Most of my bread recipes are whole grain. While they may be made with refined white flour, I would like to share some information I've put together about the using whole grains in our diet. This is information I've accumulated over the years from many different sources. A couple of the key resources are Basic Care Bulletins and Sue Gregg's Cookbooks and website.
Benefits:
Disease prevention with fiber and nutrients not loss by man’s tampering with grain the way God made it. Generally, not always, cheaper to bake your own. If you have access to a mill, or good blender, whole grains store longer than flours. Whole grains and flours are more flavorful and more filling.
Five Differences in the "American" Diet over the Years
Statistics show that “more people enjoy eating than any other activity.” There are five dietary changes between economically poor countries and rich countries and it shows in the type of “diseases”. In my great-grandparent’s day it was infectious diseases and accidents that caused the most deaths.
1. Starch consumption falls as people become economically developed. Most of the starch in our diet has been depleted of nutrients.
2. As a country develops the people take fiber out of their diets.
3. Fat in the diet increases. We eat almost four times the fat as people groups who are exempt from the “Western Diseases” we want to avoid.
4. Sugar intake increases. We eat the average of two pounds of sugar per week. This includes prepared foods. Check the next can of vegetables, even beans you buy. {See if food pantry has some items. 20oz. Mountain Dew is 1/3 sugar–3/8 cup}
5. Increase in salt. We eat ten times as much salt as our distant ancestors ate.
I will share about different grains and how increasing our intake of grains will benefit us by reversing some of these trends in our diet.
