We are making the switch to whole wheat. It’s tough, because white flour is in everything, but there is no denying that whole wheat is healthier. Wheat grain is composed of three parts: the bran (outer layer), germ (inner layer), and endosperm (the layer between). Whole wheat utilizes all parts of the the grain and retains the fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. White flour, on the other hand only uses the starchy endosperm and has to have lost nutrients added, therefore termed “enriched”. Even after having the nutrients added, the white flour is still a nutritional zero.
Buyer Beware
Food labels can be tricky. If you want to ensure you are getting whole wheat, here are a few things to look for on the label and packaging:
“whole wheat” or “whole grain” – these words should be at the beginning of the ingredient list and lets you know the entire grain, with all its nutritional properties went into the product
fiber – if a product is a true whole grain, it will have 2 or more grams of fiber per serving
“enriched wheat flour” – this is a fancy term for white flour. Also watch out for multi-grain and seven-grain. These will lead you to the ingredient list and enriched white flour
So, tell me what you think. Are you considering this for your household or have you been doing this for a while? I’d love to see your comments and contributions to this topic!
:: Be sure to checkout more articles in my Healthy Living on a Budget Series. Stay tuned, I”ll be talking about my fresh milled grain very soon!
I love your new healthy living series! We have been working on eating healthier this year, including switching to more whole grains. My husband is the one who sometimes isn’t thrilled about whole wheat in things, but I think I am winning him over. One of his friends refuses to eat whole wheat products, so I think this is partially why he resists sometimes. I think the more I use whole wheat the more used to it he gets, and he is starting to realize that it is tastier than he thought!
I’ve been working on incorporating a lot more whole grains into our diet, although I sometimes use a combination of unbleached white and whole wheat.
Suzie, if your husband is being resistant, I would suggest giving white whole wheat flour a try. It is ground from a different type of wheat, and it has a lighter flavor. I use it a lot in things that my family prefers to have a “lighter” taste if that makes sense, and they do prefer it over the regular whole wheat.
Yes, we have made the switch! It isn’t too bad once you get used to it. My husband was also resistant at first, but I’ve won him over.
Another easy way to get some fiber in when you bake is to throw a teapsoon or 2 of ground flax seed in. I do this to all kinds of things like muffins, pancakes, bread. You can’t taste it, but it is a great source of fiber and other healthy stuff.
We’ve recently been trying out some recipes w quinoa, and I really like it too.
Here’s to whole grains!!
I have been pouring over the catalog from King Arthur Flour and trying to decide what to try. They also offer Diastatic malt powder that prolongs shelf life. Their stabilized wheat germ claims to be packed with vitamins and minerals. They also offer gluten-free flours and mixes. I feel that KAF has quality products, but does anyone know of a cheaper source with the same great quality?
Kelly, I don’t know where you live, but I am close to Kentucky and go to a local Mennonite community (close to Scottsville). I go to their “general store” and buy a lot of things in bulk there, such as whole wheat flour, oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, etc. You can buy 50 lb bags of flour and oats, or you can buy smaller bulk packages, like 10 lbs or 25 lbs. I feel like I get a much better deal and everything is good quality. Of course, you can also get a lot of great fresh seasonal fruits and veggies there, too. Just be sure to take cash 🙂
Ashley – A friend just told me about an Amish store nearby that has a similar store, cant’ wait to check it out next week!
ever since we had our little girl, we have been on a family mission to eat better. i am trying my best to only put whole wheat in her mouth….and mine & hubs, too. it is difficult in our white bread society. i applaud you and your family and love to hear what other products you find.
check out my post and our whole wheat pancakes. we all love them!
http://davidcourtneyandcamryn.blogspot.com/2010/03/good-carbs.html
I too have been trying to slowly add more whole wheat into our diets….even buying things like Ritz crackers that have some wheat in them so the kids will get used to the taste more and the whole grain Mac n Cheese…..I only make their sandwiches on whole wheat bread now….and our tortillas are whole wheat as well. I haven’t started adding things like flax seed to muffins….I think that’ll be next so I can sneak it in on my husband hee hee…he is still a little resistant but a good trooper to try things. We aren’t all the way there yet but I’d say better than we were a year ago.
I would like to remind everyone that there are some things you have to be REALLY careful and check out. READ LABELS! SOME WILL SUPRISE YOU!
* It needs to say 100% whole wheat to be whole wheat. (per the FDA)
* It needs to not only say unbleached, but also check out the Less than 2% of these ingredients- for any type of bleaching agent… I though Publix white bread was okay until I found a bleaching agent in this section…sorry gals.
* There is a chemical that is produced that’s called Alloxan that is in 5-15% of ALL bleached flour that has only one use- to cause diabetes in lab animals to test new diabetes medications on them.
* Many of the large stockholders in food companies are also large stockholders in pharmaceutical companies…they have a reason to keep us in the dark and unhealthy.
* Most IMPORTANTLY- the ONLY reason they bleach flour is to make it age faster so they can sell it faster– and the FDA has never done any long term studies to see if it is dangerous to humans.
Get bleached flour out of your diets as fast as you can and you WILL live longer and healthier! You will also have less ups and downs in your energy levels. I quit it and I feel so much better!
Anastasia,
YES! You are so right, about getting white, bleached flour out of your house. We have pulled all white and bleached, enriched flours out of our diets because they have zero nutritional value, plus studies indicate that they can actually be harmful to your health!
I ousted white flour years ago, but still find myself confused about what flours are truly whole grain. This new white whole wheat that King Arthur sells is one I have used, but am still not fully comfortable with. It doesn’t make sense to me that whole wheat can also be white??? I use a lot of whole wheat pastry flour in my baking and love it. If anyone has any info that could further educate me on the subject of flours, I would love to hear it. Thanks and God bless! 🙂