Wheat..

Each month we will have a spotlight of sorts - this spotlight can be found on the Food Storage spotlight tab so just in case the blog post gets buried, you know how to find the spotlight of the month quickly.

February Spotlight: Wheat!!!

When considering Food storage, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is Wheat. There is good reason for this because it is a versatile food and because it stores for so long. The downside to this is that many people store wheat and then do nothing with it - thinking that in the event of an emergency, they will be just fine. Unfortunately, eating whole grains, like wheat may take some adjustment. Your body may have "issues" with going from a refined, easy to digest diet to a more complex food. That is exactly why we need to store what we eat and eat what we store.

I have found that my bread fails miserably when I use the hard red wheat so I try to store more hard white wheat. When stocking up on wheat, I find that the Hard wheat is more readily available than the Soft wheat.

To use my wheat I:

• Make my own bread
• Use wheat flour instead of white flour in cookies, waffles, pancakes, crepes, etc.
• Sprout wheat for use in smoothies, salads or just to eat by the handful
• Cook the wheat for a warm breakfast cereal.

Below is some information about wheat from various sources. There is a lot of information available on the web if you would like to search for some more!

Different Types of Wheat:

Wheat comes in a number of different varieties. Each variety is more or less suitable for a given purpose based on its characteristics. The most common classifications for wheat varieties are spring or winter, hard or soft, red or white.

Winter: Planted in fall, over winter in the field and are harvested the next summer.

Spring: Planted in early spring and are harvested in the fall

Hard: Kernels tend to be small, very hard, and have a high gluten content. As a general rule, hard varieties have more protein than soft.

Soft: Tend to be larger kernels, plumper and softer in texture. They have less gluten content and are often used in pasties, quick breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals.

Red: Comprise most of the hard varieties

White: Comprised most of the soft varieties.

Recently, hard white wheats have been developed that are suitable for raised bread making. Some feel the hard white varieties make a better tasting whole wheat bread than the hard red.

The most commonly stored are the hard red varieties, either spring or winter because of their high protein. they should have a protein content of no less than 12% with higher even better. The hard white spring wheats are still relatively new but have the same excellent storage characteristics as the hard red wheats.

Source: South Mountain Emergency Preparedness newsletter September 2008

Whole wheat is one of the most wholesome food items that ensure consumers a diet rich innutrients. The best aspect about whole wheat is that it retains all the parts of the grain kernel (i.e. bran, germ, and endosperm) during the flour making process, in contrast to the white refined grains, which retains only endosperm. Talking about the various health benefits of whole wheat consumption, the grain is extremely beneficial for healthy living. This low-calorie food reduces the risk of heart diseases and also helps in regulating blood glucose in people with diabetes. To get detailed information about the health benefits of eating whole grain, read through the following lines. In addition to this, we have also provided handy cooking tips and some concerns that you need to look out for.

Health Benefits Of Eating Whole Wheat

• Whole wheat reduces the risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol level, blood pressure, and blood coagulation.
• A diet that is rich in whole wheat consumption reduces the risk of cancer amongst people. The dietary fiber present in it plays an important role in the prevention of cancer.
• Whole wheat products prove to be an extremely rich source of the mineral, selenium.
• Daily intake of whole wheat products ensures an overall increase in health and decrease in obesity.
• Rich in nutrients, whole wheat provides consumers a feeling of fullness, thereby reducing the risk of overeating.
• For figure-conscious folks, whole wheat comes as a boon. Gaining weight is inversely proportional to consuming whole wheat. As per a study conducted, women who consumed whole wheat products are less likely to gain weight than those who consumed refined grains.
• Consumption of whole wheat reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome, thereby preventing visceral obesity or the "apple shaped" body, low levels of protective HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides and high blood pressure.
• In contrast to the refined grains, whole wheat consumption does not have harmful effects on your body, i.e. no weight gain and no risk of insulin resistance.

Caution

• For those people who are prone to allergic reactions, whole wheat consumption can lead to allergies, such as skin rash, hives, itching, and eczema. Swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat or tingling sensation in the mouth can also be seen.
• Another concern is the presence of oxalate in whole wheat. These are the naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals and human beings. High concentration of oxalates in body fluids can crystallize, thereby causing health problems.

Cooking Tips

• The simplest yet tasteful whole wheat preparation comprises of sandwiches of the whole wheat bread. They are good for health and also taste delicious.
• Another delicious and appetizing breakfast choice is to have wheat flakes. They are similar to rolled oats and can be prepared as hot breakfast cereal.
• You can opt for sprouted wheat berries in vegetable and grain salads. This would make way for yummy eating option.
• Instead of using refined grain, you can opt for whole wheat pita breads as the crust for making pizzas.
• For those who are in love with pasta, try the whole wheat pasta treat. They are available in different types, such as spaghetti, spirals and penne and would suit your recipe needs perfectly.

Source: Lifestyle website

The latest research is clearly supporting this vital distinction. Refined grains and the foods made from them (e.g., white breads, cookies, pastries, pasta and rice) are now being linked not only to weight gain but to increased risk of insulin resistance (the precursor of type 2 diabetes) and the metabolic syndrome (a strong predictor of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease), while eating more wholegrain foods is being shown to protect against all these ills. Common features of the metabolic syndrome include visceral obesity (the "apple shaped" body), low levels of protective HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure. (Source Whole foods website)