Step 3 of Sprouting Wheat

So, yesterday we soaked. Then, we rinsed and drained. Now, your wheat should look like this...look familiar? Guess what we have to do now...rinse and drain again. By the way, to rinse, you just need to add lukewarm water through the cheesecloth and then to drain, just tip it on its side in the dark again and let it go for another 8 hours...pretty easy, huh!!!

My book is soon to be finished...we're getting there!

Step 2 of Sprouting Wheat

Drain the water from the wheat. Put soaked wheat in a jar (quart size works well). I used a clean spaghetti sauce jar. Cover the jar with cheese cloth, or any material that would easily drain and allow the sprouts to breathe. Secure it with a rubber-band around the jar for easier rinsing and drainage. Rinse the seeds and then drain again. Place the jar in a dark, unheated oven (or another dark place). Tip it against the wall of the oven to drain and allow access to the air. DO NOT TURN IT ON! If you are worried you won't remember it is in there (and turn your oven on) find another place to put it that is dark. You could even put it on the counter and cover it with a towel. The key is to keep it tipped for drainage and dark.


Note: If you have a sprouter, you just pour the water and seeds right into your sprouter and let it drain. Spread the seeds around and cover. Wait 8-12 hours.

Now...for the recipe. This is at special request from my Ohio followers. Thanks for your support!

Grandma Patty’s Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 ½ C sifted or freshly ground whole wheat flour
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C butter, softened
1 C packed brown sugar
¾ C white sugar
1 T vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ½ C semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugars and butter together. Add vanilla extract and eggs. Beat for three minutes. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool before transferring. Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on the size of the cookies. The trick is to take them out when they are just barely solid and let them sit on the hot cookie sheet…this will cook them just a little longer. YUM!!!!

The First Step

This is tough...really tough...are you ready?

Get 1/3 C of wheat, it must be HARD wheat, but can be red or white. Place the wheat into a bowl and add 2-3 times as much lukewarm water. Stir seeds around a bit and then let soak for 8-12 hours at room temperature. Okay, we are done for now...pretty hard, huh...


Just a little note...for all of my Ohio followers...I'm going to be including the chocolate chip cookie recipe you all sampled tomorrow after the next segment on sprouting wheat. Thanks for checking my blog so often!

Another Option

For about $15, you can go buy a sprouter from a health-food store. I use the Sprout Master brand. You can get them on Amazon used for 12.95...not too bad. Why use a sprouter? You can sprout a lot more and it is a lot easier. As you can see there is a bottom tray that props up the sprouts so they drain easily. The bottom of the sprouter is perforated, to allow drainage. The top stays on to keep the sprouts dark.

If you don't want to buy a sprouter...that's fine...the jar works well, too. It won't yield quite as many sprouts, but is great for learning how to do it and will give you enough for your family AND gives you enough for the recipe I will give you after we sprout!!! If you don't know if you'll even like sprouts...DON'T go buy a sprouter yet...wait to see how you like them first! Remember...Sunday is the day!!!

And the winner is...

DEBBIE HARTMAN! I mixed them all up and had my daughter close her eyes and pick one... For the rest of you...don't worry, we are going to learn to grow wheatgrass VERY SOON! One of the next things we are going to do is sprout wheat and then grow wheatgrass...so just hang tight!!!

Here is your new assignment...get a quart-sized (or near there) jar. I used a clean spaghetti sauce jar and that worked great. Buy some cheese cloth (clean nylon cloth works too) and find a rubber band. We are going to begin sprouting wheat on Sunday...

So...Now What Do I Do...

So, now you know how to make wheat berries, but what do you do with them. In the last post, I told you that they blend well in recipes with whole-kernal corn. They most certainly do! They are great in many recipes, but I prefer them in soups because they just blend in so well! Here is a taco soup recipe that is the same one or similar to the one most of you have...EXCEPT, it has wheat berries in it. My family loves it...try it and see. We are having this tonight and the picture I took will show that we ate it vegetarian...so I added extra wheat berries. Wheat berries are great for vegetarians because they are a good source of protein.

You can sprinkle wheat berries in your hot cereals, on salads with corn and in salsas. I have one further use of them that I will tell you later...soon, very soon.

Taco Soup
(CR)
**V**
1 lb. ground beef
1 large can of concentrated crushed tomatoes
1 can corn, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 C cooked and cooled wheat berries
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning

Brown ground beef and drain. Pour all ingredients in crockpot and cook for 2 hours until spices are blended. Serves 6
Top with:
sour cream
cheddar cheese
crushed tortilla chips
guacamole

Variation: You can choose to use shredded beef instead of ground beef for a fancier chili! Thanks Jen for that option!!!

**V** Omit ground beef and add an extra can of black beans and some diced tomatoes.

What Are Wheat Berries, and How Do I Make Them?

Preparation of Wheat Berries (this is the whole entire kernal)

Wheat berries are soaked and boiled wheat. They are loaded with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Whole wheat berries:

Soak wheat overnight in a bowl. Cook in the morning in a pan with 4 C of water to every 1 C of wheat. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, making sure to add water if needed.

It can also be made by putting 1 C of wheat and 4 C of water in a crockpot and cooking on the lowest setting for about 3-5 hours.

You want your wheat berries nice and plump. Don’t let your wheat berries cook so long that they split or the texture will be different. My picture does have a few split, but that is okay...if they all split...they are overcooked. Wheat berries blend well in recipes with whole kernal corn because they have a similar consistency. Store wheat berries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six days.

Note: If you don’t have time to soak the wheat first, increase cooking time on the stove to 45 minutes to an hour and in the crockpot for 6-8 hours. Your crockpot cooking time may vary, depending on how hot your crockpot gets.

Giveaway!

This product, completely unrelated to my business, is quite amazing. We have already discussed the amazing properties of wheatgrass...want to try it out? I'm not talking about growing it yourself (although as soon as I teach you how to sprout...we are going to grow it!). I'm talking about a cool product that freeze-dries the wheat grass and puts it into nifty little vegetable capsules. Does it taste great...no. Does it taste better than real juiced wheatgrass...yes. I have a week's worth of packets with 2 capsules in each packet that I am going to send to one of my followers...here is the catch...you have to leave at least one comment...anywhere...to be in the drawing! Good luck! The drawing will be on Friday night!!!

Oh Nine Grain Cereal...We Do So Love You...

So, we've got a lot of nine-grain cereal, huh. What to do with all of it? First of all, we had it for breakfast and it was delicious and just 1/2 C filled me right up...for those of you who know me...that is saying something. Then, I got an idea...NINE GRAIN MUFFINS! So, I experimented a little and VOILA...Nine Grain Muffins! My kids LOVE them! Here it is...copy it down, this one probably won't be in this cookbook...maybe the next one...

Nine-Grain Muffins

1 egg
2/3 C milk
1/2 C oil (I use 1/4 C applesauce, 1/4 C oil)
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C cooked nine-grain cereal (cook 1/4 C nine grain with 1 C boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until soft)
1 3/4 C whole wheat flour (freshly ground or sifted)
1 T baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together the egg, milk, oil, sugar and nine grain cereal until thoroughly combined. Add baking powder, flour and spices and mix. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. These are delicious!!! Makes 12 large muffins

Just a preview...very soon I am going to teach you to sprout wheat...sound gross??? How about wheat sprout muffins that my kids fought over...I had none, of the batch of 12, left by the end of the day and had to stop my kids so that I could actually let my husband try one...

Tip for Today

Whole wheat products can be quite dense, if not done properly. If you have a wheat grinder,use freshly ground flour. If you do not have a wheat grinder, sift flour a few times for baked goods to avoid a denser texture. Sifting adds air to the flour, making it lighter and fluffier.

As Promised!

Enjoy! My family LOVES these. Not only do they taste great, but you can feel good about giving them to your family!

Nine-Grain Waffles
**V**
The nine grains are (red wheat, white wheat, rye, barley, steel-cut oats, corn, millet, flaxseed, buckwheat)

½ C cooked nine-grain cereal (Bring 1 ½ -2 C water to a boil and add ½ C nine-grain cereal. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft) You will only use 1/2 C of it.
1 ¾ C whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
3 T brown sugar
½ tsp salt
2 T oil
2 eggs, separated
¾ C buttermilk
¾ C milk

Cook nine-grain cereal. Mix whole wheat flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt. Mix
oil, egg yolks, buttermilk and milk. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Stir together the flour mixture, the nine grain cereal and egg/milk mixture. Fold in egg whites. Bake on a greased, hot waffle iron.

Your Assignment

Okay, here is your assignment. You need to go buy some nine-grain cereal. This cereal has nine AMAZING grains in it. The nine grains are: red wheat, white wheat, rye, barley, steel-cut oats, corn, millet, flaxseed, buckwheat. Hmmmm...I think I noticed flaxseed in that list, yes I did...and a host of other very impressive grains. Nine-grain cereal is VERY cheap. Kitchen Kneads carries it for 49 cents a pound and Good Earth carries it for 79 cents a pound! Go and get some and I'll give you a great waffle recipe for your Sunday morning breakfast! Oh, by the way, this cereal is great cooked and eaten alone!

P.S. I know I've given you a lot of breakfast, but that is because they are the easiest to start with...we'll get to more meals later!!!

Here's Another Hint for using Whole Wheat...

Whole wheat dough is heavier than white flour dough. Why??? Because nothing has been removed! So, what do we do to compensate??? Here's your tip for today.

Let whole wheat dough rise a little bit longer than white flour dough and increase baking powder 1 tsp. for every three cups of whole wheat flour in cakes and cookies and other recipes containing baking powder.

Is Flaxseed Really That Great For You?

YES! Flax has three outstanding qualities that make it one of the best foods you can eat.

(1) It contains Omega 3 fatty acids, which are healthy for the heart and may have positive effects on tumor growth. Omega 3 fatty acids fight against inflammation in our bodies...and therefore against all diseases resulting from chronic inflammation.




(2) It contains lignans with antioxidant properties. Lignans are believed to help protect against hormone-related cancers.


(3) It has high amounts of fiber, soluble and insoluble. In only 2 T of flaxseed, there are four grams of fiber!


Those three aspects of flaxseed make that tiny little seed a powerhouse of nutrition. Flaxseed is also believed to maintain healthy bones, reduce LDL cholesterol, protect against heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers (prostate, colon and breast cancer). Research is still relatively new in this area...but with current research pointing to such amazing nutritional benefits, why not add this little seed to your diet...by the way, did I mention it tastes good???

The most nutritious way to eat flaxseed is to buy it whole, grind it and then immediately add it to your food. The nutrients break down quickly, so storing previously-ground flaxseed is not a good idea. I use a coffee grinder to grind my flax. It was cheap and works great!

Why am I telling you about flaxseed on a whole wheat website??? Because it works so well with whole wheat foods and can easily be incorporated into all of your whole wheat products!!! You can sprinkle freshly-ground flaxseed on your cold cereal, bagels, hot cereals, etc. You can use it in bread, pancakes, waffles, etc. I toss about 1/4 C into smoothies and my kids devour it. I add it to my whole-wheat breadand then I make cinnamon toast for my kids. I spread the toast with butter, sprinkle with freshly-ground flax, and then I sprinkle cinnamon/sugar to cover the flax...they have no idea it is there!

I have an AMAZING Whole Wheat, Whole Oat, Whole Flax bread recipe that a friend gave me. It will be in my book...which is within days of getting published. I have other recipes that use nine-grain cereal...which contains flaxseed as one of the nine grains...more on that later. I'll have some flax-containing recipes coming up...I'll keep you posted!!!

What is Wheatgrass...

Wheatgrass...the new rage. You find it in smoothie shops, health-food stores and about every trendy restaurant around. Why the hype???

Here are a few reasons many people believe wheatgrass is the most amazing thing since sliced bread! Wheatgrass can be “juiced” in a juicer to make wheat grass juice. Wheatgrass advocates claim that wheatgrass provides about 30 enzymes, and just 1 oz. of juice is nutritionally equivalent to consuming 2 ½ pounds of vegetables! Wheatgrass juice is believed to provide all the vitamins and minerals and amino acids that we need as humans!

Wheatgrass contains large quantities of cholorophyll, vitamin A, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, cobalt, and zinc. When chlorophyll is taken into the human body, it is believed to help build red blood cells and lower blood pressure, while also stimulating healthy tissue growth. This magnificent juice is believed to carry away toxins from the blood, improve digestion, reduce body odor, improve your complexion, decrease cravings, increase metabolism and may even help fight many types of cancer. Is it a miracle juice? Some experts think so!

For more information about wheatgrass check out this product (completely unrelated to me) at sweetwheat.com it is freeze-dried wheat grass...stay tuned and you can win a week's worth of this amazing product!!! I've tried it out and I really like it and if it does all it is supposed to do...WHY NOT GIVE IT A TRY???

Start the Day off Right!!!

My kids have end-of-level testing this week. I think most kids are getting ready for testing. Why not start their day off right with hearty, healthy waffles!!! You'll love that they are eating whole grains for breakfast and they'll love the taste!

Deliciously Light Whole Wheat Waffles
**V**
**L**

2 C whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 T brown sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 ¼ C milk
2 T oil

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Separate eggs. To the yolks, add milk and oil. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. Beat the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and blend.
Fold in the egg whites. Bake in a greased or non-stick waffle iron until golden brown. Serves
4-6, depending on the size of the waffle iron.

**L** Use 1% or skim milk

Honey Vs. Sugar

WHY HONEY?

Most health-conscious individuals are making the switch from sugar as a sweetener to honey...why? There are a few very good reasons for this switch. First of all, honey has vitamins and minerals, and granulated sugar, which is overly processed and refined has none. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so, although it has more calories, you tend to eat less. Honey has a lower Glycemic Index which means that it has a slower absorption rate into the bloodstream.

FYI...it is widely believed by many experts and scientists that the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of honey can actually aid in the treatment of minor burns when applied topically...pretty cool, huh!!!

If I have a recipe where honey can be substituted, without negatively affecting my baking, I use the honey. My cookbook will use LOTS of honey (especially in yeast breads).

WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE HONEY???

Here is a conversion for substituting sugar for honey, if you either don't have it, or can't afford it. Because honey is liquid, this conversion can be a little tricky, but try it out and play with it until you get it right.

Use 1 1/4 C of sugar for every 1 C of honey and add 1/4 C of liquid (could be oil, water, milk). I don't use honey in my cookies, but many people do. If you have a recipe that calls for honey and you only have sugar, use the above conversion, and get rid of the baking soda. Good luck!!!

Remember...NEVER give honey to a small baby!!!

What to do with stale bread???

Have some bread that is slightly stale...DON'T THROW IT AWAY! You may not get your family to eat it as a sandwich, but slightly stale bread makes awesome breadcrumbs and croutons!!! The top picture shows the size I now prefer for croutons. If you prefer larger croutons, cut them to the size in the bottom picture. My kids snack on these at church...they LOVE them!

Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs: Three ways to do it:

(1)Cut two pieces of bread (or more if you want more crumbs) into one-inch cubes. Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of olive oil to each piece of bread. Brown lightly in a skillet and then toast in oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or longer (until crisp).
(2)Put in175 degree oven until dried out...this may take several hours
(3)Leave cubed pieces of bread on the counter overnight

***4 slices of bread is approximately 1 C bread crumbs

Then take chunks of bread and either season to make croutons (ranch seasoning, or Parmesan
works great) or put in food processor or blender and blend to make fine bread crumbs.

Add 1-2 T Italian seasoning per 1 C bread crumbs for Italian Breadcrumbs
Add 1 T softened butter per ½ C bread crumbs for Buttered Breadcrumbs (mix with hand)

Whole Wheat Croutons

Chunk bread as described above in (1) above and drizzle with olive oil and seasoning (ranch or Parmesan with Italian seasoning works great) Sprinkle with salt before toasting.
OR (2)cut bread into 1-in cubes, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning and salt. Put in 175degree oven for several hours (3-4). Check periodically to make sure they don't get too hard.They will soften with dressing when served...if too hard, toss with the dressing before serving.
I have recipes for Herb-Baked Bread and Cheese-Smothered Dill Bread that will be in my cookbook...these breads are wonderful served with dinner and then make FANTASTIC croutons!!!

Did you know???

Wheat is Cheap!!!

The cheapest place I have found to get whole wheat in bulk is at an LDS dry pack cannery. You can go to providentliving.org to find an LDS dry pack cannery near you. Wheat at the LDS cannery can be found for:

hard white wheat: 5.80 for 25 pounds
hard red wheat: 6.35 for 25 pounds

AND IT LASTS FOR 30 YEARS!!!

Now compound this with the fact that 8 C of whole wheat makes approximately 12 cups of flour.

Compare that to the prices you pay for white flour...hmmm nothing like paying more for less!!!

As Promised...

Decadent Chocolate Raspberry Trifle

3 C cold milk
2 -3 ½ oz. pkgs. chocolate instant pudding
1- 8 oz. whipped topping
whole wheat brownies
2 ½ C raspberries

Mix milk and pudding for at least two minutes, until well blended and starting to thicken. Fold
in 1 C of the whipped topping. Dice brownies into 1 in. cubes. Layer the following:

half the brownies
half the pudding mix
half the raspberries

Use the other half of each to make another layer of brownies, pudding mix, and rasperries. Top
with leftover whipped topping and serve! Guaranteed to make everyone ooh and aah!

Note: You can substitute strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mixed berries, etc.

Keep This in Mind...

Correcting for High or Low Altitude:
These recipes were tried and tested about about 4300 feet. This is a higher altitude. You may need to make adjustments if you are higher or lower than this. Try decreasing the baking powder by 1/8 tsp at 7000 feet, increasing your liquid about 1-2 T at 7000 feet and increasing your oven temperature by 25 degrees, you can also decrease your sugar by about 1 T per cup. The same goes for lower altitudes, just do it in reverse. Add baking powder by 1/8-1/4 tsp., decrease liquid by 1-3 T and decrease oven temperature. Yeast breads will rise MUCH faster at higher altitudes. So if you are at a lower altitude, you will have to increase rising time, at higher altitude, decrease it. Just let it rise until double or until when you touch it lightly, your fingerprint remains in the dough.

Heads up for a Wonderful Mother's Day!

If you want to make a delicious, beautiful, (quick and easy) treat for your mom, your wife, or for yourself, here is what you need to buy to make a Decadent Chocolate Raspberry Trifle for your mom:

3 C cold milk
1-8oz. whipped topping
2-3 1/2 oz. instant chocolate pudding
2 1/2 C raspberries (strawberries work too)
all ingredients for Ooey Gooey Not So Wheat Brownies

Recipe to come...before Mother's Day!!!

Note: You can make the brownies and pudding the night before...I'll give out directions and the recipe on Saturday morning...stay tuned!!! Sunday morning you can assemble this in minutes and it looks like it took all day!!!!!!!!

SO RICH...BUT SOOO GOOD!!!

I told you there were variations coming to the brownies...only cook these if you are going to a large function or you will eat them all! They are so good...my family and friends LOVE them! Adding the chopped chocolate chips will make them take longer to bake, but they are so good, it is worth it!

Melt-in-Your Mouth Caramel Brownies

Ooey Gooey Not So Wheaty Brownies
2-3 rolls chocolate covered soft caramel candies (like Rolos)

Follow instructions for Ooey Gooey Not So Wheaty Brownies and bake as directed. After baking time has finished, immediately press one soft chocolate covered caramel into hot brownies evenly spaced every 4-5 inches (should be about four per row...one per brownie). This will be about 2-3 rolls of candy. Let cool and then dish out and serve...yum!!!.

Variation:
1 C chocolate chips (adding these will make it take a little longer to bake)
chopped nuts (as many as you wish)
2 more packs chocolate covered soft caramels (chopped)
3 oz. chocolate chips melted with 1-2 T butter and enough powdered sugar to get your desired sweetness(I use about ¼ - ½ C) Add 1-2 T hot water if need to reach drizzling consistency)

Chop chocolate chips and fold in to brownie mix before baking. After
baking, top with chopped nuts and 2 more packs of chopped chocolate covered caramels, Drizzle desired amount of melted chocolate chips all over for an extra rich dessert!

Try These Out!!!

I have yet to find a person that doesn't LOVE these brownies...I have a few delicious variations that I will give you, too, so copy this recipe NOW! NO ONE knows these have wheat...go ahead and try them out!

Ooey Gooey Not-So Wheaty Brownies

¾ C softened butter
1 ½ C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
¾ C sifted whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ C cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt

1 C chopped chocolate chips (optional...but so much better with them!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. In another bowl mix the whole wheat flour cocoa powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the first bowl (wet ingredients) and mix. Fold in chocolate chips, if using. Bake 30-40 minutes in a greased 13 X 9 pan (check after 20 minutes, just in case, but mine always take longer). This is a family favorite and I have yet to meet anyone who can tell that there is whole wheat in it!!! YUM!!!

For Fudgier Brownies: Subtract one egg. Bake 30-40 minutes.

For Cake-Like Brownies: Add another egg. Bake 30-40 minutes.

Wheat in the morning, wheat in the evening, wheat at suppertime???

Yes, you can incorporate whole wheat into every meal of the day...we do it!!! Here is a recipe that my family loves.


Artichoke Chicken Bake

¼ C onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp pepper
½ C chicken broth
¼ C apple juice
1-7.5 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix onion and garlic together. Pour into 13X9 pan. Mix flour, salt and spices and put in a gallon-sized baggie. Put chicken in baggie and shake to coat. Lay on top of onions and garlic in pan. Mix chicken broth and apple juice and pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Chop artichoke hearts. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle artichoke hearts over chicken. Cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Why Not White Flour?

We live in a “white” society and I mean nothing whatsoever about skin color. We bake desserts with white flour, we eat white bread, we dredge our meat in white flour, we flour our pans with white flour. We are dependent upon white flour. If you were eating ice cream and I took out the milk, what would you be left with? A bunch of sugar and flavorings. That is exactly what is done to create white flour. Both the bran and germ are removed, which consequently removes the fiber, B vitamins, iron, vitamin E, magnesium and a host of other nutrients. Then the endosperm of the wheat is taken and bleached. To meet nutritional guidelines, a few synthetically-produced nutrients are added back to the flour and we refer to the product as “enriched”. If we added back a tablespoon of milk in the above example, would we call it ice cream ? White flour is, simply put, “the leftovers”.

Besides the fact that white flour is lacking nutritional value, it has a negative impact on your health. The latest information reveals that white flour is linked to increased rates of obesity and insulin resistance, a pre-cursor to Type 2 Diabetes. It also significantly increases LDL cholesterol levels, which lead to a variety of heart problems. In contrast, consumption of whole grains has been shown to decrease the risk of developing both of these conditions. White flour also contributes to the one thing that has plagued my family...CONSTIPATION! . Many of us go days, even weeks without a bowel movement...how much extra weight are you carrying that a whole grain diet could help remove?