by Esther Wener

When it comes to eating healthy, some people throw up their hands and say, “Whatever, whatever, whatever.” Whatever. Who needs it? Whatever. I am happy the kids are eating as it is. Whatever. I do not want to change my lifestyle. Yet more and more people today acknowledge that eating wholesome foods is crucial to their family’s well being. Primary among healthy foods is the use of wholesome whole-wheat flour, which we shall dub WWW.

www.nutrients.life
The Rambam states that one should eat healthy food, not only the foods that he likes. The Code of Jewish Law admonishes us that wheat bread should contain some of the bran, because fine flour takes too long to digest. But white flour production results in the removal of the bran and germ.

Whole wheat is the framework for loads of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is easy to digest, yet it offers a feeling of fullness with little consumption. As an extra bonus, it fuels the body with fewer calories than its white competitor. Whole-wheat flour is the bounty of goodness G-d has put into bread, our staple food.

We can weave www into our meal routines, from breakfast through dinner, including dessert. Start by making whole-wheat Shabbos challah, which will lighten the effect of the sometimes heavy meal. Serve naturally nutritious breakfast cereals, instead of the kind where nutrients have been artificially added. Use whole-wheat breadcrumbs for myriad supper dishes. And sneak www flour into homemade goodies, from cookies to cake to pizza dough.

www.kids.life
There is magic in whole-wheat food. One day, at age four, my daughter Rachel requested purple noodles, I was flabbergasted. It took me a while to realize that she was referring to the whole-wheat noodles I had discovered on the supermarket shelf the day before. Purple has since become a code word in our family for wholesome dishes. Say purple, and you will be served a smaller portion of wholesome whole-wheat pasta or farfel than you would get of their white counterparts, but you will come away feeling more nutritiously satisfied. Even the children feel it.

Beginnings and changes are hard for everyone, so take things one step at a time. A dash of persistence sprinkled with the sweetness of education, sautéed creativity, and simmering moderation will eventually result in change.

There is a striking difference between being a health addict and being health-conscious. The former clings to the extreme, where anything less than 101% healthy is not tolerated. Extremes are not healthy. I prefer to be health-conscious. I have not banished white flour from my home; rather, I have moderated its use. This flexibility enables my children to consider a choice of breads. Experience has proven that my kids will go for www bread more often than rye or a white bagel.

Sponsoring a “taste-a-bread” event in your child’s classroom can be very fruitful. In my daughter Malky’s Pre-1A class, the most finicky children dropped their guard. Amid much laughter, they dared each other to taste the variety of breads. From whole wheat to rye to pumpernickel, cracked wheat to bran to toast to seven-grain, every slice was tasted and rated. Seven-grain rated highest, with cracked-wheat bread hot on its heels. These were followed by bran bread and whole-wheat bread, in a tie. White toast bread remained forlorn.

“Nobody likes white bread?” the teacher asked.

The children shrugged. “We do,” they said, “but brown bread feels better.”

As a child in an older class thoughtfully quipped, “One slice of white bread and I have just started eating; one slice of www bread and I can bentch.”

www.habits.life
Www has become a modern trend that is no longer confined to health-food stores. Www foods are sprouting on store shelves all over the world. Pretzels, crackers, cookies, and yes, cake — all bursting with www goodness — are available. Likewise, look on your grocer’s shelf for a vast variety of www breads, rolls, pita, and pizza dough.

There will come a time when www will dominate the food industry, as it did before processed foods became a way of life. It is up to health-conscious consumers to rectify the economic cycle of cost and demand. However, even today the price of www is economically more justifiable than the price of its white counterparts, because of whole wheat’s filling nature. Encouraging smart eating habits in your children will be advantageous for them now and in the future. It is the cook who serves nourishing meals who will be blessed for her farsighted wisdom, by taking every opportunity to enhance the health of her family in a reasonable, creative manner.

Esther Wener lives in Montreal with her husband and three young children. This is her first appearance in The Jewish Homemaker.

Editor’s Note: Numerous companies certified by the O.K. make whole-wheat products. Please refer to the Kosher Food Guide for these companies, which may be found under the headings Baked Goods, Bread and Cake Mixes, Cookies and Crackers, Flour, Organic Foods, and Pasta and Grains.

Making the Switch
Easing the transition between www and white flour can be a breeze, if you follow these tips.
• Have www foods readily available. Children emulate us, so try wholesome foods yourself before springing them on the rest of your family.
• Make your child the baker, and make it exciting. Buy new cookie shapes or a shaped baking pan, and you are both ready to go. Nothing is as exhilarating for a child (regardless of age) as eating the joy of his labor.
• Www is bursting with life, housing the germ with its natural oils. Keep whole-wheat flour in the freezer, thereby discouraging a breeding place for bugs as you preserve freshness.

Tips to bake by
• Sneak in one-tablespoon of www flour at a time into every cup of white flour.
• Bread flour rises higher than pastry flour. Use the right type for your baking choice.
• The richness of www does not allow for a high rise. Add extra yeast, water, and time for rising. The dough will be sticky.
• When baking without yeast, such as with cakes or cookies, allow waiting time before pouring the batter or shaping the dough. It takes longer for the bran in www flour to absorb liquids.

Soft-Muncher
3 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1-1/4 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Beat eggs in mixer. Add oil slowly and beat until smooth. Add sugar and beat well. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Add to wet mixture and beat well. Let stand for 20 minutes. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Use wet hands for easy handling.

In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Roll cookie balls in sugared cinnamon. Place 2 inches apart on a baking tray. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Apple Cake
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups tart apples, diced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Use a mixer to beat the sugar and oil. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and spices. Blend into the wet mixture. Add the apples and walnuts. (Dough will be stiff.) Spread mixture in a 9-inch round baking pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Serves 8.