Once upon a time, there lived a whole grain called Grin. Grin was a thing of beauty and was deeply revered by most cultures. Grin and her fraternity were a staple food, enjoyed with gratitude and celebration by people everywhere.

Grin belonged to a very large family of whole grains. Her relatives included the Marleys, Fryes, Moats, Fillets, Queenias, Tuffs and the Borghums, amongst others. Her relatives had traveled far and wide and now each culture knew one family more than the other, although Grin’s immediate family – the Whee-ats – were present almost everywhere.

Grin’s family offered a lot to the community.  Cooked, baked, ground – they were compatible with meats, lentils, vegetables and could be consumed during every meal. The hard working members of every community relied heavily on Grin’s families to keep them going every day and to meet their energy requirements. It was a mutually respectful relationship and things were moving along very well.

Then something changed.

Around 500 B.C in a country called Rome, a rotary quern was introduced which allowed grains to be milled at four to five different grades – ranging from very coarse to very fine. The finest and whitest of these became the preference of the “wealthy” and “civilized” and the coarse ones ended up with the less privileged.

As time passed, this “refining” process became mainstream. Grin and all her family members began being subjected to this process, stripping them off their natural beauty and gifts: fiber, vitamins B5, B6, B1, B3, E, Calcium, Chromium, Phosphorus, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, Sodium, Magnesium, Manganese, Cobalt.

But that wasn’t the end of it. When storage and packaging got popular, Grin’s family had to endure flour improvers, chemical additives and artificial colors when being processed.

This whole new development made Grin and her family very sad. This new form of food is not who they were. This was not how they were meant to nourish people. Slowly, the people eating these refined, chemical-and-additive-ridden foods got sad too. They didn’t have as much energy as they used to. They didn’t feel as happy and positive. They fell sick more often.

Grin didn’t want this to continue and decided to do something. There had to be people who understood the value and importance of whole grains! She urged them to tell their story, to educate other people. These people knew right away that this was an important mission. Word had to get out before everyone on this planet got sick. So they wrote books and blog posts, signed petitions, asked their local stores to stock whole grains. Some even started stores that stocked only the real stuff. And so a revolution began. People tried whole grains again, loved the taste and became loyal fans. They told their friends, and the word spread to more and more people.

Grin couldn’t help but feel very pleased at these new developments. She continued her efforts, knowing deep inside that her family was going to receive the love and respect they rightly deserved. And they, in turn, would continue to make the world’s people healthier, happier and more vital.

Image Courtesy: Dr. Blessing’s Website