How to Be a Conscious Eater

3 Fortifying processed foods does not make them healthy. A

common example is enriched grains. Author Warren

Belasco has a great term, nutrification, that he gives to this

surprisingly common practice of a manufacturer taking

an ingredient—such as wheat kernels—and removing the

most healthy components—the germ and the bran, in this

case—to make it easier to turn that ingredient into a highly

processed food. The manufacturer will then add back in

approximations of the nutritional attributes that would

have inherently been in the food—such as iron—so they

can tout that supposed value-add on the label, and perhaps

even sell the product at a higher price point. Instead, buy

foods closer to their original form, like whole-wheat bread

or wheat berries, before their most valuable nutritional

assets have been removed.

ANATOMY OF A GRAIN

Eat them whole!

BRAN

PROTECTIVE

OUTER SHELL,

RICH IN FIBER,

B VITAMINS, AND

ANTIOXIDANTS

GERM

OFFERS B VITAMINS,

PROTEIN, MINERALS,

HEALTHY FATS

ENDOSPERM

CONTAINS STARCH,

PROTEIN, SOME

VITAMINS AND

MINERALS

188 how to be a Conscious Eater

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