Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Grains

[Guest guest]

Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Grains

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

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http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj99sep/999grains.htm

 

Most of us know that we're supposed to eat more grains. We've seen

the Food Guide Pyramid with grains as the foundation; we've noted

that products boast of their " whole grain goodness " . Why this push?

 

What's so special about grains and about whole grains in particular?

Grain products, including breads, cereals, rice, and pasta, are at

the base of the Food Guide Pyramid because we need more servings (6

to 11 or more) from this group of foods than from any other group.

 

Grains provide complex carbohydrates, also called starches, which

supply energy.

 

These are low-fat, high-fiber foods which also provide a number of

vitamins and minerals. Whole grains are more

nutritious than refined grains because nutrients have not been lost

in processing.

 

Some nutrients have been added back to refined grains, but often

not all the nutrients which were lost are added

back.

 

Just what is a grain? Grains are the seed-bearing fruits of grasses.

 

An inedible husk, also called chaff, is the outermost layer of the

grain.When this is removed, the resulting product is sometimes

labeled " groats " or " berries " .

 

The next layer of a grain is the bran, a protective coating.

This layer is rich in fiber.

 

When this layer is removed, the product may be described as pearled

or polished.

 

Inside the bran is the endosperm (the starchy part of a

grain) and the germ, the part of the grain which is highest in

nutrients.

 

When grains are refined, the husk, bran, and germ are removed

leaving only the endosperm.

 

Technically speaking, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth are fruits

and not grains but they are generally included with the grain group.

 

When you go to buy grains, it will be helpful to know a few commonly

used terms.

 

Steel-cut or cracked grains have been cut into smaller

bits so they cook faster. Grain flakes or rolled grains are sliced

and then flattened between rollers.

A grain meal has been ground to a gritty consistency. Bolted meal

has been sifted to remove the bran but not the germ.

 

Degerminated meal has had both bran and germ removed.

Grits have been steamed and soaked, have had both hulls and germs

removed, and have been cut using rollers.

 

In a hurry? You may think it's just too much work to cook grains.

This is not necessarily true. While some grains do require long

cooking, this can be reduced by soaking overnight or pressure

cooking.

 

Additionally, grains can be cooked in a crockpot and do not require

any attention while they are cooking.

 

Quick-cooking grains, which require less than 30 minutes to prepare,

include quick brown rice, couscous, quinoa, buckwheat groats

(kasha), teff, and bulgur.

 

All grains are low in fat and contain no cholesterol. They are low

in sodium unless salt is added in cooking.

They typically have between 5 and 10 grams of protein per cup. We

rated grains in terms of their fiber, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, zinc,

copper, and iron content.

 

Vegetarians get significant amounts of these nutrients from grains.

Our top choices are amaranth, quinoa, barley, triticale, and

bulgur.

 

Tired of rice and pasta?

Try cooking some quinoa or millet.

 

Add herbs and spices, vegetables, tofu, seitan, tempeh, and a

variety of sauces to make an unending selection of grain dishes.

 

Table: Grains are listed from highest to lowest score. Score was

obtained by adding up the percentage of Daily Values for fiber

(Fib), riboflavin (Ribo), vitamin B-6 (vit B-6), zinc (Zn), copper

(Cu) and iron (Ir).

 

Foods were ranked for the amount of each nutrient with good sources

identified with a +, better sources identified with ++, and the best

grain sources identified with +++. na=not available.

Grains at the

end of the table were missing information for more than 2 nutrients

so no score was calculated. Serving size for each grain is 1 cup

cooked.

 

Grain Score Calories Fib Ribo Vit B-6 Zn Cu Ir

 

Amaranth 184 364 +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++

Quinoa 119 254 ++ +++ ++ +++ +++ +++

Barley, pearled 69 193 +++ ++ +++ ++ + ++

Triticale 69 322 na +++ ++ +++ ++ ++

Bulgur 64 151 +++ + ++ ++ + ++

Wild rice 62 166 ++ +++ +++ +++ + +

Millet 59 207 ++ +++ +++ ++ ++ +

Oat bran 56 88 +++ ++ + ++ + ++

Brown rice 53 218 ++ + +++ ++ + +

Buckwheat groats 52 155 ++ ++ ++ ++ + +

Rolled wheat 45 142 ++ ++ + +++ na ++

Rolled oats 43 145 ++ + + ++ + ++

White rice, enriched 35 242 + + + + + ++

Wheat berries 31 84 ++ + ++ ++ na +

Couscous 26 176 ++ + + + + +

Corn grits, enriched 24 145 + +++ + + + ++

Corn grits, unenriched 12 145 + + + + + +

Oat groats na 232 +++ na na na na ++

Rye flakes na 165 +++ na na na na ++

Steel-cut oats na 340 +++ na na na na ++

Teff na 208 +++ na na na na +++

 

 

Some information for this article was obtained from All-American

Waves of Grain by Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van Vynckt, Henry Holt

and Company, 1997.