It's time to go through your cupboards again to toss old and expired foods. But before you replace them with fresh versions, stop: How about considering an alternative made with whole grain?
Go ahead and peek: How many whole grains are in your kitchen? Foods made with whole grain are not only delicious, but also as part of a healthy diet, they can help:
- reduce the risk of heart disease,
- reduce the risk of certain types of cancer,
- support diabetes management,
- maintain digestive health, and
- fill you up, not out
If your kitchen isn't teeming with them, we want to help you fix that.
A Little Grain Wisdom
The key to determining if a food is whole grain or not is on the package: Look for the word
whole—as in
whole grain,
whole wheat, or
whole corn in the ingredients. Foods using flours listed as merely
wheat, corn, rice, or
oat, with or without the addition of the word
enriched, are not necessarily whole grains. "Grains that are not whole grains may be missing as much as 75% of the vitamins and minerals, 90% of the fiber, and 95% of the natural phytochemicals," says Dina Aronson, RD, a nutrition consultant in Montclair, New Jersey. "Much of the good stuff is in the germ and bran." So how do you upgrade the grains in your kitchen?
Do a Swap Out
As you remove items from your pantry, make note of what they are, then replace them with a healthier alternative made with whole grain.
Out the Door: In the Cart:
Regular crackers Whole grain crackers
Pretzels Whole grain pretzels or popcorn
Cereals Whole grain cereals
White rice Brown rice
Flour Whole wheat flour
White bread Multigrain, whole wheat, or rye bread
Rice or pasta soups Barley and lentil soups
Cookies or snack cakes 100% whole grain date or fig bars, or sweets made with at least half whole
wheat flour
Think Outside the Cupboard
Now that you're in the groove, why not push on and try some less common whole grains? Here are a few to try and ideas on how to cook them:
Quinoa. Cook up a stellar side dish by adding a sprinkling of pine nuts, some sautéed onions and peppers, parsley, olive oil, and a squirt of lemon juice.
Barley. Add tomatoes, basil, and sautéed onion to cooked barley for a delicious pilaf or add onions, sautéed mushrooms, and Parmesan cheese for a dish similar to risotto.
Wheat berries. Toss on mixed greens along with pecans, dried cranberries, and heirloom tomatoes. Add raspberry vinaigrette for a hearty salad.
Millet. Cook with soymilk and raisins until very soft; serve as a replacement for pudding as dessert.
Check out a whole grain cookbook or seek out recipes online at www.eatbetteramerica.com to help you prepare whole grains in new ways.
