By the time you finish reading this short tip, you will know a bit more about why it's necessary to mill and bake with fresh whole grains.

Tip #1 - Part One - "Why do you do that? Why bother?"

Alright, I will be the first to admit it, I was not raised to be a domesticated person. When I first heard of milling grain at home I was baffled and thought it was a far fetched idea, time consuming and a big mess. It didn't take me long to determine how wrong I was.

One tip to answering those questions of 'You do what?' and 'Why bother?' is to be acquainted with the two biggest advantages of milling at home. First are the health advantages and second are the storage/cost effect advantages. the health reasons.

To lengthen the shelf life of milled grain into bagged flour, most of the grains essential nutrients and vital parts are extracted. The Wheat Bran, Wheat Germ, Wheat Oil and Middlings are removed simply for the convenience of a longer time for storage. We are all familiar with at least three of these discarded parts of the wheat grain as now popular health food items (Bran, Germ and Oil). To mention a few benefits now missing, the Bran and Middlings produce much needed fiber, the Germ and Oil produce vitamin E. There are many more nutrients these now missing items produce, but we see a lack of both of these in the twentieth century diet.

Worse than what is absent, may also be what is added to the bagged flour. To make the traditional white appearance of flour, the first process used by manufacturers was really chlorine bleach! Although new chemicals and processes have now been approved, chemicals of any kind were not ever intended to be IN the grain itself. The list of what was stripped from the now fluffy flour is so long that manufacturers now feel the need to 'enrich' it with synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are just that - synthesized, not natural. Why add a 'fake' vitamin for a natural one that was taken away in processing? Enough said.

This is simply the tip of the health iceberg when it comes to the reason to mill grains at home. The list related to your families health goes on and on. Check out some of our other articles and studies for the healthy reasons to bother with milling at home. At least this is a tip to help you answer those questions when friends and family think you've gone crazy.