August 6, 2009 - 10:00am
nutrition
This maybe a stupid question but
I do mill wheat berries for my whole wheat bread etc, because I believed it to be better for you....
Then today I saw this as part of a post on another list. ;-(((((
"once the bread is baked, it loses its nutritional value"
Is this correct if so why do we bother to mill our own flour etc, and what can we do about it......???
qahtan ;-((((((
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It sounds like something one would read on a 'raw foods' website, qahtan. I can't believe that for a minute.
This is what else they said......
whole grains especially wheat is full of nutrients. We grind our grains
fresh as we use them. Vitamins do begin to oxidize and is best eaten within 3
days. Whole grains are fiber rich and also very high in B vitamins. Heart
disease only began after they started refining the flour.
once the bread is baked, it loses its nutritional value
I know some of the goodies are spoilt by heat, but I didn't think it was in bread. qahtan
Hi Qahtan,
I also find it hard to believe that bread would lose its nutritional value, and especially not ALL of the value, in just the bake. I'm guessing it's possible that a small portion of the nutritional value could be lost by the high heat bake, but isn't it just as possible that those could be easily regained by other sources? Would you mind stating your source?
I think that PaddyL might be right in that it sounds like something someone might post if they were into the everyone-must-eat-raw-foods mentality?
On a side note - my mother is of the belief that if it's in print, it must be fact. She's wrong ;) Living in TX, I've never gotten sick from being outside in the heat and coming inside to AC... :)
I was just curiuos to see what others thought about this.....
Sorry I can't give you the source as they don't know I quoted their post..;-((((( qahtan
Hi, sephiepoo.
You claim
But what's the effect of living in TX on your nutritional value? ;-)
Qahtan,
"Nutritional value" covers such a large number of variables - Calories, bioavailability of nutrients, mineral content, vitamins, etc.
Some vitamins, for example, vitamin C, are destroyed by heat. Fat soluble vitamins (vitamins E, A, K) are subject to oxidation. Clearly, chemical reactions in the bread occur during the bake and for days afterwards. But, without more specific data to support the statement that "once the bread is baked, it loses its nutritional value," I'd be extremely skeptical.
Any inference that this relationship is causal is fallacious. One might also point out that life expectancy has more than doubled since "they started refining the flour." Or that HIV/AIDS did not appear until after "they started refining flour." Is refined flour responsible for global warming? There are clear nutritional benefits to whole grains from fiber and B vitamins, but I am not aware of any specific direct effects on heart disease.
David
No idea, but I'll let you know after I've gone through my high heat bake in the oven ;)
That was me, trying to subtly suggest taking what we read with a grain of salt, especially if we don't know where the information is coming from.
I have no scientific proof to back up my own opinion, but honestly if bread lost (most) nutritional value in the bake, I'd still eat it anyway as long as it tasted good :D We eat plenty of other things to make/break our diets already, so no reason to stop milling our own flour
Qatan,
You bring up an interesting point, and one that I'm fairly passionate about.
I know next to nothing about the nutritional value of food, but I think the answer to your question is simple: we bake because we love bread (and because raw flour is pretty gross).
For all I know, bread could be as nutritious as a cardboard box, but I would still choose to bake and eat it, because it tastes amazing. If it tasted like a cardboard box, though, it wouldn't matter if it were the most nutritious food on earth, because I simply wouldn't eat it.
Fortunately, bread is both delicious and nutritious (do I sound like an adverisment yet?). In fact, I find that the more nutritious bread is (i.e., whole wheat), the more delicious it is. At some point, the law of diminishing returns comes into effect though: as bread approaches its maximum deliciousness, my inability to control my consumption decreases, in effect decreasing the nutrition value previously inherant in said bread.
(Removes tongue from cheek).
;-)))))). qahtan
Had a long bizzare conversation with someone recently (with some over the top religious elements) that basically said that we shouldn't eat grain period, and that, if I wanted to bake bread, well, hope I enjoy killing myself. it was a unique perspective.
I will say, I am under no illusion that bread is the ideal halth food. In moderation its fine, and real whole wheat is a good source of fiber. You probably shouldn't try to subsist on it or eat two pounds a day. But it makes me happy.
Well, for heaven's sake! You can't bake bread because SOME nutrients are lost! Yes, heat does destroy some of the vitamins. But are you supposed to eat it raw?
If you bake bread - lots of it, with good ingredients (especially fresh-ground whole grain) - you'll get plenty of nutrition. Oh, and some nutrients are not available to the body until the foods are cooked. So pure raw foodism is not the answer.
Just eat lots of good, healthy whole foods.
Rosalie