I may be preaching to the choir here but I’m going to jump in anyway because I can’t tell you how many people I talk to really are confused as to what whole grains really are. We have been instructed to read labels in order to make the healthiest choices. But if you don’t really understand what an ingredient is, reading the label won’t help.
This isn’t going to be an intensive look at this, but I feel like many need a bit of a refresher course if you will. So let’s just clarify a few terms:
Whole grain products are generally less processed—the grain is literally left whole, meaning it still contains the whole kernel (the germ and bran which are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) and thus the whole nutritional spectrum of the grain.
You can have gluten free whole grain products as there are numerous gluten free whole grains such as teff, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, bulgur, kamut, spelt, amaranth and sorghum.
Whole wheat is not the same as “whole grain” although it is a whole grain.
Wheat products, even whole wheat that we were raised to believe was healthier than white bread, pasta, crackers and the like, are made from hybridized, genetically manipulated wheat. It is not just about the gluten it contains which causes problems. What used to be a truly healthy food contains a super starch, super gluten and a super-addictive drug that creates cravings and is a driver of the obesity epidemic.
So what are we do do? Well reading the label carefully is definitely step one. Choosing gluten free or organic, sprouted whole grain products would be my next suggestion. If you test your blood sugar it would be interesting to see the difference in your reading after eating a couple of slices of “healthy” whole wheat bread (which is known to raise blood sugar as much as 2 tablespoons of white sugar) compared to a truly whole grain product like quinoa or millet.
When I bake my Easter or New Year’s breads at the holidays, I have begun using organic Einkorn wheat flour, an ancient, heirloom grain, which is actually a true whole wheat. It doesn’t contain those super ingredients that are causing all the problems. It causes fewer issues than the wheat flours we find now. That being said, we are low-carb and gluten free most of the time as I see the many benefits.
Are you confused by the term whole grain? How do you decide what products to choose?
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Wonderful refresher; and some new info, that helps dispel so many rumors from the past. Thank you for always providing needed info that leads us to live a better life. God’s blessings ma’am.
Thank you J.D. Glad the info was useful my friend.
Hey Ann,
That Einkorn wheat is a new one on me and is very interesting. We have been eating Ezekiel which I know is sprouted but I don’t think it uses that ancient grain. It is amazing the quality of the food products in this country.
I also saw a drink using Erythtol (or something like that). Is that just another sneaky artificial sweetener?
You’ve got to be a food phd. to eat soundly these days. It is easy to fall for the tricks of the food trade thinking you are making wiser choices.
We, too, try to reduce the carbs and bread we are eating but the occasional sandwich is nice, especially for my biking exploits. They are easy to pack and very satisfying. A friend of mine buys her sandwich at the grocery store and it looks very tasty but I prefer to at least use Ezekiel bread.
Diane bought some Almond flour to do some baking for some occasion, forgot what but I thought it tasted fine. Somethings take some getting used to but you can get used to them.
Good article.
Yes Ivey the Ezekiel isn’t made with Einkorn wheat but is sprouted so a much better choice and tasty too. That flour (Einkorn) bakes my New Year’s and Easter breads nicely. I always hesitate to change too much when they are family recipes but it hasn’t harmed the finished product in the least and I can feel better about serving it. Pretty much any cookies or cakes I bake use almond flour and I actually enjoy them more. It has a really nice texture and I’m sure whatever Diane baked was yummy. The erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol so a good choice as a sweetener. You just have to be mindful not to have it in excess as it can give some people digestive distress like gas. It’s a healthy choice though. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Thanks for the flour tip, Ann. I’ll check it out next time we need to reload, although there still seems to be a flour shortage in stores due to Covid baking.
Like you, I’m always careful to buy organic products, especially when it comes to wheat. I read somewhere that conventional wheat, including the “healthy” whole wheat bread, is sprayed with glyphosate to accelerate the drying process, getting it on the shelves sooner. Yikes, no wonder we have so many gut issues in this country.
Thanks again for more great tips. I always get something from your blog posts!
You are absolutely right about the glyphosate Holly. It’s a wonder anyone is healthy in this country!!!