Enriched WHEAT flour??

[dlynch1992]

I've heard enriched white flour like in tortillas or white bread are pretty awful. But what about enriched WHEAT flour? Like in whole wheat bread? Good carbohydrate??

[kronik420]

enriched with what?

[kronik420]

if its enriched with sugar and fat, then NO..

[Times Roman]

you have to understand this whole "enrichening" process. first, they take the genetically modified wheat, which is bad for you from the get go, and then they process the shit out of it (bleaching, removing the husk, etc), and then they try to put back in some of the nutrition that was lost due to processing. Read on....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriched_flour

Enriched flour is flour with specific nutrients returned to it that have been lost while being prepared. These restored nutrients include iron and B vitamins (folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine). Calcium may also be supplemented. The purpose of enriching flour is to replenish the nutrients in the flour to match the nutritional status of the unrefined product. This differentiates enrichment from fortification, which is the process of introducing new nutrients to a food.

Flour Processing and Nutrient Loss

The conversion of grains to flour involves several steps that vary with the type of grain used. The initial stages of processing remove the bran and the germ of the seed. The bran is the outermost layer of grains that contains fiber (primarily insoluble), some protein, and trace minerals. The germ is the embryo of the seed that contains B vitamins and trace minerals. Because the germ has a fat content of 10%, it may reduce shelf-life. Thus, it is separated to ensure longer shelf life of the flour. In contrast to enriched flour, whole wheat flour contains both the bran and the germ. The remaining and largest portion of the seed is the endosperm. It acts as a nutrient reservoir for the developing embryo. The endosperm contains a large amount of carbohydrates, protein, iron, B vitamins (niacin and riboflavin), and soluble fiber.

Once the endosperm is isolated, it is ground into a fine powder and sifted to remove any remaining fragments of bran or germ. The final flour product contains a smaller portion of the original nutrients that were present in the seed prior to processing. Enrichment ensures that these important nutrients are restored to improve the quality of the flour.

Enriched Flour versus Whole Wheat Flour

There has been a lot of controversy regarding the benefits of enriched flour in relation to those of whole wheat flour. Although enriched flour does contain the similar amounts of vitamins as the unrefined flour products, it does not have the same nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour. One of the most significant differences is the amount of fiber. During the production of white enriched flour, a lot of the fiber-containing components (the bran and germ) are reduced or removed. Thus, products made from this type of flour contain smaller amounts of fiber than those made with whole wheat flour. Another concern is the effect on blood sugar levels. There is also a significant difference in the type of iron added to enriched flour, a type that may be toxic rather than nutritional.[citation needed] Enriched flour products tend to be higher on the Glycemic Index, quickly raising blood sugar levels. In contrast, foods made from whole grains tend to be lower on the Glycemic Index. Because they contain higher amounts of fiber and other complex carbohydrates, they take longer to digest; therefore, sugars enter the bloodstream in a slow and more controlled manner. A diet containing primarily low Glycemic Index foods has been related to many health benefits: reduced cholesterol levels, reduced risk of heart disease, and healthy weight loss.


Try to understand that wheat used to be 5 feet high when grown, now it's only 2 feet high. how did this happen? it's been genetically modified to be draught resistant, pest resistant, shorter stalk to maximize yields. Unfortunately, this all started happening at the same time we as a country became obese.

Wheat as it is grown in the USA is fairly bad for you. Enriched flour is even worse.

But I'll let you decide for yourself.

Read this:

http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lo...ok+wheat+belly