Whole Grain Health Benefits

Have you ever made your own bread...not with a bread-maker, though they are a wonderful tool, but with your hands kneading a rich whole-grain dough, letting it rise, kneading some more, then shaping it or putting it in loaf pans to rise again?  This is just one of those wonderful things that were done by our ancestors that should be experienced at least once.  You may find it hard to buy bread in the supermarket again. 

Of course grains are the base for bread, and can be eaten in many other forms.  I hope you will enjoy the following article on the health benefits of whole grains.

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The May 2007 issue of the online journal,  Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, showed that Americans should eat more whole grains like oats in oatmeal, barley and brown rice to help lower your risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to researchers. For more current articles about whole grains click the preceding highlighted link.

The studies lead author, Dr. Philip B. Mellen, of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina commented: "Many consumers and health professionals are not aware of the health benefits of whole grains".

In a review of seven major studies, the researchers found that higher whole grain intake was consistently linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. On average, adults who ate 2.5 servings of whole grains per day were nearly one-quarter less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than their peers who rarely consumed whole grains.  Whole grains are believed to benefit the heart in a number of ways.

The fiber and other nutrients in whole grains may help lower cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as improve blood vessel functioning and reduce inflammation in the circulatory system.  Yet, surveys show that few Americans get the recommended three servings of whole grains per day, according to the authors of the new study. More than 40 percent of U.S. adults say they eat no whole grains at all.

"Years ago, scientists hypothesized that the higher rates of chronic diseases we have in the West, including heart disease, are due, in part, to a diet full of processed foods," Mellen said. This idea has been born out, he added, in the lower rates of obesity, high cholesterol and heart problems seen in people who eat more whole grains.

Whole Grains are the seeds of plants that belong to the grass family. This seed, also known as the kernel, is made up of three key parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.  But when a grain is refined, most of the bran and some of the germ is removed, resulting in losses of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, heart healthy fats, and about 75 percent of the phytonutrients. Examples of refined grain products include anything made with white flour such as white breads, pasta, and crackers. Other examples include white rice and corn flakes cereal.

A whole grain can be a single food, such as oatmeal, brown rice, barley, or popcorn, or an ingredient in another food such as bread or cereal. Whole grains include whole wheat, whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat, bulgur (cracked wheat), millet, quinoa, and sorghum. Other less common whole grains include amaranth, emmer, farro, granp (lightly pearled wheat), spelt, and wheat berries.

Whole grains may be eaten whole, cracked, split, flaked, or ground. Most often, they are milled into flour and used to make breads, cereals, farina, and other grain-based foods. Regardless of how they are handled, whole grains, or foods made from whole grains contain the three essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.

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Updated 11/8/18

Image Credit: shixugang on Pixabay

Health Benefits of the Quinoa Seed

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) - is a delicious addition to the diet.  It is not technically a cereal grain like wheat or oats, but has been cultivated and eaten as a cereal for thousands of years by South Americans. Quinoa is the tiny seed of the Chenopodium Quinoa, a leafy plant that is a distant relative of spinach and beets. 

Quinoa was called the "mother grain" by the Incas (chisiya mama). Now, as people in the rest of the world learn more about Quinoa, they're discovering that its ancient nickname was well deserved - Quinoa is indeed a nutritional powerhouse.

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Quinoa's protein content, about 16 percent, is higher than that of any other grain. Wheat also has a high protein content, about 14 percent, but the protein in wheat and most other grains is lacking in the amino acid lysine, which Quinoa has in abundance. In fact, the amino acid composition in Quinoa is almost perfect. The World Health Organization has judged the protein in Quinoa to be as complete as that in milk. In addition, Quinoa contains more iron than most grains, and is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, folate, and many B vitamins.

Eating a serving of whole grains, such as Quinoa, at least 6 times each week is an especially good idea for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease. 

A 3-year prospective study of 229 postmenopausal women with cardiovascular disease, published in the July 2005 issue of the American Heart Journal, shows that those eating at least 6 servings of whole grains each week experienced:
 
*         Slowed progression of atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque that narrows the vessels through which blood flows. 

*         Less progression in stenosis, the narrowing of the diameter of arterial passageways. 

COOKING QUINOA:  Quinoa cooks very quickly, and is cooked similar to rice.

Here is how to cook Quinoa: 

• Add 1 cup of quinoa plus 2 cups water to a pot that holds approximately 1 1/2 quarts. 
• Bring to a boil Reduce heat to simmer. 
• Cover and cook 10-15 minutes.
• Turn off heat for last minutes and allow grains to absorb moisture for a while
• Stir, add your favorite seasonings, or cool to use with salad at a later time. 

I like to cook it a little less time than suggested on the box, or with a little less water, to make sure the Quinoa does not get a "mushy" consistency when cooked.  I would suggest doing what it says on your package the first time, and see how it comes out, then adjust accordingly in the future.  You can turn heat off early and allow it to finish absorbing water to save energy.  If it is too soft, use less water the next time.

Appearance:  

 

The grain, when cooked, will look almost translucent, and you will see a ring along the edge of the grain called the "germ ring". This is normal.

How we eat our Quinoa:

Hot: I enjoy eating Quinoa seasoned as we would rice, with some butter; or at times we add Olive Oil, sea salt to taste, and a seasoning like Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb seasoning.

Cold: I also make a cold salad side dish with Quinoa by stirring in the following cut in small pieces - onion (any kind including green), garlic, celery, green pepper, tomato, sliced black olives - in a quantity that seems right for the amount of Quinoa I cook, then stir all together with some low fat Italian Dressing to taste, and keep in the refrigerator, serve cold.

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If you would like to learn how to grow Quinoa, please visit this link.


Updated 11/6/18

Image Credit: Pixabay

Health and Nutrition Benefits of Oats

My husband loved oatmeal, especially during the colder months. I don't use "quick oats", but the thicker cut grains that take at least 5 minutes or more to cook, "old fashioned" oats as they are called by some.  My husband was a diabetic and had heart disease, so the following information and studies were helpful.

Oats are a nutritious whole grain that can help to prevent heart disease and diabetes.  Oats contain a special type of fiber that is called beta-glucan.  Studies dating back over 40 years have consistently shown the beneficial effects of beta-glucan on cholesterol levels.   In individuals with cholesterol above 220, consuming only 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%.  Each 1% drop in cholesterol equates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease. Now that is an easy way to take care of your heart. 

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Studies also show that beta-glucan has beneficial effects in diabetes. Type 2 diabetics who ate foods high in this type of oat fiber such as oatmeal or oat bran experienced much lower rises in blood sugar compared to those who were ate processed foods. Starting out your day with oats may make it easier to keep blood sugar levels under control the rest of the day, especially when the rest of your day is also includes other whole foods that are rich in fiber. 

More recently, researchers from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, report that oats may have another heart protective quality.   Their findings were reported in Journal of Nutrition in 2007, and indicate that oats contain unique antioxidant compounds called avenanthramides. These special antioxidant compounds help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In another study also conducted at Tufts and published in the journal Atherosclerosis, researchers exposed human arterial wall cells to purified avenenthramides from oats for 24 hours, and found that these oat phenols significantly suppressed the production of several types of molecules which cause arteries to become clogged.

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Updated 11/5/18

Image Credit: Unhulled Oats - Wikimedia Commons