Dietary Fiber

Fiber, fiber, fiber. I can't emphasis enough the importance of it.

Fiber is what many of us today are missing in our diets. It's what keeps us "regular". As gross as it is to talk about our insides like intestines and such, it is important because what goes on inside affects what goes on outside.

It has been said that eating a diet high in fiber can help prevent certain health problems and cancers. Fiber can also help maintain normal cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and help keep you from gaining weight. Those are only a few, the list is way longer than that. It's been said to have helped prevent constipation, hemorroids, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, breast cancer, and more.

Whole grains are high in fiber. The bran which is the outer layer of the grain, is what contains most of this fiber. So when manufacturers remove this bran it is actually almost causing us to have those diseases and health problems. So when we eat white refined products like bread and pastas we're doing our body harm! Eating whole grains actually helps reduce the effects that eating the refined grains causes.

Eat more fiber rich foods such as whole grains to help your overall health!

Technorati Tags: dietary fiber, whole grains, diet

You can make tortillas from other grains, not just wheat!

Now I've taken into consideration that some people have allergies to wheat, but there is hope yet! For instance, if you can't have a flour tortilla because you can't have the wheat, don't sweat it.

I know it can be a series of deprivations for those who are sensitive to wheat and gluten. Which can set you up to just binge on that wheat that is so harmful to your digestion. But don't let 'store bought' items catch you off guard, when you can prepare your own grains (kamut, spelt, millet) and make a whole grain spelt tortilla for easy and fast replacements to regular bread or wheat tortillas.

Find a good wheat recipe for tortillas and simply replace one grain for another. You may have to adjust the water in the recipe and pour in small amounts at a time into your freshly ground grain. The water absorption rate differs for different types of grain, so take your time and make sure you don't add too much water. We made spelt tortillas out of our freshly ground whole spelt grain flour not too long ago, and the kids actually preferred the spelt grain tortillas to the wheat grain ones!

I'm out of time for today. I'll post more tomorrow, please subscribe to our feed or come back and see us soon! Happy Eating! :)

Technorati Tags: spelt, tortillas, wheat, wheat allergy

Buckwheat and Barley

Here are some pictures of a few different types of whole grains. There are so many out there, you should try some new grains at least once! Because depending upon the grain, you may get different vitamins and minerals you may not usually get with eating only the common grains. So test out a few and see which ones you like. Here are a couple.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat, as you know, is good milled into flour to make pancakes. But did you know that it can also be cooked whole and used as a meat replacement? I have a few recipes for using buckwheat that I might post later.

Barley

Barley is good in soups and as hot cereals. Or it can also be milled into flour like regular wheat and used in baking.

Those are only a couple, I'll be posting up more pictures of the different types of whole grains a bit later. Thanks for reading though and have a great day! :)

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Technorati Tags: whole grains, buckwheat, barley, flour

The pancake recipe

Finally, here's that pancake recipe I promised you. :)

4 cups freshly milled "soft white wheat"
1 tsp. backing soda*
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs. sugar

2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
3 1/2 cups buttermilk

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add liquids. Stir until just mixed (don't over stir). Fry on hot oiled griddle. To make a lighter pancake separate the eggs and whip the egg whites then fold gently into the batter. Serve however you like it and enjoy.

*To use sweet milk instead of buttermilk omit soda and increase baking powder to 4 teaspoons.

And that's it! I hope you enjoy them.

Happy eating! :)

Another Tip

Here's another tip on why you should bother milling your own grain.

It takes no more time than grabbing a bag of dead flour. Throw the grains in the Nutrimill, turn it on and by the time I've gathered the other ingredients for the recipe, the mill is done.

The Nurtimill has even saved us money! My family of 5 eats pizza every Friday night (our family tradition). We used to order 3 large pizzas from Papa Johns. Costing us between $30 and $40 each Friday. Now I make 3 16 inch pizza crusts ahead of time using fresh ingredients (with possibly less fats/grease) for around $10.00! The mill had been paid for itself in less than three months on pizza night alone!

So as you can see, milling your own grains not only takes the same amount of time as grabbing a bag of normal flour, but it also saves you money. So to still have kept the health benefits with not as much difference in price and time. I'd say it's worth it to mill whole grains yourself.

Technorati Tags: milling, tips, grains, health

Things you should know about your bread

If you eat white (or any kind of store bought) bread, you should know a few things before you eat that next slice, and here they are.

In the mid 1950's the inclusion of artificial additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, hydrogenated oils and other chemicals in bread became standard practice. Whole wheat flour was replaced by bleached, enriched white flour around this same time. Which is then artificially "enriched" by adding in materials that were destroyed in the chemical process of bleaching, like vitamins and minerals.

Milling the endosperm of wheat berries or kernels yields white flour, regardless of what type of grain is milled. This process also removes so much natural nutrients and vitamins that subsequent enrichment can never completely replace them. Therefore, enriched white bread is by no means nutritionally equal to whole wheat bread.

In addition, "wheat bread" on the label does not mean that it is made from whole wheat flour. It is just to distinguish the bread from those made from other types of grains. Breads made from whole wheat flour should normally have "whole" or "100 percent whole" before the term "wheat bread".

The manufacturers make white flour because, compared to whole wheat flour, it has a longer shelf life (because of the chemical preservatives), which saves them money because they don't have to worry about spoilage. However, that flour could be killing you because of the lack of nutrients in it. It turns into glue in your colon! Not to mention all those chemicals and additives you're putting in your body.

There's more where that came from, we've only scratched the surface on what you should know. I'll write more on this particular subject tomorrow or another day, so make sure you check back!

Technorati Tags: whole wheat, wheat bread, endosperm, chemical preservatives

Easy Whole Wheat Pancakes

Who doesn't like pancakes? The butter melting on the warm flapjack that just came off the griddle...and the maple syrup (or whatever you prefer) being poured on top. And your fork cutting into them, and they're nice and fluffy. Mmmmm, my mouth is actually starting to water as I type this.

I've got a wonderful recipe that I've tweaked and tested over the years with my freshly milled whole wheat flour. I've now got it to where they taste just as good as buying any pancake mixes from the store. Only mine are healthier for you because you get the benefits of having whole wheat! My kids love them!

A variety of flours and different flour combinations can be used for this recipe, but what I almost always use in my recipe is the soft white wheat. They are sensational!

However, I'll have to post the recipe another time. ;)

No worries I'll do it within the next few days, just check back so you don't miss it!