My life with food is focused on eating the way our grandparents and great grandparents did, that is simply food and not all the extra junk that is mixed with food these days. I am trying to focus on whole foods as often as possible, avoiding processed and unnecessary ingredients - sticking to the basics, if you will. Making things from scratch as often as I can, helps me do that.
This week I am focusing on grains. Keep reading to find out what I think is important for you to know if you would like to make better grain choices and a few tips for working with grains.
A whole grain in its original form contains a bran, germ and endosperm. You will find lots of vitamins and fiber in a whole grain. However, due to an increase in processed foods, longer shelf life needed, further transportation of food, etc. the grain is now be refined to stand up to these expectations. When you refine or mill a grain, most of the bran or germ is removed, also removing much of the nutrition. This causes uneven blood sugars - spikes and drops, leaving you feeling unsatisfied.
There are a lot of different types of whole grains, including barley, rye, millet, farro, spelt - all of which I have not cooked with before, in addition to oats, quinoa and popcorn (yes, popcorn!), which I do love. Today, I am going to focus on some of the more popular mainstream grains: rice, bread, tortilla, flour and pasta; and how you can make sure you are selecting the ones you should.
The bottom line is you will need to read the ingredient label to find a whole grain. In some instances you will find on the front of the package the word ‘whole wheat’ and in fact the ingredients has listed whole wheat in addition to white or enriched wheats. You need to either see the percentage 100% or the only wheat or flour listed has the word ‘whole’ in front of it. Simple ‘wheat’ does not constitute a whole grain.
With rice, it is a little simpler - as long as it is not white, you are getting a whole grain. Brown is the most popular and mainstream, but there are other colored rice varieties available.
Another tip you can use when reading labels is to look for a little yellow / gold stamp on packaged grains. These are put out by the Whole Grain Council. They have a few different stamps to help guide consumers, including a 100% whole grain one.
Also, don’t be fooled by the words multi - grain and think you are getting a whole grain. Sadly, that is a new health packaging trick and in fact you are just getting multiple different grains in the product, most of which are probably enriched and processed.
A new type of whole grain that I am just dipping my feet in is sprouted grains. Sprouted grains have increased nutrients including B vitamins, vitamin C, folate, fiber, essential amino acids and food enzymes. I have only been trying this type of grain in the form of a tortilla, but do like it. The ones pictures below are 100% flourless and a complete protein due to the different grains and legumes it contains. I don’t necessarily recommend jumping from white tortillas to sprouted, but if you have been doing whole wheat tortillas for a while give these a try. Read more about sprouted grains here.
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Finally, organic is always best, but do what you can. If you have access to bulk bins, a lot of grains can be purchased there for a better deal.
Better Bonus Grain Tips:
- Start small. Try starting to mix half and half with your rice, pastas and flours. Eventually, move to ¾ and ¼. The switch to whole grain can take time for some to adjust both visually and with your taste buds.
- Try my favorite crackers. They are a processed product (I never said I make everything or eat 100% unprocessed) and they are not USDA organic (I have yet to find an organic, whole grain cracker I like), but they are still a huge jump on the health meter compared to other crackers. The first, Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheat Cracker, only has three ingredients: whole wheat, safflower oil and sea salt. This is my favorite cracker. I use it with cheese, peanut butter or by itself. The second cracker, ak-mak, is made with also only a few ingredients: organically grown whole wheat flour, clover honey, sesame oil, dairy butter, sesame seeds, yeast and salt. I particularly like this cracker with tuna salad. Finally, the third, Back to Nature Golden Honey Oat Graham Crackers, is not as great for you and has a bit more ingredients, but it is still a whole grain due to the whole grain wheat flour and oats. This is something I use for my dessert fruit crisps or s'mores.
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- Try using white whole wheat flour. I personally have not tried this, but read that a lot of people who aren't ready to fully transition to regular whole wheat flour can tolerate the white whole wheat.
- Try making your own tortillas. I am currently liking the sprouted tortillas, but plan to do this when I am ready for a change. Here is a recipe from a blog I follow to learn and get inspiration.
- If you have made the move to brown rice, you may notice it takes longer to cook. One solution I have found to this is make a lot on the weekend and freeze. I freeze in 2 cup portion containers. I can take one or two out depending on what I am cooking and how much I need. I also love to cook rice with chicken stock for added flavor. To make: use a 2:1 liquid to rice ratio - add rice to boiling liquid, cover and simmer for 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Add to freezer safe containers, top with a lid and freeze once cooled. When you are ready to use: microwave for 30 seconds so the rice will come out of the container, then add to a sauce pan and warm with your favorite add ins. You could also skip the stove top completely and warm thoroughly in the microwave. Just last night I sauteed some onion, garlic, finely chopped kale, salt/pepper, one container of rice and served with a fried egg - easy dinner!
- Make your own homemade whole wheat bread crumbs. Bake cubed 100% wheat bread at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. If you are using stale bread, you may be able to skip the baking step. Pulse the bread cubes in a blender or food processor until they are the consistency you would like. Add to your favorite glass jar and freeze. Feel free to add Italian or other seasonings to the entire batch or just add when needed.
- Try some of my homemade dishes using whole grains:
Finally, stay tuned for the remaining three weeks of this month, where I will share some recipes using whole grain sprouted tortillas (you can use whole wheat tortillas).
-Robyn O’Brien
~Ashley
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