Why Whole Wheat is Way Better

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How nutritious is this reconstituted “whole-wheat” flour? As with white flour, any whole-wheat nutrients not purposely discarded with the germ and bran often succumb to the long, hot, repetitive milling process, or to chemicals used to artificially “improve” or bleach flour. Significant losses may occur in heat-sensitive B vitamins, vitamin E, enzymes and other healthful components. In fact, commercially produced whole-wheat flour frequently contains only enough bran for a healthful-looking brown tinge, and virtually no germ. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 1999 labeling rules specify that claims about health benefits associated with whole grains can appear only on products that contain at least 51 percent whole grains by weight. These health benefits could be plastered all over home-milled flour because it contains the grain, the whole grain and nothing but the grain.

The Benefits of fiber-rich foods

A virtual river of scientific research shows that the more fiber-rich foods we eat, the healthier we get. Usually, though, scientists cannot pinpoint which grain components are doing the good work. Vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and other phytochemicals play indisputably vital roles in promoting health and preventing disease. But in order to grasp the profound importance of grains in our diet — and why home milling is so vital nutritionally — we must learn more about fiber.

Fiber, which exists in soluble and insoluble forms, is the structural portion of plants that the human body can digest only partially or not at all. Only plant foods, such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, contain fiber.

Insoluble fiber passes through the digestive system basically unchanged (undigested). This type of fiber has long been considered particularly important because it helps eliminate constipation and the many disorders related to it. Examples of foods high in insoluble fiber are the bran of whole grains; vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower, beets and cabbage; seeds and nuts.

Soluble fibers can be partially digested by our systems. These viscous fibers, which are plentiful in foods such as oats, beans, peas, brown rice, barley, citrus fruits and strawberries, are particularly valuable in fighting heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, moderating blood sugar in diabetics, protecting against certain cancers and a long list of other conditions.

How much fiber do we need? There’s some quibbling among experts about that. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends total daily intake in grams at 38 and 25, respectively, for men and women 50 years and younger. For the over-50 group, men need 30 grams and women need 21, due to decreased calorie consumption in this age group. Many fiber advocates recommend a minimum of 40 grams a day. Strict vegetarians typically get up to 60 grams per day. Yet most Americans consume only 14 to 15 grams of fiber a day, and low-carb dieters may get even less. But remember, these figures are for total fiber. So, unless you’re eating truly whole-grain bread, pancakes, pasta and cookies, you are almost certainly eating too little of that vital insoluble fiber. Remember, too, that highly processed fragments of food — such as bran cereals or even fiber laxatives — are no substitute for the real thing. They lack the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals, antioxidants and other components that play silent but inevitable roles in the health benefits associated with a diet rich in whole grains, and may even deplete the body’s mineral stores.

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