IDF:Last night I read "the five fundamental transforamations to our foods and ways of eating". (Is that where the period goes? Susan? Joe?)
"Refining grains extends their shelf life (precisely because they are less nutritious to the pests that compete with us for their calories) and makes them easier to digest by removing the fiber that ordinarily slows the release of their sugars. Also the finer that flour is ground, the more surface area is exposed to digestive enzymes, so the quicker the starches turn to glucose...
"Refined flour is the first fast food...
"Before the roller-milling revolution, wheat was ground between big stone wheels, which could get white flour only so white. That's because while stone grinding removed the bran from the wheat kernel (and therefore the largest portion of the fiber), it couldn't remove the germ, or embryo, which contains volatile oils that are rich in nurtients. The stone wheels merely crushed the germ and released the oil." (107-8)
Pollan goes on to tell us that the germ that was released, but that also gave off a stinky odor and therefore was undesirable, actually contained "protein, folic acid, and other B vitamins; carotenes and other antioxidants; and omega-3 fatty acids." (108)
I wake up the next morning and go with Wyatt downstairs for some breakfast. Downstairs, you question. Yes, downstairs. We spent the night at Tom's parents' house, as we were having our early Christmas celebration. Shannon and Jason came up early so they don't have to come in December when she will be just three or so weeks away from delivering baby #4. I open the pantry and think, cereal. I know, how can I give him cereal after reading that scandalous information? Easy; he doesn't like eggs and we can't afford to give him yogart every morning. (How many yogarts do you know of that are inexpensive and don't have high fructose corn syrup or aspartame in them?) Life cereal looks like a sure bet, a little bit sweet (6 grams of sugar for 3/4 cup, not bad) and it has the guy with the black hat on the front. He kind of looks like a modern-day Moses, except he's a Quaker. The Quaker. Anyway Wyatt ends up eating the equivalent of about two bowls and is happy. Meanwhile I look at the box.
Oh no! What a scam. My eyes have been opened and now I feel like a terrible mother. On the box it states it is "an excellent source of B-vitamins to help convert food into energy". Is this the vitamin B that has been removed because it has been crushed to an unrecognizable state? Am I to believe that my son will have more energy from eating this pre-packaged food? Argh, this is so hard. The ingredient list starts off with whole grain oat flour, then sugar. Does one counteract the other? I'm so confused. Michael Pollan, help me!
Only two hours later I find out that Shannon, my Texan sister-in-law, ground her own wheat not long ago. And she said it wasn't too hard. About a year ago I had a woman ask me if I ground my own flour and I tried to not laugh out loud (and that's hard for me). Grind my own flour? I have indoor plumbing and electricity. Why would I grind my own flour? I wear pants and don't cover my hair, where would I get whole wheat? I have a car and lots of grocery stores, why waste time on making wheat into something edible when it already comes like that in a bag?
My trouble now is that I'm not asking myself those questions any more.
I realize that it will be a long journey before I convert to gluten-free baking. I prefer my bread to be light and moist and less like dehydrated space food. Cookies aren't good for you anyway, why try and mask them with healthy things like gluten-free flour, if there is such a think?
And this is my dilemma: I love to cook. More specifically, I love to bake. There are few things in life that can't be made better with a nice baked goodie. But I'm beginning to wonder, would some more whole grains in my diet kill me? Actually, it would probably help me, and my kids, live longer. And little by little we might notice a difference in our enery levels and overall health. There may even come a time in our lives when we don't have to take strawberry-flavored fish pills to get our Omega-3. Can you imagine?
10 comments:
Really good analysis here. Yeah, all of the sugars probably negate any benefits of the whole grain oats. It sounds like you have your next project -- grinding your own wheat. Why not try it? But if you do it, you must wear your Quaker hat. :-)
And if you want to contact Michael, why not drop him an e-mail?
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/faculty/pollan/
i feel your pain! every time i think that i am going to "stop baking, start cooking and eating healthier, stop wasting the money on the refined sugar and gluten filled flour and buy more fruits and veggies" i get the urge to bake! i love it and hate it at the same time...
I have a confession: I often model what I give Noah after what I see you give your kids since I know you know more about all the health stuff. So does that mean I am going to have to start grinding my own wheat too... I am still working on getting my own challah up and going. yikes. press on sister.
Leah, your comments about grinding your own grain are great -- and I posted a few more bits and ideas on my blog. Let's keep exploring this idea. Why wouldn't home-ground grain taste as good or better than the stuff that comes our of a factory? And wouldn't the home-ground baked goodies taste better simply because you put a bit more effort into it? http://augustcool.blogspot.com
The period was placed correctly, but since few people know that these days they misplace it. Then, when somebody like you places it correctly, it doesn't "look" right. So what I do is try to write my way out of the problem by not ending the sentence with a quoted word.
Paul
I would like to comment on the period placement. As a typer for the community I have seen my fair share of books and this does come up and honestly I have seen it both ways. Which then really puzzles me, because you think if these are published items that they would all have it the same way, but really not the case. So there you go. My two cents - you are welcome.
Yes knowledge is power but it can be a little scary when you start to learn the truth. You could add some whole grains to your meals and expand on that to raw foods and so on. I ate like everyone else in America and got a nice case of cancer. I stopped being the average American and educated myself cured my cancer through my diet and cleansing and I have not looked back. You have opened the door my dear the key is that you care about your loved ones. The door cannot be closed once you see the truth good luck to you.
Sincerely
Paul Blake ND
Wow! Tons of info, Leah. Reading your blog makes me curious about this book. I might have to check it out.
thanks, everyone, for your comments. it's so encouraging to know that people are interested in this stuff. it's really joe's fault for getting this rolling. if we start grinding grain in the next few weeks while he's in town i'll be sure to let you know.
For anyone who has not read In Defense of Food, I recommend it -- add it to your Christmas wish list -- and blog with as we examine what we eat, why we eat it, and how we can improve our diets. And maybe even grind our own grain.
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