by Roy Marshall

Is the whole wheat bread you’re buying really whole?  Unless your bakery grinds their wheat fresh, probably not.  Even products labeled 100% Whole Wheat do not, by U.S. law, always contain real whole wheat
Wheat, like most cereals, has a hard outer coating – the ectosperm or bran.   Encased inside it is the starchy layer called endosperm, with few nutrients.  Inside that is the germ, the living part of the grain where nutrients are stored in the form of oil. 

Shaky ground.
When wheat is finely ground in a high-speed grinder the rich germ gets exposed to air, and oxidation begins almost immediately.  It can’t be packaged and sit at room temperature – unless refrigerated or used to manufacture a food product, the germ and oil will become rancid in a couple of days.
It’s usable, but the resulting baked goods will taste “off”.  Stone ground wheat is coarser and oxidizes less rapidly, since the globules of wheat germ aren’t as exposed to oxygen, and will be fresher for a week or more   
The US FDA allows flour processors to sift off up to fifty percent of the total weight of flour, usually the heavy germ that can go rancid. That’s a lot – what’s left can be called “whole wheat”, even though it contains little of the nutrient-rich germ. .  The small of particles of wheat germ left may oxidize before they spoil, but that binds up most of the nutrients, making them unavailable for absorption by your body – but it allows the wheat to be packaged and stored without becoming rancid.
What does this mean to you?  Well, it means that instead of getting any of the forty-four major nutrients and hundred or so micronutrients present in the wheat germ, you’re getting starchy white flour, oxidized germ, and some of the wheat bran – which has benefits, but few nutrients. 
Bread truly is the staff of life – but only if it’s made from healthy and nutritious ingredients.
 
Roy Marshall is the proprietor of Austin Healthy Cooking, featuring fresh hand-made pasta, bread, and gluten-free products. All of Chef Roy’s free cooking classes start with the ritual of grinding wheat to make fresh bread. 
2013 Wells Branch Pkwy. # 119. (512) 487-824.
www.AustinHealthyCooking.com     www.GourmetTexasPasta.com