Why You Should Be Milling Your Own Flour

The majority of flour here in America isn’t healthy for consumption. Not many people realize the health benefits to milling your own flour from wheat berries.

Unfortunately the majority of American diets are filled with filler, processed foods, and GMO garbage.

Feeding Our Children – Thoughts From One Mother

The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies. 

-JR Miller

I love this quote.  What a reminder that the job of a mother and wife is one of the greatest fulfillment’s in my life.  Being a mother is the highest calling I’ve been called to, and in that calling it is my duty to ensure that my children are fed real food.

Recently the kids and I did an activity for school finding out the meanings of their names.  We didn’t research the meaning of the kids’ names but chose something we thought would fit them best.  The meaning of my son’s name is “God is gracious”.  

Which really got my wheels spinning as I looked back on my life when I was begging God for a child, but really I was just releasing my wishes into the air. At this time I didn’t know who God really was, and or cared.  I wanted my heart’s desire answered and that was that.  

We had been told we’d never conceive children of our own.  My entire childhood I dreamt of being a mother.  Treating my baby dolls as if they were my own.  So now 10 and a half years later when I learned the meaning of my son’s name, it all clicked.  My God, had been listening, he had known my heart’s innermost desires and he answered them, twice!

This little reminiscing of the blessings I’ve received in becoming a mother, are what leads me to my post today, on the toxicity of the flour in American grocery stores, what are we feeding our children here in America? 

What is in American Food?

I recently read the book Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri. A young boy from Iran moves to America and his commentary on American food really struck a cord with me. What must other countries think of the food in our grocery stores? Also if you haven’t read it I highly recommend it. Written from his viewpoint as a young boy its a beautiful story that is quite comical.

Our children’s nutrition is a high priority for us. I’m not trying to wear a tin foil hat this morning, but our food in America is unhealthy.  From antibiotics and animal contraceptives in our meat, to bleach in our flour, to pesticides rained down on a majority of our food supply. 

Animals are sick, food tests positive for poison, children have higher diagnosis than ever, and adults are regularly diagnosed with inflammatory health issues.   

It’s really quite overwhelming when you dive into the food here.  Don’t take my word for it, research it.  Why You Should Be Milling Your Own Flour

My job is to protect my children, and that includes feeding them a healthy diet. It’s on my heart that what they eat is vital to their health and upbringing. 

Why You Should Be Milling Your Own Flour

Today I want to share with you my adventure into milling my own grains for our household, one more step to feeding my family with real food.  This has been such a fun learning experience!

In a nutshell, the majority of flour here in America is void of any and all nutrition.  Laced with bleach to extend a long shelf life, it’s simply dead.  Void of life. Why are we eating this, and how did we get here?  

How and why is flour bleached?

The hefty price tag of organic, non bleached flour is quite hefty, and a majority of Americans can’t afford it. 

Why is the dead flour so cheap, and why is the healthy flour so expensive?  

I had been obsessively talking about a grain mill and dead flour for so long.  I’ve finally purchased my own WonderMill Grain Mill for our homestead.  This has been amazing, seriously finding myself baking just so I can make more of my own flour. 

I am highly sensitive to noise, so I opted for the slightly higher priced Grain Mill for my own sanity and pleasure.  I’m so glad I did, this is pretty quiet considering its chopping wheat berries.

After the purchase of the grain mill I needed to try a variety of wheat berries to see which I like best.  I ended up purchasing hard white wheat berries, and soft white wheat berries.  Fun fact if you store them correctly they can last 30 years, pretty impressive considering flour you purchase at the store will go rancid within a year.

An upfront cost to begin making my own flour, I am blown away by the taste, texture, and smell of real bread made with real flour.  

Health Benefits of Wheat Berries

1. High Fiber Content, helping to promote regulate regularity.
2. Heart healthy, known to Lower Cholesterol
3. Rich in fiber slowing down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream.
4. Helps with weight loss
5. Helps strengthen bones, high in manganese, meeting 97% of your daily recommended intake.
6. Iron rich helps to prevent anemia.

The first thing I noticed when making my first loaf of bread was the scent of the dough, and the off white, slightly brown flour.  I’ve purchased organic flours before, but it doesn’t even compare to freshly milled flour.

I’m not a foodie at all, but the taste is delicious. It’s superior to bread I make with store bought flour.  There’s so much taste I had no idea I was ever missing.  

Grain Mill Review

1. Quick, taking less than a minute to grain 4 cups of wheat berries
2. Cost, yikes, pricey but worth every penny.
3. Ease of use, very simple.
4. Cleanup is minimal, I just use a paintbrush to dust out the flour between uses.
5. The one I purchased mills into an attached flour canister which I love, there is no mess and makes for quick and easy storage in the fridge.

An interesting fact, freshly milled wheat berries store in the fridge and only last about 3 days.  Most flours on the shelf will last up to a year and sit at room temperature.  Makes me wonder what all is really needed in store bought flour so the consumer can store flour longer.

I keep my extra milled flour in the freezer to keep it fresh, which is another option when you want to have milled grain flour without having to mill it each time.

Freshly Milled Flour For Overall Health

If you are looking at your diet, milling your own grain would be something I recommend, not only does this increase your self-sufficiency but it also adds some serious health benefits to your diet.

I think it’s high time we start looking at the food we’ve been consuming and what our children are eating.  Our children are entrusted to each of us to care for and nurture and that includes their diets.

I know for me it was really overwhelming at first when I realized how toxic our food has become.  I wanted to change it all right now, and naively thought I could.  It’s a lot of work to break from the chains of our food industry, but it is so worth it.  

After reading all my thoughts I hope you at least consider why you should be milling your own flour.

Have you heard of the flour in America called dead flour?  

Why You Should Be Milling Your Own Flour

Danielle