How Can I Eat More Whole Grains? And Why Should I Care?

Whole Wheat is a Mormon mantra. We store it. We grind it. We cook with it. At least that's the hope or why else would our garages be full of it :) Wheat stores incredibly well in it's grain form. They actually had grains of wheat in the pyramids in Egypt that they planted and grew wheat from. Incredible grain. Unfortunately the modern world has processed it into a white, fine powder and has taken away most of its nutrition so it ends up being mostly starch. If you are looking for truly whole wheat bread you either have to make it yourself or it has to have the words 'whole' or 'sprouted' or 'malted' before the word wheat to let you know that the whole wheat has been used. It also needs to be the first ingredient.

I just wanted to throw in a video here from www.everydayfoodstorage.net.  I think this will help your decision to use whole wheat more!  Thank you Crystal!

Of course wheat isn't the only awesome grain out there so I'm going to change horses here just a bit (or at least add more passengers to it) and throw in the term 'Whole Grains' of which wheat is a big part but whole grains brings in a lot of other really good things for me.  Whole grains included rice, barley, corn, quinoa, sorghum, spelt, rye and bunch of other things. 

So what does it do for me? Well whole grains will digest slower than the processed stuff so it stays with you longer and it helps to regulate your blood sugar (no spiking with whole grains). Since it has bulk it helps with those that are 'intestinal challenged' or have diverticulitis like Crystal mentioned in the Video. It has been shown that is may help with DNA damage (that's the B vitamins in it) and in suppressing cancer cell growth (I just quoted this out of the 'Food for Thought' book put out by UCSD, Moore Cancer Center). Part of that is tied up in Ligans (same stuff that is in Flax). They think it may help suppress hormonally motivated cancers (like mine).

I've been pondering lately how can I make wheat a bigger, better part of my diet? And what can I do with what I am already eating to increase the 'Wow' factor in getting the good stuff out of it?

Haven't a clue that's why I write this silly blog :) Okay, Okay, I eat whole wheat in a cracked format in cracked wheat cereal. I tried cooking it in a crock pot and it turned into mush (and if mush is what you are looking for great but for me - not so much). So I got out on the Internet and looked at alternatives to cooking. You're gonna love this one. The night before I want it, I take 2 cups of water and boil it in the microwave. I pour it into the 'unplugged' crock pot add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 cup of cracked wheat. Put on the lid. Then cover it with a kitchen towel and go to bed. The next morning, voila, cracked wheat cereal enough for 2 to 3 people. You can actually refrigerate the left overs to be used the next day. I usually have to drain any excess water off it and then microwave till hot but it's ready to go. You can put the same stuff on it that you add to oatmeal except don't add the ground flax. The flax turns into this gelatinous substance that make the cereal nasty. Not on my list.

Oh and the easiest way to get cracked wheat is to crack your own. I got this hand grinder that I can hook onto my kitchen counter. In just 5 minutes I can hand grind about 6 or 7 cups of cracked wheat. I put it in a sealed container and put it in the refrigerator so the oils in the wheat don't go rancid and the vitamins stay longer. I try not to do more than my family will eat in 2 weeks time.

And just a quick note - if your body is not used to cracked wheat is can be pretty rough on your insides. Maybe start with small amounts spaced over several days and work your way up. We have it about 3 times a week. Please note too the texture is different that probably anything you have ever eaten and may take some getting used to but I really like it.

What else do I eat that has whole wheat in it? Bread. I can make this but usually I buy it from some big box store. I actually don't by whole wheat bread, I usually buy whole grain bread. The one with all the lumps in it (that was a serious issue with my kids when they were small and texture is everything). I try too, if I am buying any other bread product (buns, English muffins, tortillas, dinner rolls, etc.), to pay more attention to the ingredients on the package. If whole wheat isn't listed as the first ingredient (whole, sprouted or malted) then I go back to see if there is anything better. Unfortunately this is usually a higher cost item so I have to weigh my options. Sometimes I pick the lesser quality just because the cost is so prohibitive.

So to continue on with Bread comes butter. I probably mentioned this before but I eat butter not margarine. There are several reasons. One is taste, butter just tastes better. Two is it's natural - it comes from a cow, nothing else added (except maybe salt) so my body has a better chance of processing it. And finally my cancer is estrogen positive and soy products are a question mark item for estrogen positive. Do they or do they not make my cancer grow? So the next time you are at the grocery store look at margarine's. What it the first ingredient? Soy Oils. Bad. So it's butter for me :)

You know another option on bread is cinnamon and a sugar substitute for flavor. I put a mix of cinnamon and splenda in a small glass shaker so I can have it on cereal and toast. Works great. And cinnamon is good for your blood sugar - 1/4 tsp a day is suggested. What better way is there to get that than on toast with butter.

Enjoy!