ORGANIC LIVING
By
Robert Hodcde
Eat Wheat Germ:
It’s Naturally Enriched
Eating enriched white bread is like being robbed of $lOO,
getting back $5O, and being told that you are better off
than when you started. The rate of return may soon be
raised, but the nutritional sleight of hand will continue.
The National Research Council's Food and Nutrition
Board recently recommended that all foods made of
wheat, corn and rice by synthetically enriched with 10
essential nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin 86, folic
acid, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Everything from
bread and breakfast cereals to corn chips and macaroni
would be affected.
Back in 1940, the same group was responsible for the
present enrichment of our flour and bread with three B
vitamins and iron. That fortification 'failed, however
Significant numbers of Americans are still suffering from
vitamin and mineral deficiencies. That’s because enrich
ment, by its very nature, is a compromise, returning only
a handful of the dozen or more nutrients stripped away
when gram is milled and processed.
One recommendation made by the board does make
though. It urges millers to reduce the amount of
refining they do to wheat to make flour white. Such
processing, done only to make the flour look better in the
eyes of the consumer, removes a large portion of the
grain’s nutritive value The wheat germ and bran, both
commonly removed, contain most of the vitamins and
minerals And bleaching, the final cosmetic touch,
removes almost all of the vitamin E
If millers would keep the wheat germ intact in flour,
there wouldn’t be any need for enrichment. Until the day
when that unlikely event occurs, however, your best bet is
to buy wheat germ and include it in your diet at every
opportunity
C'ompare the nutrients in one ounce of wheat germ with
one ounce of so-called enriched bread, and the choice is
obvious
Wheat Germ (one oz.)
Thiamin 0.49 milligram
Riboflavin 0.19 mg.
Dutch School
Natural Foods
LARGEST SELECTION OF
NATURAL FOODS AND VITAMINS
IN CENTRAL PENNA.
RT. 222, AKRON, PENNA.
PH. 859-2339
Enriched Bread (one oz.)
0.1 mg.
0.1 mg.
N lacm 1.47 mg. 0.9 mg.
Iron 2.5 mg. 0.7 mg..
An ounce of wheat germ also contains other nutrients,
including vitamins A, E, C, 86, folic acid, calcium,
magnesium and trace elements needed by the body such
as zinc, cobalt and molybdenum.
For years athletes searching for the perfect training*
food*have relied on wheat germ to improve performance.
And it’s still being used. One of the most popular of all
health foods, wheat germ is also conveniently available in
almost any supermarket.
Wheat germ is a versatile food that can be used in a
variety of ways, either toasted or raw. The latter is
slightly preferred from a nutritional standpoint, because
nothing has been lost in the heat of the toasting procedure.
- T .£7* '
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Sept 28.1974—45
You can use wheat germ to make your own granola.
Combine two cups of rolled oats, one cup of sunflower
seeds, a cup of sesame seeds, one-half cup of soy grits, a
cup of wheat germ and one-half cup of unsweetened
coconut meal.
Mix this with a cup of unsulfured raisins or a cup of
prunes, apricots,- or dates, and serve it with milk, fruit
juice or yogurt. In fish, chicken and other recipes that call
for breading you can substitute wheat germ for bread
crumbs, cracker crumbs, or cornflake crumbs. A mixture
of wheat germ and crushed nuts makes a good pie crust.
Try sprinkling wheat germ on apple sauce or ice cream
for a special treat. And mix it into hamburgers, meat loaf
and casserole dishes to give them a nutritional boost.
If your family isn’t too keen on the idea of eating a
“health food” like wheat germ, take a tip from Jane
Kinderlehrer, author of “Confessions of a Sneaky Organic
Cook”:
“How do you get the wheat germ into your family’s
diet?” she asks. “Since it’s a natural component of flour, I
use it whenever I use flour. And if you rarely use flour
because of the convenience of commercial packaged
mixes, try adding wheat germ to the mix. If I’m having
guests and am rushed for time, I might use a mix and
spike it generously with wheat germ. The trick here is to
run the wheat germ through the blender for a minute. This
reduces it to a finer consistency so eagle eyes can’t detect
it.
It’s the funniest thing but invariably one of my guests,
usually a male, will say as he reaches for a second
helping, ‘You can’t fool me-this cake wasn’t made from a
mix-it has that ole time flavor that just doesn’t come in a
box.’ I just make like Mona Lisa and smile-but never tell.
It’s better that they don’t know how healthy they’re
getting.’'
(Editor’s Note: The opinions appearing in “Organic
Living” are those of its author, Robert Rodale, an in
dependent columnist. Rodale’s comments do not
necessarily reflect the thinking of the Lancaster Farming
editor or anyone else on the Lancaster Farming staff.)
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