Whole Grains for Breakfast

Breakfast is perhaps the easiest meal in which to incorporate whole grains, and what a great way to start your day! Eating whole grains for breakfast can help you feel full longer and keep your blood sugar from spiking and crashing.

The big reason for these benefits is the abundant fiber contained in whole grains—both soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water. It can help steady blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol, as well as promote healthy bowel movements.  Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It helps you feel full longer, which can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Insoluble fiber also moves food through your digestive system to promote regular and healthy bowel movements, which in turn reduces colon cancer risk as well as the risk of diverticulosis.

Whole grains also contain significant protein, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Whole grains are especially rich in B vitamins, magnesium, folate, selenium and iron.

Are you ready to include some whole grains into your morning? Here are some recipes to get you started.

My favorite whole grain breakfast is fresh rolled oats. I love my Marga Mulino Grain Roller/Flaker and use it almost daily. In about five minutes, my oats go from kernel to a steaming bowl of tasty oatmeal.

I put some water on to boil in a pan on my stove, and place a scoop of oat kernels (called oat groats) in the roller. Cranking the handle for about a minute finishes the rolling, and then I place the freshly rolled oats in the boiling water. I turn off  the heat and allow the pan to sit on the burner for a few minutes. Finally, I stir in a bit of unrefined coconut oil, cinnamon, unrefined salt and raw milk. After sprinkling on a handful of walnuts, and I am ready to eat. I believe a flaker/roller is a great investment for including the freshest possible whole grains in your family’s diet.

If you are often dashing out the door for school or work in the morning, making muffins ahead of time provides a grab-and-go healthy whole grain breakfast. My favorite muffin recipe originates from Whole Foods for the Whole Family by La Leche League.

Here is our grandchildren's  favorite variation.

ABC Muffins

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (red wheat or white wheat, preferable fresh ground)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt (preferable unrefined)
• 1-2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (or liquid of your choice)
• 1/2 cup of raw honey
• 3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil or melted butter or unrefined coconut oil (I usually use the EVO because it is quicker.)
• 1 small apple, grated finely (about 3/4 cup) You may also substitute applesauce.
• 1 banana, mashed thoroughly
• 1 small carrot, grated finely (about 3/4 cup)

Mix all the dry ingredients and make a well in the middle—a hole rather like a “bowl” in which you can mix your wet ingredients together without mixing them with the dry ingredients yet.
Add the eggs and milk into the well and beat thoroughly. Mix the oil and honey into the well. Add the mashed banana and grated apple and carrot. Mix in the well with the wet ingredients and then mix all the ingredients—wet and dry—together thoroughly.
Fill greased muffin cups about ½ full and bake at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes. Mini muffins bake about 10 minutes at the same temperature.

• Another of our favorite variations is to use a mashed sweet potato and a banana, instead of the ABC additions.
• You may leave out the apple, banana and carrot, increase the milk to one cup and add 1 cup of blueberries.
• You may add chopped nuts or seeds, too!

Overnight Slow Cooker Porridge

Another very easy option is too cook grains overnight in your slow cooker for a hot breakfast in the morning. You can use any grain or any combination of grains. 

I like wheat berries. I think the soft wheat berries are the tastiest for breakfast cereal, but any wheat berries will work fine.

Rinse the wheat berries in a sieve and place them in your slow cooker with water. You want 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of grain.

If you get tired of plain wheat cereal, here is a great blend to try: wheat berries, oat groats, millet, hull-less barley. Again, just use 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of grain.

You may also add a cinnamon stick to the mix to cook overnight.

Cook on low for 8 hours, then turn down to warm setting. If it cooks much longer than 8 hours on low, the sides and top may get a bit dried out and crunchy, but it is still good!  

Serve with milk, yogurt, honey, nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, or other toppings of your choice! If members of your household awake at different times, each one can help themselves to a bowl of hot, nourishing cereal when they are ready to eat.


I hope these recipes will boost your whole grain consumption!

What is your favorite whole grain breakfast recipe?

In Defense of the Word of Wisdom: Potential Problems with a Gluten-free Diet and Recent Research

In the Word of Wisdom (Section 86 of the Doctrine and Covenants), God tells us the following:“All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life . . . Nevertheless, wheat for man . . .” (verses 2c & 3b). Yet in recent years, grain—and specifically wheat—has been under attack like never before.  I believe that we should reject the flood of anti-grain information solely because it contradicts God’s Word. Health trends come and go, and even scientific studies are often later found to be invalid,“But the word of the Lord endureth forever” (1 Peter 1:25) and “the word of the Lord is truth” (D&C 83:7b).  Nevertheless, it is good to be aware of some of the recent studies which affirm the health benefits of whole wheat and other whole grains.

Of course, those with celiac disease must eat a strictly gluten-free diet, but many without celiac choose to eat gluten-free because of gluten intolerance or simply because they feel it is healthy. In truth, eating gluten-free may have some harmful effects on your health. 

Evidence indicates that gluten intolerance and other food intolerances seem to be related to poor gut microbiota and could potentially be healed by improved gut health.¹ The bad news for gluten-free dieters is that avoiding gluten may cause a significant reduction in certain helpful bacteria and an increase in certain potential pathogens in their gut microbiota, thereby making their digestive health worse.²  

And it’s not just digestive health that is now known to be impacted by unhealthy gut microbiota. “There’s a good chance your microbiome is associated with every disease you can think of—diabetes, cancer, autism,” says Michael Snyder, PhD, the director of Stanford University’s Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine.³ Indeed, research has implicated gut microbiota in as diverse conditions as depression, anxiety, obesity, and autoimmune diseases. 

A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that eating whole wheat can positively affect gut bacteria and decrease  inflammation.⁴  For those with celiac disease who must avoid gluten it is thought that increasing the intake of other whole grains which are gluten-free will reduce this negative impact on their gut microbiota.

On a closely related topic, another recent study found that eating whole wheat may also improve intestinal wall integrity.  In this study, the group who ate a whole wheat diet compared to a refined wheat diet had significant increases in beneficial bifidobacteria, as well as an unexpected increase in “transepithelial resistance,” a measure of the permeability of the intestinal wall which indicated a decrease in “leaky gut.”⁵

Another potential problem of a gluten-free diet is that frequently wheat is replaced with rice:  rice cereals, rice crackers, rice pasta, rice as a side dish. Whole grain brown rice is a nutritious food, but an abundance of rice in one’s diet increases the risk of toxic arsenic levels in the body.⁶   It turns out that rice is higher in arsenic than other grains because it absorbs arsenic from soil or water much more effectively than most plants. This is partly because rice is grown in flooded fields, which allows arsenic to be more easily taken up by its roots and stored in the kernels.

Because the rice is drawing this contamination from the water and soil in which it grows, buying organic rice will not circumvent the problem. And the really bad news is that because arsenic seems to accumulate most in the outer layers of the kernel, whole grain brown rice has been found to be as much as 80% higher in arsenic than refined white rice which has had the bran removed—but of course eating white rice brings all the inherit problems of eating any other refined carbohydrate.⁷

Dartmouth University states that  “consumption of 0.56 cups per day of cooked rice is comparable to 10 micrograms of [arsenic] in a liter of water, which is the current US maximum contaminant limit for public water supplies in the US.”⁸  It seems the best option is to greatly limit rice consumption and replace it with other healthy whole grains.

An additional problem of a gluten-free diet is that while eating whole grains which are naturally gluten-free is healthy (like quinoa, millet, and oats), many convenient pre-packaged gluten-free foods are low in nutrients and high in unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates such as sugar, tapioca starch, potato flour, or white rice flour. “Gluten adds oomph to foods—wheat, rye, and barley all have strong textures and flavors,” says Angela Lemond, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Dallas and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.⁹  Often extra fat, sugar, or sodium have been used in gluten-free baked goods to compensate for the lack of taste.

In reality, gluten in not the villain it has been made out to be.  Studies have indicated that gluten is actually beneficial to our health. Gluten has been shown to help prevent bad LDL cholesterol from being converted to oxidized LDL cholesterol, the form that can cause plaque to form in arteries.  Gluten also lowers blood levels of triglycerides that increase heart attack risk.¹⁰

Gabe Mirkin, MD, a sports medicine doctor and author of sixteen books, lists these health benefits of gluten on his blog:
     • lowers blood pressure (Food Chem, 2011; 127: 1653–1658)
     • lowers triglycerides (J Am Coll Nutr, 1999; 18:159–165)
     • increases growth of the types of intestinal bacteria that lower inflammation (Brit J Nutr, 2008; 99:110–120)
     • increases absorption of healthful nutrients (Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care, 2010;13:722–728)
     • sensitizes cells to insulin to help prevent and treat diabetes (Curr Diab Rep, 2011;11:154–159)
     • reduces heart attack risk (Curr Atheroscler Rep, 2010;12:368–376)

The clear message from these and the other studies which follow this article is support for the importance of wheat and other whole grains in our diet as the staff of life. Those who cannot eat wheat should make an extra effort to include an abundance of other whole grains in their diet (with the exception of brown rice).

One simple way we can eat more whole grains is to cook a large batch over the weekend and use it through the week. You can cook any individual grain—wheat, oats, barley, amaranth, etc—or a mix of grains. Warm them up with cinnamon and raisins for breakfast porridge; drain them carefully and sprinkle them cold over a green leafy salad; drop them into soups, stews, or casseroles. For more ideas and recipes, see other posts on this blog.

 Again, I would state that we can stand on God’s Word—including the Word of Wisdom! With Nephi, I would say, “I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God . . .”

(1 Nephi 4:42).

References
1) Gigante G et al. Role of gut microbiota in food tolerance and allergies.  Journal of Digestive Diseases. 2011;29(6)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22179209

2) Yolanda Sanz. Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult humans
Gut Microbes. 2010 May-Jun; 1(3): 135–137.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023594/
       Here is an easier to understand article discussing this study:
http://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/gluten-free-diet-gut-microorganisms/

3) WebMD: What Is Your Gut Telling You?  Aug. 20, 2014
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20140820/your-gut-bacteria

4) Vitaglione P. et al.  Whole-grain wheat consumption reduces inflammation in a randomized controlled trial on overweight and obese subjects with unhealthy dietary and lifestyle behaviors: role of polyphenols bound to cereal dietary fiber.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015 Feb;101(2):251-61.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25646321

5)  Christensen et al.  Bifidogenic effect of whole-grain wheat during a 12-week energy-restricted dietary intervention in post-menopausal women.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013 Dec; 67(12):1316-21.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24149441

6) U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Questions & Answers: Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ ucm319948.htm

7) Consumer Report:  How much arsenic is in your rice?
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm
Consumer Report:  Arsenic in Your Food
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic- in-your-food/index.htm

8) Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program:  Arsenic
 in Food.  http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/arsenic/food.html

9)  Consumer Report:  6 Truths about a gluten-free diet
Published November 2014
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/will-a-gluten-free-diet-really-make-you-healthier/index.htm

10) Jenkins, David JA, et al.  High-protein diets in hyperlipidemia: effect of wheat gluten on serum lipids, uric acid, and renal function.  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001 July; Vol. 74, No. 1, 57-63.

11)  Gabe Mirkin, MD.  Should You Avoid Gluten?
 http://drmirkin.com/nutrition/should-you-avoid-gluten.html

Following are short overviews of several current studies that support whole wheat and other whole grains as an important part of a healthy diet.

Many Antioxidants in Whole Grains:  While fruits and vegetables are known as sources of healthy antioxidants and phenolic compounds, research increasingly shows that whole grains contain them too. In this review, researchers analyzed several whole grains, including wheat, corn, rice, barley, sorghum, rye, oats, and millet. The review shows that whole grains contain a number of phytochemicals (including antioxidants) and significantly exhibit antioxidant activity. Researchers conclude that the consumption of whole grains is considered to have significant health benefits including prevention of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer because of the contribution of phenolic compounds.
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2014 July 30. (Van Hung P et al.)

Antioxidants in Whole Wheat Unaffected During Baking:
Whole grains are gaining recognition as being rich sources of antioxidants. Are these anti-oxidants affected during processing, such as bread baking? Scientists at the University of Maryland measured phenolic acid (antioxidant) content in flour, dough, and bread fractions from three whole and refined wheat varieties. As expected, “all phenolic acids measured were more abundant in whole wheat than refined samples.” The researchers also found no significant change in antioxidant levels after the breads were baked. “Thus, the  potential phytochemical health benefits of total phenolic acids appear to be preserved during bread baking.”  
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2014 Oct 20  (Lu Y et al.)

Refined Grains Linked with Depression: 
It seems that comfort foods like refined sweets might not be so comforting in the long run. Scientists in New York analyzed the eating patterns of nearly 70,000 women without depression across the US, then tracked their health records over three years to see how diet relates to developing depression. The researchers found that both refined grains and added sugars were significantly tied to a higher risk of developing depression over the three-year study, while fiber, vegetables, fruit (excluding juice), and lactose (a sugar found in milk) were linked with a significantly lower risk of depression. A higher intake of whole grains was also related to a lower risk of depression, although this relationship was not statistically significant. Overall, foods such as refined carbohydrates that contributed to a high glycemic index diet were associated with increased odds of developing depression.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015 June 24. (Gangwisch JE et al.)

Diet with Whole Grains May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk:
It appears that a “grain brain” may be protective against Alzheimer’s. Researchers studied the relation-ship between eating patterns and Alzheimer’s in 923 retired adults in Chicago over an average of 4.5 years.  The scientists rated participants’ diets based on how closely they adhered to the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet (a healthy diet used to treat hypertension that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and limited sweets and salt) and the MIND diet. The MIND diet is a hybrid Mediterranean-DASH diet that emphasizes foods associated with brain health, including three servings per day of whole grains (more than any other food group), along with green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, and fish. The groups most closely following either the MIND diet or the Mediterranean diet cut their risk of Alzheimer’s dementia by more than half (53% for MIND and 54% for Mediterranean), while those closely following the DASH diet were 39% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Even those moderately following the MIND diet were at a 35% lower risk.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia. 2015 Feb 11.  (Morris MC et al.)

Whole Grain Intake Can Lower Death Risk:
Eating more whole grains may help you live longer! Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data from over 110,000 adults. The scientists found that every one-ounce serving of whole grains was associated with a 5% lower total risk of death, or a 9% lower risk of death from heart disease. Whole grain intake was not significantly associated with cancer mortality. The researchers of this study conclude “these results are in line with recommendations that promote increased whole grain consumption to facilitate disease prevention.”
JAMA Internal Medicine. 2015 Jan 5.  (Wu H, et al.)

These summaries were taken from the Whole Grain Council:  http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/health-studies-on-whole-grains
       

Keeping the Word of Wisdom: The Truth about Commercial Wheat Products

A key principle of Section 86 of the Doctrine and Covenants is that grain is the staff of life, and wheat, particularly, is for the use of man [human beings]. However, commercially produced wheat products are a poor representation of the nutritious grain God created. Let’s look at a few reasons why this is true.

Commercially produced wheat flour is milled on rollers which separate the bran and germ from the starchy endosperm.  For white flour, only the endosperm is used.  Read my previous articles  for a summary of the health hazards of eating refined white flour baked goods. Then consider this additional hazard to your health: White flour is almost always bleached by chemicals such as benzoyl peroxide, nitrogen dioxide, chlorine gas—or even worse— azodicarbonamide or potassium bromate. White flour is bleached to speed up the softening and whitening process  which occurs naturally in about twelve weeks. It takes only forty-eight hours if bleaching chemicals are used.

The North American Millers’ Association (NAMA) says this: “In the bleaching process, flour is exposed to chlorine gas or benzoyl peroxide to whiten and brighten flour color. The bleaching agents react and do not leave harmful residues or destroy nutrients. In soft wheat products chlorine gas is also used to control cookie diameter and cake height.” (1)  Because these bleaching agents are purported to leave no residue, they are not required to be listed on the labels.  In spite of NAMA’s insistence of their safety, the chemicals listed above are all banned in Europe and other parts of the world. 

“That’s okay,” you say. “I’ll just buy whole wheat flour.”  While that is a big step in the right direction and will avoid exposure to bleaching chemicals, commercial whole wheat flour is not what you think it is. Most consumers assume that whole wheat flour contains ground up whole kernels of wheat.

Unfortunately, this is not true of commercially milled whole wheat flour (and subsequently not true for commercial whole wheat baked goods).  Commercial whole wheat flour (even if it says “100% whole wheat) is NOT 100% of the wheat kernel. Commercial roller mills ALWAYS separate the endosperm from the germ and bran. To make “whole wheat flour,” some bran and some germ are added back into the white (endosperm only) flour. The healthy oils of the germ are usually not added back in, since they go rancid rapidly and would greatly reduce the shelf life of the flour. So with commercial whole wheat flour and baked goods, you are still missing out on a significant portion of the nutrition that God packed into wheat.

It gets worse!  Previously, I have recommended that if one cannot grind their own fresh flour, then one should try to purchase stone ground whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour that is ground at old-fashioned stone burr mills is actually whole wheat. Nothing is taken out or added back in. Unless you have a stone burr mill in your neighborhood, the stone ground flour will not be as fresh and nutritious as home-milled flour, but at least it is the real thing.

However, while researching online, I came across disturbing information. Dated back in 2006, an article from USA Today titled “The hard truth about stone-ground flour”(2) said that “for many big companies, stone-ground is just a marketing phrase.”  A spokes-person for General Mills was quoted as saying the label “stone ground” on their Gold Medal flour simply means that the “flour products have passed through an actual stone mill at least once.” In other words, companies may deceptively “pass” their grain “through” a stone mill and then mill the flour on commercial roller mills as I have described above and still legally label it “stone ground.”

It turns out that there are NO federal requirements on the use of the term stone-ground on food labels. None.  The owners of Hodgson Mills—an actual stone burr mill which produces flour that is truly stone ground—found this to be outrageous (and I do, too)!  In 2001, they filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish a standard of identity for the term “stone ground” as applied to wheat flour. In 2002, the FDA denied their petition saying Hodgson Mills “did not provide any data to show what consumers understand the term ‘stone ground’ to mean and to show that consumers are buying a product labeled ‘stone ground’ that differs from their expectations.” (3)

So when you reach for that brand name loaf of 100% stone ground whole wheat bread, there is NO assurance that it is really made with stone ground whole wheat flour instead of commercially milled counterfeit whole wheat flour (in spite of a picture of a mill on the label). The same goes for that box of crackers that says “Made with stone ground wheat” on the front, and for the bag of flour labeled “Stone ground whole wheat.” The “evils and designs” which God warned us would “exist in the hearts of conspiring men”  are very real (D&C 86:1a).

If you must buy flour, I now recommend purchasing it only from reliable sources which operate a legitimate stone burr (or other non-roller type)  mill. Two of which I know are Bob’s Red Mill and Hodgson Mill. If you must buy bread or baked goods, look for ones sold in natural foods stores which are produced by smaller companies (not the giant conglomerates). Look for the 100% whole grain label and a minimum of ingredients. (I hope to discuss commercial bread additives and ingredients in a future article.)

KoMo Fidibus 21

Of course, a MUCH better option would be to invest in your own grain mill!  I believe this should be a priority for most families. God said grain is the staff of life, and the best way to receive all the goodness of grain is to mill fresh flour in your own kitchen and bake with it immediately! The nutritional superiority of fresh ground flour over store-bought whole grain flour is vast. Even if you never bake a loaf of yeast bread, it is worth the investment of a kitchen mill to grind flour for pancakes, muffins, waffles, and other quick breads. Maybe you could even find a friend who would bake bread for you in exchange for milling fresh flour.

NutriMill

When considering the purchase of a mill, the first question many people ask is whether they should buy a manual or electric mill. I recommend that you buy an electric mill. Manual mills are fine for emergency back up, but grind much slower and take a considerable physical effort, making them impractical for regular use.

So which electric mill is best? From my research, I recommend three brands, and I am confident that any one of them would be a satisfactory investment:  NutriMill, Wonder Mill, and KoMo Mills.

	NutriMill	Wonder Mill	KoMo Mills
Price as of May 2015	$240	$220	$400 and up
Grinding method	Stainless steel impact heads	Stainless steel impact heads	Corundum-ceramic burrs
What will it grind?	All dried grains, including small grains such as quinoa and amaranth.               Dried legumes.	All dried grains, including small grains such as quinoa and amaranth. Dehydrated sprouted grain. Dried legumes. Some spices.	All dried grains, including small grains such as quinoa and amaranth (but popcorn in not recommended) Dried legumes Spices. **Has interchangeable insert system to avoid cross-contamination**
What will it not grind?	Not suitable for herbs, spices, nuts, oily seeds like flax, fibrous materials, or dried sprouted grains or seeds.	Not suitable for nuts, oily seeds and some spices.	Not suitable for herbs, oily seeds like flax, popcorn, or fibrous materials.
Grinding adjustments	Fine flour to coarse meal	Fine flour to coarse meal	Fine flour to coarse meal, cracked grain

Wonder Mill

Here are several online stores I  recommend which sell grain mills:
Pleasant Hill Grain  pleasanthillgrain.com 
The Urban Homemaker urbanhomemaker.com The Bread Beckers  breadbeckers.com

The Bread Becker’s site also has a wealth of information in their blog articles and instructional video library.I grind with a Whisper Mill. I have been totally happy with its trouble-free performance under steady use for the eight or nine years I have owned it. Although Whisper Mills are no longer available, the Wonder Mill is manufactured in the same plant and said to be a nearly identical product with some upgrades, such as a more powerful motor with more air flow.

After reading many reviews and comments, I do not recommend buying a grain mill attachment for a Kitchen Aid. Many say that grinding grain will burn out the Kitchen Aid gears in a short time.

After you have invested in a grain mill, you might also consider a grain flaker (sometimes called a roller). I have the Marga Mulino Flaker. It is hand cranked, but quick and easy to use. Pour the oat groats in the top and crank away for the freshest, tastiest, most nutritious oatmeal ever! Other grain flakers that get good reviews are the KoMo Flocino or KoMo FlicFloc.

We need to take the Word of Wisdom seriously! It is God’s Word for our temporal salvation!

1. North American Millers’ Association 
http://www.namamillers.org/education/wheat-milling-process/

2.  "The hard truth about stone-ground flour"  by Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-03-13-stone-ground-flour_x.htm


3. FDA reply to Hodgson Mills’ petition
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/02/Jul02/070902/80016bd4.pdf

In Defense of the Word of Wisdom: What About Gluten?

Gluten-free has become a common buzz word in our culture today. There is a good chance that you know more than one person who is on a gluten-free diet. Perhaps you are eating gluten- free yourself.  

What is gluten and why would someone want to avoid it? Gluten is a protein complex of the two proteins, gliadin and glutelin. It is found naturally in wheat, rye, and barley. Those who choose to avoid gluten usually fall into one of three categories: (1) the 1 percent of the population who has celiac disease, an autoimmune inflammatory response to gluten, and must avoid even tiny amounts of gluten for the rest of their lives;  (2) those who are gluten intolerant and feel better when they avoid gluten or limit the amount of gluten they ingest; and (3) those who avoid gluten because they have heard it is unhealthy for everyone.

Let's talk about the last category first. While avoiding gluten is vital for some individuals, many voices---particularly proponents of the Paleo diet---insist that gluten is harmful to everyone's health and that no one should be eating gluten-containing grains. Dr. William Davis's book Wheat Belly has added fuel to the anti-grain, anti-gluten fire. "Wheat is the most destructive thing you could put on your plate, no question," says Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist from Wisconsin.  (I have read Wheat Belly, and find that Dr. Davis has used faulty logic, misrepresentation of scientific studies, and blatant emotionalism to sell his ideas. It is beyond the scope of this article to refute the misinformation in Dr. Davis's book, but I strongly encourage you to read the rebuttals to Wheat Belly which are linked at the end of this article.) [1]

Gluten, and thereby wheat, has been implicated in everything from mental illness to obesity to cancer. If you research these claims, however, you will find that credible scientific evidence is lacking to support the idea that gluten is harmful to everyone. But there is a more important reason why I know the anti-gluten, anti-wheat, anti-grain proponents are wrong. It is because God said so. "All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life. . . . All grain is good for the food of man . . . Nevertheless, wheat for man . . ." (Doctrine and Covenants 86:2c-3b).

I have heard some people say, "But when God gave that revelation back in 1833, wheat was different than it is now. Wheat was okay then, but modern wheat is bad for us."  Are we going to believe that God could not foresee the changes that would be made to wheat? Did God say in 1833, "Wheat for man now, but later don't eat wheat"?  Do we believe that God's word given in past times is only for those dispensations and not relevant to us today?  To all of those questions, I answer a resounding NO! The Scriptures plainly tell us that God knows everything (2 Nephi 6:44), God does not change (Moroni 8:19), and God's word will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8)!  And God said grain is our staff of life, and wheat is for man.

As stated in previous articles, I believe it does make a difference HOW we eat wheat. It has been firmly established that eating refined "white flour" grain products (just the starchy endosperm of wheat or other grains) is detrimental to our health. There is no doubt God meant the WHOLE grain when he said grain is our staff of life. But here is where it gets tricky. Flour produced on modern roller mills is not the same thing you get when you grind up the entire wheat berry in your kitchen. Commercial whole wheat flour, and the bread and other baked goods made from it, are not true whole grain foods. Roller mills can quickly produce large amounts of refined flour. The bran and germ are sifted out and the oils are removed during the milling process. To "make" the flour whole wheat again, a certain portion of the bran and germ are added back in, but the oils are usually not because they would reduce the shelf life of the product. Surely this profit-making way of creating "whole wheat" flour qualifies as the "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days . . ." (D&C 86:1a).

Another problem is added gluten, which upsets the nutritious balance God created in whole grain. Gluten is separated from the rest of the wheat endosperm and added generously to flour, breads and other baked goods, and even products like taco sauce. This "vital wheat gluten," as it is called, can cause trouble for our digestive systems and may be the root of some gluten sensitivities.

What is the solution? Although I realize it is not possible for everyone, the best option is to invest in a home mill and grind your own flour from quality wheat berries, using this flour to make your own homemade bread and baked goods. (You can also grind fresh cornmeal and other whole grain flours!) This might sound overwhelming at first, but there are many resources to help you along the journey.

Another option for obtaining quality flour for home baking is to find a friend with a mill who is willing to grind for you, or to go together with friends or family on the cost of a home mill that can be shared.  If you must buy flour, look for one that is ground the old-fashioned way with a stone burr mill.  Store bought cannot match the freshness and nutrition of flour ground at home, but at least stone ground whole wheat flour should be the real thing. Wheat Montana and Bob's Red Mill are quality brands, and I'm sure there are others.

Making homemade bread is an art that takes time to perfect. I remember making may "bricks" before managing to bake a more edible loaf!  Don't despair if your first efforts are less than perfect. Find someone who has mastered bread baking to mentor you if possible. If you cannot tackle making your own bread, you can greatly reduce the amount of commercial baked goods consumed in your home by making your own waffles, muffins, pancakes, and other quick breads. They are fast, easy, and incredibly delicious!  If you must buy bread or other baked goods, look for ones made with stone ground flour and without added gluten. They will be hard to find, but worth your effort.

Now, let's talk about individuals who are in the second category---those who have a gluten intolerance. Food intolerances, including intolerance to gluten, can sometime be overcome by improving digestive health.  Entire books have been written on this subject, but here are a few key points many alternative health practitioners agree upon. 

• Clean up your diet. Eliminate as much refined, processed foods as possible, and eat more whole foods (which contain more nutrients and fiber needed to improve digestion).  Reduce your sugar intake.
• Eat more probiotics to replenish the good bacteria cultures that are needed for a healthy gut. Eat naturally fermented foods, such as real sourdough bread, kimchi and other naturally fermented vegetables, miso, and homemade kefir. (Store-bought kefir has fewer cultures, but still contains more than commercial yogurt.) It is best to get probiotics from food, but taking supplements can be helpful, also.  
• Be sure to eat prebiotics, too. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that feed the probiotic cultures. They are found in foods such as whole grains, bananas, onions, garlic, honey and artichokes---another reason to eat those whole grains!
• Some individuals find digestive enzyme supplements to be helpful. DPP-IV is the specific enzyme that helps digest gluten. 
• Certain herbs can help heal and soothe the digestive tract. Slippery elm, yarrow, plantain, deglycyrrhizinated licorice root (DGL), or marshmallow root  are good choices. 
• Gelatin is very healing to the gut, but don't expect great benefits from commercial Jell-O with its added sugar and chemicals.  Gelatin from grass-fed animals is best, or you can make your own gelatinous broth from bones the old-fashioned way. [2]
• Sleep is critical for healing our digestive systems. As God has told us, "[R]etire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated" (D&C 85:38b).

Some individuals will need to temporarily eliminate all gluten from their diets for several months while improving their digestion. Some will be able to find relief by eliminating foods with added vital wheat gluten.

What about those in the first category who are celiac or cannot tolerate gluten in spite of efforts to improve digestion?  Even if you cannot eat wheat, it is still possible to use other whole grains as the staff of life as instructed in the Word of Wisdom.  To accomplish this, you will need to be discerning when buying gluten-free baked goods and pastas, as many are full of refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. Gluten-free refined carbohydrates are no more healthy  than any other kind!  Brown rice, millet, sorghum, teff, amaranth, buckwheat, and oats (that are certified to be  uncontaminated with gluten) are healthy, whole grain gluten-free choices.  Many books and web sites are available to guide you in the use of these grains.

All the things I have suggested in this article will require time and effort, but remember the promises God has made to those obedient to the Word of Wisdom: “And all Saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel, and marrow to their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; and I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen” (D&C 86:3c-d).

 

      
1. Rebuttals to Wheat Belly, a book by Dr. William Davis:
 http://nogluten-noproblem.com/2012/03/wheat-belly-busted.html
 http://info.breadbeckers.com/wheat-belly-fact-or-fiction/
 http://www.aaccnet.org/publications/plexus/cfw/pastissues/2012/OpenDocuments/CFW-57-4-0177.pdf

                           

2. How to make bone broth:

http://www.integratednaturalmedicine.com/bone-broth/

The Staff of Life

“Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you,    In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the   last days, I have warned you and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation   . . .”  (Doctrine & Covenants 86:1a)

How many times have you thought, “I know I should try harder to keep the Word of Wisdom; I know our family should improve our eating habits . . . but where do I start?”

Here’s my suggestion:  Start with whole grains.

“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 . . .”  (D&C 86:2c, 3a-b—Emphasis added)

God makes it plain that grain is to be the staff of life, or a main part of our diet, and especially wheat. There is no dispute that this means WHOLE grains. At the time this revelation was given, the general public ate whole grains.  It wasn’t until the 1840’s and later that technology made “white” or refined flour widely available.

Does it really make much difference whether we eat whole grain foods instead of “enriched” white flour products?  Scientific research answers with a resounding, “YES!”  Eating one to three servings of whole grains each day can give you many immediate health benefits, as well as reduce your risk of many major chronic diseases in the future. 

How would you like to reduce your risk for bowel disorders (including constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis), twenty types of cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity and type 2 diabetes?   (If you already have diabetes, whole grains may improve your blood sugar control.)  This is only part of what eating whole grain foods can do for you.  

For example, in the Nurses’ Health study, which monitored the health status of more than 68,000 women for more than a decade, the women who ate two to three servings of whole grains every day were found to reduce their risk of heart disease developing by 30 percent! They also were 30 percent less likely to have developed type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains.(1) 

Whole grain foods include all three parts of the grain:   

✓ The bran—full of fiber, B vitamins, 50-80 percent of the grain’s minerals and healthy substances called phyotochemicals.
✓ The endosperm—made of complex carbohydrates and protein, with a smaller amount of B vitamins.
✓ And the germ—a potent source of B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals (such as selenium, zinc, copper and magnesium), healthy unsaturated fats, phytochemicals and antioxidants (which protect against cell damage).

Refined grain products contain only the starchy endosperm.  The nutritional value is reduced up to 90 percent.  For example, more than thirty known nutrients are found in whole wheat.  Almost all these are lost when wheat is refined into white flour.  Enriched flour has had one mineral (iron) and three B vitamins added back in artificially.  What a poor trade off!  A recent study showed that only 5 percent of the grain products eaten by Americans are whole grain.  As a nation, our health has suffered greatly as we have trained our taste buds to prefer refined flour products. 

So why are our grocery stores full of white flour and refined grain foods?  The food industries make more profit on refined or white flour products.  The mills can take out the germ and bran, and sell it separately from the flour.  (Three things to market instead of one!)  Refined grain products ship well and stay good on the shelf for a very long time.  (No natural, vitamin-rich oils to go rancid.)  God warned us about the “consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days.”

Are you convinced you need whole grain foods as a mainstay in your family’s diet?  It’s time to change!  Even if you are used to refined grain products, you can learn to love whole grain foods. It’s really just a matter of retraining your taste buds.  Don’t try to do it all at once.  Change your diet in small, steady steps.  Start with educating your family about the benefits of whole grain foods.  This will give them a reason to try to adjust. Then little by little, begin weeding out refined grain products and replacing them with whole grain products.

If you are having a hard time getting used to whole grain foods, here are tips to make the switch easier:   Replace refined crackers and with whole grain crackers.  Start buying whole grain cereals . . . hot and cold.  Start making sandwiches with one slice white bread and one slice whole wheat.  Mix whole grain pasta (available at health food stores) with regular pastas which are refined white flour products.  Start making your own homemade treats such as the following recipes.  At first make them with half whole wheat flour and gradually increase the amount until they are 100 percent whole grain. Try using whole wheat flour from the variety of wheat called white wheat. It has a milder flavor and lighter color than whole wheat flour from traditional red wheat. You can find 100 percent whole grain white wheat flour in most health food stores.

In other posts, I have talked about the optimal benefit of eating whole grains in forms that are not highly processed and that do not have the additives found in most commercial whole grain foods. Yes, it is optimal to have fresh ground flour from organic grains and to make most of your own baked goods, but this is not always possible, especially at first. 

If you set the standard too high, you are more likely to feel like it is useless to even try. Just do the best you can right now!  Even small steps in adding whole grains to your diet can result in improved health for you and your family!

Here are some tasty recipes to get you started.

Raisin Bars

1 cup raisins
1 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or melted unrefined coconut oil
1 cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix raisins and water in blender.  Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Make a well and add egg. Beat egg, then add oil, honey and raisin-water mixture.  Mix with dry ingredients until smooth. Pour into lightly greased 9”x13” pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Muffins

These make great snacks for little ones, especially if baked in mini muffin pans!

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (non-aluminum)
1/4 to 1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or melted unrefined coconut oil

Mix dry ingredients and raisins in a bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Add eggs, milk, honey and oil. Stir gently until just moistened. Fill greased muffin cups 1/2 to 2/3 full.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  (16 muffins)

Blueberry Muffins:  Omit raisins and cloves.  Add one cup of frozen blueberries just before baking.

What are your favorite whole grain recipes?  Feel free to share them below in the comments section! 

 

Reference
1. Liu, Stampfer, Hu, Giovannucci, Rim, Manson, Hennekens and Willet. "Whole-grain consumption and risk of coronary heart disease: results from the Nurses' Health Study1,2,3." Am J Clin Nutr September 1999 vol. 70 no. 3 412-419
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/3/412.abstract
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/health-gains-from-whole-grains/

Standing Firm on the Word of God: The Word of Wisdom

“Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 12:39)

Currently, there is heated debate over what constitutes a healthy diet. God has given us counsel to guide us in the midst of this confusion: Doctrine and Covenants, Section 86—the Word of Wisdom. One clear principle of the Word of Wisdom is that grain is to be the staff of life. It is good food for man, particularly wheat. However, a growing number of passionate voices claim that recent research proves eating grain, particularly wheat, is unhealthy! When the voice of science contradicts the Word of God, we have to choose which one we are going to believe. Are we going to trust man or God?

The anti-grain movement is spreading like wildfire. A few minutes using Google or a visit to Barnes and Noble will convince you of its width and depth. Fasten your seatbelts, because I am going to give you a blast of the passionate anti-grain crusade. Many books have hit the market in the past few years promoting the total elimination of grain from our diets. One is No-Grain Diet by Dr. Joseph Mercola, who states: “. . . avoiding grains is typically wise for over 75 percent of the U.S. population.” Another is Dangerous Grains by Braly and Hoggan: “The implication is that the heavily wheat-based western diet—bread, cereals, pastries, pasta—is actually making millions of people ill.” Or how about The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf, who claims that our bodies never evolved to be able to digest grain, especially wheat.

Many who insist that all grain is harmful for us are basing their claims on the body’s blood sugar response to refined grain products. And make no mistake, REFINED grain products are HARMFUL to your body and need to be eliminated from your diet! They are absorbed at almost the same rate as straight table sugar! There is no doubt that when God said grain is the staff of life, He meant WHOLE grain. Refined grain products are so far removed from what God originally created, I don’t think they should even be labeled “grain.” It is like removing the wheel from your car and then claiming that the wheel is an automobile.

Let’s look at what refined grain products do to our bodies. Our cells rely on insulin which, like a delivery truck, carries glucose (the sugar derived from the carbohydrates you eat) to our cells to be used for energy. Simple and refined carbohydrates—such as white potatoes, white bread, pasta and white rice—contain few nutrients and are low in fiber. These carbohydrates are rapidly converted into sugar, dramatically increasing the amount of glucose in your blood. Insulin cannot “pick up” all the sugar and deliver it to the cells fast enough. This causes blood-sugar levels to spike and to stay high for an abnormally long time.

If this high blood-sugar continues, your cells may become unable to respond to the insulin effectively. This is called insulin-resistance, because the cells no longer respond to insulin’s hormonal signals, thus hindering the delivery of the raw materials (glucose) your cells need to produce energy. The end result is often diabetes. Refined carbohydrates also contribute to obesity. Eating refined carbohydrates creates more glucose than your body can handle, and the excess glucose is stored as fat.

However, our bodies respond to complex carbohydrates (whole grain and legumes) in a totally different way. The high fiber content of whole grain slows the digestive process and result in a slow release of sugar into blood which allows our bodies to process and use it properly.

So, refined grain products (which constitute the overwhelming majority of our nation’s grain consumption) are dangerous to our health. But how can anyone claim that even WHOLE GRAINS are harmful and should be eliminated from our diets? Supposedly, research is discovering that grain, especially wheat, contains what have been labeled “anti-nutrients.” The main “anti-nutrients” targeted for criticism are phytates, lectins, and gluten.

Weston A. Price Foundation claims in the article “Be Kind to Your Grains”: “Phytic acid, for example, is an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound. It is mostly found in the bran or outer hull of seeds. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. Other anti-nutrients in whole grains include enzyme inhibitors which can inhibit digestion and put stress on the pancreas; irritating tannins; complex sugars which the body cannot break down; and gluten and related hard-to-digest proteins which may cause allergies, digestive disorders and even mental illness.” How’s that for scare-tactics? Weston A. Price and his followers insist that grain must be soaked 12-24 hours in an acidic liquid to neutralize the phytates and other anti-nutrients before they are fit for human consumption.

It is easy to be swayed by such dramatic information which seems to be supported by scientific research, but when we walk by faith, we don’t require scientific evidence. We believe God’s Word, because He is God. And what does God say? “All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man, but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth . . . All grain is good for the food of man . . . Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls, and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals and for mild drinks and also other grain.” (D&C 86:2c, 3a-b, emphasis added)

What about the argument that wheat today is not the same food as it used to be? Even though genetically modified wheat has not been introduced into our food supply yet, hybridization has changed the composition of much of the wheat we consume. God knew wheat would be hybridized. He saw the “evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days,” yet He still said “wheat for man.”

We see the consequences of these evils and designs all around us: genetically modified foods, chemical ingredients in our foods, and the widespread contamination of our food and water supply. It seems that our bodies are assaulted with toxins on all sides. What are we to do? God knew what was coming. He told us: “Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you, In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation.” (Doctrine and Covenatns 86: 1a)

Instead of living in fear, we need to listen to God and implement His direction in our lives. I believe that God has made a way for us to be protected from the toxins of our modern world through obedience to the Word of Wisdom. For example, the very “anti-nutrient” which wheat’s foes are proclaiming dangerous, may instead be the very nutrient which God has provided to protect us in these last days. Phytic acid (called phytate when in salt form), which is found in the outer bran of grain— especially wheat—has a strong chelating ability to bind with minerals. Instead of a detriment, this may be its most powerful health benefit. Sara Shannon in her book, Diet for the Atomic Age, lists phytate as a nutrient which protects against heavy metal toxicity and radiation damage. Phytates bind with radioactive and toxic substances and carry them out of the body. After extensive research, Shannon found that as our environment becomes more toxic, grain is our best source of protection, particularly due to the phytate content. She believes that “for optimal health, at least half of every meal should be grains.”

Phytic acid is also an antioxidant (like vitamin C). Some research suggests that phytate has the ability to lower blood glucose, reduce cholesterol and triacylglycerols, and reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease, and it may play a part in reducing colon cancer through its absorption of iron and other minerals that cancer cells need for growth. In fact, because of its anti-tumor, anti-carcinogenic, and blood sugar regulating properties, supplement companies are actually isolating and selling this powerful antioxidant! (Remember, phytic acid is found in the outer bran of grain and is NOT abundant in refined grain products.) How many other unknown benefits are yet to be discovered in the nutrients of grain, particularly wheat?

The Word of Wisdom is not a commandment, but we are fooling ourselves if we think that it doesn’t matter if we obey it. God has said, “for, behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:6c) You can be sure there will be consequences to our health if we ignore God’s wisdom.

God has promised, “And all Saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel, and marrow to their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; and I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” (Doctrine and Covenants 86:3c-d)

It’s time to get serious about implementing the Word of Wisdom into our lives. Start by decreasing your consumption of refined grain products and adding more whole grain to your diet. Read the Word of Wisdom. Pray and meditate over its message, and God will lead you in the pathway of obedience to His Word.