Your Guide To Clean Eating Flour
If you’ve ever had questions about this, I’ve created your guide to clean eating flour!
I get a lot of questions regarding clean eating flour and what constitutes a clean eating grain. Many people do not understand the difference between whole grains and processed grains, which leaves them lost and frustrated in the bread isle.
But it’s not as difficult as it may seem at first. This guide to clean eating flour will help you understand the basic concepts behind choosing things like breads and crackers when you shop.
YOUR GUIDE TO CLEAN EATING FLOUR
THE DIFFERENCE
Wheat is a grain. It is harvested, and then brought to a mill in its whole state.
At the mill, the wheat berries (which is the entire grain, minus the inedible, outside husk) can basically become one of two things:
- Whole wheat flour – This is simply the entire grain that has been harvested, ground up and put into a container or package as is. All the nutritious stuff is still in there because nothing was removed. It is the WHOLE wheat berry, therefore, it is listed as whole wheat, whole grain or whole meal.
- Wheat flour – The entire wheat berry is processed, most often bleached, and has all the good nutritious stuff removed. This creates a flour that makes baked goods very light and fluffy. It also converts to sugar much faster in the body. All the nutritious stuff has been removed. It has been processed (or altered), which is what clean eating avoids. This is most often listed as wheat flour, or even durum wheat semolina. If it doesn’t have the word “whole” in front of it, it’s not clean flour. That’s why you want to look for products that actually say “100% whole wheat/grain/meal” on the label.
READING LABELS
Labeling laws do not require all companies to label things the same way. It’s up to you to educate yourself enough to understand what each term means.
Refined – Has lost many nutritious components during processing.
Enriched or Fortified – Flour that has had all its nutritious components removed during processing and then has certain vitamins and/or minerals added back in. These are not as good as whole wheat or whole grains simply because the only vitamins and minerals added back in are the ones that are required by law to be replaced. This leaves out a wide range of other healthy nutrients that our bodies need and can get from whole grains.
Whole grain – Call it whole grain, whole wheat or whole meal. Regardless of the name you give it, it means that the entire grain has been used and you will receive the full amount of nutrient benefit that comes from the grain as mother nature intended it.
WHAT IS WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR?
Many people get confused when they see a bag of flour that says “White Whole Wheat Flour”. But don’t be confused. There are many different varieties of wheat available, even though we only find one predominantly in the market place. When a bag of flour is labeled as white whole wheat flour, it is still a whole grain flour. It’s just made from a different variety of wheat that is lighter in color and flavor. This is a fantastic “transition” grain if you are having trouble adjusting to eating whole grains. As long as the word “whole” is in the title, it’s clean.
WHAT IS WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY FLOUR?
This is mainly the only flour I use when I cook and bake. It is whole wheat flour made from spring wheat. It’s a finer “grind” and has a higher starch content and lower gluten content than regular whole wheat flour made from winter wheat. A finished muffin or other food item will have a tad bit less structure to it than it would if you use regular whole wheat flour, but it will be far less dense and coarse as well. This leaves you with something a little closer to a product made with regular white flour. It has more of that “fluffy” factor to it which is great for muffins and many baked goods.
WHAT IS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR?
This is the variety most folks can find when looking for whole grain flour. It’s pretty common and easy to find, even in most mainstream stores. It is made of a winter wheat and will produce a coarser, denser, “breadier” result in whatever you use it in, as compared to the pastry variety.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU SHOP
If you are trying to eat clean, then you will want to purchase only those products that say 100% WHOLE grain/meal/flour.
Be sure to read the ingredient list because if it doesn’t say “100%” then it will most likely have whole grain flour AND regular wheat flour listed, typically one right after the other. This is not a clean product. The package MUST say “100% Whole grain/flour/meal” to be clean.
ONE LAST NOTE
It’s worth mentioning that the wheat we eat today is not at all the same wheat that our great grandmother’s ate. We now eat a hybrid wheat which has been often attributed to the epidemic of wheat and gluten intolerance we are seeing today. While GMO wheat has not been approved by the FDA (yet), it’s likely that it will be approved some time in the future, and illegal GMO wheat fields have been found, which leaves one to wonder about cross contamination. But the general wheat supply (as far as we’ve been told), is not GMO wheat. It’s a hybrid.
That being said, most grains are covered in Roundup just prior to harvest to make harvesting easier. So choosing organic is always the better choice.
But any way you look at it, it’s been tampered with and we are now seeing the effects in many, many people. So whether or not you view wheat as truly clean is up to you and your standards of clean eating. Just be advised that if you do give up wheat, most gluten free products on the market are not clean and definitely highly processed. You will have to learn to make a lot of your own foods if you wish to eat clean and gluten/wheat free.
Hope that helps! If you have any further questions, please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer. I hope you’ve enjoyed your guide to clean eating flour!
This article on clean eating flour is an original work and is copyright Tiffany McCauley. It may not be reproduced for any reason without written permission by the author. This INCLUDES bloggers! Please do not copy and paste (or add to tumblr) this article into your own blog. Simply write an introduction in your own words and provide a link back to this page. Thank you.
Thank-you for the WHOLE story on wheat! 🙂
I appreciate that you made it simple.
Question about other flours: Can you explain the Almond flour, Coconut flour, Spelt flour and is there significant benefits from using them?
Thank-you. I appreciate the work you are doing.
Ellan – I’m not sure about spelt flour, but almond and coconut flour are used a lot in gluten free baking. Spelt is a grain that is in the wheat family. It’s yummy, but not for those with gluten issues. Hope that helps!
I’ve never tried the almond or cocoanut flour-nut allergies at our house. With the spelt make sure you get 100% whole spelt flour. It is sometimes “refined” like wheat flours. So if it just says spelt it is very likely devoid of bran and germ. What I get in the health food store is a little more grainy (like cornmeal) in texture, but makes wonderful biscuits and scones.
Jodi – Sounds fabulous! Thanks for the tip!
One other great whole-grain flour is made from teff — the grain itself is so fine that the whole-grain flour is nice and silky. Makes for beautiful (if extremely delicate) crepes!
Coco – Really?? I’ve never seen it in the store. I’ll have to look for it. Thank you!!
I’ve been checking out some of your postings and some of your recipes and most of them look wonderful. This one regarding whole grains I found particularly interesting. Why must these products be 100% natural..aren’t some of these additives beneficial at some times? In other words, wouldn’t it be better to judge just what these additives are and judge whether to buy based on that?
Anne – I’m not sure I follow. The idea behind clean eating is to avoid processed foods. Foods that have been altered from their natural state. This would be the healthiest way to eat any food. But maybe you can clarify for me? What additives are you referring to?
Thank you for the info.! I have always thought that all flour was processed and not clean. 🙂
Riverbritts – I guess that depends on your definition of “processed”. The flour itself must undergo a form of processing to change it from the berry into the flour. But that’s not the kind of processing that clean eaters typically avoid. As long as it’s the whole grain with nothing added, it’s usually considered clean.
Well, whole wheat flour sold in stores here in Canada has had all of the wheat germ and most of the bran removed. Wheat germ is the nutritious part of the flour, but it has a very short shelf life. It turns rancid because it contains the oils of the wheat. Bran is the fiber of the wheat. So though it is labeled as 100% whole wheat there is much missng.
Linda – How sad! I’m sure that has something to do with Canadian food regulations. These things often govern how our food is sold in stores.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! I’ve been noticing a lot of clean recipes made with whole wheat flour (or yours with pastry flour) and wondered if it was clean and how it could be considered clean. Mystery solved! Thanks for your time in education us 🙂
Amy – You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help!
Cici – Wonderful! Thanks for reading!
I recently was given a bread recipe that is simple & fabulous. Since my family is working on eating clean 100% I thought I could make the bread just by swapping out the white flour for Trader’s Joes whole white wheat as a start. But it doesn’t seem to be that simple since the bread seems to be more dense & needs longer to set & rise & bake. Is there more to know on making a recipe conversion or did I do it correctly & need to accept my version if clean is what I want over fluffy & fast?
Ingredients: 2cp flour, 1/2 tsp yeast, 1/2 salt, 1cp water.
As always I appreciate all that you do. You’re blog has kept me going!
Thank you!
Mrsstandleypr – I don’t generally bake with white whole wheat flour. If you want light and fluffy, you will need to use whole wheat pastry flour. White whole wheat flour is still coarse by comparison.
Keep in mind however, that no matter what you substitute with, nothing will ever be as light and fluffy as white flour. It’s light and fluffy because there is nothing in it. But over time, you will get used to it and will most likely actually prefer the heavier breads. I know I do!
Try it with the pastry flour and see what happens though. I think you’ll get a little closer to what you’re looking for.
I use 100% whole white wheat as my “all purpose” flour. I have found when using it for things like cake and muffins that it works better to sift it before measuring. It is denser than the white refined flour, so the same volume would weigh more. (which is why professional bakers go by weight rather than volume) For yeast breads you probably do need to knead a bit more to develop the gluten-the bran in whole grains tends to break it up. Also the longer rising time is because the yeast “eat” the sugars in the flour and produce carbon dioxide gas. This is what gives the bread its texture and the gluten strands support the structure. White flour is pretty much just starch, sugar and gluten so the sugars are more accessable to the yeast so they digest it faster. i hope this is not TMI.
No, it’s great! Thanks! That’s why I love the whole wheat pastry flour. It seems to get pretty close to the same textures as using AP flour. Love that stuff!
Hey Tiffany – this is a great article and it’s definitely helped me better understand my flour! But I still feel really confused when I read ingredients like “durum” or “semolina” or “spelt” or grains/rice that reference times of year; or any other fancy word for different types of grains. Do you have a reference (or know of one somewhere online) to help decode all of this and figure out if what I’m eating is clean or not?
Nicole – To the best of my understanding, durum, semolina and spelt are just different types of wheat. Much like there are different types of tomatoes. It would be the same with rice and grains. The main thing is to be sure that it’s whole grain. That’s the important part. Hope that helps!
Woolism – You would have to have a grain mill. I do not have one myself, but have thought about getting one.
Aundy – It depends on the recipe. Some will, some won’t.
Marcy – I get mine at whole foods. Bob’s Redmill is the most popular brand. You might try their web site to find out where they sell in your area. Amazon.com sells it as well.
Have you ever tried the Einkorn flour? It is ancient wheat – the way wheat was meant to be grown and not hybridized like most wheat in the US. After reading about hybridized wheat, it’s what led me to your site. You can buy Einkorn flour from Jovial (I haven’t found any stores around that sell it – I have to buy it online). I’m just starting on the clean eating but I can’t wait – although it does seem overwhelming at first.
Kristi – No, I’ve never heard of it. Sounds interesting though. Might have to check that out. Thanks for the tip! You’ll do great at clean eating. Just take it one step at a time. 🙂
Joyce – Let me know how it turns out!
Kristi – Please do!
Sleach – You are absolutely correct. The wheat we have these days is a “Franken wheat”. I’m absolutely convinced that that is the reason that so many people are now gluten intolerant. You can only screw with nature so much before you start to feel the effects. The wheat industry may feel they are feeding more people, but in the long run, they are killing off their profits by creating gluten intolerant people. The sad thing is that once everyone is gluten intolerant, they will simply move on to the next grain.
That’s an excellent question. I don’t have an answer. I’ll see if I can research it a bit though.
It might be, I’m not sure. I’ve never tried.
Yes, isn’t it also a difference between winter and spring wheat? Or am I thinking of something else…
It will be just slightly less dense than regular whole wheat flour as it’s a different type of wheat.