Apple Crisp

5 c. dehydrated apples
5 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. flour

Topping:
2 c. steamed ground gluten
¼ c. flour
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. butter, cold

Soak apples in water overnight in refrigerator. Drain well. Combine drained apples with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and flour.
Place apple mixture in a greased 9x13 baking pan.
Combine flour, brown sugar and butter in food processor. Mix in the gluten. Sprinkle over top of apples. Bake at 350* until apples are tender.

English Trifle

2- 6-servings pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
6 c. milk
1 24oz carton frozen sliced strawberries in sugar, thawed
2 T. cornstarch
3 c. graham cracker crumbs (see recipe in wheat flour recipes)
½ stick butter, melted
½ c. sugar
1 16 oz.carton cool whip

Combine the pudding mix with the milk and allow to thicken. Thicken the strawberries and juice with the cornstarch. Cool before using. Combine graham crackers, butter and sugar.In a large glass bowl, create layers as follows:strawberry mixture, pudding mixture, cool whip, ending with strawberry mixture on top.

Spaghetti Sauce and Gluten Meatballs

Spaghetti Sauce

1 large onion, sliced thinly
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 T. sugar (If needed, you can add more sugar after the onions have begun to flavor the sauce)
3 T. olive oil
1 Bay leaf
salt and pepper

Gluten Meatballs

2 c. ground gluten (pieces of steamed gluten can be ground in a food processor after they have cooled)
2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
¼ t. sage
½ t. minced garlic
1/3 c. milk
2 t. dry beef base bouillon
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2-3 T. olive oil

Saute onions until carmelized in olive oil. Add crushed tomatoes, water, and tomato paste, sugar, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour.
While sauce is simmering, combine the ground gluten with seasoned bread crumbs, beef soup base, garlic, sage, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Beat together the milk and eggs. Add to the gluten mixture. Work the mixture with your hands and then shape into small meatballs. Refrigerate until firm. Fry in olive oil. After the sauce has simmered, add the meatballs and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Gluten Chicken Fingers

1 1/2 cups gluten (should yield about 20 strips)

2 cups bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp. chicken bouillion

1/2 cup butter, melted

Steam gluten for 20 to 30 minutes. Can use chicken broth in place of regular water to steam to help flavor gluten further.

After gluten is steamed and cooled, cut into pieces the size you would like for chicken fingers (about 1/2 by 3 inches)

On shallow plate mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and bouillion together. In another shallow bowl or deep plate, melt butter.
Proceed to dip gluten strips in butter and then roll around in bread crumbs. After all gluten strips are coated, bake in a 350* oven for 7 minutes, then turn pieces over and cook for 5 more minutes. You are only cooking the strips to turn the crust to a golden color and warm the chicken gluten strips through.
When finished, serve with your favorite condiments; ranch dressing, bbq sauce or ketchup...

Graham Crackers

1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp. lemon or vinegar
1 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
6 cups whole wheat flour
(Add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. baking soda to one of the cups of flour)

Mix together milk and lemon juice. Add oil, honey, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Add all ingredients to flour and mix well. Place on 2 greased cookie sheets. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick. (This is important if you want a thin, crisp cracker) Bake at 375* for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and cut in squares with a pizza cutter. Remove from cookie sheet and cool.

Sprouted Wheat Recipes

Add sprouts to salads and soups.
They are good in scrambled eggs and omelets, on sandwiches and lightly sauteed in butter.
Eat them with salad, as a side dish, on your potatoes or rice. The varieties are endless, try garlic, cabbage, alfalfa, mung, lentil and soybean.
Experiment and Enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts on Wheat, Hard Red

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup (192 grams)

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 656

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 4mg 0%
Total Carboydrates 146g 48%
Dietary Fiber 23g ~
Sugars 1g ~
Protein 22g 43%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Iron 48% Calcium 6%


*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs

Nutrition Facts of Wheat, Hard White

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup (192 grams)

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 627

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 4mg 0%
Total Carboydrates 137g 45%
Dietary Fiber 23g ~
Sugars 1g ~
Protein 24g 48%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Iron 34% Calcium 5%


*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs

How Long Can I Store My Food Storage?

New Findings for Longer-Term Food Storage

Findings of recent scientific studies conducted by a team of researchers at Brigham Young University show that properly packaged, low-moisture foods stored at room temperature or cooler (75°F/24°C or lower) remain nutritious and edible much longer than previously thought.

The studies, which are the first of their kind, increase the estimated shelf life for many products to 30 years or more (see chart for new estimates of shelf life). Previous estimates of longevity were based on "best-if-used-by" recommendations and experience. Though not studied, sugar, salt, baking soda (essential for soaking beans), and vitamin C in tablet form also store well long-term. Some basic foods do need more frequent rotation, such as vegetable oil every 1 to 2 years.

While there is a decline in nutritional quality and taste over time, depending on the original quality of food and how it was processed, packaged, and stored, the studies show that even after being stored long-term, the food will help sustain life in an emergency.
For tips on how to best preserve longer-term food storage products, visit LDS.org, provident living page.

New "Life Sustaining" Shelf-Life Estimates (In Years)
Wheat 30+
White rice 30+
Pinto beans 30
Apple slices 30
Macaroni 30
Rolled oats 30
Potato flakes 30
Powdered milk 20

How Do I Grow Wheat Grass?

Place 1 inch fertile dirt on a plastic seed planting tray that has drainage in the bottom. Plant in this soil wheat that has been soaked 12 hours and allowed to sprout 12 hours. It will germinate and send up green shoots. Water the planted tray, cover with another tray and set aside for 2 to 3 days. On the fourth day uncover, water and put in indirect light for five days. Water each day to keep moist. With scissors, cut the blades at their base when about 6 inches tall and grind in a meat grinder, blender or special grass juicer. Drink about 2 ounces daily of juice or use the grass minced finely in soups and salads.

~Wheat grass contains vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll and enzymes.

See The Amazing Wheat Book, by Learta Moulton for More Information

What is a Sprout?

Within 24 hours after you begin sprouting, a sprout grows up and three roots grow downward. Eat them when the sprout is the length of the kernel, about ¼ inch long. To obtain a sprout of this length takes about 48 hours. You can eat everything- wheat, sprouts and roots. To retard further growth, refrigerate when the sprouts are at their peak condition for eating.

On a hot, dry day sprouts may need more rinsing to keep them from drying out.

The sprouting process continues a little even while stored in the refrigerator, because it is a cool weather crop.

For more information on wheat sprouts or other types of sprouts, visit www.sproutman.com

Also, see The Amazing Wheat Book, by Learta Moulton

How Do I Sprout Wheat?

Place 3 Tablespoons of hard wheat in a glass jar.
Cover wheat with water.
Let soak for 6 hours.
Place nylon or light screen on top of bottle and tighten down with ring or rubberband.
Pour water off, rinse and pour water off again.
Place bottle on its side in warm, dark cupboard.
Each day rinse and drain the wheat for 2-3 days.
The wheat should sprout on the 2nd or 3rd day.
As soon as you see a sprout, rinse and drain and store in the refrigerator in a close plastic container.

What Can I Make With One Can of Wheat?

What Can I do With 1 can of Wheat?!
One #10 Can of Wheat or 5.8 lbs = $2.00 from Home Storage Center (Cannery)

Uses with Wheat Berries
~12 cups of raw wheat berries in one can
1 cup uncooked berries = 3 cups cooked wheat berries

36 Cups of Cooked Wheat Berries Yields
one of the following:
18 Soups
18 Salads
18 Breakfasts

Uses with Whole Wheat Flour
~19 ½ cups of wheat flour in one can

19 ½ Cups of Wheat Flour Yields one of the following:

6 loaves of whole wheat bread
6 batches of pizza dough
108 wheat muffins
108 wheat pancakes

Uses with Gluten
~19 ½ cups of wheat flour = 6 cups of raw gluten
~6 cups of raw gluten = 13 ½ cups cooked ground gluten

6 Cups of Raw Gluten Yields one of the following:
750 gluten cubes
225 meatballs
30 steak slices (4 x ½ inch)

Whole Grain Wheat- 3 layers

Whole Grain Flour

The seed bearing fruits of grains, called kernels, are made up of three layers. Moving from the outside in, they are the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. In making refined (white) flours, grains are milled to remove the bran and germ, destroying up to 80 per cent of a grain's nutrients and much of its taste in the process. Even "enriched' white flour is a poor substitute for whole grain flour, because enrichment typically replaces few of the lost nutrients, and none of the lost flavor.

Here's what you get with whole grain flours:

The Bran—most important for its B vitamins and fiber, but also adds "body", texture, and even some flavor.

The Germ — prized for its minerals, B vitamins, protein, vitamin E, and oils. The oils found in the germ are a key element in whole grain flour's flavor.

The Endosperm — consists mostly of starch, with some protein and other nutrients.

Different Types of Wheat

Wheat Berries
Are the hulled whole grain wheat kernels that still have the bran and germ. Cooked wheat berries can be used like rice in salads and side dishes. It provides B vitamins, vitamin E, and complex carbs. By combining wheat with legumes and or dairy makes this a complete protein. The most common type of wheat berries are found in breads and baked goods.

Cracked Wheat
Is whole wheat kernels that have been dried and cracked by coarse milling, it contains the same nutritional value as Bulgar. Keep in mind this grain has not been precooked and should not be cooked like Bulgar. It's mainly used in cereals, casseroles, and soups and in meatloaf as an extender or filler.

Wheat Bulgar
Is whole wheat that has been cooked, dried and then broken into coarse fragments. It's different than cracked wheat because it is precooked, it provides phosphorus and potassium and iron and B1 and B2 vitamins. Because it's precooked, it needs to be handled and cooked differently than cracked wheat.

A good way to start using grains is in soups and casseroles, just a little at a time until you are more comfortable with using them. Grains are a natural food from the earth and when combined with beans (such as brown rice and beans) make a compete protein.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is the nitrogenous, tough, sticky, substance that remains in the flour when the starch is taken out. Gluten in wheat flour is composed chiefly of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. One aspect in utilizing the wheat grain to its fullest is the isolation of this protein from the flour.

Gluten contains the eight amino acids which make up protein; however, the amino acid lysine in most wheat is low. By eating legumes, nuts or seeds within 2 days of a gluten meal, one can insure the body is receiving all amino acids to make a complete protein.


Why Use Gluten?

Gluten is easily digested. Using gluten in place of meat helps eliminate the buildup of uric acid and cholesterol factors present in meats.

How Do I Make Gluten?

Combine 12 cups of ground wheat flour with 7 cups of warm water. Mix until flour is completely mixed in to the water. Dough will resemble bread like dough. Let mixture rest for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes are up, pour a little water into bowl of dough. Next, take a small portion of the dough. Put a plastic strainer over a big pot in the sink. Run warm water over dough while squeezing dough with hands. The milky looking starch will run off of the dough. After 3 minutes or so of continually squeezing dough, you will be left with the stringy gluten strands. Set aside and continue same process with the rest of the flour mixture. When finished combine all of gluten together and steam for 20-30 minutes. After gluten is steamed, you can proceed to use in any of your regular recipes that call for meat. For chicken like pieces cut up, season and use in recipes. For ground beef recipes, place chunks of gluten in food processor to achieve a ground up consistency. Then use in place of ground meat.

Note: If desired, the starch water and bran rinsed off from the flour mixture can be saved and used for other recipes including, bran flakes, crackers, thickening soups, etc…

Pizza Dough

Like most yeast recipes, add the flour last to make sure you add just the right amount. Too much flour will make the dough stiff and difficult to rise.

1 cup warm water
1 Tbls. Yeast
2 Tbls. Oil (Olive oil is good for pizza dough)
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Sugar
2 1/2-4 cups of Flour
(Use whatever proportion of wheat to white flour you desire, 50/50 works well,
or try all wheat flour.)

Combine all ingredients. If you have time, let rest in a greased bowl. After dough has risen, take out of bowl and punch down. Roll out onto greased pizza stone or cookie sheet. Top with pizza sauce and toppings of your choice. Bake in 400* preheated oven until crust is done and cheese is melted. If unsure about crust, take a spatula and lift up crust to check for doneness.

Marta's Best Ever Pancakes

1 3/4 cup milk (can use part buttermilk, if preferred)
1 egg, beat well
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbls. sugar
2 cups wheat flour
(Marta uses 1 1/2 cup wheat, 1/4 oats, 1/4 ground flaxseed)
4 tsp. baking powder

Mix all ingredients only until combined. Batter will be lumpy.
Cook on hot skillet. Makes about 12 pancakes 4 1/2'' in diameter.
For waffles, increase eggs to 3 and oil to 2/3 cup.

Great Grains and Bean Salad

1 c. cooked wheat berries
1 c. black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ c. green pepper, small slices
¼ c. red onion, sliced thinly
¼ c. diced celery
1 c. corn, drained
1 c. white rice, cooked
¼ c. red pepper, cut in small pieces
½ c. petite diced tomatoes
Romaine Lettuce

Dressing suggestions: Salsa, Italian, Catalina, Mix of Ranch and Salsa, etc.

Mix all of the above ingredients and cover with a dressing of your choice.

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

1 c. cooked wheat berries
2 T. walnuts
1 green apple, unpared
¼ c. golden raisins
1 celery rib, cut
3 T. fresh orange juice
¼ c. pineapple juice
1 red apple, pared
½ cup craisins
2 green onions, sliced
3 T. rice vinegar
¾ t. orange zest

Heat wheat berries in pineapple juice. Then drain and cool. Make dressing by combining vinegar, orange juice, and zest. Dice apples and add with walnuts, craisins, raisins, and green onions to the wheat berries. Then mix all ingredients with the dressing and refrigerate covered. The fresh zest from the orange adds a great flavor.

Wheat Berry Chili

2 c. cooked wheat berries
1 onion, sliced
1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes or 1-15 oz. can tomato sauce and 1-14oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
chili powder (to desired taste)
2 t. McCormick’s beef soup base
1 green pepper, sliced
2 – 15 oz cans kidney beans
½ t. minced garlic
½ t. cumin

Saute wheat berries with soup base, minced garlic, onions and green peppers. Add tomatoes, water, red kidney beans, chili powder, and cumin. Cook down until thick and adjust seasonings.

Wheat Berry and Lentil Soup

1 c. uncooked lentils
4. c. water
5 small carrots, sliced
2 c. cooked wheat berries
1.5 T. McCormick’s chicken soup base
1 sliced onion
2 celery ribs, cut
½ t. minced garlic
1 cup cannelloni beans, pureed
salt, pepper to taste

Cook lentils in water with chicken soup base, onions, garlic, carrots and celery until lentils are soft.
Add wheat berries. Puree the beans and add as a thickener to the broth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Wheat Berry Vegetable Soup

2 c. cooked wheat berries
(See wheat berry recipe)
1 T. McCormick’s beef soup base
1 onion, sliced
½ t. minced garlic
6 small carrots, sliced
½ c. lima beans
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
14 oz crushed tomatoes
7 oz diced tomatoes
1 cup cabbage, shredded
½ cup, cut string beans
3 celery ribs, cut
salt, pepper to taste

Saute the wheat berries, garlic, and onions in the beef base. Add water, bay leaf, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cabbage, lima beans, and string beans. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour.

Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe is easy, delicious and does not require a lot of ingredients. It is pretty hard to mess up. The best advice I know for making wheat bread is to make sure the dough stays moist. Try not to add to much flour. When kneading on your counter, use oil, to keep your hands from sticking to the dough. Always cover dough lightly with oil when letting dough rise and before placing in the oven to cook. This will also help to keep the dough moist and help it to rise nice and high.

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 T. Yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar or honey, if you prefer
1/3 cup oil
1 T salt
1 cups white flour
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups wheat flour

Mixer Method:
Add all ingredients mix in mixer until thoroughly mixed together. At this point keep adding more wheat flour by 1/3 cupful or so until dough pulls away from sides of mixer. Do not add to much, just a little at a time. The dough should feel stiff and just a little sticky. When you have achieved the right consistency, mix dough for 6-8minutes on low in mixer.

By Hand:
Add warm water, yeast, brown sugar or honey, and oil and whisk until combined. Add flour cup by cup and whisk to incorporate. When dough is too thick to whisk, change to wooden spoon. Once dough pulls from the sides of the bowl, place on greased counter top or glass cutting board.

Knead dough on counter until dough has been worked through about 5 minutes. This lengthens the gluten strands in the bread and makes for a nice consistency of bread when baked. When still learning what is the right consistency for bread dough, set the timer before kneading. When timer goes off after 5 minutes, assume dough is ready to place in bowl to rise. Each time bread is made you will get a better understanding of the consistency you are aiming for in making the dough.

Both Methods:
Now place bread dough in a greased bowl. Turn dough over to grease all sides of dough. Cover with saran wrap or kitchen towel. Place in warm oven or (I like the microwave). After dough has doubled in size, punch down to release all air bubbles that have formed in dough. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Spread portion out into rectangle, roll up and pinch seam closed. Place seam side down in greased bread pan. After all bread has been placed in pans, oil tops of bread and cover again. Let rise to desired size. I aim for the bread reaching the top of the bread pan or 1 inch above pan. This should take about 1 hour or so.

Place pans in 350* preheated oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Bread is done when tops are browned and a hollow sound is made when tapping the bottom of pan. Take bread out of oven and cool on wire rack. If this is not done, bread will be soggy on the bottom. Spread tops of bread with butter. Wait to cool (or not) and enjoy!!

Cooking Plain Wheat Berries

The easiest way to cook wheat berries, the whole kernel of wheat, is with a crockpot.

Before going to bed at night--
Place 2 cups of wheat in crockpot.
Cover with 6 cups of water.
Set crockpot to low and let cook for 12 hours.

The next morning you will have wheat berries ready for breakfast!
Add brown sugar or milk to the berries, just like you would for oatmeal. You will have a satisfying and very healthy breakfast!

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, depending on the size of your crockpot. With the extra wheat berries, save to use for later in your favorite lunch or dinner recipes. The berries can be refrigerated for 1-2 days or frozen for a month.

Wheat Acting as an Anti-Cancer Agent

Whole Wheat Promotes Women's Health and Gastrointestinal Health

The wheat bran has been shown to function as an anti-cancer agent. Wheat bran is thought to accelerate the metabolism of estrogen that is a known promoter of breast cancer. In one study, pre-menopausal women, ages twenty to fifty, who ate three to four high fiber muffins per day made with wheat bran, decreased their blood estrogen levels by 17 percent after two months. The women eating corn bran or oat bran did not show the same benefits.

Interestingly, whole grains such as wheat also contain lignans, which are phytonutrients that act as weak hormone-like substances. Lignans occupy the hormone receptors in the body, thus actively protecting the breast against high circulating levels of hormones such as estrogen. By accelerating the metabolism of estrogen and occupying estrogen receptors in the body, the components of wheat appear to have a dual function in protecting women against one of the leading causes of cancer death.

The fact that only wheat bran, and not corn or oat bran, is beneficial in preventing cancer-promoting changes in the colon, provides additional clues that wheat bran contains something special that makes it a true cancer fighter. Only the bran from wheat has been shown to reduce the concentration of bile acids and bacterial enzymes in the stool that are believed to promote colon cancer.

The protective dose for colon cancer may be more than 28 grams a day, since men who ate this amount had only one-third the rate of colon polyps (precancerous tumors) compared to those who ate only 17 grams/day. The amount of wheat bran needed for protection from other cancers is still unknown, but based on the health benefits of this food, it may be wise, if you are not sensitive to wheat or gluten, to include several servings of whole wheat grain foods such as bread, pasta, and bran cereals every day in your diet.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=66

Wheat Has More Than Just Fiber for Good Health

Phytochemicals in Wheat Equal or Higher than that of Vegetables and Fruits

Research reported at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) International Conference on Food, Nutrition and Cancer, by Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues at Cornell University shows that whole grains, such as whole wheat, contain many powerful phytonutrients whose activity has gone unrecognized because research methods have overlooked them. Despite the fact that for years researchers have been measuring the antioxidant power of a wide array of phytonutrients, they have typically measured only the "free" forms of these substances, which dissolve quickly and are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream. They have not looked at the "bound" forms, which are attached to the walls of plant cells and must be released by intestinal bacteria during digestion before they can be absorbed.

Phenolics, powerful antioxidants that work in multiple ways to prevent disease, are one major class of phytonutrients that have been widely studied. Included in this broad category are such compounds as quercetin, curcumin, ellagic acid, catechins, and many others that appear frequently in the health news.

When Dr. Liu and his colleagues measured the relative amounts of phenolics, and whether they were present in bound or free form, in common fruits and vegetables like apples, red grapes, broccoli and spinach, they found that phenolics in the "free" form averaged 76% of the total number of phenolics in these foods. In whole grains, however, "free" phenolics accounted for less than 1% of the total, while the remaining 99% were in "bound" form.

In his presentation, Dr. Liu explained that because researchers have examined whole grains with the same process used to measure antioxidants in vegetables and fruits-looking for their content of "free" phenolics"-the amount and activity of antioxidants in whole grains has been vastly underestimated.

Despite the differences in fruits', vegetables' and whole grains' content of "free" and "bound" phenolics, the total antioxidant activity in all three types of whole foods is similar, according to Dr. Liu's research. His team measured the antioxidant activity of various foods, assigning each a rating based on a formula (micromoles of vitamin C equivalent per gram). Broccoli and spinach measured 80 and 81, respectively; apple and banana measured 98 and 65; and of the whole grains tested, corn measured 181, whole wheat 77, oats 75, and brown rice 56.

Dr. Liu's findings may help explain why studies have shown that populations eating diets high in fiber-rich whole grains consistently have lower risk for colon cancer, yet short-term clinical trials that have focused on fiber alone in lowering colon cancer risk, often to the point of giving subjects isolated fiber supplements, yield inconsistent results. The explanation is most likely that these studies have not taken into account the interactive effects of all the nutrients in whole grains-not just their fiber, but also their many phytonutrients. As far as whole grains are concerned, Dr. Liu believes that the key to their powerful cancer-fighting potential is precisely their wholeness. A grain of whole wheat consists of three parts-its endosperm (starch), bran and germ. When wheat-or any whole grain-is refined, its bran and germ are removed. Although these two parts make up only 15-17% of the grain's weight, they contain 83% of its phenolics. Dr. Liu says his recent findings on the antioxidant content of whole grains reinforce the message that a variety of foods should be eaten good health. "Different plant foods have different phytochemicals," he said. "These substances go to different organs, tissues and cells, where they perform different functions. What your body needs to ward off disease is this synergistic effect - this teamwork - that is produced by eating a wide variety of plant foods, including whole grains."

Whole Wheat Protects Agains Cardiovascular Disease

Health Benefits Of Whole Grains Confirmed

ScienceDaily (May 10, 2007) — A diet high in whole grain foods is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

"Consuming an average of 2.5 servings of whole grains each day is associated with a 21 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to consuming only 0.2 servings," said Philip Mellen, M.D., lead author and an assistant professor of internal medicine. "These findings suggest that we should redouble our efforts to encourage patients to include more of these foods in their diets."

The findings are based on an analysis of seven studies involving more than 285,000 people. By combining the data from these seven studies, researchers were able to detect effects that may not have shown up in each individual study. The studies were conducted between 1966 and April 2006.

Mellen said the findings are consistent with earlier research, but that despite abundant evidence about the health benefits of whole grains, intake remains low. A nutrition survey conducted between 1999 and 2000 found that only 8 percent of U.S. adults consumed three or more servings of whole grain per day and that 42 percent of adults ate no whole grains on a given day. "Many consumers and health professionals are unaware of the health benefits of whole grains," said Mellen.

A grain is "whole" when the entire grain seed is retained: the bran, germ and the endosperm. The bran and germ components are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. These are the parts removed in the refining process, leaving behind the energy-dense but nutrient-poor endosperm portion of the grain. Examples of whole grain foods include wild rice, popcorn, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, wheat berries and flours such as whole wheat.

In addition to protecting against cardiovascular disease, which accounts for one-third of deaths worldwide, there is evidence that whole grains also project against diabetes and other chronic conditions.

"Years ago, scientists hypothesized that the higher rates of chronic diseases we have in the West, including heart disease, are due, in part, to a diet full of processed foods," Mellen said. "Subsequent studies have born that out -- especially with whole grains. Greater whole grain intake is associated with less obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol -- major factors that increase the risk for heart disease and stroke."

According to nutritionists, consumers should look for "100 percent whole grain" on food labels or look for specific types of whole-grain flour as the main ingredient, such as "whole wheat."