Ok, so this is the perfect example of marketing taking a good idea and messing it all completely up.
Refined carbs, as I have written about many times in the past, are when you take the whole grain and lop off about 2/3 of the grain, removing 90% of the nutrients and leaving all the calories. So, while “enriched wheat flour” sounds like it might be a healthy thing (isn’t “enriched” a good thing??), if it is on the label, it’s off the list.
Just because something says “made with whole grains” on the front of the package does NOT mean it’s now a health food because you added a gram or two of whole grains into a pound of crap.
In this particular article, to further reinforce the idea that whole grains are the only option, researchers found that whole grains actually lowered levels of hsCRP, a marker of inflammation in the body. Less inflammation = less chronic disease. Pretty simple equation.
Pat says
I bake my bread with freshly ground wheat. I’ve also started using natural yeast to bake my bread. The difference between “store bought” whole wheat bread and homemade whole wheat bread made from freshly ground grains (not the store-bought whole wheat flour, which was probably ground several months ago) is amazing! What are your thoughts/research on natural yeast?
James Bogash says
To be honest I haven’t looked into it too much. Mainly because of time. But anytime something can be less processed and fresh sure it’s always a good thing.
Dr. Bogash