Wednesday, March 31st marks National Whole Grain Sampling Day. This is why the Student Advocates for Nutrition felt it was necessary to create a food savvy feature post. In this short article we will discuss the health effects of grains as well as some delicious ways to incorporate them into your routine. Before diving into the subject matter, let’s define what grains are: food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain is in fact considered to be a grain product.
Please note that when we discuss the health benefits of grains, we typically refer to whole grains. These unrefined grains haven’t had their bran and germ removed by milling, and so all of the nutrients remain intact. Some examples include rice, quinoa, whole wheat bread and pasta (brown wheat flour), oatmeal, and popcorn. On the other hand, refined grains are milled which will remove many nutrients such as fiber. Common refined grains include white flour, white rice, white bread and corn flour which appear in breads, cereals, crackers, desserts and pastries.
Few people realize all of the different benefits from consuming grains. This food category contains protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals such as iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium. Did you know that one serving of oatmeal accounts for 120 calories, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 30% daily value of copper, and 25% daily value of folate? Oats are just one example of a grain capable of boosting your health while also tasting delicious. If this wasn’t enough to entice incorporating grains, you should know whole grains are also shown to lower blood cholesterol, improve blood glucose control (related to diabetes), reduce the risk of heart disease, and decrease inflammation in the body.
Now that we have you on board to try out some grains on this national sampling grain holiday, here are a few suggestions of grains to try:
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Oats (rolled, steel-cut, or oat groats)
- Barley
- Couscous
- Rye Berries
- Buckwheat
- Kamut
- Amaranth
- Spelt
- Teff
The high fiber content of each of these grains can help you feel full longer and can help improve your overall health and wellbeing. Thousands of recipes are right at your fingertips—just tell siri what to search and enjoy a new and delicious meal. I will be sure to use this national holiday to try out something new.