5 must have whole grains and their nutritional benefits

Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, whole grains are certainly considered a superfood. Amaranth, barley, corn, oats, farro, sorghum, millet, spelt, bulgur, wheat berries, and cracked wheat are a few whole grain examples you may add to your diet. Whether you serve whole wheat as the main course or as a side dish, it will surely elevate the nutritional value of the meal.

INTRODUCTION

Earlier, it was believed that whole grains like wheat grain just helped us with fibre, a substance that helps with heart and digestive health. However, more recent studies have shown that whole wheat also contains significant amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial plant-based elements. Amaranth, barley, corn, oats, farro, sorghum, millet, spelt, bulgur, cracked wheat, quinoa, rye, teff, brown and wild rice are a few whole grains that you should explore. 

It has been studied that eating whole grain options such as wheat grain regularly will lower your chance of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity. The endosperm, germ, and bran are parts present in a kernel of whole grain. When people with different dietary whole grain intakes were compared, there was a significantly inverse relationship between dietary whole grain intake and all-cause death. 

MUST TRY WHOLE GRAINS

The outer layers of the grains, germ and bran, are rich in nutrients. Aside from whole grain wheat, there are many whole grains filled with essential nutrients. Go through the whole grain food list given below and see which one of these highly effective whole grain foods entices you the most:

AMARANATH: - Amaranath is a great source of amino acids, dietary fibre, protein, beta-carotene, and ascorbic acid. Substances like phyto-chemicals and antioxidants, plenty of carotenoids, and minerals including magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and manganese are found in amaranth leaves and stems. 

BARLEY:- Due to its high carbohydrate content, moderate protein content, and high dietary fibre content, particularly - glucan and strong sources of phosphorus and potassium, barley is a nutrient-dense food.

OATS: - Oats boast a balanced nutritional profile with an excellent blend of amino acids. They are also a solid source of quality protein and carbs. Oats are rich in oat lipids, particularly unsaturated fatty acids, as well as minerals, vitamins, and phyto-chemicals. Oats have a distinctively high protein concentration of 11 to 15%.

QUINOA:- Quinoa's outstanding nutritional value is a result of its well-balanced composition, an excellent amino acid profile, minerals, fibres, and auxiliary substances like antioxidants and vitamins. Quinoa is also suitable for people suffering from celiac disease or other gluten related ailments because it doesn't contain gluten.

MILLET: - Millets demonstrate higher nutritional value than many popular cereal grains. These whole grains make suitable health food options due to additional advantages such as gluten-free proteins, high fibre content, low glycemic index, and richness in bioactive components. Various millets that you can try are jowar, bajra, finger millet, ragi, etc. You can prepare a plethora of tempting and nutritious dishes using these millets.

HOW TO COOK WHOLE GRAINS?

HOW TO COOK AMARANATH:- Learn how you can prepare various dishes made out of amaranth, like rajgeera roti, amaranth dosa and puffed amaranth. 

HOW TO COOK BARLEY:- Do not forget to check out these tempting recipes of barley like barley soup, barley salad, barley and corn salad and barley upma.

HOW TO COOK OATS:- Looking for some delicious recipes to make this healthy whole grain more appetising? Check out these delicious and healthy recipes: oat kheer ,oat cutlet, oat chat, oat bean bowl, oat porridge and bless your taste buds. 

HOW TO COOK QUINOA:- Dishes that you can cook using quinoa as hero ingredients are quinoa salad, quinoa kichdi, quinoa vegetable pizza, quinoa chocolate bowl.

HOW TO COOK MILLET:- Millet aloo pockets, millet raw banana pockets, millet mango sheera, millet zucchini parantha are some of the mouthwatering and nutritious dishes which can be prepared with millet.

CONCLUSION 

Cooking time is frequently cited as a deterrent to using whole grains in recipes. It is true that certain whole grains require more time to cook than their refined grain equivalents. Whole grains can be the main ingredient in a casserole or grain salad, served as a side dish, and used to thicken meatloaves and fritters as well. Before being used in a recipe, the grains are boiled, usually in water or broth. They can be used in both savoury and sweet baking. Moreover, they also absorb sauces well.