When reading a post of article on “healthy eating”, a helpful tip is to approach it like you would a math test. Read it carefully and don’t get caught up in the extra lingo meant to confuse you. Remember, if the author truly wants to teach the reader, the article needs to be written in laymen terms.
Read Between the Lines
A recent article demonizing wheat flour made me think of that confusing high school test. The author noted that whole grains can be a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, then notes that toxic amounts can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and dementia. But, can’t toxic amounts of anything lead to disease? The message here is that wheat flour has value but like anything, it should be eaten in moderation.
Research More on Your Own
Unfortunately, the article turns wheat flour into a monster. It calls it a hybrid to what our ancestors ate; blaming it for raising blood sugar higher than straight sugar would, and villainizing it for getting sprayed with a chemical herbicide that increases its yield. Wheat flour isn’t a monster, it’s just a carbohydrate. When eaten alone most grains will raise blood sugar which is why we should always eat our carbohydrates with fats and/or protein. And what is so bad about producing a higher yield of a food that just might feed a few more people in the world?
Don’t get confused by the author’s attempt at projecting ideals on the reader (even mine). Wheat bread is only one small part of Canada’s Food Guide. If we are eating a variety of foods from the four food groups, bread should have little impact on our diet. If you are concerned about the quality of wheat that exists in store bought breads, bake your own. Find a local miller and get wonderful, local flours that make delicious artisan breads. You won’t be disappointed.
Our Power Up Mission is simply to educate our customers on the importance of using quality food as fuel. For all your Power Up news make sure you check out Vince’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Also make sure to follow @VincesMarket and #powerupwithvinces, sign up for our Power Up Newsletter and keep an eye out for nutrition tips and tricks from me, our in-house nutrition expert!
To our health & wellbeing,
Shannon
