Is a Wheat Berry Really a Berry?
Wheat berry? Why does everyone keep talking about this new berry called wheat berries? The recent trends toward more healthy whole grain diets has caused the popularity of this term. However, wheat berries are nothing new.
At the tip or head of the wheat plant is where you will find wheat berries. Once they are a golden brown and ready for harvesting, farmers everywhere will gather up these so called berries and ship them out to you and I to be devoured. Wheat berries have been harvested as a staple food for thousands of years and are a very important part of a balanced diet.
The wheat berry has an oval shape and a little groove down the middle. There are three parts that make up the berry: the bran, germ and endosperm. The bran is the outer layer that is filled with protein, B-vitamins, minerals and insoluble fiber. The germ is the inside seed part concentrated with vitamins and minerals. The endosperm is what is separated from all the previously mentioned healthy stuff and ground up to make your white flour. It’s important to note that true whole wheat foods will contain all the parts of the wheat berry.
You may hear of different types of wheat berries and it is important to note that they can be quite different. Some are better for baking breads while other have qualities that make them better for cooking cakes. My favorite is Hard Red Spring Wheat simply because it is the most healthy. Hard Red Spring wheat is highest in nutrition and has a yummy nutty taste to it that I love. It is also high in gluten, which makes it great for baking breads.
Whole wheat flour is made from ground up wheat berries. To have 100% whole wheat flour all of the wheat berry needs to remain. Food manufacturers have long used only part of the wheat berry because of it’s sweet taste and economic benefits. However, there is no nutrition in processed white flowers. Lately with the desire to eat more healthy, some processors are throwing a very small amount of the bran and germ back into the flour and calling it enriched, but that provides no benefit to you and me. Read your nutrition labels and make sure you are eating real whole grains.
One way to make absolutely certain you are getting all the nutritional benefit of whole wheat is by buying the wheat berries raw and using them in your meals. There are many ways to prepare wheat berries that are yummy for the tummy. They can be cooked in water to be softened and then used in salads, cereals and dinner entrees. They can be sprouted to make a delicious addition to your sandwich or salad. Eat them with yogurt or just in milk sweetened up with a little sugar or all natural sweetener for total health.
In addition to the great taste and versatility of the wheat berry, there are of course the great health benefits. Because of the high amounts of dietary fiber, eating hard red spring wheat berries will reduce cholesterol, regulate your digestion and blood sugar levels. Recent reports indicate that this means lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Time to embrace the great wheat berry. Be creative with your cooking, use wheat berries in place of rice or pasta, sample an online recipe, or create your own new dish. Hard red spring wheat berries are versatile, nutritious, and deliciously satisfying. They are an easy way to healthier meals.
