Wheat

In the world of dieting, bread is an often vilified food. In fact, it should not be! In much of the world, bread is the staple food, and it is referred to historically and Biblically as the one item that the people cannot live without. There is a reason for that, and a reason why it is vilified now, and understanding why it is so good, and what makes it so bad can help you to get the benefits without the drawbacks.

What makes bread bad? In a word, white flour and sugar. Bread is exactly as good, and as healthy, as the ingredients that go into it. Most bread on the grocery store shelves has several negative elements:

High in sugar. This is a relative measurement, because high for bread is still low compared to a dessert. Still, most bread has more sugar than it needs to taste good and raise well.

Refined flour. The really beneficial elements in wheat have been removed, and only the fast acting simple carbs remain.

Fortified with vitamins and minerals. Fortified foods have the illusion of nutrition without the reality. The really necessary items are all stripped out, then just a handful of them are added back in. Those nutrients are not in easily absorbable forms, and the same ones are added to almost all your foods, which results in an overdose in a few nutrients, and deficiencies in many more.

Aged grains. Grains have the most nutrients when they are whole, or fresh milled. If the grain is cracked, or ground, and the surfaces exposed to air for more than about two weeks, many of the essential trace elements evaporate, and others convert to simple carbs or to less helpful elements. This means freshness of the FLOUR (not just the bread) is something that matters, and that larger pieces of grains (such as wheat berries or cracked grains in addition to just flour) are helpful in commercial breads. Since this is an element you can only control if you mill your own flour, and since that is not practical for everyone, you have to make compromises, but knowing that the more complete grains are better can help you get more benefits.

High in preservatives and additives. They can have negative effects on your body. Again, compromise is most often necessary, so choose the best you can.

What makes bread good? The more natural the bread, the better it is for you. The fresher and more whole the ingredients, the healthier it will be. The major helpful element for diabetes in bread is wheat. Wheat can be consumed in more ways than just bread, and we'll discuss that in a minute.

Whole grains. Not just whole milled grains, but cracked and berry grains also. And that means 100% whole grain, not just "wheat flour", which is just another name for white flour, or added bran, which gives you the illusion of whole wheat without the major benefits. Look for a label that says, 100% whole grain.

Freshness. Fresh flour is healthier than aged flour. The age of the bread is not nearly so important as the age of the ingredients, if this aspect is important to you.

It has been shown that whole wheat, when consumed daily (in any form), has a beneficial affect on blood sugar control. Some people never learn this though, because they feel that wheat spikes their blood sugar. At first, it may do that, but after a week or two it won't.

And you still cannot consume bread without counting it! The rules of a good meal plan still apply! Your goal though, should be to have whole wheat (real whole wheat, not just brown bread) in at least one meal a day. You can get this in a variety of ways.

1. Bread of course. Bread is one of the major sources of wheat, and really, one of the best. It is versatile, and can be consumed as toast, sandwich, english muffin, bagel, low sugar cinnamon roll, cornbread, tortilla, whole wheat pockets, whole wheat pizza, and more.

2. Cereal. Hard to find fresh whole grain cereal, the cooked forms tend to be healthiest. Still, Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat are two cold cereals without sugar added, and with whole grains. Try boiled wheat for breakfast too, with a little sweetener on it.

3. Gravy. Low fat, whole wheat gravy is actually a nutritious food. And normally it has little enough flour in it that you don't have to count half a cup or less of it.

4. Soups, casseroles and salads can have boiled wheat or other whole grains added to them.

5. Pasta. Whole wheat pasta is now pretty easy to find, but look at the label and make sure it really is whole grain, and not just white flour and bran.

Wheat has long been a staple food in most cultures in the world, and with good reason. It has, in its natural form, most of the essential elements for life. When sprouted and then used in cereals and soups, it has an even richer compliment of nutrients.

Long term, regular use of whole wheat can help to make blood sugar control more predictable. This effect is seen with both Type I and Type II diabetics.

1/4 cup of flour or 1/2 cup of boiled wheat, or one small slice of bread equals one carb exchange. So measure and count it, but do include it if you don't have gluten sensitivities, because it really can make a difference.

For those with gluten sensitivities, inclusion of other whole grains can help to compensate for the lack of wheat. You won't get quite the same benefits, but whole grains will still have a positive effect on your blood sugar control.

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.