Intro-To: Whole Grains, Fueling with Fiber

Welcome to our Intro-To series! Focused on getting you comfortable in the kitchen with easy to understand info and science on the basics of foods that come straight from the ground: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant-proteins, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Continuing from our previous blog post in this series, Intro-To: Dark Leafy Greens, Get Cozy With The Basics we’ll get right into our segment on whole grains.

Whole grains, put simply, are categorized due to their minimal processing and retaining their intact nutrient-dense layers, aka the bran (nutritious outer layer), the germ (the seed's nutritious embryo), and the endosperm (the germ's food supply), providing maximum essential nutrients, fiber, plant-protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that all help to regulate the body, mind, and metabolism in a more optimal state than their refined counterparts. These grains tend to be heartier, and richer in taste with distinctive nutty notes, and individual retinance in size, making them suitable for various dishes hot or cold. Popular shelf-available varieties include Amaranth, Barley, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Rye, Sorghum, Teff, Whole Wheat, and Wild Rice. We scope out a few of our favorite varieties as follows!

Brown Rice

Rice (as a variety of grain in general) is maybe the most prevalent of carbohydrates across geographical and culturally varying cuisine, having been cultivated as a crop for somewhere around 10,000-15,000 years, and being well-known as a staple backbone of culinary incorporation across the globe. Brown rice in particular, is just the whole-grain itself least processed, meaning it retains the entire grain including the germ, bran, and endosperm, whereas a typical white rice has the germ and bran removed, slightly altering/lessening it’s nutrient density in comparison. In the US, brown rice rose to popularity as a pivotal ingredient in the health foods movement of the 1960s and 70s, where earth-consciousness and hippie culture influenced the sudden sprouting of specifically health foods stores, which incorporated new to American-diet ingredients such as brown rice, miso, tofu, and fermented and macrobiotic variety.

Furthermore, brown-rice is naturally gluten-free, and contains a plethora of essential amino acids, fiber, mineral, antioxidants, vitamins, and plant-proteins, making it a an excellent source of slow-release energy for sustaining optimal body/nutrition functioning throughout the day. This is also thanks to the fact that brown rice is considered to have a medium glycemic index (GI) score between 64-72, with GI score being representative of how fast carbohydrate-rich foods raise the body’s blood glucose, and because of high-fiber content, brown rice thusly digests slower in the body for a more sustained energy, leaving you feeling fuller for longer. As brown rice (like most grains) is considered to be an incomplete protein (meaning it lacks certain amino acids to make it a complete protein), it can be combined during the same meal, or over the course of a day, with another plant protein (such as beans/peas) to form a complete protein in the body. Food combining (particularly in reference to complete proteins and the nine essential amino acids needed for bodily function) and meal-planning with regards to the glycemic index can alter GI scores, increase satiety, and help to maintain superior blood sugar levels.

In the kitchen, brown rice can be found in several varieties, including versions of short-grain, medium-grain, and long-grain (with all of these containing familiar varieties in their whole-form such as brown sushi rice, brown basmati rice, and brown jasmine rice). With a slightly more firm textural bite, and mild nutty flavor, the grain retains a unique shape when cooked at slightly longer intervals than its white rice counterparts. In regards to the specifics between varieties, short-grain brown rice has a shorter, more plump/rounded appearance, with grains that lean towards a more soft, tender, and stickier feel upon cooking; medium-grain brown rice is quite literally a central to short and long grain varieties, with its size and texture falling somewhere in between the two; long-grain brown rice is more slender in length than both other varieties, and cooking results in a grain with a significantly more visible light and fluffy separation.

Quinoa

Native to South America and the Andes Mountains of Bolivia and Peru, quinoa is treated as a grain in the kitchen, though is technically classified as a seed in agriculture. Quinoa, more modernly having become revered as a superfood, is packed with significantly more vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber, than competing whole grains, and also has excellent antioxidant levels, complete with those such as quercetin and kaempferol, which potentially help to neutralize free radicals. Additionally, quinoa is of the few plants that manage to provide as a complete protein, since it contains all nine essential amino acids. It functions also as a complex carbohydrate and low-glycemic food, with substantial iron, magnesium, vitamin E, and potassium contents, which contribute to regulating blood sugar and participating in the many metabolic processes of the body.

Naturally gluten-free and low-FODMAP, the most commonly available varieties include white, red, and black, which yield distinct flavor and textural variances while maintaining nearly identical nutrition profiles. White quinoa, being the most popular of the options, retains that distinct quinoa flavor rich in nutty, earthy profiles, while maintaining a smoother, softer texture, whereas red quinoa seeks a similar flavor while conversely holding a firmer, more individualized texture that yields an almost mild crunchiness, and black quinoa yields that same texture but with a bit of a sweeter-earthy flavor almost molasses like in resemblance. In most well-stocked stores you can also usually find tricolor mixes, which frequent themselves in more modern vegetarian and vegan recipes such as veggie/bean burgers due to their unique combination of flavor profile and balanced, replicative mouth-feel. Though vast media-infiltration has Americanized it’s usage into a pseudocereal, taking on identity more closely relative to porridge and culturally relevant hot breakfast cereal, we prefer to cook quinoa in it’s form that more closely reflects traditional practices, resulting in a more separative and distinct grain.

Oats

While actually a member of the grass family, oats seem to have originated as wild grains in Western Asia and Eastern Europe, to eventually being domesticated as a secondary crop and popularized as a hot cereal in America during the 19th century as a cheap, filling-food packed with natural fiber. Along with being a complex carbohydrate, vitamin, mineral and antioxidant-rich, and a good source of plant-protein (though incomplete on it’s own), oats are frequently hailed for their benefits to heart-health, skin-soothing, cholesterol-lowering abilities, and as an aid in weight-loss. They are usually gluten-free but it is important to note the certification on packaging as some brands and products utilizing oats and oatmeal are processed in gluten-inclusionary facilities.

Furthermore, oats are available in a variety of options, with the glycemic index typically raising in score the more processed the product is. Popular varieties include groats (whole kernel, only husk removed; minimally processed), steel-cut oats (alternatively known as Irish oats, these are groats that are toasted and cut into tiny chunks with a steel blade, resulting in a slightly chewier texture when cooked), rolled oats (alternatively known as old-fashioned oats, this is what is typically sold as oatmeal; groat oats are softened with steam and flattened by metal rollers), quick-cooking oats (rolled oats that are pressed even thinner than previous varieties), and instant oatmeal (the frequently packaged and more processed version that includes added flavors/sugar; made of partially cooked and dried rolled oats). In more recent years, excellent oat-based products such as oat milk, oat yogurt, gluten-free oat flour (also used in bread and baked goods), etc., have made mass infiltration into the average grocery and remain useful ways to incorporate the grain in varying methods of cooking.

Barley

Consumed for thousands of years and thought to be one of the world’s oldest grains, barley has roots in Southwest Asia through records of its first usage, where it was originally derived from a wild grain species. Availability today mostly relates to modern cultivated varieties that are grown as hardy-grass crops primarily in Russia, France, Germany, and Australia. Whereas barley as an individually served grain is less-popular than other options, it remains one of the healthiest, and may be more commonly recognized in products containing malt. While available in two forms (whole/hulled barley or pearled barley), only whole barley is considered to be a whole grain due to its minimal processing and adherence to whole grain scientific properties (i.e., having three parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm intact).

That being said, barley is super versatile as a grain and can be cooked into soups and stews for a thicker-broth and heartier meal backbone, or tossed lightly in salads or as a side dish to retain it’s individualized bite. Barley is also frequently available as a flour or as a tea that is drank for health purposes in Traditional Chinese Medicine. All such versions are excellent sources of fiber, protein, micronutrients, and minerals (especially selenium and niacin), though it is important to note that it is not gluten-free. Additionally, barley ranks as a very low glycemic food, and has early-research suggesting very positive results in regards to reducing inflammation and balancing of the gut microbiome.

Bulgur

Originally from the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions and a staple in said cooking, bulgur (sometimes referred to as bulgur wheat or cracked wheat), is a common ingredient in dishes like falafel and tabbouleh, due to its rich, unique grain texture, and nutty/earthy flavor profile. Bulgur is most often made from durum wheat (so note it is not gluten-free), but pretty much any wheat can be turned into bulgur, which is produced as a whole grain by boiling wheat, and then drying and cracking it to create faster cook times for at-home usage.

Similarly in comparison to other whole grains, it is a rich source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, plant-protein, B vitamins, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. It also ranks with a low glycemic score, promotes healthy gut bacteria, and has positive impact on metabolism

Farro

Dating back nearly 17,000 years ago as an ancient grain that marked the beginnings of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia, farro has a unique chewy, nutty texture, and is an ingredient most-popularized in Italian cuisine. While it can also be milled into flour (though again, it is not gluten-free), farro is versatile in a way similar to barley in that it works well to retain its shape and bite in salads and grain bowls, but also lends well in soups, stews, or cooked down like risotto for a richer mouth-feel. An excellent source in fiber, plant-protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals, farro also helps to increase lutein intake, improve gut health, and ranks as a low glycemic food.

Hungry for more? Check out recipes for whole grains of all types, and learn more with the rest of our Intro-To series, available exclusively on our blog!