The Truth Behind White Flour

Three years ago I was handed a book called "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living", by Rex Russell. It basically compared the foods from Biblical times, and how far we have come in modifying God's intent for food, in relation to our health. It was fascinating! Upon further research, I began to look into the way industries process our foods. I was shocked! At that time, I cooked with white flour all of the time. Let's just say, after researching it, I stopped immediately. Now, I know there are quite a few people who cannot consume wheat products. I would suggest looking at alternative options like spelt or rice flour...but staying away from white flour! I actually take my whole wheat flour an extra step, and grind my own, with a Grain Mill. Here is why....As soon as a wheat kernel is broken open, as in milling, the nutrients immediately begin to oxidize. Within 72 hours 90% of over 30 nutrients are virtually gone. In the 1920's new technology allowed millers to separate the wheat components. By removing the germ, germ oil, and the bran, the remaining white flour could be stored indefinitely. This milling process strips the B vitamins as well as about 24 other nutrients from the wheat kernels. Government requires that millers "enrich" the white flour by replacing 4 vitamins for the 25-30 that are removed, thus labeling the bread "enriched wheat". White flour is bleached (chemically-treated) to make it look purer. It takes up to 20 steps of processing to produce white flour! Unbleached flour is one step better than bleached, enriched flour, but is still missing the wheat germ and full nutrients. You should try to use unbleached, chemical free, whole-grain flour, if store bought. Buying whole-grain bread at the grocery store is not the same as milling your own flour and making it fresh. Most store bought bread is missing the important wheat germ. A rule of thumb is, if the bread is not refrigerated or frozen upon purchase, then it is missing the wheat germ. Flour that has the germ layer remaining would turn rancid if not refrigerated, such as fresh milled wheat. I can often find "good" bread in the freezer of the organic section of grocery stores. If you are getting it off the shelf, consider it modified. The same rule applies to labels of rice and pasta, except these items do not need to be refrigerated, as they are dried in processing. But, if the package reads "enriched wheat or semolina flour" on your pasta box, then you are purchasing modified wheat flour (aka: white flour). Look for the words "100 % whole wheat durum" for your pasta and "whole grain brown rice" for your rice, to ensure you are skipping the processed foods.