NNMC Whole Grains: Switch Your Flour

Using whole grain flours in your cooking isn't as difficult as many people think. I have found, in most cases, that you can simply substitute in the whole grain version with great results! When it comes to wheat flour, use regular whole wheat flour in heartier products like bread and biscuits. If you're making a more delicate food, like waffles, cookies, or a cake, opt for whole wheat pastry flour. It's made from a softer wheat variety, giving the flour a softer texture. Also, be sure to store your flour in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it from spoiling, because whole grain flours are not as shelf stable as refined flours.

In this recipe, I use spelt, an ancient strain of wheat. If you can't find it or want to make it with traditional whole wheat pastry flour I'm sure it would work just as well.

Apple Spice Spelt Pancakes

makes 8-10 pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole spelt flour

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

3/4 cup organic milk

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 apple, unpeeled and grated

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove. Mix with a whisk to distribute ingredients.

2. Create a well in the dry ingredients and add milk, egg, and honey. Whisk slowly, starting from center, until ingredients are mixed and there are no large lumps. Be careful not to over-mix.

3. Carefully fold grated apple into batter.

3. Oil a griddle or large frying pan and warm over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add batter using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Cook on one side until the tops are bubbly and the edges are dry. Then, flip and cook the other side until browned.

4. Serve with your favorite toppings like maple syrup, fresh fruit, or nuts*.

*If everyone you're serving can agree, feel free to add your favorite chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, to the batter before cooking.

NNMC Whole Grains: Read Labels

To begin the Whole Grains week of the challenge, I wanted to go over some label reading with y'all so you know how to find those whole grains you'll be working with. This is the same information from my post during the Toss the Junk week of the challenge: Lose Refined Grains. However, it can never hurt to review this material again because it can be confusing.

Multigrain

This means that several different kinds of grains are present in the product, but it doesn't speak to whether these are whole or refined grains.

Made with Whole Grain

This means just what it says: the product was made with whole grains. However, refined grains are likely included as well. It's like labeling a cookie that has orange zest in the batter "made with oranges."

Whole Grain

This sounds like just what we want, until you find out that in order to be labeled this way a product only needs to be made with 51% whole grains. In my book, that doesn't cut it.

100% Whole Grain

This is exactly what we want. When you see this, all of the grains in the product are whole grains. However, this doesn't get you off the hook from reading the ingredients list.

Now that we understand these front-of-the-box phrases, it's time to move on to the ingredients list on the back. Here is another place they can trip you up. This is what you need to know.

Wheat Flour

Many people think this is whole wheat flour, but it's not. The standard flour we use in cooking is all made from wheat. The only difference is the level of refinement. This is simply white flour in disguise.

Unbleached Wheat Flour

This is the same thing as "wheat flour" except they try to make it sound even better by adding the word "unbleached." While this is better than bleached flour, it's still white flour and that is not what we want.

Enriched Wheat Flour

White flour again, but here they add "enriched" hoping to give an air of health. However, all white flour is enriched by law because of the way refinement removes nearly all of the nutrients. Also, this comes nowhere close to the nutrient content of the original whole grain.

Whole Wheat Flour (or any other whole grain)

Jackpot! When you see this in the ingredients it means that the flour is whole wheat.

Also, remember that if you are buying whole foods, you won't have to do nearly as much label reading and it's nowhere near as confusing. Best of luck and let me know if you have any other questions about labels in general or a specific product you're unsure about!

National Nutrition Month Challenge: Whole Grains

This week, we will work on switching over to whole grains. As I outlined in my post about refined grains during the "Toss the Junk" week of this challenge, this is an area that can be tricky. With so much confusing lingo on labels, you really have to know your stuff to make sure you're getting what you want. To help you with this change, I'll be giving you whole grain recipes to try as well as easy ways you can incorporate more whole grains into your diet. I know some people have the misconception that whole grains don't taste as good as their refined counterparts. However, I find that, in many cases, I can't tell a difference at all and, if there is one, it is only that the whole grain version has a heartier feel. With that said, I hope you're excited to embark on this next part of the challenge with me! With love,

Sarah

Cracking the Code on Food Labels and Packaging

Knowing how to read your food packaging and what all of those terms and phrases really mean can make all the difference when trying to make healthy choices at the grocery store. No one wants to think they're making the best choice, only to be duped by a clever marketing scheme. Ideally, a large portion of your food shouldn't have any labels because you're choosing lots of whole fruits and vegetables, but there are still many healthy choices that require you to be a savvy label reader.

In the Ingredients List

1. Whole Wheat flour (or "whole" followed by the name of any other grain)

This indicates that the whole grain was used, preserving it's healthy benefits.

2. Wheat Flour

This is another name for white flour. White flour is made from wheat, it is just a much more refined (less healthful) version.

3. Enriched Wheat Flour

Simply another name for white flour. "Enriched" (which all white flour is, by law) refers to the fact that several nutrients have been added to the flour. Essentially, they remove most of the grain's nutritional value to leave behind starch, and then throw some vitamins back in for good measure which are no substitute for all of the health benefits contained in the original whole grain.

4. Unbleached Wheat Flour

White flour rears it's ugly head once again.

5. Corn Sugar

A new name for high fructose corn syrup because people are avoiding products that contain it.

6. Chicory Root

This is an ingredient that is used to give a product more fiber. "Fiber" simply refers to matter that goes undigested in the human digestive tract. The fiber in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is touted for it's bulking effect which promotes fullness and encourages healthy digestion. Fiber derived from chicory root, however, does not have these properties and associated health benefits. Many products use chicory root to add fiber without compromising flavor and texture, so read your ingredients list. Chicory root isn't necessarily "bad", but if you're paying for a high fiber cereal, you want the health benefits associated with it, not a product relying on loopholes and technicalities.

On the Front of the Box

1. Natural

This term is not regulated and has no strict definition. While it may make you feel like the product is somehow better for you, any item can have this on the label, no matter what the ingredients are. The only way to know for sure is to read the ingredients list yourself.

2. Organic

Any product labeled as "organic" and/or with the "USDA Organic" label must be made with at least 95% organic ingredients, excluding water and salt.

3. Made with Organic Ingredients

These products must be made from at least 70% organic ingredients, excluding water and salt. Any product with less than 70% organic ingredients cannot say it is organic anywhere on the packaging, but may note which ingredients are organic in the ingredients list.

4. 100% Whole Wheat/100% Whole Grain

This means that all of the wheat/grains used in this product are whole and no refined grains were used.

5. Whole Wheat/Whole Grain

This is one of those tricky terms. If a product simply states is is whole wheat or whole grain, but not 100%, this means that a majority of the grains used are whole, but refined grains are used as well. The problem is, you have no idea what that proportion is. If 51% of the grains are whole and 49% percent are refined, the product can labeled as "whole grain."

6. Multigrain

Many people see "multigrain" and think that a product is healthier. However, that is not necessarily the case. When you see this, it means that several grains were used in the manufacture of this product, rather than one. This does not however mean that the grains used were whole grains. For example, if a product contains white flour, corn, and oat flour, it's "multigrain." Again, in order to know the truth about the quality of ingredients, you absolutely must read the ingredients list.

7. "No Hormones" or "Hormone Free" on Conventional Poultry and Pork

While no one wants hormones in his or her meat products, it is important to know that hormones are used in conventional beef, but not poultry or pork. While this label may initially make you feel safer about your purchase, it does not represent any added benefit compared to other conventionally raised animals. Poultry and pork never have hormones, period.

Are there any other terms on food packaging that you find confusing?