About the Grains


"The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead."

This is rule number 37 in Michael Pollan's Food Rules. He writes, "This rather blunt bit of cross-cultural grandmotherly advice (passed down from both Jewish and Italian grandmothers) suggests that health risks of white flour have been popularly recognized for many years. As far as the body is concerned, white flour is not much different than sugar... It offers none of the good things (fiber, B vitamins, healthy fats) in whole grains - it's little more than a shot of glucose... People who eat lots of whole grains tend to be healthier and to live longer."

Eating the right type (meaning grains that are as intact and unprocessed as possible) is as important in the foundation of a healthy diet as choosing the right kind of fat. For optimal health, it is important to include plenty of carbohydrates from whole grains - things like whole wheat bread, brown rice, kasha, quinoa, whole oats and bulgur.

Eating whole grains:
  • contributes to healthy weight maintenance
  • keeps the body's sugar control system on track, and prevents insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes
  • staves off heart disease
  • improves gastrointestinal health
  • reduces the chance of developing mouth, stomach, colon, gallbladder and ovarian cancer
How do whole grains do this?

The fiber in whole grains delays absorption of glucose and eases the workload for the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. Fiber also helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood. The type of carbohydrate in your diet may be as important as the type of fat in the development of heart disease, or protection against it. Fiber may also rev up some of the body's natural anticoagulants and help prevent the formation of small blood clots that can trigger heart attacks or strokes. I could go on and on... for more information, buy this book: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy

Whole and unprocessed carbohydrates contribute more toward healthy weight maintenance than any other nutrient; whereas a diet high in refined carbohydrates (white flour and white rice) that are quickly digested and absorbed can have damaging consequences. These include higher levels of blood sugar, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, and lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.

About the grains:

There are a lot of whole grains out there, each with it's own varieties and benefits.

Wheat is a species of grass that has been cultivated domestically since at least 9000 BC. There are over 30,000 varieties of wheat today, which can be classified as red or white, hard or soft, winter or spring. Today, most wheat is processed and refined (creating White Flour). The milling process first cracks the wheat grains, then pulverizes them with a series of rollers. In this way, the starchy, carbohydrate-rich center, called the endosperm, is separated from both the dark, fibrous bran and the wheat embryo, called the wheat germ. At each stage of milling, something is lost. Removing the wheat germ pulls out vitamins and unsaturated fats. Stripping off the branny outer layer removes fiber, magnesium, and more vitamins. By the time whole wheat grains have been turned into white flour, the final product is a pale shadow of the original, literally and nutritionally.

White flour began as a novelty for the upper classes in the nineteenth century, when high-speed roller mills made it possible to produce white flour so fine it resembled talcum powder. The breads and pastries it made were lighter and airier than their whole grain counterparts. Buying white flour became a symbol of moving up in the world. It was also easier to store, because it contains none of the healthy oils found in whole grain flour which can go rancid. As a consequence, the composition of the average diet changed and humans began eating less fiber. Something else happened that we didn't expect: the blood sugar rise after a meal was higher and more prolonged, stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin, (see my page about blood sugar to understand why this is bad) increasing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Presently, a bleaching agent is added to most brands of refined flour to give it a whiter appearance, and to oxidize the surface of the flour grains. Known bleaching agents include benzoyl peroxide, calcium peroxide, nitrogen dioxide, and chlorine dioxide (which, incidentally, produces alloxan, a contaminant that has been identified as a possible cause of type 1 diabetes). You can also purchase unbleached flour, which is supposedly best for yeast breads and pastries, whereas bleached is best for more typical baked goods like cookies and pancakes, because it gives foods more volume and finer grain. 

Whole Wheat Flour is made from a hard, red wheat variety that is high in protein. It contains the macro nutrients of the wheat's bran and germ (the whole kernel). It is hearty and more robust than white flour and a good source of calcium, iron and fiber. It can range in grind from extra-fine to very coarse, and can be substituted for some or all of the white flour in most recipes. When used in a recipe, whole wheat flour is denser and coarser in texture, so start with replacing no more than half the all-purpose flour. Even though they have a similar GI, whole wheat flour is a better choice than white flour because it contains more nutrients and fiber (which will lower it's GL), and will keep you healthier and feeling full for longer. See how I use it in coffeecakepretzels, and peanut butter cookies.

White Whole Wheat Flour is produced from a hard, white variety of the wheat plant. White whole wheat tastes and appears more like refined flour, even though it has almost the same nutrient content as red whole wheat. You can substitute 50-100% (depending on your taste) of the all-purpose flour in cookie, brownie and pancake recipes. See how I use it in coffeecake and pumpkin muffins.

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour comes from a softer wheat variety and is milled to a finer texture. It has a higher starch content, but is lower in gluten and protein. This flour is ideal for muffins, biscuits, and cakes because the end product is lighter and more tender than that of regular whole wheat flour. See how I use whole wheat pastry flour in coffeecake, and peanut butter cookies.


Oats are one of the world's most popular grains and are valued for their flavor, versatility and health benefits. They are a top source of soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol levels. Oats have an outer husk which must be removed to uncover the whole oat kernel called groats. The oat bran contains beta glucan, which has been shown to enhance the immune system's response to bacterial infection. Oats also contain a large amount of protein and healthy fats. Today, you can find them in many different forms including oatmeal, steel cut oats, rolled oats, instant oats, oat flour, oat bran and oat groats. 

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened by a roller.  Rolled oats cannot be eaten raw, but are the main ingredient in minimally cooked recipes, like granola. Rolled Oats have a GI of 58. See how I use them in coffeecake and brownies.

Oat Bran is the outer coating of oats, which contains the bulk of the soluble fiber and other nutrients. Oat bran is a good source of iron, potassium and thiamin. The carbohydrate content of oat bran is even lower than that of whole oats. It is a safe bet to substitute 1/3 of white or all-purpose flour with oat bran in many recipes. It can be found at most supermarkets, and it has a GI value of 55. See how I use oat bran in scones and muffins.


Corn has been a staple crop for over 7,000 years. Because of the complex cultivating and hybridizations of the crop, it is the only grain in the world that cannot propagate itself without the help of humans. There are six major types of corn; flint (used to make polenta), flour (used in tortillas), dent (livestock feed), sweet (corn on the cob), popcorn, and waxy (cornstarch and corn syrup). Corn is a source of vitamin A, manganese and potassium.

Whole Cornmeal retains its nutrients and fiber, unlike the more common cornmeal, found at most grocery stores, which has had it's germ removed to assure a longer shelf life. Whole cornmeal is gritty, and has a rich, round flavor. It can be found at most health food grocery stores. It has a GI value of 68. See how I use it in cornbread.

Flaxseed grows in two varieties, brown and golden. It is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and is widely used in European baking. The grain has a tough outer coating that must be crushed or ground in order to unlock the nutritional benefits, including large amounts of fiber, as well as the natural antioxidants (called Lignans - two tablespoons of flaxseed has as much as 30 cups of fresh broccoli), and Alpha-linolenic Acid (the plant version of omega-3s). The ground meal or crushed seeds can be added to baked goods or used as a topping. See how I use it in scones

Flaxseed Meal is ground up flaxseed. It can be used in most recipes as a substitute for white flour, eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons of water = 1 egg), and oil or butter (3 tablespoons = 1 tablespoon of butter or oil). I also like to sprinkle it on top of cereal, oatmeal and granola. See how I use it in scones and muffins.

Spelt can be dated back to 6,000 B.C. as a form of nourishment to human beings. It is a relative of modern day wheat, but has a sweeter, milder flavor and contains four times the amount of fiber and about 40% more protein. Baked goods made with spelt have a more fragile structure than those made with wheat, so it shouldn't be used as a substitute in all cases. It works well in muffins, quick breads and cakes, because of it's lighter, more tender qualities. 

Whole grain spelt flour has a GI of 63, which is lower than that of whole wheat. And white spelt flour, although stripped of it's bran and germ, still has a healthy amount of nutrients because the vitamins and minerals are more evenly distributed throughout the grain. See how I use them in Cinnamon Rolls.

Other whole grains include:

Amaranth
Barley
Brown Rice
Buckwheat
Bulgur
Couscous
Millet
Rye
Triticale

Willett, M.D. Walter C. (2001). Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. New York, NY: Fireside
Pollan, Michael. (2009). Food Rules, An Eater's Manuel. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. (2006) King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains. Woodstock, Vermont: The Countryman Press


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