The healthiest foods in nature are the generally multicolored foods. Orange, red, green, purple and even brown foods offer the maximum dietary value. There are very few foods that are "white" that proffer superior nourishment. Cauliflower and jicama are both white and healthy but the greater part of white foods, especially white flour and white rice are nutritionally void.
Many years ago, in an attempt to conserve foods for a longer period of time, white flour was invented. The customary whole grain flour, which tends to be various shades of brown, comprises all of the vastly healthful and fiber-rich parts of the seed including the external bran layer and the germ. However, whole grain flour has a propensity to rot more rapidly and it also attracts weevils.
So in order to preserve foods for a longer period of time, flour prepared from only the endosperm of the seed was developed. This flour was light and white and often even bleached with chemicals in order to make it white and appealing. It is interesting to note that while whole grain flour will draw weevils, white flour is actually a natural insecticide because insects cannot subsist on a nutritional regime of pure white flour, as there is not enough food value.
This greatly refined white flour became a big hit. People enjoyed the lightness of it and the appealing white cuisine that it made. However, it was soon revealed that this pretty colorless flour contained almost no food value so in an effort to recapture some of the dietary value that had been lost, the flour was enriched by adding back in 4 vitamins and minerals. However, this made little difference because 15 vitamins and minerals had been displaced and not any of the roughage was added back in.
It is regrettable but even today the majority of the breads and baked goods on our store shelves is made from this nutritionally devoid flour. Even the so-called "wheat" breads often list enriched flour as the most important element. If you want to get the uppermost nutritional value from breads and baked products you need to make sure that the first ingredient listed on the label is not enriched flour but whole grain flour.
The foods that are the most processed are the foods that are the least nourishing. White foods are usually deficient in nutrients. White rice is just as nutritionally empty as white flour. Foods that are made from the whole grain have the utmost inherent nutrition and they also supply needed roughage. These foods are never white but always hues of brown.
Multihued foods are essential when it comes to nutrition. Purple fruits and vegetables supply essential antioxidants including anthocyanins and resveratrol. Orange vegetables and fruits provide beta-carotene and the green vegetables and fruits provide a healthy selection of crucial minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. The most wholesome diets are the most colorful diets.
So in order to make the most of your nutrition remove the white foods, except for cauliflower and jicama, of course, amplify your ingestion of the colorful fruits and vegetables and add in lean proteins of either lean meats, fish or poultry, or beans and legumes if you are a vegetarian. And make sure that the bread you eat is made from whole grain flour and not enriched.
Many years ago, in an attempt to conserve foods for a longer period of time, white flour was invented. The customary whole grain flour, which tends to be various shades of brown, comprises all of the vastly healthful and fiber-rich parts of the seed including the external bran layer and the germ. However, whole grain flour has a propensity to rot more rapidly and it also attracts weevils.
So in order to preserve foods for a longer period of time, flour prepared from only the endosperm of the seed was developed. This flour was light and white and often even bleached with chemicals in order to make it white and appealing. It is interesting to note that while whole grain flour will draw weevils, white flour is actually a natural insecticide because insects cannot subsist on a nutritional regime of pure white flour, as there is not enough food value.
This greatly refined white flour became a big hit. People enjoyed the lightness of it and the appealing white cuisine that it made. However, it was soon revealed that this pretty colorless flour contained almost no food value so in an effort to recapture some of the dietary value that had been lost, the flour was enriched by adding back in 4 vitamins and minerals. However, this made little difference because 15 vitamins and minerals had been displaced and not any of the roughage was added back in.
It is regrettable but even today the majority of the breads and baked goods on our store shelves is made from this nutritionally devoid flour. Even the so-called "wheat" breads often list enriched flour as the most important element. If you want to get the uppermost nutritional value from breads and baked products you need to make sure that the first ingredient listed on the label is not enriched flour but whole grain flour.
The foods that are the most processed are the foods that are the least nourishing. White foods are usually deficient in nutrients. White rice is just as nutritionally empty as white flour. Foods that are made from the whole grain have the utmost inherent nutrition and they also supply needed roughage. These foods are never white but always hues of brown.
Multihued foods are essential when it comes to nutrition. Purple fruits and vegetables supply essential antioxidants including anthocyanins and resveratrol. Orange vegetables and fruits provide beta-carotene and the green vegetables and fruits provide a healthy selection of crucial minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. The most wholesome diets are the most colorful diets.
So in order to make the most of your nutrition remove the white foods, except for cauliflower and jicama, of course, amplify your ingestion of the colorful fruits and vegetables and add in lean proteins of either lean meats, fish or poultry, or beans and legumes if you are a vegetarian. And make sure that the bread you eat is made from whole grain flour and not enriched.
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Learn why fruits that have very high concentrations of antioxidants including cranberries, grapes, blueberries and a little known fruit from Brazil called the acai berry. Visit my site http://acaiwow.com
