Guest guest Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 The Toxicity of REFINED GRAINS JoAnn Guest Feb 27, 2005 09:44 PST ============================================= MODERN BREAD, THE BROKEN STAFF OF LIFE by Elmer M. Cranton, M.D. Modern technology has transformed bread, once the staff of life, into a mere " broken reed " , contributing to widespread vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This has occurred in Western industrialized countries where few people go hungry! Bread is used here as just one example of similar processes that degrades our food supply on its way from the farm to the consumer. To get the conveniences of high-tech " food processing " , mass-production, mass-marketing, long shelf life, uniformity of final product, even coloration, and soft texture, we create " nutritional deficiencies " . The food processing industry deceptively markets its products as more " convenient versions " of what grandmother once did in her kitchen. That is far from the truth! Most of today's mass-produced foods are seriously " depleted " of nutrients and are highly " chemicalized " with additives. Processed foods today are not just more sophisticated and more convenient versions of the foods eaten by our ancestors. A wide spectrum of essential nutrients has been removed in the manufacturing process. The basic " molecular " structure of what remains is also degraded and nutritionally inferior. Until recently, grains were ground between large stones to make flour. Everything in the " original grain " remained in the finished product, including the germ, the fiber, the starch, and a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals. The final product contained all the " naturally occurring " vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. In the absence of refrigeration, stone-ground flour spoils quickly. After wheat has been ground, natural wheat-germ oil becomes " rancid " at about the same rate that milk becomes sour. Whole-wheat flour and bread should therefore be stored in a cool place, preferably in a refrigerator. Hippocrates, a physician in ancient Greece, once recommended stone-ground flour, complete with its vitamins, minerals, natural bran and dietary fiber, for its beneficial effects on the digestive tract. Today, three-fourths of that " dietary fiber " is removed from commercial flour. Partially as a result, constipation is very common. During the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, assembly-line techniques for mass-producing flour and bread were developed. Grinding stones were not fast enough for mass-production. High-speed, steel roller mills were invented, to produce flour very rapidly. Grain mills thus earned higher profits. High-speed mills do not " grind " the germ and the bran properly and it is ejected. Much of the original grain, including the most " nutritious " portion, is taken out and sold as " byproducts " for animals. Animals are often better nourished than people are. It's been cynically observed that more profit can be made from healthy animals and sick people. High-speed mills run very 'hot', at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, just under the temperature that will burn and discolor the flour. The high heat destroys many vitamins. (While baking, the interior of bread does not get much hotter than 170 degrees, which is considerably less harmful to vitamins.) Since the late nineteenth century, white bread, biscuits and cakes made from white flour and sugar have become mainstays in the diets of industrialized nations. That diet is much less nutritious than in former times and new types of disease have become common. Tooth decay, once rare, is now epidemic. The incidence of tooth decay correlates perfectly throughout the world with industrialization and the use of refined foods--especially white flour and sugar. Most bread is now manufactured in large factories capable of producing up to a quarter million loaves per day. This mass-produced bread is soft, gooey, devitalized, and " nutritionally deficient " -- laced with chemical additives. Public taste is accustomed to such bread. People have forgotten how " real bread " tastes. Chemical preservatives allow bread to be shipped long distances and to remain on the shelf for many days without spoiling and without refrigeration. Again, resulting in higher profits. To make bread a brighter white, at the expense of consumer health, flour is treated with " chemical bleach " , similar to Clorox. The bleaching process leaves residues of toxic " chlorinated hydrocarbons " and " dioxins " . Methionine, an essential amino acid, reacts with bleaching chemicals to form " methionine sulfoxine " . This toxic residue causes " nervousness " and " seizures " in animals. The bleaching process " destroys " many vitamins (those not already destroyed by the high heat of milling). Bleaching agents have therefore been banned for breadmaking in Germany since 1958. In the United States, however, no such ban exists and the bleached bread continues to be the mainstay. Most white flour used in super-market bread, rolls, cakes, pastries, spaghetti, noodles, pasta, and breakfast cereals, has been " bleached " . Grain millers in the nineteenth century soon discovered that highly " refined flour " would keep without spoiling for prolonged periods, even before the days of chemical preservatives and refrigeration. It's now clear that refined flour is so depleted of essential vitamins and minerals that it will not " support life " . Even the insects and rodents cannot live on it! Can humans be expected to fare any better? Experiments were reported in a major British medical journal, " The Lancet " , showing that dogs fed exclusively on " white bread " died of " malnutrition " within two months. Dogs similarly fed only those made with stone-ground, whole-wheat or sprouted grain breads lived " indefinitely " in good health. Chemicals continue to be added to " super-market " breads in large numbers, despite increasing reports that " similar chemicals " previously thought to be safe are potential " causes " of cancer. More than 30 different chemicals are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for addition to bread, including ethylated mono and triglycerides, potassium bromate, potassium iodide, calcium proprionate, benzoyl peroxide, tricalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, ammonium chloride and magnesium carbonate. These are all routinely added to bread to extend shelf life, despite the fact that little is known about their long-term " cumulative toxicity " , when taken together. If you don't already read labels, you'll be shocked when you do. When grain is made into refined white flour, more than 30 essential nutrients are largely " removed " . Only four of those nutrients are added back in a process called " enrichment. " Using this same logic, if a person were robbed of 30 dollars and the thief then returned 4 dollars to his victim for cab fare home, then that person should be considered " enriched " by 4 dollars, not robbed of 26 dollars. How would you feel in that situation? You should feel the same about " enriched " white flour and bread!! Only vitamins B1, B2, B3, and iron are added back. Nutrients which are " removed " and not " returned " include: 44% of the vitamin E, 52% of the pantothenic acid, 65% of the folic acid, 76% of the biotin, 84% of the vitamin B6, and half or more of 20 minerals and trace elements, including magnesium, calcium, zinc, chromium, manganese, selenium, vanadium, and copper. If consumers would just educate themselves in the principles of good nutrition and show an educated preference at the checkout counter, the food industry would be 'forced' to respond with more " nutritious " products. Iron, the " single mineral " added back to enriched white flour, is present in " toxic amounts " in the bodies of many older people. Synthetic Iron contributes widely to " premature atherosclerosis " , heart attacks, strokes, arthritis, cancer and other " age-related " diseases. It is quite possible that " enrichment " of flour with iron has been " poisoning " the public for decades. Avoidance of 'unneeded' " iron supplementation " is reason enough in itself not to buy so-called " enriched " flour products. Deceptive marketing practices are widespread. Much of the bread now marketed as " whole-wheat bread " is the same old refined white bread with a little " brown coloring " added. That coloring is usually " burnt sugar " , listed on the label as caramel. One manufacturer even added sawdust to replace the lost bran, calling it " cellulose " on the label and advertising it as " high-fiber " bread. It is legal to describe " inferior " flour as " whole wheat " on the label, even when the " bran " and " germ " have been removed in " high-speed " roller mills. It is slow and more expensive to mass-produce bread made with l00% stone-ground whole-wheat flour. Manufacturers go to great lengths to mislead the public by making " inferior products " appear of higher quality. Without chemical preservatives bread spoils rapidly. It quickly becomes stale, hard and moldy. To market nutritious whole-grain, unrefined bread over long distances would require refrigerator trucks for delivery and refrigerator storage in super-markets. Even under refrigeration, spoilage would be faster than with " chemicalized " bread. That would add greatly to expense. Profits would be smaller. Production of truly nutritious bread therefore falls to small local bakeries, which sell direct or deliver daily to nearby stores. Scientific evidence implicates a low-fiber diet of refined flour as one cause of bowel cancer. Without bran, " transit time " through the digestive tract is greatly lengthened. Constipation results, causing hemorrhoids, diverticulitis and increased risk of colon and rectal cancer. What is the solution to this problem? Ideally, one should buy wheat in sacks, grind the grain at home and quickly bake it into bread. An alternative would be to buy stone-ground whole-wheat flour at a natural food store, either ground at the time of purchase on the premises, refrigerate at once and use soon. Stone-ground flour will keep for several months frozen. Unfortunately, most people no longer have time in their schedules for baking at home and must rely on store-bought products. To determine which bread is best, read the label thoroughly and choose a product that has the brown coloring of natural flour without any coloring agents added. Choose a product with a minimum of chemicals listed on the label. Whole-grain bread does not rise as much and therefore contains more wheat and less air. A good loaf will therefore be heavier to lift, firmer to squeeze and chewier. The flavor will be much better, however. " Slow-speed " steel hammer-mills are often used instead of stones. That type of flour can be listed on the label as " stone-ground. " It is equivalent to stone-ground flour and is equally nutritious. Any process that renders the entire grain into usable flour, without " exposing " it to high heat is acceptable. " Gluten flour " is just another name for " partially refined " flour. Even so-called " unbleached whole-wheat flour " which is processed on high speed roller mills is missing many of the vitamins, bran, and germ. If bread is made entirely with l00% stone-ground whole grains, it will state so on the label. If the label does not contain that statement, then you must assume otherwise. Many bakers add " refined " or so-called " gluten flour " to produce a lighter and more " uniform " product. Unbleached flour is better than bleached but is still " inferior " unless 100% stone-ground. Bakeries seldom state the exact percentage of whole-grain relative to refined or unbleached flour. In those instances, it is usually safe to assume that very little stone ground whole-grain flour is used. A search through grocery stores and super-markets today will not reveal any mass-marketed breads that meet the " criteria " for good nutrition. Read the labels. Just because a product is sold in a health food store does not insure that it is of high quality. Look for a loaf that states " only 100% stone-ground whole ground flour " on the label. Refrigerate it. Expect it to be heavier and chewier. Squeeze it. If your fingers go in easily and the bread springs back, it is not a nutritious loaf. If you don't eat it within a day or two, freeze it until needed. Expect to pay more. Whole-grain bread does not rise as much and contains more wheat than the same size loaf of refined bread. You are paying for more grain, more time for production, and less air. You will be much better nourished as a result. Moderator's Note: One example of more wholesome whole grain " gluten-free " bread may be obtained at the Ezekiel Bread website or in the natural foods aisle (freezer compartment) of your local grocery: http://www.food-for-life.com Elmer M. Cranton, M.D., graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1964. He is Past President of the American Holistic Medical Association, of the American Academy for Advancement in Medicine and of the Smyth County Medical Society in Virginia. He served for many years as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Holistic Medicine and of the Journal of Advancement in Medicine. He has authored numerous articles and books for both the medical profession and the general public. --- WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT REFINED GRAINS Jan 26, 2005 20:42 PST Bread has been frequently called the " staff of life. " However because most folks consume it in its " refined state " , this staple contains virtually no nutritive properties and cannot support animal or human life! " Fortified " grain products are useless and deceptive. In America, " Wheat is King! " But after being milled, it is seldom utilized in whole form with any of its " components " intact. Whenever we eat wheat, we typically ingest it in the form of white bread, pies, cakes, cookies, biscuits, spaghetti, cream of wheat, refined cereal, and other forms that have been treated, heated, fractioned, fragmented, until it is next to impossible to recognize it for what it was " originally " . A refined grain or its product, is made by " processing " a natural, whole grain so that some or most of the " nutrients " are lost. Almost all grain products have been refined in some way or another. White rice, cream of wheat, cookies, pop tarts, the bowl of snap- crackle-and-pop each morning — all are examples of refined grain products. WHY ARE REFINED GRAINS HARMFUL? Refined grains and their food products are " substandard foods " for several reasons: They are excessively starchy. They are practically devoid of " natural fibers " . There can be up to approximately 25 different chemicals that are added to refined grain and bread products. Grains are " fumigated " . They are " enriched " with synthetic vitamins. " Bleaching chemicals " are used. Artificial colorings and flavorings are used. Refined grain products are " nutritionally imbalanced " . Because refined grain products are nutritionally imbalanced, they are responsible for contributing to several, degenerative diseases. Calcium-leaching from bones and teeth occur because of the " altered " 'phosphorous-calcium' balance in these products. Refined sugar and refined grain products are primarily responsible for " tooth decay " in this country, as well as being the major cause of " brittle bones " in the elderly. A LOAF OF CHEMICALS! At the end of World War II, the making of bread and flour products took a turn for the worse. Bakeries in America began using large amounts of chemicals, additives, bleaches, and preservatives. The millers discovered they could make the flour very white by " bleaching " it. Other " chemical oxidizers " are added to bleach and " mature " the flour, such as nitrogen dioxide, bencoyle peroxide, potassium bromate, potassium iodate, and azocarbonamide. ARE THESE CHEMICALS DANGEROUS? Well, Germany " banned " all such " oxidizers " back in 1958, almost 40 years ago! The next step in the " chemicalization " of bread is to add chemical dough conditioners to the dough to enable the resulting bread to maintain freshness and softness for a longer period, without becoming stale while standing on the grocers' shelves. To give this softness and white-bread texture, " mono– and diglycerides " are added to the bread dough at the rate of about 1/4 pound per year per person consumption. (Moderator's Note: These are the same chemicals that are added to supermarket margarines which result in artery clogging hydrogenated trans-fatty acids (transfats)! This effect is believed to make a bread more " plastic " or " squeezable " — although nobody really knows the effects on those that eat such additives. But some of the chemicals used as dough conditioners are similar to the " anti-freeze " mix used for automobile radiators. One of the chemicals used as a 'dough conditioner' is " polyexy ethelyne monosterate " . Workers in factories where this chemical is made have been known to develop serious skin rashes, even from the fumes. " Polyexy ethelyne monosterate " is also used in making peanut butter, ice cream, candy, and salad dressings. The average person eats about 100 pounds or so of commercial bread each year. Besides eating refined flour, the average person also eats these toxic items in the refined grain products: 2 pounds of refined salt, 3 pounds of refined sugar, 2 pounds of skim milk powder (rBGH), 2 pounds of yeast, 1 pound of " enzyme-activator, " 1/2 pound of sulfate, chloride and bromate chemicals, and 1/4 pound of other " food additives " . When all of these chemicals and nonfoods are eaten together, a " multi-toxic " effect occurs that has never been thoroughly 'studied' by scientists. Surely the cumulative effect of daily intake of such chemicals present in baker's bread are definitely " disease-inducing " over time. " ENRICHMENT " WITH SYNTHETIC VITAMINS Over twenty vitamin and mineral elements are removed when whole wheat is converted into white flour. Yet only four or five are replaced by " enrichment " . And these are supplied in an inferior " synthetic " form, which the body cannot use, and that usually does more harm than good. Synthetic vitamins are " coal tar " products, and coal tar products are suspected of being " carcinogens " (cancer-producing). Synthetic vitamins are products of the " chemical laboratory " or factory, and they cannot replace the " natural " vitamins that are formed in whole grains that grow on the open field in the sunshine. Although most grains consumed in America are in the form of breads, cereals, or pasta, other products are also used in large amounts. White rice is generally polished, whole rice. This " polishing " strips away the " B vitamins " and some of the protein — this is about the same thing that happens to refined wheat. White rice is a " nutritionally " unbalanced food and should never be eaten. For improved health, all " refined flour " products should be eliminated from the diet. Only organic whole grains and sprouted grains should be used. www.food-for-life.com The crux of the situation is — the keeping qualities or shelf-life are far more important in our economy than the health, and the well- being of the people. If we are to lean on " The Staff of Life " for nutrition, we must identify the " counterfeit " refined grains from the " real " , whole grains. In the U.S., the familiar white flour which is the result of modern refining process is " 72% extraction. " This means that it has lost 28% of the bulk of the wheat, including half or more of many of the crucial nutrients. Rudolph Ballentine, M.D., —Diet & Nurtition By Katy Chamberlin There is a popular jingle that goes something like this: " The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead! " ---References: J.I. Rodale, The Health Finder, Rodale Press, London, SW5. Jacqueline Verrett, Ph.D., Eating May Be Hazardous to Your Health, Simon and Schuster, NY. Ross Hume Hall, Food for Nought, The Decline in Nutrition, Random House, Inc., NY. Page updated 04/28/2004 http://www.amazingdiet.org --- This website and all content © 2003 by Amazing Discoveries. Canadian Address : PO Box 189, 7101C - 120th Street, Delta, BC V4E 2A9, Canada Tel: (604) 572-9457 - Fax: (604) 599-9949 US Address : P.O. Box 4480, Blaine, WA, 98231-4480, USA _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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