- Whole grains contain almost 90% of all the vitamins, minerals, and protein you’ll ever need. However, commercially milled products don’t offer you those nutrients. Why? Once milled, the oils found in the bran and germ oxidize and turn rancid within 72 hours. So for commercial purposes, both the bran and germ—and all the nutrients contained within them—must be removed in order to give products a shelf life.
- Please take a look at this article from Bread Beckers for more detailed information.
- Manufactorers remove the most nutritious part of the grain and use the part that is nearly devoid of all nutritional benefit to make white flour. Even "whole wheat" flour is missing at least part of the germ to maintain shelf life.
- For centuries wheat was milled into flour with large milling stones which crushed the seed grain into whole wheat flour. There were no supermarkets for selling flour, and so people made their flour as and when they needed it, ensuring minimal time difference between making flour and eating the results.
- To ensure today's milled white flour lasts long enough to sit in warehouses and on shop shelves for months on end, todays millers have had to remove all trace of the bran and the germ - losing at least 22 of the 26 known vitamins and minerals in the process, and all of the valuable roughage our bodies need to absorb and remove unwanted toxins and poisons within our digestive system.You get whiter, fluffier bread, cakes or pastries but you get them at a price.
- Health problems such as Obesity, Diabetes, Hypoglycaemia, Heart Disease, Bowel Cancer and Tooth Decay are just some of the major diseases on the upswing since the introduction of white flour in the 1900's. Many nutritionalists agree that that white flour and other refined foods are largely responsible.
- Did you know that flour loses about 40% of its nutritional value in just 24 hours after being milled, and almost all nutritional value within 3 days?
- Baking fresh milled flour locks the nutrients into an incredibly delicious, fresh and delicious bread product!
- The effects of refined flour and rancid oils in our bodies strain the immune system, speed the aging process and contribute free radicals into our bodies.
- Freezing will SLOW the oxidation process, but it will not stop it. You may store milled flour up to 3 months in the freezer before it turns rancid, but with all other things considered (your time to make bread, freezer space, etc.), it is better to bake all your bread products (locking in the nutritional value), then freeze them
- Wonder Bread Is Made of What? The endosperm is all that’s left of the original grain. So you’re basically eating gluten and starch when you eat products off the shelf. For PR purposes, you’ll see breads and cereals claiming to be “enriched with vitamins and minerals!” Don’t be fooled. The fact that a product needs enriching is a sign of how much of its health value has been diminished. Usually only 2-4 of the missing vitamins and minerals can be replaced anyway, and nothing can be done to replace the fiber and protein.
- Although the nation is currently experiencing low-carb mania, fresh whole grain products are in fact good for you. They are low in fat, high in protein, and provide energy for your muscles and body.
- High fiber found in whole grains helps in the management of obesity, diabetes, hemorrhoids, stroke, and heart attacks. Eating whole-grain foods on a regular basis has been shown to decrease risk for heart disease and high cholesterol levels, and is also thought to lower the risk of breast and colon cancer.
- Most commercial products reek with pesticides, preservatives, and bleaching agents. When milling your own flour, you’re able to mill only the amount you need, so nothing goes to waste and you are left with fresh-tasting, chemically unaltered flour.
- After eating bread prepared from from freshly millled grains, there is no going back. Commercial products will taste stale, even if they’re “fresh” off the shelf. Freshly milled breads are lighter, moister, and can have a variety of taste depending on which grains are used.
The Anatomy of a grain of wheat:
Bran: The bran is the outside layer of the grain and it is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals like magnesium, riboflavin, thiamin, phosphorus, niacin, iron and zinc. Almost all of the fiber within the grain comes from the bran. The bran also preserves the life and enzymes inside the kernel.
Germ: The germ is the part of the grain from which a new plant would sprout if you were to plant it. It is a concentrated source of vitamin E, magnesium, riboflavin, thiamin, phosphorus, niacin, iron and zinc. The germ also contains some fat and protein.
Endosperm: The endosperm has very small amounts of vitamins, not nearly close to what the bran and germ have. This is what is left in refined flour after the bran and germ are removed by manufactorors.
