Ask for the Ancient Paths: PART 3 in Bread Series
By now, you have probably realized that I am passionate about this topic. Not because I love bread. Not because I am an exquisite baker. And definitely not because I know it all. I am passionate about this topic because I see it as a direct attack on the validity and authority of Christ. I don’t think it is an accident that the father of lies (John 8:44) has taken this GOOD thing that Jesus compares himself to and has convinced the masses that it is no longer good.
Reminds me of the serpent’s cunning words in the garden. I can hear him hissing, “Yessss, Jesus said he’s the BREAD of life. Ha! You know…that bread that is TERRIBLE for you that no one eats anymore…? We know science has proved bread to be POISON to our bodies! Some GOD he is!? Doesn’t he ‘love’ you?? He obviously wants you sick and dead!” He is directly undermining the authority of God’s Word, and he has been able to do this because we have been so disconnected from our food that we don’t even know anything other than Wonder bread.
I say this from my own ignorance. I still remember the first time I watched wheat berries turn into flour and I realized in that moment that I never knew where flour came from. Maybe I assumed it just rained out of the sky in some far-off land, but I definitely didn’t realize that it was ground up wheat seeds.
Anytime we can be more connected to our food, it serves to be a blessing. John 12:24-26 was one of those verses that came to life for me once we started gardening. That’s for another post, but it’s worth pulling out your Bible for if you feel so inspired. Just as Jesus died so many can live, your own daily deaths produce life!!! It is incredible to see this in the life cycle of a seed. A picture of a greater truth! But I digress….
The more I talk to others about these basic truths of bread, I realize that virtually NO ONE knows this stuff.
In this final post, I want to unpack the benefits of the bran a little more. Remember, bran is no longer available to you in sifted flour. It’s going to the cattle and swine 😀 And even if you search enough to get your hands on raw flour, 90% of the nutrients are gone in three days.
The germ definitely has its benefits, but the Lord keeps knocking on my heart to speak up about the bran specifically.
We can absolutely celebrate the bran for being packed with B-vitamins, lots of minerals, and antioxidants, but I really believe the fiber contained within the bran is where our generation is really missing out on whole grains. I am constantly hearing about young people with colon cancer. This is a recent phenomenon. You know what scrapes the colon clean? Fiber! It also helps you maintain a healthy weight, promotes a healthy gut biome, lowers your chances of heart disease, reduces your risk of cancer, promotes regular bowel movements, and is a natural detox. The benefits go on! Do your research. Fiber is necessary, and the absolute BEST source of fiber is whole grains. Please tell this to your carnivore friends.
The bran also contains phytates. Phytates are on the outer shell of the wheat berry, and I often liken it to the bloom of an egg. It’s an invisible protective barrier, that once removed, makes the wheat berry susceptible to oxidization & spoilage. This protective barrier is what allows a wheat berry that hasn’t been cracked open to remain in its whole form all the way through a bird’s digestive tract to be excreted (along with some really rich fertilizer) and reproduced somewhere else. The cycle of life!
I used to think phytates were all bad – that they were a big reason for leaky gut syndrome and they should be avoided at all costs. Afterall, that same protective barrier that sustains the wheat berry through the bird’s stomach will attempt to do the same through ours. I even convinced myself at one point that maybe I was better off making my family’s bread with all-purpose flour in order to avoid phytates.
Phytates generally have a bad reputation and are often referred to as antinutrients as they are known to interfere with the absorption of some minerals, but I have also recently found there to be benefits as well! They are known to bind to toxins and radioactive substances and pull them out of the body. They prevent cardiovascular disease, lower a foods glycemic load, normalize cell growth, and stop the proliferation of cancer cells.
SO, this all seems a bit contradictory and confusing. And when I am confused about the practicalities of life, I cling to Jeramiah 16:6 which says:
Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”
Knowing that bread has been a staple of life since the dawn of time, I knew there had to be a way to make this all make sense. And as I dug a little more, I found that sourdough fermentation (the ancient paths!) neutralizes much of the phytic acid. From my current understanding, some phytates are very beneficial to have in your diet! But it’s when you consume them in excessive amounts that it can be detrimental to gut health and the health of your teeth and bones. Making bread using the true staff of life (wheat berries) combined with sourdough fermentation allows for the best of both worlds!
I know these three posts were jam packed with content, some of which can be overwhelming. The last thing I want is for you to be left with a bunch of information that paralyzes you, so I have put together a very simple PDF to break this down in a very simplistic way. When considering all that I have learned as of yet, I have come to this conclusion:
Ideally our daily bread – the bread we depend on to nourish and sustain us – will made using freshly milled organic whole grain wheat berries using sourdough fermentation.
If you want to implement these changes in your life, consider taking my Easy Sourdough Using 100% Freshly Milled Whole Grain Wheat Berries Course. To celebrate the end of this 3-part series about real bread, I have created a promo code for $5 off which will be available through June 16th, 2025. Use code REALBREAD at checkout to redeem your coupon!
Let me chime in with a closing note to encourage you along on this journey. This is coming from a recovering purist…remember that there is always space for celebration. Even in the Bible, you see commands to prepare bread made with ‘fine flour’ and to slaughter the ‘fattened calf’. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that this was fine, sifted flour and a grain-finished calf…both big no-no’s in the super crunchy granola world. These are gifts to the tastebuds and Lord delights in blessing us with delicious foods that leave us in awe and grateful for every good thing that comes from above.
With that said, He also calls us to not be given to gluttony and expects us to use discernment. I say this because we just came off of a day of celebration that included quite a bit of refined sugar, and I feel like our eight children have each had their own sort of exorcism at some point in the day…Let’s just say there’s a reason we purchase maple syrup in bulk 😀
Welp, that wraps it up on the bread series. I’m excited to move onto some spicier topics! Until then…Keep chewing, ladies! 😊
