The whole grain and nothing but the grain

by duluth, January 20, 2010 | Permalink

One of my happiest childhood comfort foods was whole grain bread, or “brown” bread as it was called in my household.  Most of my peers preferred white bread, sugary soft, with the crusts cut off, so that your teeth did not bite into the bread as much as sink into it. No, I loved my after-school PB&J on stout, grainy bread, thick with seeds. It had taste and heft and filled me up. I was never told it was good for me so I didn’t balk at eating it, ever. (Note: see how well reverse psychology works?)

Imagine my glee when I grew up and found that I was ahead of the curve. You see, whole grains are getting a lot of positive buzz these days. According to the Whole Grains Council website (www.wholegrainscouncil.org ), a whole grain bread or flour can be defined as one to “contain all the essential parts and naturally-occuring nutrients of the entire grain seed.”  When grains are milled to make refined flour, up to 80% of its nutrients can be lost. That’s a lot of healthy minerals, B vitamins and fiber you’re missing out on, buddy.

So how can you, the thoughtful bread and flour consumer, make sure you’re getting your whole grains? Here are some words to look for when perusing a loaf of bread or a bag of flour. “Whole grain (fill in name of grain here)” insures that you’re getting product that isn’t over-refined. So for a loaf of wheat bread, you want to see “Whole grain wheat.”  “Stoneground whole (fill in the grain)” is another phrase to watch for.  What kind of grains should you look for? There’s a whole alphabet’s worth:  sticky amaranth, barley, solid buckwheat, bulgur, couscous, farrot, millet, tiny quinoa, rolled oats, spelt. Check out the Whole Foods Market website for all kinds of great recipes on how to prepare these grains. 

But what if you’re just looking for a great slice of whole grain bread to be the base of a sandwich that stacks to the ceiling? Look no further than our fabulous-smelling Bakery. All of our whole grain breads that meet the minimum requirement of 16 grams of whole grain per serving (according to the Whole Grains Council) now carries the stamp of said council.  For example, our hearty organic harvest grain bread has 29 grams per serving, as does our organic oatmeal bread and organic sprouted wheat bread. Pure and simple organic whole wheat bread is great for lunchtime sandwiches and it’s got 27 grams of whole grain per serving. Even our organic whole wheat sourdough can boast 23 grams. Our chewy, substantial organic wheatberry bread weighs in at 32 grams of whole grain per serving. Whew! That’s a bread of substance.

So take comfort in whole grain bread. Bring home a loaf, take out a slice and inhale deeply, then slather a thick nut butter on your bread. Take small bites, eat slowly, and savor a tiny victory in the war of nutrition done deliciously.

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