Why Wheat Isn’t As Healthy As It Used to Be and How to Find the Healthiest Sources

When you purchase a bag of whole wheat flour at the grocery store, are you thinking about the stalk of feathery wheat it came from? How about that small wheat berry grain that was pulverized in order to create a fluffy mixture to bake with? Probably not and, until about a month ago, neither did I! That’s around the time that I discovered my slight sensitivity to gluten and, in the same fashion I dealt with my heartburn, I delved deep into the world of gluten to find out what it was about this wholesome healthy food that made so many people react adversely to it.

The rabbit hole was long and deep, but what I discovered about the processing of wheat — from the ground, to stalk, to harvest, to process, to shelf — was enlightening, to say the least.

Did you know that the wheat you purchase from the shelf (as well as most of the wheat you eat at restaurants) is actually riddled with mold and some can be categorized as rancid? Yep. Why is this? Turns out the moment you shuck the outer shell of a wheat berry, a process that takes place in the wheat field via a machine called a “combine,” the soft, nutritious bran and endosperm instantly begin to degrade. This shouldn’t really be a surprise to plant-based eaters. We’re used to buying fresh foods that come from the earth, which will go bad quicker than something preserved.

This is one of the theories regarding the dramatic increase in gluten intolerance over the last few decades. It makes perfect sense, why wouldn’t rancid wheat make you sick?

With that said, our ancestors ate wheat and didn’t get sick? Wheat can be traced all the way back to ancient civilizations without any hint of gluten intolerance. So, what happened? How has wheat harvesting and bread-making changed in such a detrimental way?

Let’s take a quick glance down this rabbit hole!

What is a wheat berry?

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While some say bread starts with the seed in the ground (which is true if you delve into the nutrient density of the soil), for the sake of this article — and the sake of your time — I’m beginning with the wheat berry.

Even though wheat is the “most commonly consumed grain in the United States,” the wheat berry — the whole grain kernel (with the inedible husk removed) that is the precursor to wheat flour — is “surprisingly uncommon on American shopping lists.”

So, what is this wheat berry and why should we all be eating them?

To begin, wheat berries are super healthy! Modern-day harvesting processes break apart a wheat berry into its different nutrient-dense parts, making the end product, that bag of whole wheat flour, an inconspicuous nutrient mystery. Wheat berries on the other hand “are the edible part of the wheat kernel, including the bran, the germ, and the endosperm, before the grain undergoes any processing.” When you consume a wheat berry you’re consuming all incredibly nutritious parts of the grain.

What about those nutrients? Wheat berries are a wonderful and rich source of “fiber, iron, and protein,” which means they are a great option for plant-based eaters, especially vegan dieters. They also have decent servings of “magnesium and vitamin E, and [are] low in calories and fat.” How does this break down? Per the Spruce Eats, “one serving of wheat berries (1/4 cup dry or 1 cup cooked) contains 160 calories, with a total fat count of less than 1 gram” and “8 grams of protein per serving, and 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance for fiber.”

Plus, there a variety to choose from including “hard red wheat berries, hard white wheat berries, soft red wheat berries, and soft white wheat berries.” What’s the difference? Turns out that the different varieties offer slight changes in nutrient profiles such as the “harder varieties contain more protein and the softer varieties more starch.”

Harvesting 101

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If you start with the wondrously nutrient-dense wheat berry, how do you get to sugar-filled and rancid flour? Like most food in our country, the way in which we process and sell wheat dictates how much of that nutrient profile is retained. Wheat has a long road from the wheat berry to the grocery store shelf or the bakery or restaurant.

How Wheat Berries are Harvested

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Before the invent of most farming machinery, our ancestors used to harvest wheat by hand. This tedious task involved separating the wheat berries from the feathery stalks of wheat and then shucking the outer inedible shell. At that point, most of the processing was done. They either cooked them whole or ground them by hand into a meal, mixed with water, and then used the product immediately.

So, how is it done today?

There’s a wealth of information regarding growing and harvesting wheat berries in your backyard (which is a great way to get around rancid flour), yet learning the secrets of farmers is a bit more difficult.

This is when I turned to food writer and journalist Megan Kimble who wrote a fabulous book called Unprocessed. In Unprocessed, Kimble explains that “wheat berries emerge from a field through the help of a combine,” which is a specialized harvester that combines three steps into one fluid motion: reaping, winnowing, and threshing. While Kimble goes into greater detail, I’ll leave that step at that. After running the combine over the field, farmers are left with the whole wheat berry.

The Oxidation of Wheat

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So, where does it all go wrong? Kimble had a unique opportunity to speak with a wheat farmer who laid out the issues pretty succinctly.

First off, once that kernel has been harvested it immediately begins to break down (also called oxidizing), which means the nutrient profile instantly begins to diminish. Yet, the oxidizing doesn’t stop there. In Unprocessed, Kimble continues to explain that harvested wheat berries go straight into storage silos — where the farmers wait out the stock market — then sell. From there, the wheat berries are sold off to companies who grind it, package it, and then that whole wheat flour sits yet again both in the facility waiting to be shipped and on the grocery store shelf waiting for consumers to purchase it.

By the time the consumer gets their hands on a bag of whole wheat flour, it’s had a long time to sit around and oxidize, and therefore is a bit rancid.

How Wheat Used to be Made

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A theory that some researchers hold to regarding the uptick in gluten intolerance lies heavily on the fact that we don’t ferment out bread anymore, which breaks softens those muscle-like gluten compounds and makes them easier for our digestive system to process.

When bread making was a newer process — documented all the way back in ancient Egypt around 2,000 BC — our ancestors used the wild yeast in the air to ferment their mixture of freshly ground flour and water and then “use a little old dough, or leaven, to ‘start’ the new dough.” Basically, this was the invent of sourdough bread. The process of making bread has changed drastically since the time of the ancient Egyptians. Now, we harvest our wheat with machines instead of by hand, store the berries or flour instead of using the fresh product, and have stopped fermenting in lieu of using sugar-rich ingredients to bake right away.

The art of fermenting our bread (outside of sourdough) began to die in the early 1900s when “it was discovered that traditional long fermentation times could be reduced from 18 to 3-4 hours by the use of very small amounts of certain chemicals, called oxidants, in bread or flour.”

Unfortunately, through all of these changes, the nutrient-density of our whole wheat bread has taken a drastic decline taking an incredibly rich source of macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals and molding it into a sugar-rich, health curdling food product. On top of that, gluten intolerance has skyrocketed. While ancient bread still contained gluten, the fermentation and nutrient-profile made the end product much easier on our digestive systems and much healthier overall.

Health Benefits of Fresh Wheat Berries

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While there is little nutrient profile information on fresh wheat flour — due to the fact that there are few small mill productions left in the states — there is a wealth of information regarding fresh wheat berries. If you’re able to find organically sourced wheat berries that are ground into flour and immediately used (such as purchasing your own home grinder), then the nutrient profile between wheat berry and wheat flour shouldn’t differ too much. If you are lucky enough to accomplish this task, here are some of the health benefits!

Supports Healthy Cholesterol

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As mentioned earlier, wheat berries are chock-full of fiber, which helps with stool regularity, digestion, and even feeds your gut microbiota to Support healthy gastrointestinal function. Fiber is also an integral component in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels or even lowering cholesterol. In a trickle-down effect, healthy cholesterol levels “can prevent the buildup of fat in the arteries, maximize blood flow and keep your heart in good shape.”

Promotes Strong Bones

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A little known, yet wonderful side effect of consuming wheat berries is stronger bones. Wheat berries are a great source of manganese, which happens to play an integral “role in maintaining the health of your bones.” Manganese works with other minerals in the body to promote “bone mineralization as well as the formation of bone cartilage and collagen.” Per Dr. Axe, “just one serving of wheat berry can nearly knock out your daily requirements for manganese, supplying 97 percent of the recommended daily value.”

Helps Regulate Blood Sugar

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One of the most concerning aspects of modern bread is its sugar content and the ability for said bread to make our blood sugar spike in unhealthy ways. Constant spikes in blood sugar can lead to high blood sugar, which “can contribute to a range of negative diabetes symptoms, such as increased thirst, fatigue, and headaches” and, if left untreated, may lead to more “serious effects like nerve damage and impaired wound healing.” A great way to regulate blood sugar levels is through a fiber-rich diet due to the fact that fiber “slows down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream.” Luckily, wheat berries are brimming with this fiber making them a perfect choice for blood sugar regulation.

Finding Your Own Fresh Flour

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Whether you’re searching out wheat flour or are looking for a more gluten-sensitive option — such as almond, millet, or amaranth — there are a few ways to get your hands on high-quality, fresh product. To begin, it’s a good idea to visit your local farmers market. Most likely, you’ll find someone who grinds their own flour. Farmers markets are also a great place to network in order to learn local places that may offer to sell freshly ground flour. If that fails, you can always grind your own at home. That’s right, home grain mills are an option and a really fun one at that. Here are a few home mills to get you started on your way to fresh, healthy whole wheat flour!

Chard GM-150 Tin Coated Cast Iron Grain Mill

Chard GM-150 Tin Coated Cast Iron Grain Mill/Amazon.com

If you’re looking for a good starter mill that won’t break the bank, this is a great option! This Chard GM-150 Tin Coated Cast Iron Grain Mill for $29.44 is super durable and works off of a hand crank. While this means you’ll literally need to put your back into it, you’ll also have an extremely intimate relationship with the process. Plus, manual machines are far cheaper than electric making this little product perfect for beginners.

Happybuy Electric Stainless Steel Grain Mill Grinder 

Happybuy Electric Stainless Steel Grain Mill Grinder/Amazon.com

For more seasoned home millers, this Happybuy Electric Stainless Steel Grain Mill Grinder for $42.99 is a great option. It’s super powerful with 2800 r/min at 950 watts and offers a large capacity 150-gram hopper. Plus, this grinder is made from stainless steel, which is rust-resistant, easy to clean, and has a long shelf life.

Homend High-Speed Stainless Steel Electric Grain Mill Grinder 

Homend High-Speed Stainless Steel Electric Grain Mill Grinder/Amazon.com

You’ve been using your electric grinder for a while now, you’re hooked on fresh flour of all kinds, and now you find that you simply need more. This Homend High-Speed Stainless Steel Electric Grain Mill Grinder for $69.70 is on the higher end of the price spectrum, yet offers more bells and whistles for seasoned home millers to make grinding quicker. With a larger capacity hopper of 700-grams and 36000 r/min at 2500 watts, this miller will crush any grain or nut into fine powder in under 10 minutes.

We also highly recommend downloading our Food Monster App, which is available for iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. The app has more than 15,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

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