. There are many different types of wheat used today. The most common types are hard red, hard white and soft white. They each have their own strengths and drawbacks, depending on what you want to do with the wheat.
Processed Wheat
Processed wheat, like the flour you buy at the grocery store, hasn’t been around for long at all. Only during the Industrial Revolution did milled flour on a massive scale become available. Until then, local mills or home milling equipment did the work needed on a daily basis.
When large scale milling started, people initially got sick because the flour would go rancid very quickly. To address this problem, manufacturers began removing parts of the plant that would go bad (the bran and germ).
This solved the problem of rancidity, but posed a new problem for the health of the public. Since the part of the plant that provides nutrients was removed, people were becoming malnourished.
The government stepped in and required manufacturing plants to add back some of the nutrients. However, this couldn’t be done with the natural ones that were originally in the wheat as they would cause the flour to go rancid again. So synthetic versions of the nutrients are added to provide minimal nutrition while preserving the long shelf life.
Why it this a problem? This is a problem because the synthetic nutrients aren’t processed the same way in our body. Only a few of the stripped nutrients are replaced and the nutritional profile of the wheat has completely changed. What once was healthy has now become unhealthy.
In fact, there was a study done in Germany (Bernasek, 1970), where rats were fed a diet consisting of different types of flour. After only four generations, all groups of rats EXCEPT the ones fed fresh milled flour were infertile. This is with just 50% of their diets being flour and bread. Imagine what this is doing to humans.
But, there’s good news! You don’t have to take what’s offered. You can find your own way. Here’s how…
Fresh Milled Flour
There is a growing movement across the world attempting to make fresh milled flour more common. I, for one, am loving it. The benefits are numerous and the work required is minimal, especially with the right equipment.
If you have a KitchenAid mixer, you can find a grain mill attachment for around $100 on Amazon. There are manual mills, but I wouldn’t recommend them. The first time I tried to mill my own flour, I spent two hours cranking the handle and ended up with less than two cups of flour. I was exhausted and quite frustrated at my efforts. Save yourself the frustration and get a mill.
If you don’t have a KitchenAid, several companies make dedicated grain mills designed for the modern kitchen. They can be a little pricier, but are well worth the investment.
Benefits of Fresh Milled Flour
Fresh milled flour has many, many benefits. The first of which is better nutrition. Fresh milled flour retains all the nutrients that store bought flour lacks. In fact, of the 44 nutrients essential to huma life, wheat contains 40 of them. That’s incredible! In comparison, oats contain 13.
Taste is another thing to consider. I’ll be honest, I don’t like the taste of whole wheat flour from the store. It’s too nutty for me. I was worried that my fresh milled flour was going to taste exactly like that, but even stronger. Thankfully, that was not the case. Yes, fresh milled flour does taste different than store bought flour, but not in a bad way. It simply has a more complex flavor profile since there is more to it.
What To Expect When Switching To Fresh Wheat
Expect there to be an adjustment period, most of all. After all, you’re changing a key part of your diet and it won’t always be widely accepted among family members. Stick it out and you’ll soon see the amazing benefits.
When baking bread from fresh milled flour, expect a rougher texture and a slightly denser bread. It’s not going to be as light as the white bread you get at the store, but this bread will actually be good for you. Before long, the store bought bread will taste terrible and you’ll all wonder how you ate it for so long.
Expect to spend a day in the kitchen every week making sure you have fresh baked goods for the week. I spend Saturday baking bread, muffins, cookies and anything else my kids will want to snack on during the week. Just one day a week will make it so your kids and family will have home made snacks with ingredients that nourish their bodies.
Wheat Can Be Your Superfood
While it’s still generally advised to limit your consumption of baked goods, when you switch to fresh milled wheat, you can breath a little easier knowing that even when you overindulge, you’re still getting the nutrition your body needs.
I can’t accurately describe to you the satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from knowing you are creating a wholesome, healthy diet for your family to ensure long term health like never before. Is it a sacrifice of time? Of course it is. Is it worth that sacrifice? Absolutely.
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