Nutrition Frenzy

Rich? Who’s rich? I love rich!!!

And bleach? Well, honey my hair could tell you a thing or two about that . . . .

Too bad neither enriched nor bleached flour have any redeeming value - kind of like the jerk you went out with last Saturday.

You know, the one who looked really great, and dare I say may even have tasted kinda nice, but who was really only out to use and abuse you – nothing of value there.

ENRICHED MEANS ITS GOT MORE VITAMINS AND STUFF, RIGHT?

No!

The nightmare called Enriched Flour happens when manufacturers strip wheat flour of its bran and germ and then “enrich” it by adding back in some stuff like thiamin, riboflavin and niacin so that they can call it something like “enriched,” which makes us feel good about buying it.

Bleached flour is also a manufactured creation, devoid of the fiber that is vital to keeping our weight in check and our system running properly.

WHY’D THEY DO THAT?

Manufacturers decided that the softer texture enriched and bleached flour lend to products would be more appealing to consumers. Now we are used to it.

Well, get un-used to it – quick.

It’s not a hard switch - hearty, rich breads, chewy muffins, whole wheat pizza crusts, whole wheat spaghetti are all readily available, healthy alternatives.

In fact, for the next 6 hours I will be on a plane to Hawaii. Plenty of time to compile a list of my favorite whole grain products – stayed tuned . . .

A REAL PISSER

I just have to put this sad tale in here to remind you to please read the ENTIRE label, even on 100% Whole Grain products. It seems that some manufacturers just love playing games.

Here’s an example: I was so psyched when I heard Nabisco came out with 100%Whole Grain Fig Newtons. I high-tailed it to the store, all set to dive into some Figgy’s. I took one look at the label and was SO PISSED!

Seems now companies know we are getting smarter, catching on that enriched and white flour suck. So, they are marketing things like Fig Newtons and Chips Ahoy as, “100% Whole Grain”.

But don’t put on your healthy-halo and start cramming these goodies in your mouth just quite yet, one look at the label will tell you that Figgers and Chippies are alsomade with High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Damn.

Check out www.accidentalhedonist.com for a great compilation (it’s a huge list, but sadly far from complete) of products, including many 100% whole wheat/whole grain products that also contain High-Fructose Corn Syrup. You’ll probably be surprised by some of the duds on this list, like 100% Whole Grain Pepperidge Farm bread!

READING LABELS: WHEAT OR CHAFF?

WHAT YOU WANT:

100% Whole Wheat or 100% Whole Grain products

YOU DO NOT WANT:

— Bleached Flour: Just another white food that ain’t no good

— Wheat Flour: Does not contain the bran or germ (no fiber)

— Enriched Flour (wheat) : Wheat flour that is stripped of bran or germ and has had some nutrients added back in to make it pass as a consumable food.

— Enriched Flour (flour):Stripped! Just like the one above except the source of the grain isn’t identified.

— Stone Ground Wheat Flour: The word “Whole” isn’t in there. This means milled flour with no bran or germ. Bah!

— Cracked Wheat: Wheat is milled into angular pieces. I give it a 10 for artistic merit, but is a big ZERO in terms of fiber.

— “WITH whole grains”, lots of times the product is still largely composed of enriched flour, bleached four and sugar

I THINK I’LL JUST HAVE A SALAD

I know lots of the names on the “Do Not Touch” list sound totally “Little House On The Prairie”. Like, I swear I remember Ma Ingalls yammering on to Pa about her Cracked Wheat Biscuitt . . . .

But the truth is manufacturers put homey, healthy-sounding names on stuff that has no redeeming value. In fact, eating white bread can hurt you in a quest to lose weight and is detrimental to your good health overall.

Think of how much more satisfied you’d feel from a slice of bread that has fiber. It fills you up and stabilizes blood sugar. Whole wheat and whole grain products keep you feeling full much longer than stripped flours that shoot your blood sugar up and then leave you feeling hungry and wiped out.

So remember, just because something sounds good , it can still have lots of issues. Just like so many of those “enriched” guys we’ve all had the displeasure of meeting . . . .

Hmmm . . . a great topic for another day . . . .

Hang in there - and check here for my own list of great 100% whole grain products you can SAFELY and HAPPILY put in your shopping cart.

Get your halo dusted off…