“All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beast, to be the staff of life... All grain is good for the food of man...nevertheless, wheat for man...” (Doctrine and Covenants, 86:2c, 3a-b Emphasis added). I have been inspired to revive my blog! Defending the Word of Wisdom is very relevant today.
On March 27, 2014, I published an article entitled, “The Staff of Life.” I suggest going back and reading that article before continuing with this one. It lays a foundation for what I will talk about today. The 2014 article was intended to convinced you to start eating more whole grain foods and contains two of my favorite quick bread recipes. In this article, I would like to provide more information to ease your transition from refined flour products to whole grains, and to help you be a wise shopper.
As consumers have become more aware of the health benefits of whole grains—and scientific studies have substantiated these benefits—a much wider variety of whole grain foods have become available in grocery stores. Unfortunately, many companies to try to make their foods appear whole grain when they are not. Because of this, when you shop for whole grain foods in the grocery store, be sure to read the labels and ingredients lists carefully.
What should you look for? Here are some examples of labels that do NOT mean whole grain: “100% wheat” or “wheat bread” does NOT mean whole grain. “Multi-grain “does NOT mean whole grain. “Stone ground “does NOT mean whole grain. “Pumpernickel” or “rye “ does NOT mean whole grain. “Semolina” does NOT mean whole grain.
Don’t go by color when looking for whole grain products. Many breads have caramel food coloring or molasses added to make them look like whole wheat, and it is also very common to wrap bread in colored bags to make it look “browner.”
What if the label says “whole grain”? Surely that means it is a whole grain food. Yes ... and no. Products that are labeled “whole grain” must have some whole grain in them... but many contain very little. They may be 95% white flour and only 5% whole wheat or whole grain flour. Read the ingredients! They are listed in order by weight, from most to least. For example, when you buy whole wheat bread at the store, The first ingredient should be 100% whole wheat flour. If enriched flour is listed anywhere as an ingredient, the product is NOT whole grain.
You should also look in the ingredients’ list for fillers and chemical dough conditioners. These lessen the nutritional value of the food. Here is an actual example from a loaf of bread labeled 100% whole wheat: “Water, stone ground whole wheat flour, wheat gluten, cottonseed fiber, yeast, brown sugar. Contains 2% or less of the following: salt, vegetable oil, yeast nutrients, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide), honey, wheat bran, wheat protein isolate, sulfiting agents, vinegar, natural flavor, soy lecithin, guar gum, sucralose, cornstarch, 1-cysteine, sorbic acid and calcium propionate (preservatives).”
Some list, huh? First of all, because the first ingredient is water, you know that more water is in this loaf of bread than whole wheat flour. This is possible only because of fillers, primarily cottonseed fiber. It doesn’t take much to realize that cottonseed fiber is not a healthy part of your diet, but it’s cheaper than whole grain flour! Also note all the chemicals and dough conditioners found in this ingredient list. They are not part of a healthy diet either! Watch out for high fructose corn syrup,too, another undesirable ingredient which is added to some whole wheat commercial bread. Look for a short, simple list of ingredients more like this: 100% whole wheat flour, water, vegetable oil, honey, vital wheat gluten, yeast, salt.
I have noticed a new trend in the stores recently. I picked up two different products labeled 100% whole wheat, but when I read the ingredient list, the first thing listed was enriched flour (which means white, refined flour). These products did contain whole wheat flour, but they were not a 100% whole wheat product. I don’t know HOW they can legally label these products 100% whole wheat, but they are doing it. So be a careful shopper!
The smartest way to avoid all the labeling confusion is to do more baking at home! This is an outstanding way to improve your family’s diet, add more whole grains, and save money! Your breads will be fresher and free of preservatives and other chemical additives. I recommend using recipes that are designed especially for whole grain flours. Adapting white flour recipes can be tricky.
I highly recommend you do NOT run to the closest grocery store to buy a bag of whole wheat flour. The whole wheat flour available in grocery stores is usually low quality and stale, and makes heavy breads with poor flavor. No wonder most people give up baking with whole wheat! (Please read my May 2015 article to find out facts you need to know about commercial whole wheat flour.) It is worth the effort to get flour from a health food store or food co-op—or maybe you have a friend with a counter top mill who will grind fresh flour for you.
Here is another tip to make the transition to whole wheat easier for you and your family: Try baking with whole white wheat flour. No, that is not an oxymoron. Whole white wheat flour is a 100% whole grain flour made from new strain of wheat called “white wheat.”
The whole wheat flour available in grocery stores is usually low quality and stale, and makes heavy breads with poor flavor. No wonder most people give up baking with whole wheat! (Please read my May 2015 article to find out facts you need to know about commercial whole wheat flour.) It is worth the effort to get flour from a health food store or food co-op—or maybe you have a friend with a counter top mill who will grind fresh flour for you.Standard wheat is red. Whole wheat flour made from red wheat tends to have a bit of a bitter flavor and be heavy. However, you can bake with 100% whole wheat flour made from this new white wheat variety and get a sweeter and lighter colored product, while retaining all the same nutrients and benefits of red whole wheat flour. Look for white whole wheat flour at health food stores. Just read the label carefully and be sure you aren’t buying white (refined) flour by mistake.
Both red wheat and white wheat come in hard and soft varieties. Hard wheat is higher in protein. This means it contains more gluten, which is necessary for yeast breads to rise properly. Soft wheat is great for muffins and cookies, and any other quick breads leavened with baking powder or baking soda. Flour ground from soft wheat is labeled “pastry flour.” Don’t try to use it to make a loaf of yeast bread! You will be disappointed in the results.
What about other grains besides wheat? Old-fashioned oatmeal is whole grain. Have a steamy bowl of hot oatmeal. (Try adding a spoonful of unrefined coconut oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon to each bowlful after it is cooked.) You can make whole oat flour by grinding one cup of old-fashioned oatmeal at a time in your blender. Try half wheat flour, half oat flour in cookies and muffins. You may add oat flour to yeast breads, but only in small amounts, as it is low in gluten.
Popcorn is whole grain. Yum! But sorry, you should try to avoid the microwave popcorn, which is full of chemicals. (Another reason to avoid microwave popcorn—or any other microwaved food—is the new wave of information indicating that microwaves may change the molecular structure of foods, making them less nutritious or even harmful. This is a topic you may wish to research.)
Would you like to bake some cornbread to go with that pot of bean soup? When buying cornmeal, look for meal that is NOT de-germinated. If it says de-germinated, the germ and the bran have been removed and it is a refined grain product like white flour. You may have to go to a natural foods store to find cornmeal that is not de-germinated.
One of the easiest whole grain transitions to make is using brown rice (whole grain) instead of white rice (refined). The difference is barely noticeable. Use long-grain brown rice for fluffier rice; short grain brown rice tends to be sticky.
After you practice on quick breads, sooner or later you are going to get the urge to bake a “real” loaf of bread. There are few things as satisfying as a hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. Making bread takes practice. Don’t be discouraged if your first efforts are less than perfect. When I first started trying to bake bread, I made “bricks”— heavy, brick-shaped lumps of bread. My husband had to set them on end and cut them lengthwise to get a slice big enough to make a sandwich!
Look for important tips for making homemade whole wheat bread along with my personal recipe in my next blog post!
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