Refined Flour

If you have read some of the other pages in this site, you'll know some of the issues I have against refined flours. Basically, the nutrients are stripped out, and then a handful are added back in, resulting in too much of some, and too little of others.

When flour is refined, it is not just bran that is removed. The wheat germ, an important part of the grain containing oils and the nutrients in the grain that are responsible for the potential for life and growth in the grain, is removed also. The remaining white starch is relatively devoid of nutritional variety.

What is left of the grain is little more than a bit of simple carbohydrate, which converts so rapidly to sugar in the body that it is not far different from eating sugar directly. Addition of preservatives and chemicals does not help the situation any, nor does the addition of supplementary vitamins and minerals. They are added back in unnatural amounts and proportions, and only a small amount of the total number are added back in. Added nutrients also may not be in the most digestible forms.

The problem I have with refined flour is not just that it is not a healthy food... I mean, that is pretty evident to ME, anyway. The problem I have with it is that it is EVERYWHERE. I cannot escape it! If I buy a meal anywhere that is already prepared, it will have white flour in it. I prefer whole wheat, and it simply is not available many places. In larger cities there are more choices, but where I live, they are pretty unimpressive. There are two places in town with "whole wheat" tortillas (both of which are actually mostly white flour, but better than plain white), two places where I can get "wheat bread" with a meal, and two places where I can get a hamburger without the bun, which I will do if that is the best I can do. Pretty pathetic.

When you select "healthier" choices in a restaurant, you may not have much choice. If they say they have a whole grain option, you pretty much have to trust that it actually is. When you choose things from the grocery store shelf you can read the label and make a choice based on actual ingredients. But you have to know what you are choosing!

• 100% whole wheat means just that.
• "Wheat flour" means white flour.
• "Multi-grain" means some whole grain, some white flour.
• "Whole grain" means some whole grain content, but just how much varies from package to package.
• "Low Carb" means that they have refined and processed it MORE, not less.

Read the ingredient label to be sure, items with no flour except "whole wheat flour" are best, next best are those with "whole wheat flour" first, and "wheat flour" after.

In our world, you practically cannot get away from it entirely, but a diet of predominantly healthier foods WILL make enough of a difference to be worth the effort.

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