October 2011
October 1, 2011 in 2011 by Joyce Bunderson
Hi everyone and welcome to Dr. Grandma’s Newsletter for October 2011. We are refocusing the newsletter on topics that we at Dr. Grandma’s are concerned about — health and nutrition. This newsletter contains:
- Healthy Living
- Links of Interest
Healthy Living
The Role of Whole Wheat Products
The nutrients found in whole grains are causing quite a stir. New studies emerge daily about the health benefits of eating whole grains. A diet rich in whole grains has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer. Whole grain diets also improve bowel health; they help maintain regular bowel movements and promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon.
Studies show that a higher intake of whole grain breakfast cereals is associated with a lower risk of heart failure. Additionally, studies involving the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet — which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, legumes, nut, whole grains and low-fat dairy — have shown success in substantially reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure among hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals. The DASH diet has also been shown to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stoke in women.
It is not absolutely clear what nutrient, or part of the wheat berry is contributing the health benefits, or even if it is a combination of the nutrients. If you are familiar with Dr. Grandma’s blogs, you know that I believe it is the whole food — the entire vegetable, fruit, grain, etc. — that contributes to good health. A small, extracted portion cannot provide the same benefit as the whole food.
Purchasing and using wheat berries is one way to insure that you are consuming the whole grain and thereby consuming all the nutrients that are naturally included in the grain. Cooking wheat berries may require a lot of time — up to one hour and 15 minutes — but wheat berries are not labor intensive (you can do other things while they are cooking) and they can be easily frozen in serving sizes. If that still seems like too much trouble, Dr. Grandma’s Whole Wheat Pancake and Waffle Mix or Whole Wheat Muffin Mix is an easier, tasty way to add whole grains to your diet.
Dr. Grandma’s uses only Hard Red Spring Wheat that is certified organic. Hard Red Spring Wheat has a higher protein content than Winter Wheat. Hard white wheat was developed from hard red wheat by eliminating the genes for bran color while preserving other desireable characteristics of red wheat. The elimination of these genes results in fewer phenolic compounds and tannins in the bran.
Dr. Grandma’s uses only the best Hard Red Spring Wheat. The wheat is purchased from Wheatland Milling, a privately owed company, founded and run by George Perry (75 years young), an old-time wheat farmer and one of the first certified organic millers in the country. They are now the largest millers of organic flour in the country.
These days it is becoming extremely difficult to identify true whole grains in a marketplace where everyone is advertising their products as nutritious whole grain goodness. We are surrounded by terms like multigrain, 100 percent wheat, cracked wheat, organic, pumpernickel, bran, and stone ground. These all sound like whole grains, but none of these descriptions actually indicate whole grain. To learn more about whole wheat and how to improve your nutrition, we suggest these articles:
Adding Whole Grains to Your Diet
Fiber in Whole Grains
Finding Reliable Nutrition Information
Posts in September
Did you miss any of these articles? These were some of the most popular blog posts and the most fun to write:
- Hope for Avoiding Statin Drugs — in this September 6th post Dr. Grandma provides great news on a study that successfully uses diet to lower cholesterol.
- The Fountain of Youth Discovered — this September 9th blog Mary Ireland discusses the elixir of youth – exercise.
- Hiding Vegetables — A Win-Win — in this September 20th post Dr. Grandma shares ways to hide vegetables in tasty dishes.
- Winning the Exercise Head Game — in this September 23rd post Mary Ireland discusses ways to circumvent your mental blocks to exercise.
- So “Rich,” But Non-Fat — in this September 27th post, Dr. Grandma discusses a comment that she overheard at a recent breakfast. She includes a recipe for a delicious frozen dessert.
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