Do you prefer plain kaiser or graham, white bread or wholemeal, dark or traditional yellow pasta? If you choose tasty-looking, brightly colored foods, you are rejecting the fiber and minerals hidden in whole grains. Why choose whole grains?

White, carefully cleaned - such grain is defective, because it is deprived of most of the vitamins, minerals and fiber in the technological process. The productwholemealcontains all the ingredients that are present in the grain, e.g. whole wheat flour (the so-called wholemeal flour) is ground whole wheat grain, i.e. endosperm, outer husk and embryo. According to the new he althy eating pyramid, cereal products are the basis of the diet. We should eat them as often as possible, 6-11 times a day!

Why is it worth eating whole grains?

Whole grain products (or wholemeal products) include those products that are made from ground grains with their outer casing - because it contains the most good ingredients for the body:

  • folic acid - extremely important for the proper development of pregnancy, it is important in the hematopoietic process;
  • niacin (vitamin B3) - affects the proper functioning of the nervous system, the condition of the skin and mucous membranes;
  • phosphorus - needed for the construction of bones and teeth, as well as for proper metabolism;
  • iron - ensures proper mental development, the functioning of the immune system, it is necessary for the formation of red blood cells and oxygen transport;
  • magnesium - is involved in building bones and teeth, it is necessary for the proper functioning of muscles and the nervous system;
  • zinc - affects the functioning of the immune system, the condition of bones and skin.

During the purification process of the grains, these valuable ingredients, especially those contained in the embryo and casing, are discarded, leaving only empty calories. Whole grain products also have a reduced sugar content.

Whole grains provide fiber

Whole grainis a we alth of fiber. Instead of the amount of 30-40 g of fiber recommended by dietitians a day, we eat twice as much - about 15 g.Fiberhas a positive effect on intestinal peristalsis, thus avoiding constipation. In addition, it limits the absorption of fat fromfood. It binds water, swelling in the digestive tract, and quickly gives you a feeling of fullness. It also prevents fluctuations in blood sugar levels, and thus protects against the attack of wolf hunger. For this reason, people who choose whole grain products are leaner. They are also recommended for people actively involved in sports.

Whole grains protect against disease

Research by American scientists has shown that women who ate about 2.7 servings of whole grains a day had a risk of coronary heart disease by 30 percent. lower than in consuming only 0.13 servings. For 7 years, German scientists monitored the he alth of 9,700 men and 15,400 women aged 35-65 years. It found that those who ate the most grain-derived fiber (17 g per day) had a 27 percent risk of developing diabetes. lower than in the group with the lowest consumption (7 g per day).

In the store you can recognize wholegrain products by the color

Color is the basic, but not always sure, indication. Whole grains are always darker than those made from refined flour because the grain has been ground together with the casing. The easiest way to buy wholemeal flour is to read the label. Fortunately, you do not need to get it, for example, in a mill, because it is in a large selection even in supermarkets. From this flour you can make pancakes, dumplings, bake cakes. You just have to remember that such dough is a bit more difficult to knead (the flour is not perfectly smooth) and it is a little less elastic. The whole grain offer is getting richer. The most popular wholemeal product is bread. But beware: not all dark-colored bread is wholemeal, some bakery products are colored with caramel, m alt, m altose syrup. Also, don't be influenced by a layer of grains (such as pumpkin, linseed, or sunflower seeds) on top. Real whole grain bread must not be fluffy - it is rather loamy and heavy. However, it does not crumble and stays fresh for a long time. More and more often we also reach for pasta made of whole grain - here it is necessary to read the label, because the color can be misleading (there are also pastas colored e.g. with carrots, spinach). There are also more and more wholemeal cookies in stores. They are much more valuable than regular biscuits.

Worth knowing

Wholemeal flour is made from ground grain, retaining all its ingredients, including those removed during the processing of the grain into white flour.

  • Fruit and seed cover (husk - protects the grain against damage, contains fiber and minerals.
  • Aleurone layer - directly covers the endospermand embryo, it consists of proteins, fats, it is rich in vitamins and fiber.
  • The germ - the most valuable part of the grain, the treasury of vitamin E, group B, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus and unsaturated fatty acids, a sprout appears here during the development of the grain.
  • Endosperm - the most important part of the grain, it is rich in proteins and carbohydrates.

Other whole grain grains

White rice is made by shelling and polishing grains. On the other hand, paddy rice is the richest in minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. It is in the scales that these valuable compounds and elements are found. If the rice grains are hulled, then we get brown rice - with a depletion of the husk. It has yellow or light brown oblong grains and requires longer cooking than white (up to 30 minutes). The polishing of the grains produces white rice. However, it is already a product of low nutritional value, rich only in starch. Whole grain products also include coarse groats (e.g. pearl barley, buckwheat, millet) and whole grain cereals (oat, barley). Corn that is roasted without fat is also a whole grain product.

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