Is white flour really all that bad??

YES!!!

Eat Clean Principle #6:

Eat whole grains, not refined, over processed, full of chemicals and preservative foods..

So what's the big deal? Why is white flour so bad? Well, when they are done processing it, it has the same component make up as sugar..are you surprised by that? It has little to no nutrients. Has been stripped, bleached, refined..you name it.. Why would they do that to grains? Because they get more for their money. When they strip a wheat germ, they can make four, wheat bran, wheat germ..they strip and and like the sugar, they get multiple uses out of it. So the companies win and our bodies suffer.

I had been doing research on it because all the books about eating clean say not to eat white flour, that it is highly processed, but what does it do to your body?

I found this:

There are several reasons white flour can adversely affect your health. White flour is stripped of the most nutrient-rich parts of the grain. It also is processed in a way which makes it instantly absorbed when it reaches the intestine. Unlike whole grains-which take a much longer time to be digested, absorbed, and broken down into energy, white flour immediately raises your blood sugar levels, much in the same way sugar does. That means that after you eat it, your body has two choices: either burn it off immediately, or store it as fat. Usually, unless you are working out while eating your flour tortilla, that means that it is stored as fat. Lastly, because of the instant elevation of your blood sugar level (which is also shown to be unhealthy), the later instant drop of your blood sugar will likely leave you hungry. 

White flour and sugar are very similar in the ways they effect our energy, bodies and health. Both can be major contributors to weight gain. If your diet is filled with a lot of white flour, you are likely missing out on some major nutrition necessities, and feeling very hungry a lot of the time.

Whole grains are low in fat and high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. 

When we compare that to white flour that has been stripped of all the vitamins, minerals and fiber and then bleached so no living thing can survive in it, we see why whole grains are important part of a healthy diet.

  Choosing whole grains and whole wheats are a must.

When I bought flour in the store, I chose whole wheat, organic..but it is already processed.  It is

a much better choice than white, but it is still lacking nutrients that you can get from grinding

your own.  It is the most cost effective and best choice.  You just have to buy a kitchen appliance

called a flour mill/grinder.

Here is the reason this is the best choice:

To begin with, the heat of commercial mills can often destroy many of those health giving vitamins and minerals in the milling process.  However, more than that is the fact that once a grain has been milled (basically broken open) and exposed to the air the nutritional value of the grain begins to decline at a rapid rate. 

In as little as 24 hours after milling grain into flour as much as 45% (or more) of vitamins and minerals have been lost.  At 72 hours up to 75 to 90% (or more) of many of the vitamins have been lost. 

The natural oils in the grain will go rancid very quickly too. This is why the smell of freshly ground flour is a wonderful fresh scent compared to the smell of whole grain flours from the store.  It is a difference that you may not realize until you experience freshly ground flour. 

So.. I found some info in a cookbook by Bread Beckers, a company that sells bread products and other healthy foods.  They have a local co-op you can order through here in Kingsport.  They have a free CD you can get called "Bread of Idleness". It talks about how God wants us to work and not be lazy.  He has given us specific instructions on how to harvest grain, bake bread, work the land. As Americans, we have gotten lazy with our food. We don't want to work for it. We want it all done for us and our body's health suffers in return.  We don't want to grow it, cook it , take the trouble to fix it all up.  It takes to long. And we wonder why we have health problems and obesity.  We are lazy about how we get and prepare our foods.

I found that Bread is not bad,God talks about bread throughout the bible everywhere..your daily bread, Jesus being the bread of life... I had a period I was scared to eat it, doing no carbs seemed to help me lose a little weight.  Guess what, it wasn't the bread itself, it was what was in my bread and how it was made.   
A few months ago, I met a lady in colonial heights grinding her own flour and baking bread (I met her at a yard sale of course).  I had read a bunch of information on why this is healthier and so I bought some of her bread.  After a few weeks, I decided to branch out and bake my own.  Flour grinders are expensive. I have yet to bite the bullet and buy it, but I have someone who will let me use theirs until I get one. 

Here is the one I plan to buy















This website is full of information on baking bread and using your own ground flour http://www.breadexperience.com/index.html


Here is my bread recipe I am currently using.  I change it up sometimes, but this is the basic one that I use. It's so easy, so good, and so healthy..

Here is a chart that talks about the nutrition facts of fresh whole wheat versus white refined flour:This website is full of information on baking bread and using your own ground flour http://www.breadexperience.com/index.html


Here is my bread recipe I am currently using.  I change it up sometimes, but this is the basic one that I use. It's so easy, so good, and so healthy..Basic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe