Enriched Flour Meaning Explained
The process of enriching flour begins with the grain seed. The seed consists of 3 parts, the bran, the germ and the endosperm. The Bran is the outermost layer and it is high in fiber, protein, iron and vitamin B.
The germ is the embryo of the seed and it is very high in protein, fiber and vitamin B as well. The germ has a fat content of 10%, so it can reduce shelf life, ding, ding, ding, key phrase…shelf life, you know where we are going here.
The endosperm is the largest portion of the seed and it is high in carbs, and well……that’s about it. Now we are going to look at the macronutrients and fiber content of each of these. These #’s are based on 100g of each of these. Take note of the protein and fiber content in the bran and germ, they appear to provide some really good health benefits.
Now that we have looked at the seed as a whole, its time to get to the processing part. Whats the 1st rule of processing food…you guessed it, take out the healthiest parts. So, the bran and the germ is removed and all that is left is the endosperm.
Nice. And the question is WHY? Well, manufactures do this for a better texture, appearance and longer Shelf Life.
Once the endosperm is isolated, it is ground into flour, and then 5 of the lost nutrients are added back in. Hmm, take nutrients out, add some back in, this process makes it sound so delicious, doesn’t it? And, the protein and fiber that was lost, they are not replaced.
Bottom line, enriched flour is not the healthiest choice, 100% whole grain, whole wheat flour or bread will give you the most nutritional value.
Fructose is a monosaccharide, which are the most basic units of carbs. Pure, dry fructose is very sweet, white, and odorless. It is found in honey, fruits, vegetables, sugar cane, and sugar beets.
Usually fructose is separated from glucose in a sucrose molecule. It can then be added as a stand alone ingredient. Because pure fructose is sweeter than sugar, less of it can be used to achieve the same level of sweetness, which translates to lower calorie foods.
1 teaspoon of Pure dry fructose has 15 calories, which equates to 4.2g of carbs.
How does the body use fructose?
Most of the cells in our body cant process fructose, so,it is almost completely metabolized in the liver through a process called fructolysis.
Essentially the liver converts fructose to energy, but, this energy cant leave because of its molecular makeup. The liver does burn off some of this energy .
If there is any excess fructose after the energy conversion, the liver stores it as glycogen, which can be broken down into glucose and sent to other cells for use.
But the liver can only store so much glycogen, once it is fully stocked in glycogen, the extra fructose is used to create triglycerides, which can be moved outside the liver for long term storage as fat.
So, based on this, fruits must be bad? Actually, No, not at all.
Fruits are loaded with water, fiber, and other nutrients, so, they take a while to eat and digest so, their fructose hits the liver slowly.
The amount of fructose contained in fruit is much smaller than the added sugar in a soft drink for instance.
Bottom line…fructose is not unhealthy, depending on the source it came from. When that source is a natural food, like fruits and vegetables great, when that source is in the form of added sugar, not so great.
Palm Kernel Oil, like palm oil comes from an oil palm tree. The nut, or kernel resides inside the fruit from the tree.
The characteristics of palm kernel oil include…it is cholesterol free, it contains vitamin K, it is 80% saturated fat, because of its fat content, it is stable at high temps and has a very long shelf life, it is also semi solid at room temp.
The oil is often fractionated, which makes it have a higher concentration of saturated fats…which improves stability and shelf life even more.
Bottom Line, palm kernel oil does not have a lot of nutrients. if you see this in an ingredients list, its only there because it is cheap, and it will increase the shelf life of the product.
Is it bad for you? Well, that depends…was it exposed to chemicals during extraction? Do you already have a lot of saturated fat in your diet?
If you answered yes to both of those questions, you probably want to stay away from it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t say definitively that its bad for you, but there are healthier more nutrient rich options.
What is Palm Oil
I discuss what Palm Oil is. It is an ingredient that is used in many processed foods.
Palm oil comes from the fruit of a oil palm tree. Manufactures like the fact that is is stable at high temps, has a high stability over time, is solid or semi-solid at room temps, has a smooth and creamy texture, and is inexpensive.
The good…when used in its fresh state, palm oil is high in antioxidants, including vitamin a and e, can reduce blood pressure, can reduce the risk of blood clotting, reduce plaque build up in your arteries.
The bad…oxidized palm oil, which is the result of processing the oil, depletes many of the nutrients that occur naturally in the oil and also makes the oil much more difficult to digest, it is also high in saturated fat.
Bottom line…in its fresh state it has many health benefits except for its saturated fat content. In its oxidized state, the health benefits vanish. Most if not all manufactures are using this product in the oxidized state. I would avoid this ingredient, there are much healthier options.