Let's face it, we live in a time that we are learning a lot about how far we have gone from natural, healthy foods and many of us are working to find our way back. For me getting back means as close to the way it was provided to us by God with as little processing as possible.
We hear the advice, "Shop the perimeter of the grocery store," meaning produce, meat and dairy. In the center is where most of the highly processed products like oils, cookies, crackers, bread, boxed meals, side dishes etc. are found. Also found in the center section is commercially milled flours, stripped of everything that was in grains to bring nutrition. So when you take the time and effort to bake bread, muffins, cookies but the flour is not from truly whole grains, the nutrition you hoped to bring might be quite a bit less than you thought; likely better than store bought for sure, but why not elevate your key ingredient?
Freshly milled flour is milled from the whole grain as it comes from the farm. Because it contains the bran, the germ and the endosperm and the oils contained within, it will go rancid from oxidation; think of how quickly an apple browns - oxidation at work. If you have bought "whole grain" flour that has an expiration date beyond, let's be generous and say 30 days, that flour could not have all the parts of the grain...or it would go rancid.
Are you thinking, it will be a huge pain to mill your own grains? Some large contraption to take out, use and clean? Actually it is quite simple with the options in counter-friendly size stone mills. Mine is out on my counter all the time and I have small containers of grains right at hand. Milling flour for bread, muffins or cookies is a minute or two. Seriously very little effort and I don't run out and need to run to the store to buy a box of crackers, cookies, or muffins or even more flour.
We are at the store a LOT less which saves us time and money. Let alone the nutrition and the long satiety of whole grains. So much less snacking to be satisfied.
Nutrient-wise if you have grains and beans you'll be better set to have a quality food source whether it's daily meals, holidays, gift of a meal to a family or in the face of food shortages due to supply issues.
Adding grains and a mill to our household is the best food and preparation tool we have purchased, ever!