Wheat and Anti-Grain Concerns Part I

I have been on the road at various trade shows and have had numerous emails and calls all with people who are concerned about the recent anti-wheat info...the impact of wheat and other grains on their diet.  I would talk with people one on one but had decided to stay out of the fray of the argument for or against wheat and gluten grains in general. I have remained silent on my blog/face book about the topic because it is so volatile and people have so much passion in their views for or against gluten or wheat.

I preface that my views are not based simply because I sell the Nutri mill grain grinder and the Bosch Universal mixer and only want to defend my marketing audience.  For example,  people think my saying "I LOVE my Bosch mixer" is only because I sell the Bosch Universal mixer and wear the apron donning "Bosch."  I quickly tell people at trade shows that any who pass by my booth and have a Bosch mixer; the first words they say will be, "I love my Bosch; I couldn't live without my Bosch mixer; The Bosch mixer is the best mixer I could have ever bought."  So, what do these comments have to do with the anti-wheat and anti-grain push seen today?

My motivation is not to defend my machines but simply bring balance to the broad claims made about taking grains out of your diet.  I think there is too much pressure on us to jump certain nutritional hurdles; and if we don't jump the hurdles, we must not really love and care for our family.  Remember the peer pressure we endured in our school days that made us do things that really weren't us...made us wear a facade.  Humm...are we still there??; only the peer pressure is in the realm of what we eat or don't eat; how we choose to educate our children; how our children perform/act in front of others...the list goes on.

I guess, I have come to a point of speaking up on the anti-wheat issue because there are too many harried women who have come to me desperate with all the wheat information...the gluten issues....they are not intrigued nor excited about the subject but only have hallow eyes saying, "I must be failing in feeding my family nutritionally, and I can't take one more thing on my 'to do list!'  Help!"   So, these postings (it will take several) are for those harried women to step back; take a breath; and know things are not as bad as it appears or are led to think!

So now, I dive in to hopefully shed some light or a different perspective on all the information and be so bold to say misinformation circulating around the food talking circles...the anti-grain issue is no different than other issues which have some truth with a lot of erroneous ideology mixed in.  The anti-grain...anti-wheat proponents throw words like "studies show; Dr. So n' So said; an M.D. behind their name."   These buzz words make us give credibility to the person writing and information proposed without questioning whether the study was done validly.

The first question I am usually asked...What do you think about gluten?  Is your wheat GMO?"..."I feel so much better off of gluten and I lost weight!"...have you heard/read the "Wheat Belly" book?  What do you think?

Question #1  What do you think about gluten?
There is so much hype about gluten today.   Truth:  There are people who are truly allergic to gluten grains and need to use only non-gluten grains.  I am NOT denying there are those with celiac and who truly need to avoid all gluten.  This information is not to tell them to start using gluten!!

I want to counter the ideology that tells the general masses: "get off of gluten" "gluten is bad for you" "gluten is the cause of your allergies" "gluten is the cause of your weight gain" "gluten makes you sick".

Many who say they are gluten intolerant are not intolerant to the true wholesome whole wheat kernel, which contains gluten, or whole wheat bread made with fresh ground whole grain flour; but are reacting to the processed flour that is in all processed foods, condiments, in packaged foods you purchase at the grocery store, used in restaurants, and the list goes on.  Even those who mill their own whole grains into flour and make their own bread from fresh milled whole grains, like my family, are still consuming the processed flour and other processed foods.  If you eat out, you are eating processed flour...usually loaded with white sugar.   These processed foods are a huge culprit in developing allergies to the masses.

We need to stop/curb the processed foods we consume and not blame ailments we suffer simply on the whole gluten grains.  There is so much valuable nutrition in the whole grains. Whole grains, which contain gluten, are a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. (see the nutrition break down below).  Gluten-free products you purchase or consume in the restaurants at large are made with refined gluten-free grains, and are low in nutrients. Gluten-free foods tend to be deficient in fiber, iron, niacin, thiamine, calcium, vitamin B12, phosphorus and zinc.  You have to make a concerted, knowledgeable effort to put those nutrients back into your diet when eating a gluten-free diet which the average person is not doing.  When eating whole gluten grains, you get these naturally in your fresh milled flour.  Notice, I said FRESH MILLED FLOUR!  If you are buying the processed flour in the store, you are not getting the nutrients you need.

Current talking points lump anything with gluten as the culprit for all ailments and that specifically wheat is not a healthy choice for you or your family.  Below are nutritional details of whole wheat.  I do want to add those who are truly gluten intolerant need to consider a Nutri Grain Mill so they can mill the non-gluten grains and keep the nutrients and fiber these non-gluten grains contain.  The key here is FRESH MILLED FLOUR and stop the processed foods/flours.

Many will say they went gluten free and feel so much better and lost weight.  Well, this is for the next post!  I have rambled too long and given too much info for you to digest...pun intended! :)  Till we talk again....

Notice how many nutrients you are getting from the whole wheat grain?!!  The processed flour is depleted not to mention bleached.  The processed white flour is just not good for us and yet we consume it in high volumes just as we consume white sugar.  Again, if you eat out....if you buy any processed or canned type foods, you are getting the depleted, processed flour and white sugar which are culprits for making us sick.

Here shows the parts of the wheat to help understand what that tiny wheat kernel has and benefits us.  Plus you can see how much we lose with the white "enriched" flour!

• Bran - Essential to good health; it permits the body to rapidly eliminate wastes and toxins which are believed to be the cause of many health problems and diseases.  It is resold to us consumers (minus much of the original nutrients).
• Middlings -This highly nutritious outside layer directly under the bran; contains a high percentage of minerals and vitamins and is sold to ranchers and farmers as livestock feed.
• Wheat Germ - This important source of vitamins and minerals is also removed and sold separately as a food or food supplement.
• Wheat Germ Oil - This oil is rich in vitamins, but is removed along with the wheat germ to insure longer shelf life.  Oils exposed to air oxidize and rapidly turn rancid, giving a bitter taste to foods that become harder to digest.  Wheat germ oil is widely used in cosmetics because of its high percentage of Vitamin E.
• White Flour - The result of the commercial milling process is white flour, almost entirely devoid of nutritional value.  It is tasteless and usually flavored with sugars, fats and salt, which are at the root of many of today's diseases: obesity, constipation, diabetes, hypoglycemia, hypertension, heart disease, etc...  "Enrichment" which is required by the US government (not the Japanese government), consists of only restoring artificially 3 vitamins (B1, B2, and Niacin) and 1 mineral (iron) after having removed 39 of them plus the bran.