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Eat a variety of Whole Grains regularly! In addition to our common breakfast favorites; oats, barley, brown rice, rye, corn, amaranth, quinoa and other Whole Grains make excellent dishes for lunch, snacks, and dinner.
It is imperative that you include Whole Grains in your daily Food Regimen. These hardy grains are one of the best sources of Fiber which plays more of a role in your health than simply in your Digestive System - just ask your Blood!
Food Sources of Fiber are far superior to supplements or over-the-counter fiber products - they just can't really compare! Most people who take Fiber supplements forget to drink sufficient quantities of water along with the bulking agent that they try to gag down on occasion. It's no wonder they often have to face the issue of constipation as a result of being dehydrated!
Whole Grains not only provide fiber, but give you excellent ratios of protein to nutrients, including the intricate B Complex. B Vitamins are needed in specific ratios and scientists still have yet to unlock all the secrets to the grouping of these little beauties. Rather than just depending on 'chance' to get the proper balance of B's, make your body's job easier by supplying Nature's inherently intelligent combination in Whole Grains. Besides - it's much more fun to nibble on some delicious dishes instead of popping a pill or holding your nose while forcing yourself to swallow that thick slimy concoction!
If you choose a granola bar as a snack, just be sure it's fresh. Whole grains become rancid, as do the oils, nuts, and seeds that are frequently added to the granola. It must be FRESH! Eating rancid oils leads to other concerns and requires that you address the associated problems. Cereals are often rancid and food storage items need to be rotated for the same reasons. This shouldn't stop you from eating whole grain snacks and granola...in fact, it's the best reason to make it yourself, so there's no doubt about freshness!
Popcorn as a healthy snack has come into its own in nouveau gourmet circles. But it isn't your grandmother's popcorn anymore. It's organic popcorn drenched in brown butter sizzling with freshly-chopped rosemary and grated lemon zest with sea salt and ground black peppercorns! And of course...you MUST pop it using a hot air popper.
Another Whole Grain snack that will mesmerize your palette is an old world favorite with a new world charm! You make a ball from popped brown rice and an organic sugar cane syrup. Then you dip the rice ball in rich dark chocolate - organic naturally - and allow it to set up for awhile until you can't restrain the urgent desire to 'pop' a few into your mouth, before they disappear into the hands of family members and guests. If you want more chocolate per bite, the way I like it, you can flatten out the ball before dipping and double dip!
It is really important to eat a variety of Whole Grains on a regular basis. Ideally - every day! Start with oats as our common breakfast food. Most people take the lazy approach with Quaker Oats and add boiling water, stir and serve. You need to go much further than this! Do yourself a favor and give yourself plenty of time in the morning for a hardy breakfast with whole grains. You have earned it!
Oats truly deserve to be dressed up with a few wonderful additional ingredients, including honey, organic cane sugar, or maple syrup. Experiment with sprinkling chopped nuts like slivered almonds or chopped walnuts over the top and you'll find that you are savoring the texture of every bite. A few plumped organic raisins or dates make another great variation and with their natural sweetness, the flavor is amazing. Occasionally you might take a little orange peel or zest and wow! your taste buds. You can also take sub-acid fruits like apricots, bananas, and berries to make a color statement!
Oats, barley, brown rice, rye, corn, amaranth, quinoa and other Whole Grains make excellent dishes for lunch, snacks, and dinner. The savory approach works wonders in these instances. As a side dish or as an elaborate main dish, there are numerous recipes that will change your mind about including these tasty morsels in meals following breakfast. They have become staples in many cultures that have come to appreciate these treasures.
Whole Grains, once processed, are no longer whole grains by definition! You just cannot get around this fact, regardless of how much marketing copy tries to convince you otherwise. Whole Grains have the bran, the endosperm, and ALL the nutrients intact. Once you alter the kernal or the grain, it is technically no longer "whole"! Remember that...and you will snicker at the ridiculous commercials on TV that try to convince you otherwise. By the way, there's no such thing as whole grain white bread...
However, the methods by which grains become processed vary to a great extent and determine the value and even the very presence of the remaining nutrients. This is the very reason why we keep grains whole in the first place. B vitamins and other nutrients are easily lost to high temperatures and industrial processing techniques. It is preferable to cook your whole grains on the stovetop and add the seasonings directly whether sweet or savory. Once you process a grain, it is more correctly referred to as a cereal. Cous cous is a perfect example of this distinction. And then there's Cereal cereal...
Some Cereal manufacturers in the Natural Foods industry do their best to retain nutrient and fiber content. Kashi is an excellent example! Taste and flavor accompany healthy wholeness to the best standards of quality and health. But Cheerios cannot EVER be construed to be a whole grain cereal as an end product, especially with the processed sugar and chemical additives on that tell-all label of ingredients. General Mills and Kellogg's could use a refresher course in honesty and authenticity when it comes to 'Truth in Advertising'. Once you do SOMETHING to that whole kernal, it CEASES being a Whole Grain. If it is oats, it now becomes rolled oats, or steel-cut oats, or oat flakes, or flour that is combined with other ingredients to make a Cheerio cereal or any other unnatural shape. Flour is no longer a whole grain. When we cook whole grains, the traditional terminology is: groats! Isn't that the strangest word you've heard in awhile? Groats! Oat Groats, buckwheat groats, wheat berry groats...groats!
Long grain and short grain brown rice are both Whole Grains and simply refer to the length of the kernal. Short grain brown rice makes a wonderful bed to serve any main dish over, providing an alternative to pasta or bread. Just be sure to properly season your rice when cooking or before serving with garlic, ginger, sea salt, scallions, balsamic vinegar, and other spices. This wakes up the flavor in the dish and provides additional nutrients and bio-active ingredients that further contribute to your health.
Amaranth and quinoa deserve a place in your whole grain cupboard, along with rye, barley, brown rice, and triticale - next to the more common grains. The ancient grains like quinoa and amaranth supported entire civilizations. Once you begin to eat them, you'll know why this was the case. They may be small in size, but they really pack a punch when it comes to your health. There are recipes that combine vegetables, spices, and herbs to these two grains to make them delicacies at your table on a weekly basis. And one more thing...short grain brown rice makes a succulent desert when you are ready to expand your palette's horizons. There's more to it than just rice pudding - although that is also quite a treat when sweetened to perfection!
Ideal Tools Recommended for Cooking with Whole Grains:
Pressure Cooker, large 12 quart stainless steel pot, long-handled wooden spoon, small wooden spoon.
'Whole Grain Goodness Gracious' Recipe:
Short Grain Brown Rice
Coconut Milk
Pure Organic Cane Sugar
Pinch of Sea Salt
Cinnamon
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