Whilst I admire the skills of bakers to produce such a wide range of different breads I would venture to suggest that these breads should not form part of the daily diet. By all means produce them for added pleasure.
Whole wheat provides us with a wide range of nutrients and vitamins thus the wholemeal loaf made from freshly stone ground organic wheat flour should form part of our staple diet. Nothing should be added and nothing should be taken away – bread is the staff of life. Wheat also contains all the potassium and magnesium which is essential not only for bowel action but also for the heart muscles and nerves in general. It is said that 40% of the nutritional value of flour is lost 72 hours after milling if it is not used.
There are those who say that the bran of the wheat is not digestible and so need not be in the bread. The fact that it is not digestible is of prime importance. There are vitamins within the bran layers as well as gums which perform an important part of digestion. When this indigestible part is removed we risk falling victim to some of the more common diseases in our society.
A word of caution; only organic wholemeal flour should be used because pesticides and herbicides remain in the bran of wheat produced using chemicals in the agricultural.
Magnus Hippocrates who was born in 460 BC is called the Father of Medicine. He wrote, ‘and this I know, moreover, that to the human body it makes a great difference whether the bread be fine or coarse, or wheat with or without the hull (the hull is the bran). Whoever pays no attention to these things or paying attention does not comprehend them, how can he understand the diseases that befall a man?’ 'For by every one of these things a man is affected this way or that and the whole of his life is subjected to them whether in health, convalescence or disease. Nothing else can be more important or more necessary to know than these things’.
In our family we avoid eating white bread if we can; all our bread is baked at home as described in the recipe at : Bake your own bread - The truth about food and medicines.
