The Healthiest Flour For Your Family

What Does “Enriched Flour” Mean, And Is It Right For You?

By Amy Neuzil
Published on September 18, 2023
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Choosing the healthiest flour for your family your family will ensure that the food you prepare provides the most nutritional benefit. Different flour options can have various risks and benefits, both nutritionally and environmentally.

North America’s most commonly available flour is fortified, or “enriched,” wheat flour, made from modern wheat varieties. Fortification programs for wheat flour have been standard in North America since the World War II when nutrient deficiencies, such as folate deficiency, became commonplace because of wartime food scarcity. Today’s enrichment programs include folic acid, other B vitamins, and often iron.

What Does Enriched Flour Mean When it Comes to Healthiest Flour?

To make enriched flour, the fiber-rich bran and fatty, nutrient-dense germ of the grain are removed. These are the natural sources of fats, fat-soluble vitamins, fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants, and they’re removed for consumer taste and texture preferences and to increase the flour’s shelf life. The flour is then typically bleached to achieve the pleasing whiteness the average consumer favors.

To meet the enrichment guidelines set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), every pound of flour then has thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron added. Enrichment is mandatory in the U.S. for commercially produced flours to help reduce deficiencies and prevent folate-deficiency-related neural tube defects in babies. Most developed countries have now initiated grain-fortification programs of their own.

While enrichment programs were highly successful during periods of food scarcity, the modern abundance of food and dietary supplements may be changing the picture for some populations. Folic acid, for example, is also found in multivitamins, prenatal vitamins, prescriptions, B-complex blends, breakfast cereals, many energy-boosting products, meal-replacement shakes and bars, commercial protein powders, and other products. Studies have shown that excessive levels of folic acid build up in the bloodstream as unmetabolized folic acid (UMFA). Adverse health outcomes, including cancer, food allergies, and infertility, have been linked to high blood levels of UMFA.

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