June 2008
The greatest damage to human health in America was not caused by a natural disaster, germ, or even pollution, but by a basic ‘improvement’ that took place a little over 100 years ago. It happened when industrialized nations adopted a new massive scale milling and refining of grain. The removing of bran and germ to extend shelf life also removed essential components including fiber, fatty acids, B vitamins, and countless other important nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. This unintended adulteration of grain, the core of human sustenance for 10,000 years, has been devastating. “Frankly, we are only just realizing the nutritional fallout from almost eliminating whole grains from our diet,” says Elaine Magee, RD, of the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic. After dozens of studies, the medical community and U.S. government now acknowledge the irrefutable role of whole grain in health, and a movement back to whole grain is finally taking place. There's also a renewing interest in a wide variety of organic whole grain, that can benefit people and agriculture in extraordinary ways.
Making Lemonade out of Lemons
On 30 January 2008 Fred Kirshenmann told employees at Eden Foods of his experiences growing food on his 3,500 acre certified organic family farm in North Dakota. In 1998 he had 80 acres of durum wheat growing for Eden, then a new customer. It was a very damp season and all the durum was lost to a fungus called scab. So Eden asked if he had any rye. He did, as the same conditions that devastated the durum were excellent for growing rye. From this we created EDEN Organic Rye Spiral Pasta. “I thought, here is a company that’s in there with the grower, using creativity to make it work,” said Dr. Kirschenmann. A deeper lesson: the farm was able to thrive because it grew more than just one kind of crop. Growing a diverse variety of grains will be key to the future of feeding the world, Dr. Kirschenmann explained. When we eat organic whole grain foods from not just wheat but also kamut, rye, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat, etc. we not only nourish ourselves more deeply, but also help create a more sustainable future for humankind.
Easy and Tasty Whole Grain Variety
Eden makes it easier than ever to enjoy quick and versatile Whole Grain goodness with eight NEW offerings. First is a line of roasted and rolled small farm organically grown whole grains, EDEN® Organic Flakes. In five varieties made from North American organic Rye, Spelt, Oats, Brown Rice, and Kamut. Each is 100 percent whole grain and cooks in 3 minutes. EDEN Organic Flakes are ideal for hot cereal, granola, muesli, in soups and stews, salads, sauces, desserts, and baked goods. Next are three new Heart Healthy and Gluten Free whole grains that cook up with amazing lightness and ease: new EDEN Organic Millet and Organic Buckwheat, family farm organically grown on USA high plains; and new EDEN Wild Rice, hand harvested in canoes by the Leech Lake Ojibwe of northern Minnesota. Each of these EDEN Whole Grains is packaged in a protective reclosable pouch. You can find them, along with Free Recipes at www.edenfoods.com .
