{"id":626,"date":"2019-10-24T10:15:11","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T09:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/makingcarbscount.com\/?p=626"},"modified":"2020-02-04T20:09:01","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T20:09:01","slug":"wheat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/makingcarbscount.com\/wheat\/","title":{"rendered":"Wheat"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n
For more than 7,000 years, mankind has cultivated and developed wheat for breads and cereals.\u202f It is estimated that today we consume more wheat, as a percentage of our daily diet, than any other food, and it plays a major part in diabetes blood glucose control.\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For those of us with diabetes, counting carbs is an important part of our daily routine. And as the opening statement would have it, we\u2019re grazing on wheat often more than once a day. Have toast at\u00a0brekkie, sarnies at lunchtime and a bowl of pasta or a pizza in the evening, and you\u2019ve\u00a0carbed-up on wheat all day long.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Here we look at the history as well as the modern-day usage of this age-old grain.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Wheat originated in the \u201ccradle of civilization\u201d in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley, near what is now Iraq. Six classes bring order to the thousands of varieties of wheat: Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Soft Red Winter, Durum, Hard White and Soft White.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Ground grain, or wheat flour, was one of civilized man\u2019s first foods. Ancient methods of grinding can be traced to the Far East, Egypt and Rome. As early as 6,700 B.C., man ground grains with rocks. Water mills did not appear until 85 B.C. in Asia Minor. Windmills appeared between 1180 and 1190 A.D. in Syria, France and England.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Wheat flour remains a source of complex carbohydrates. Other than gluten flour, all types of wheat flour derive at least 80% of their calories from carbohydrates \u2013 so are referred to as \u2018high carb\u2019, however calories from fat are never more than 5%.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The products from baking with flour are determined by the wheat\u2019s characteristics, especially protein and gluten content.\u00a0The harder the wheat, the higher the protein content in the flour.\u00a0Soft, low protein\u00a0wheats\u00a0are used in cakes, pastries, cookies, crackers and Oriental noodles. Hard, high protein\u00a0wheats\u00a0are used in breads and quick breads. Durum wheat is almost exclusively used in pasta and egg noodles. All-purpose flour gives the best results for many kinds of products, including some yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, cookies, pastries and noodles. Bread flour has greater gluten strength and protein content and is milled primarily for commercial bakers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Whole grain products are made with the whole kernel of grain, retaining the bran (outer layer), which contains the largest amount of fibre.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
When it comes to carb-counting, the good news is that most wheat-based foods are labelled, making\u00a0it easy to calculate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n