Eight types of healthy whole grains
Kinowa: or Quinoa
Quinoa or Pale Sarmaq is of the same family as quinoa – a type of grain – closely related to types such as beets, spinach and grass. (Kanjua) is a grain rich in protein, minerals and antioxidants, and quinoa such as quinoa can be used for a variety of uses, where it can be cooked, Or chill it and serve it as a smoothie, add it to yogurt with fruit, nuts and cinnamon, add it to a green salad or use it in place of burgul in tabbouleh.
Sorghum
Sorghum, also called melo, is a plant that has been cultivated in Egypt for thousands of years and is a staple food in Africa. In addition to being nutrient-rich, this gluten-free grain is digested and absorbed slowly by the stomach, making you feel full. For a longer time, and helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels in the blood, sorghum can be used in countless recipes, from smoothies to hot or cold green salads, but the preferred way to prepare it is by popping it just like popcorn.
Teff: or Spectral Hop
Known as the main ingredient in Ethiopian sponge cake, this African whole grain is known for its sweet, molasses-like taste. Teff contains about three times the calcium than other whole grains — more than 120 milligrams of calcium per cooked cup. It also provides the body with a type of resistant starch, a unique type of carbohydrate that has been proven to be associated with burning fat naturally in the body. Tuff can be cooked as an alternative to oatmeal, added to baked goods or served with polenta instead of corn. A few decades ago, teff was a grain that was not known globally except in certain regions of the world, such as Ethiopia, India and some parts of Australia.
In Ethiopia, where two-thirds of the population still depends on teff for their food for more than five thousand years, they prepare teff, their famous fermented injera bread. Tuff is characterized by the high quality of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and fibers in it.
There are two main types: brown teff, which is distinguished by its strong flavor and eaten by the general public, and light ivory teff, which is eaten by the rich classes in Ethiopia. Teff is rich in proteins and rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, copper, iron, aluminum, barium and thiamine. The reason why Western countries such as Canada are attracted to Ethiopia, and the establishment of programs such as the “Seeds of Survival” program, is the lack of anemia (iron deficiency) in Ethiopia because they eat teff despite the famine they suffer from.
And the Ethiopians boil whole grain teff to make a delicious nutritious porridge. A cup of teff beans boiled in about three cups of water for about twenty minutes provides good food for adults and children. The Ethiopians also prepare injera teff flour, which is a flat bread (due to the absence of gluten) characterized by its sour taste because its dough has been fermented for a long time by self-fermentation.
The Ethiopian government is encouraging farmers to re-use local seeds, such as teff, instead of genetically modified global seeds, as local seeds, especially teff, are more suitable for the soil and better in nutritional value and do not need chemical fertilizers, in addition to the fact that local farmers are accustomed to planting and caring for them In addition, it resists drought and salinization, and its short cultivation period provides grain to the hungry quickly.
Teff grains are food for humans and the grass left after harvest is food for animals.
Buckwheat
Despite the presence of the word wheat in the name of this food, buckwheat has nothing to do with ordinary wheat. In fact, buckwheat has been classified as a whole grain because of its nutritional properties. Buckwheat is gluten-free, so it is considered excellent in diets. You can enter Buckwheat with pancakes, or add to instant sauces made with almond butter, warm water, vinegar, rice, fresh grated ginger, minced garlic and crushed red pepper, and can be served with vegetables.
Black Rice
Black rice is found in many food menus, such as sushi, meatloaf, and others, and the natural pigment that gives black rice its color is due to one of the unique antioxidants that has been proven to protect against heart diseases, cancers, and obesity, and black rice is more rich in anti-inflammatory When compared to brown rice, it also contains higher levels of protein, iron and fiber.
Black rice can be cooked as a main dish or as a side dish, or it can be served chilled as a dessert or with salads.
Barley
Barley can be used to make soup, but there are many other ways to enjoy this whole grain, which is one of the oldest cultivated grains. Barley was first found in the Egyptian pyramids, and was consumed by the Greeks for medicinal purposes. In barley it helps reduce cholesterol more than oats, and barley provides the necessary nutrition for the “good” bacteria in the intestine, and this would improve the health of the digestive system, and control weight, and barley is also considered one of the richest whole grains in fiber, and this It also helps in maintaining weight, because fiber helps promote satiety and reduce calorie absorption.
Rye
Besides Rye bread, which is often made from a mixture of refined wheat and Rye, there are many ways in which you can enjoy these grains, as Rye flour can be used for bread, and Rye flakes can be used instead of oat flakes, and recent research has shown that Rye It gives a sense of satiety more than wheat, and in one study conducted on animals, it was found that rats that ate Rye and whole grains lost more weight than those that ate wheat, and they showed a slight improvement in insulin regulation and an improvement in cholesterol levels in the blood..
Millet
The main source of these grains is India, and this small, oval whole grain contains antioxidants, and also contains major minerals including copper, magnesium, manganese and phosphorous, and like many of the previously mentioned grains, millet can be served chilled or hot, and it can also be used in bread. Add it to nut butters, or along with chopped dark chocolate, dried fruits and spices.