Eat Grains

Archive for February, 2008

Much more than a simple side-dish, this typical grain is one of the more consistent staples for the majority of the world. In some Asian languages, “to eat” actually translates into "to eat rice". Unlike in the Western culture, in much of the world, rice actually forms the foundation of most meals.

Unlike the typical processed white rice, brown rice contains far more nutrients. The hardier texture and nutty flavor is something many people come to prefer once the realization of nutrition out-weighs the ease of using plain white rice. Learning your rice types can help make the transition from white, processed, starchy rice to the brown, more nutrient dense rice.

Long-grain brown rice will be the closest in constancy to long-grain white rice, as short rice tends to get sticky. Short grain rice is great for sushi or risotto! Quick-cooking brown rice has already been pre-cooked, so it can still be a better choice over white rice if you're in a rush. Whole grain rice can also be found in other forms such as Black Japonica or Himalayan Red It is becoming easier to find more and more brown rice versions of typically white favorites such as basmati and jasmine.

When stored in a cool, dry place in an airtight container, brown rice will stay fresh for about five to six months . It may also be stored it in an airtight container in the refrigerator to avoid any chance that it might turn rancid.

Donna Miller is a work-at-home wife and mother. She delighted to share her trials and triumphs of learning to mill and cook with whole grains. The Millers own and operate an online Store which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more. Visit Millers Grain House!

Ahh, the 'fiber factor'; it's hard to ignore it, especially as we age or travel or take a serious look at our eating habits. The benefits of fiber are written everywhere:

It is known as "Nature's Broom."
It fills you up more for that satisfied feeling.
Fiber rich diets may help detour colon cancer.

But is fiber the only thing that there is of benefit in whole grains? If that were the case, then we could all just take those little capsules or stir some sawdust in a glass of water and be done! Fiber is NOT the only benefit found in whole grains.

When a grain is eaten in its entirety, it provides far more nutrients that are missing in our diets than just the fiber. For example, in the wheat grain, more than the fiber is removed when it is milled into flour and stored on the shelf. Wheat flour that is bagged and stored for shelf life is missing, not only the fiber, but the endosperm, bran and germ. Even 'whole wheat' flours on your grocer's shelf are missing these items because they begin to 'spoil' once milled and thus shorten the shelf life – which we all know that it means it also shortens the 'sale-ability' for profit.

As a brief introduction, let us simply focus on the bran and fiber that are missing. The bran is often mistaken for fiber alone. When in actuality the bran in a wheat grain includes not only insoluble fiber (Natures broom) but also soluble fiber (which lowers cholesterol).

When just the bran is removed (and remember more than the bran IS removed) to make a flour more shelf-worthy, it ceases to be health worthy. What is removed by way of nutrition is: 86% of the niacin, 73% of the pyridoxine, 50% of the pantothentic acid, 42% of the riboflavin, 33% of the thiamine and 19% of the protein.

Many of these nutrients are a source of differing forms of vitamin B. Is it any wonder that after stripping flour of even just THIS part, the bran, of the natural benefits, we are a tired and sluggish society? Take the time to look up just what these missing natural vitamins are designed to do in your body and you can see a list of what ails most of the population – because much of it is missing.

Nutrients being removed means that they are later 'enriched' by the mass producer with synthetic vitamins. I say, why bother if they were there in the first place, just leave them their in the natural state, the way our bodies like to digest them and use them properly!

The answer is to mill flour at home from organic whole grains to keep all the important nutrients in your flour – just as each grain was created to provide.

The truth is, whole grains are good for you! No, that's not the end of the article; it is the basis of it. We have seen the studies and as good consumers we all want to abide by what is in the best interest for our health. The question is, whole grains, while they ARE very good for you, are they as good as they can be when you rely on the grocery store and labels to tell you what exactly IS whole grain? The answer to this may surprise you.

It seems there is a great mystery to decoding the labels that contain whole grains in the grocery store. Verbiage that eludes many well educated individuals is designed to lull us into a false sense of security to buy a product. No offense to advertisers, because they are very good at getting us to do this without actually being deceitful, but we should be careful to see what we are buying for our health.

When we see the phrase: "Made with whole grains" or "A good source of whole grains", we are more apt to pick up that item because it is supposed to be healthier for us and our families. The truth is that if these phrases are taken at their exact meaning rather than the jump out at you key phrase of 'whole grain' – we would see, based on ingredients that very few items on the grocery shelf are completely WHOLE whole grain.

If an item is made WITH whole grain, or is considered a good source of whole grain, it does not mean that it is all whole grain. When looking at the ingredients if there are words such as enriched or bleached, then the white-glue, sticky stuff is still in that item that is 'made with whole grains'. There are some whole grains in there but it is likely no more than 51% of the flour.

So, now what? I don't have a secret decoder ring or pocket dictionary for legal jargon to take with me to the grocery store! What are we to do to get whole grains in our diets? If we want to be healthy and actually have those whole grains in their best form, we need to mill our flour from real WHOLE kernels of grain.

By the time I've read all the labels and scrutinized the ingredients, I could have made a fresh loaf of bread at home – from the wheat kernel to the oven. From there – the options are endless! Why with as little as 5 ingredients, all of which I can pronounce, I can make: hot dog/burger buns, sandwich bread, bagels, pitas, hoagie rolls and more! Healthy whole grains are not that hard to incorporate – just trust yourself more than your grocery store!

Donna Miller is a work-at-home wife and mother. She delighted to share her trials and triumphs of learning to mill and cook with whole grains. The Millers own and operate an online Store which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more. Visit Millers Grain House!