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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

March Food of the Month - Grains


As part of MCC’s Wellness Council we will be bringing you healthy eating ideas.  Each month we will focus on a specific food and its nutritional benefits.  We will also provide links with more information about each food as well.  This month we are focusing on whole grains.

Whole grains are seeds in their natural state and they contain all the nutrients needed to start life. If grains have been refined, they have been processed in ways that breakdown the seeds and cause them to lose most of their life-giving nutrients and original fiber content.  So why are grains refined?  Refining creates a finer texture and longer shelf life.  It also results in a higher rating on the glycemic index so risky spikes in your blood sugar and insulin levels are more likely when eating refined grains. Also, the term “multigrain” on food packaging does not necessarily mean that whole grains are being used in the product.

Here are some tips for making sure you are purchasing whole grains and whole grain products:

Check food ingredient labels to make sure each grain in the product is listed as actually being a whole grain. Know only wheat, barley, and rye actually contain gluten if you are trying to, or need to, avoid gluten. Alternatives in this case can be quinoa or amaranth (both from South America). These two alternatives are complete proteins in themselves with all nine essential amino acids and lysine, which is rare among whole grains. Other alternatives could be brown rice, buckwheat (a fruit seed related to rhubarb), millet, oats, and wild rice.  Sorghum, which can be popped like popcorn, is also a good alternative.

For some whole grain recipes, checkout the following websites:

https://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03184/Cooking-With-Whole-Grains.html

https://wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes.

** In March take a 10 day adventure with us to a healthier new you! Whole Grains will be a one of the challenges you can choose to take. Look for information on “The 10 Day Real Food Challenge” coming next week.**

Sandy Warren, Deneen Rhode, Tanya Mack, Matt Farley
MCC Wellness Council
02/25/2016