"Why bother?" Tip 1

By the time you finish reading this short tip, you will know a bit more about why it's crucial to grind and prepare with fresh whole grains.

Tip #1 - "You do WHAT? Why bother?"

Okay, I will be the first to admit it, I was not raised to be a settled person. When I first heard of milling grain at home it seemed like an impossible thing to do, would be a huge mess, and time consuming. It didn't take me long to see how wrong I was.

One tip to answering those questions of 'You do what?' and 'Why bother?' is to understand the two greatest advantages of milling at home. First are the health advantages and second are the storage/cost effect advantages. Let's focus on the health advantages for this tip.

To lengthen the shelf life of milled grain into bagged flour, most of the grains essential nutrients and vital parts are extracted. The Wheat Bran, Wheat Germ, Wheat Oil and Middlings are removed simply for the convenience of a longer time for storage. We are all acquainted with at least three of these discarded parts of the wheat grain as now popular health food items (Bran, Germ and Oil). To mention a few benefits now missing, the Bran and Middlings contribute much needed fiber, the Germ and Oil contribute vitamin E. There are many more nutrients these now missing items contribute, but we see a lack of both of these in the twentieth century diet.

Worse than what is missing, may also be what is added to the bagged flour. To make the regular white appearance of flour, the first process used by manufacturers was literally chlorine bleach! Although new chemicals and processes have now been approved, chemicals of any kind were not ever intended to be IN the grain itself. The list of what was stripped from the now fluffy flour is so long that manufacturers now feel the need to 'enrich' it with synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are just that - synthesized, not natural. Why add a 'fake' vitamin for a natural one that was taken away in processing? Enough said.

That's only part one of this tip. I'll post the second part tomorrow, so don't forget to check back! :)

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