whichever you like the texture of, and add fruit, nuts, and other
flavors yourself.
IF WHOLE GRAINS ARE SO GREAT, WHY DON’T WE EAT MORE OF THEM?
Point: With demand far in favor of white flour in recent gen-
erations, the most common types of wheat in the United
States have been bred for easy milling into refined flour and
long shelf life. As author Michael Pollan describes in his book
Cooked, the reasons for this are that the texture of bran, even
when milled, keeps it from getting as light and airy as many
people like in their baked goods, not to mention that bran
is rather bitter compared with refined flour’s sweetness;
also, the germ’s healthy fats make it “unstable,” meaning
it goes rancid when exposed to air, so the resulting flour
doesn’t last that long. When eaten as whole-wheat bread
or pasta, many flours don’t offer much in terms of texture
or flavor. Counterpoint: After realizations that whole-grain
flours require different techniques to bring out their best,
whole-grain baking has come a long way. It’s now easier to
find great-tasting whole-wheat breads, cereals, and baked
goods. Plus, several producers—from Community Grains in
California and Bob’s Red Mill in Oregon to Anson Mills in
South Carolina—are breeding and milling wheat in ways
better suited to eating it as whole-wheat flour. For now,
these products are usually more expensive and a bit harder
to find in stores, but over time, their world-of-difference
flavor will no doubt bring them into widespread supply.
Point: Whole grains take longer to cook than similar refined
versions. Brown rice takes about three times as long as
white rice, for instance; it depends on the brand, but whole-
wheat pasta can take an extra few minutes; and oatmeal
takes longer to make than pouring cereal into a bowl.
These scenarios are all pretty frustrating if you’ve got a
32 how to be a Conscious Eater