The Wheat Kernel and It’s Nutrition
This breakdown of a wheat berry does a good job of explaining it’s different parts. I found it while looking through some class materials I used while a graduate student at Oregon State University. As the diagram explains, white flour - which most of just think of as “flour” - is just the endosperm. Prior to the 1880’s, basically all flour was truly whole wheat, containing all parts of the wheat plant. However, following the introduction of the modern roller mill, which separates the different components of the kernel, white “non-whole-wheat” flour quickly became the norm. White flour had the advantage of retaining a much longer shelf life than whole wheat flours. In the days before refrigeration this was no small matter. However, removing the bran and endosperm strips wheat of many nutritive values. This is why white flour is normally “fortified”. Some of the nutrients lost in milling are added back. They aren’t all added back, however. True whole wheat has been described by some as a “super food,” since it single-handedly supplies a large portion of the various nutrients needed for a balanced diet. Whole wheat also provides fiber, something nutritionists recommend we need a lot more of.
Unfortunately, getting ahold of true whole wheat isn’t as easy as you might think. Many whole wheat products on the market today are only partially whole wheat. That’s right. They’re not truly whole. Processors may ADD BACK germ and bran, but not necessarily in the same proportion that they were removed. So, what better way to get most whole, freshest wheat than getting it completely whole, straight from the farm!