Great Grains!Jessica Nickels, MS, RD/LD

2006

Grains• Grains are the staple of diets throughout the world

• Fad diets have come and gone, grains were given a bad name claiming “bread is fattening”

• At one time, pastas, rice, and tortillas were only served in ethnic restaurants and not at home at the dinner table.

• Today, they have moved in to the mainstream of our cuisine

Anatomy of a Grain• Most commonly consumed grain in the US is

wheat

• In general, the part that we eat is the kernel or the berry

• This is the seed from which the plant grows

• Each kernel has 3 parts:• Endosperm• Bran• germ

Anatomy of a Grain• Endosperm

• Makes up about 83% of the weight

• Source of white flour

• Contains greatest amount of protein, CHO, Fe, B-vitamins (riboflavin, niacin, thiamin)

• Source of soluble fiber

Anatomy of a Grain• Bran

• Makes up about 14.5% of weight

• Included in whole wheat flour

• Can be brought separately and added to products

• Contains small amount of protein, large amount of B-vitamins, trace minerals, and dietary fiber (mostly insoluble)

Anatomy of a Grain• Germ

• Makes up 2.5% of weight

• Embryo or sprouting section of seed

• Often separated from flour in milling process because of the fat it contains, which can limit flour’s shelf-life

• Contains minimal quantities of high quality protein, but a good share of trace minerals and b-vitamins

• Wheat germ is part of whole wheat flour and can be purchased separately

Types of Grains• Amaranth

• Tall willowy plant similar in height to corn with large shaggy head containing thousands of tiny seeds

• Seed can be milled into a whole grain flour or puffed like rice or corn

• Commonly eaten in Africa

Types of Grains• Barley

• Very versatile

• Pearl barley, which is whole grain with hull and bran removed, is often used in soups

• Can be milled into flour and is used in baked products and breakfast cereals

• High in fiber

Types of Grains• Buckwheat

• Neither wheat nor cereal grain

• Seed from the Fagopyrum family of herbs

• Due to unique flavor, it is often ground and used to replace part of the wheat flour in pancake mixes

• Kasha is a word commonly used to describe buckwheat groats, a Russian dish

Types of Grains• Couscous

• Pasta made from precooked semolina wheat and most commonly eaten in North African countries

• Can be served hot or cold

• Millet• Delicate, round grain that is yellow in color

• Cooks like rice but lighter with nutty flavor

• Can be eaten as whole grain or husked

• Often added to bread making

Types of Grains• Oats

• Oatmeal is most familiar form

• Made by rolling the groats (oats with hulls removed) to form flakes

• Regular and quick cooking differ in thickness of flakes

• Oat bran is the envelope of the groat

• High in soluble fiber

Types of Grains• Potato flour

• Actually a root but share many nutrients with grains

• Potato flour made from cooked potatoes that have been dried and ground

• Often used in breads or rolls

• Potato dumplings or “gnocchi” is another way to serve potatoes as a “grain”

Types of Grains• Quinoa

• Small round seed that can come in many colors

• Not a grain, fruit of an annual herb

• Grown in the mountainous regions of Peru and Bolivia for 3000 years

• Can be cooked like rice or ground into flour and used for baked goods

Types of Grains• Rice

• Most commonly eaten grain in the world

• Usually starchy endosperm of the grain: hull and bran have been removed

• In US, white rice is enriched with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron

• Enriched rice should not be rinsed before cooking, or the added vitamins and minerals will be washed away

• Brown rice is grain from which only the hull has been removed

• Instant rice has been precooked and dried

• Rice flour is made from brown or white rice and is free of gluten

Types of Grains• Rye

• Can be eaten like rice but takes longer to cook

• Whole rye can be used in soups

• Rye flour contains gluten• Sorghum

• Tropical grass

• Small amounts added to crackers and other snack food and can be made into syrup

Types of Grains• Soy

• High in protein and B vitamins

• Nutty texture and taste

• Spelt• Predecessor to wheat and has very strong hull

that is difficult to remove when milling

• Usually available as flour

Types of Grains• Teff

• Smallest grain in the world

• 150 teff grains weigh the same as one grain of wheat

• Available as whole grain or flour

• Used as thickener

Types of Grains• Triticale

• Hybrid grain created from crossing wheat and rye

• Can be cooked as whole grain, ground into flour, or processed into cereal flakes

Types of Grains• Wheat

• The “Staff of Life”

• Comes in several varieties:– Durum – used to make pasta and couscous

– Bulgar – precooked and can be used in place of rice

– Cracked – similar to bulgar but not precooked

– Farina – coarsely ground and primary ingredient in hot cereals

Eat More Grains!• Eat 6 oz everyday from the grain group

• At least 3 of the 6 oz should be whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, crackers, or rice everyday

• What to Look for on the Food Label: • Choose foods that name one of the following whole-grain ingredients first on the

label’s ingredient list:

“brown rice” “whole-grain corn” “oatmeal”“bulgur” “whole oats” “whole wheat”“graham flour” “whole rye” “wild rice”

– Foods labeled with the words “multi-grain,” “stone-ground,” “100% wheat,”

“cracked wheat,” “seven-grain,” or “bran” are usually not whole-grain products.

– Color is not an indication of a whole grain. Bread can be brown because of molasses or other added ingredients. Read the ingredient list to see if it is a whole grain.

Great Grain Nutrients• CHO

• Body’s preferred fuel source

• On the food label, dietary fiber and sugars are listed below CHO

– Why don’t they always equal the total CHO?

» Missing CHO are the complex carbs, the longer, branched chains of sugar molecule

Great Grain Nutrients• Fiber

– Insoluble:• Adds bulk to diets by filling us up and preventing overeating and

obesity

• Adds “bulk” to fecal matter, increasing clearance time and decreasing risk of colon cancer

• Does not separate in water and “passes” almost completely in tact

• Found in less processed grain foods, such as whole grains

• Recommended to eat 20-35 grams of fiber each day but most Americans eat about 12 grams

• Examples: fruit skins, whole wheat products, nuts & seeds

Great Grain Nutrients• Fiber

– Soluble:• May reduce blood cholesterol levels and help reduce heart

disease risk

• Slows stomach emptying which is beneficial in controlling blood sugar

• separates in water and binds with fatty acids during digestion

• Examples: dried beans and peas, flax, carrots

Great Grain Nutrients• Protein

• Grains are great sources – spaghetti has about 7 grams per serving

• Proteins are not “complete” which means they are missing one or more amino acids

• Only animal products are complete• Vitamins and Minerals

• Many V&Ms found are important for converting food into energy, building tissues, and repairing cells

• Some nutrients are found naturally in grains and some are added during fortification

• Thiamin helps the body use the energy it gets

• Riboflavin and niacin help body use protein to build new cells and tissue

Grains for Health• Heart Health – a diet low in fat and high

in soluble fiber can help reduce the risk of heart disease

• Cell health – grains high in insoluble fiber can reduce the risk of colon cancer

• Healthy weight – A diet high in grains can help maintain a healthy weight.

Grains for Sports• Energy – carbs are the bodies preferred sense

of energy– Night before an event, it is best to eat a meal high in

carbs.

– This will fill up the muscles and liver with stored glycogen which can be used as energy the next day.

– Pre-game meal – eat a high carb meal providing 300-1000 calories, 2-4 hours before the competition to top off your glycogen stores and prevent hunger during the event

Grains for Sports• After your workout – eating a high carb

meal after is just as important as before to help replenish your glycogen stores

– Sports drinks like Gatorade are high in carbs and can help replenish lost fluid and used glycogen stores but no more effectively than water and eating a high carb snack

Grains for Sports• Carb Loading:

• Practiced by some athletes involve din endurance sports

• One regimen includes a gradual increase in dietary carbs beginning 6 days before competition

• CHO intake starts at ~45% of intake and on final day is at ~ 65-75% intake

• One drawback is that additional water weight is stored in the muscle

• CHO loading may improve performance in marathons, long-distance swimming, tournament play, and triathlons but not in most single events

Grains for Weight Loss

Myth #1: Eating bread will make you gain weight.

Grains for Weight Loss• Myth #1: Eating bread will make you

gain weight.

• FALSE: Most calories in grain products come from CHO.

• If you are active, your body uses CHA as its primary source of fuel

• Fat is more easily stored as fat and less easily burned during activity

Grains for Weight Loss

Myth #2: Diet bread helps you lose weight.

Grains for Weight Loss• Myth #2: Diet bread helps you lose

weight.• FALSE – Diet bread is just regular bread that

contains more air, sometimes more fiber, and is sliced extra thin.

• Although you will save calories, many more calories can be saved by skipping high-fat foods.

Grains for Weight Loss

Myth #3: White bread and white rice are worthless and filled with empty

calories

Grains for Weight Loss• Myth #3: White bread and white rice

are worthless and filled with empty calories.– FALSE

• Even though whole grains high slightly more nutritional value than white counterparts, thanks to fortification, are still healthy and contain nutrients.

• The one down fall is that white bread and rice is low in fiber.

Grains for Weight Loss

Myth #4: Pita bread is better to eat than regular bread.

Grains for Weight Loss• Myth #4: Pita bread is better to eat than

regular bread.– False

• Pita bread is low in fat, but so are most breads

• Pita bread offers no healthy advantages

Grains for Weight Loss

Myth #5: all grain products are created equal.

Grains for Weight Loss• Myth #5: all grain products are created

equal.– False

• After comparing all breads we see that there is a difference between whole wheat, white, and pita bread even though they are not a big difference.

• Baked goods are usually higher in fat than a plain loaf of bread and not all cereals are healthy even though they are made of grains.

Questions?

references• “Great Grains!” by Catherine Macpherson,

MS, RD; Learning Zone Express