White vs. Wheat

Ever heard the saying "The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead"? Well, there may be some truth to it. While white flour is certainly not the CAUSE of chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, it certainly does not protect against disease like whole wheat does. So what is the difference between white flour and whole wheat flour and what makes whole wheat flour so much better for you?

White flour is white because it is highly processed. The processing of wheat removes the two most important and nutritious parts of wheat: the germ and the bran. Why have we been removing the germ and bran? To make our flour less course. Throughout history, white flour has been considered an elitist food because it is smoother and softer to the taste, however, when wheat is stripped of the germ and bran, ALL nutrients and vitamins automatically decrease (drastically). The ONLY component of wheat that increases when it is processed is the calories, and heaven knows we don't need any more of those. ;-)

Well, what about bread that is made with ENRICHED wheat flour? Enriched pretty much just means they sprayed it with some highly-processed, man-made nutrients. Just like a spray-on tan never looks as good as the real thing, these nutrients will simply never be as good for you as just eating wheat the way God made it. So watch out when you buy bread and bread-products (rolls, tortillas, pasta, even chips and crackers). Look at the ingredient list! If it says enriched wheat flour, or even simply wheat flour, DO NOT BE FOOLED. If you want to get all the benefits of whole wheat flour, you should look for one of these as the FIRST item on the ingredients list: stone-ground whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour. If it says whole wheat, by law it has to contain the germ and bran. Anything else is processed, no matter how they try to cover it up. In fact, here's a clever trick they use to make you think you're getting whole wheat when you're not: they add caramel coloring to the bread! Scan the ingredients list on the bread for caramel coloring, you'll find it on quite a few bags. Talk about "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days" (Doctrine and Covenants 89:4).


So why is it so important to keep the germ and bran intact? Because when present, wheat retains its plant properties. Wheat is a plant after all, similar to fruits and vegetables, and so if you don't destroy its natural plant goodness, you'll get all the benefits of the antioxidants and phytochemicals in wheat (see post on antioxidants to see why they are so cool). Basically, antioxidants and phytochemicals protect against cancer and other chronic diseases. Also, ever noticed that you put on weight when you have a lot of white flour in your diet? Don't blame it on the carbohydrates, contrary to popular belief, you need those. It's because white flour is digested much quicker in the body (because it's not course) and so it causes a spike in your blood sugar. This spike causes a quick release of a lot of insulin, and insulin's job is to get that blood sugar into the cells where it is often stored as fat. Because of the quick/large spike in blood sugar, there is also a sudden and quick drop in blood sugar when the insulin quickly sends it all into the cells. This means you may experience a drop in energy, and a feeling of hunger sooner, and put yourself at greater risk for developing diabetes. By eating whole wheat, the wheat is digested more slowly, meaning it is slowly introduced into the blood stream, and slowly taken up and used so it is not all stored as fat. Eating whole wheat also keeps you fuller longer, meaning you eat less calories over the course of the day. Whole wheat also has fiber, which will have to be a topic for a whole other post, but it's just plain GOOD for you, k? ;-)

So, that is my novel on whole wheat. Buy it, eat it, love it! If you have been a white bread lover all your life (I was!), then try some easy changes first: switch over to whole wheat bread (I know it's more expensive. But having a chronic disease costs even more!) and try whole wheat tortillas and pasta. You can also buy whole wheat flour and use it in your cooking, but be careful, you may want to introduce it slowly. When I make desserts, I use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. It can take a while to get used to the taste of whole wheat if you've been raised on white, but believe me, it's worth it! Do it for your health, for your future, for your kids, for your happiness :-)