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Most people consume grains as part of their diets. However, many of those foods contain refined grains, which have had most or all of the natural nutrition processed away. Many refined grains — such as white bread, white rice and enriched pasta — are fortified and enriched with certain vitamins and minerals after processing. But whole grain products contain more soluble and insoluble fiber, more protein, and a wider array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant phytochemicals, which are naturally occurring plant chemicals that defend against disease.
Make the switch to whole grains with the following substitutions:
- Rather than pancakes or waffles made with white flour….try Whole-grain flour for half or all of the white flour when making your own batter. When buying a mix, check labels for one that lists whole grains among the top ingredients. Whole grains are also common in many hot and cold breakfast cereals.
- Rather than white bread, bagels, tortillas or pita bread made with enriched flour….try Products with the term “whole grain” on the packaging. Make sure a type of whole grain — such as whole wheat — is among the top ingredients. In addition, try to choose whole-grain bread with at least 3 grams of dietary fiber a serving.
- Rather than White rice….try Brown rice, which brings a subtle flavor of its own to a dish. In addition, wild rice, quinoa, farro, barley and other grains taste great as side dishes, and are excellent as bases for stir-fries, soups or salads.
- Rather than enriched pasta…try whole-grain pasta, which provides an interesting alternative in terms of texture, color and taste. In place of enriched pasta in a soup or salad, consider a whole-grain substitute such as wheat berries or quinoa.
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While a whole grain may be an ideal choice for most people, those with kidney disease must be very mindful of potassium and phosphorus content in their diets. Best practice guidelines indicate the whole grains with lowest potassium and phosphorus contents are Barley, Buckwheat (kasha), Bulgur, Popcorn, and
Wild rice.
Ginger
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2 ReactionsAn often cited reference is by the Weston A. Price Foundation: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/living-with-phytic-acid/ The core is that when using whole grains there are several preparations to lessen the phytic acid (their natural preservative) so that the phytate does not bind to the nutrients that are in whole grains. After all you're ingesting the whole grain; why not get the full value of the whole grain.
The "problem" with commercially produced whole grain products is time and heat. Once you open the grain, the germ, where most nutrients are contained, quickly degrades and goes rancid. Add heat from high speed processing and you lose much of the additional value of the whole grain. So. . . .
To get the most out of the whole grains, grind your own grains. You will be surprised how much additional flavor the whole grain contains. You might even consider skipping adding sugar. Not to mention that you get all the vitamins and mineral that are lost during the manufacturing processes.
One word of caution: Watch the phytic acid of the grain. It's there to preserve the grain, which it does very nicely. The good news is there are several easy ways to remove or neutralize it. See http://www.nutridesk.com.au/soaking-grains.phtml for a good overview.
if food manufacturer's could figure out a way to make whole grain ANYTHING, taste good, I would switch. as it is, whole grain food does not taste good to me.
No grains are good for you . None
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1 ReactionWhich is exactly why I grind my own. High speed (high temp) manufacturing destroys the nutrients and flavor.
Can you elaborate on why you think this?
Take whole grain in smaller quantity only