Dear HGJ:
Exactly why are whole grains better for you?
Great question! Because grains are food microcosms, taking a close look at one will help us understand everything we eat, from raisins to rutabagas. (Even if you don’t like raisins or rutabagas.) Basically, the concept of “whole” grains translates to “whole” foods in the sense that we’ve evolved to function at our peak when our bodies get the entire nutritional package rather than dissected bits.
Cereal grains consist of three main elements: the outer, tough bran that protects the seed while it waits for a good opportunity to grow; the delicate, nutrient-rich germ that is also the embryo of the seed; and the endosperm, the starchy inner portion that serves as the future plant’s food stock. (Note that the term “grain” can refer to any small, coarse particle, like a grain of sand or a grain of salt.)
In terms of nutrition, all three elements of a grain are useful for human health. Just as it does for the plant, the starchy endosperm provides us with easily digestible, quickly broken down into glucose (blood sugar) energy. The germ offers us a variety of desirables: vitamin E, folate, zinc, phosphorous, and many others. The bran is mostly indigestible fiber that sweeps out our digestive systems and keeps us humming along.
In short, the whole grain provides us with a well-balanced package. If you start to take it apart, however, you run into some problems. One is that the out-of-context elements wreak havoc with our health, such as the Type II diabetes that can result from eating large amounts of refined grains (endosperms), starches, and sugars. The other big problem with dissecting grains is that their delicate germs quickly degrade when taken out of their protective bran hulls. (The bran, too, contains oils that can easily go rancid.) That degradation is passed on to us in the form of impaired nutrients.
Your best bet for freshness, nutrient value, and flavor is to opt for whole grains rather than stripped-out flours (endosperms), brans, or germs. When you get your whole-grain flour home, put it in the refrigerator to extend its life and then use it within a month or so of opening. (This especially holds true for nut flours like almond and hazelnut, which contain more oils and are even more delicate than seed flours.) If you really want to enjoy the freshest flours, designate a coffee grinder for flour use and simply grind your own whole grains and nuts into as much flour as you need at the moment. This is a good way to save money, too, because whole grains keep much longer than pre-ground flours.
Another good reason to purchase grains whole is to use them in soups, stews, salads, side dishes…the list goes on and on. The Scottish, for example, have a wonderful tradition of using whole or steel-cut oats in everything from savory dinner stews to hearty breakfast porridges. (Steel-cut oats have simply been sliced a few times - nothing has been stripped away, and even though their bran has been pierced, they’ll last longer than a grain that’s been ground into flour.) In the Middle East, bulgur - that is, cracked wheatberry - is a favorite basis for a salad. Buckwheat (also known as kasha) reigns supreme in eastern European countries and is often served in its whole groat form.
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Using whole grains will make your meals easy to prepare and more economical - just add some brown rice to your soup as it simmers away instead of buying/making a separate loaf of bread. Make your own breakfast cereal by cooking a big pot of whole grains on Sundays and then having a bowl of them before you leave for work in the mornings. (Add your own toppings: dairy milk, coconut milk, nut/grain milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, honey, dried dates, fresh fruit, etc.) Cooked whole grains will last for a week in the fridge. Your breakfasts will be much, much less expensive and MUCH healthier than if you rely on prepackaged dry cereals; mix and match them however you’d like (just pay attention to individual cooking times). Cooking with whole grains is also a nice way to find out what each individual grain tastes like.
Another practical reason to seek out whole grains is to consciously vary your diet. Although grains like barley and millet used to be used more often in American dishes, Corn is now King and Wheat is Queen, which means that all the other grains fell by the wayside. (Anybody remember buckwheat pancakes?) Fortunately, though, many of these grains are now available in their whole forms and are gaining a measure of popularity. And many of these grains - millet, sorghum, buckwheat, teff, rice, quinoa, amaranth - are also gluten-free. (Gluten is a protein found in certain grains.) Even those people who aren’t sensitive to gluten can increase their nutritional intake and therefore boost their health by branching out into a greater variety of whole grains.
Lisa Howard is a culinary speaker and food coach based in Berkley, Michigan. Her passion is helping all of us become knowledgeable nibblers. You can find original recipes, articles on food, and information about her classes and coaching on her culinary website,
www.theculturedcook.com.
Stop by her e-kitchen for a byte or two! |
