29/08/2020
Here's looking into why at The Sabziwala we are taking an extra step and grinding the grains for our Customer family!
Basic Overview of Grain
In order to understand why grain is so healthy for us, it is important to learn what grain is made of.
A grain has three different parts:
Bran: The outer layer, the bran, contains fiber, B vitamins and trace minerals.
Endosperm: Next, the endosperm, contains simple carbohydrates = quick energy.
Germ: The center (oil) of the wheat berry is the germ, this nutrient-packed part contains Vitamins B & E, fatty acids, trace minerals, phytochemicals, and unsaturated lipids.
What do refined grain and other terms mean?
Refined grains (ex. flour you find on the supermarket shelf) have had the valuable, healthy bran and germ stripped away to make them shelf stable.
But Why??
Because, When grain is ground, the oil in the germ is released and therefore fresh ground flour is only shelf stable for a few days before it goes rancid.
All-purpose flour, the main flour used in modern-day baking, is highly processed- containing only the endosperm from hard and soft wheat.
Recall, the endosperm layer of grain is only the simple carbohydrates portion of the grain!
Potassium bromate (banned in most of the world’s food products) and bleaching agents, along with a host of other “additives”, are often added to processed white flour. We highly encourage to research on this... Beware, nightmares may follow!
“Enriched” flour. During the refining process, 50-90% of the nutrients and phytochemicals are lost.
This led to manufacturers adding synthetic vitamins back into their flour to make it “healthier”
The word “enriched” simply means replacing natural vitamins with synthetic substitutes.
“Fortified” means added nutrients (often synthetic) that do not naturally occur in the food. Many cereals and other grain products have been fortified.
Although this is not inherently bad, it is important to pay attention to the other ingredients.
Fortified foods commonly are highly processed and loaded with sugar, fat, and sodium.
By grinding our own grain, all of the natural nutrition is present without any of the preservatives or synthetic additives.
Grinding, or buying fresh ground, grain and using it quickly is important because of the short shelf life. Most can be refrigerated for longer shelf life.
Health Benefits:
Despite popular belief, whole grains are extremely healthy and play a vital role in well balanced diet.
3 servings of whole grain/day reduces the risk of stroke, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and digestive system related cancers.
Whole grains provide essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins (especially B vitamins) and minerals (zinc, iron, magnesium, manganese). The nutritional value will vary depending on the type of grain.
Contains disease fighting antioxidants
Loads of healthy fiber!
Whole grains are absorbed slower than refined grains, which prevents insulin/blood sugar spikes.
Wonderful flavor!
Let's eat healthy!!!
Let's grind our own grains!!!