4 Ways to Eat More Whole Grains
Do you wonder if whole grains still be eaten as part of a heart-healthy diet?
If the answer is “yes”, here are the 6 reasons why it should be considered part of the healthy food to eat.
Why do you think whole grain is still good for you?
Eating whole grains is one of the very convenient ways to get fiber because you can prepare it instantly. Frequent eating them lowers your risk of having a heart disease by up to 30%. Did you know that refined grains (like white bread, crackers, and pasta) contain fewer nutrients and fibre? Take a look at the examples below.
How to eat more whole grains
Eating whole grains in place of refined grains need not be hard. Lots of whole grains are tasty and affordable. We think the best changes are ones that you barely notice! Follow these simple tips to help you eat more whole grains.
1. Make sure to choose only intact whole grains
Intact whole grains are those that are unrefined and can be found in nature. They are more nutritious and contain less added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.
Here are some examples:
- Barley
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Bulgur (cracked wheat)
- Whole oats
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
In New Zealand, they get most of the whole grains from bread and breakfast cereals and that when choosing these foods, we would surely benefit from intact whole grains
2. Do some simple swaps
Look at ways to make simple, affordable swaps from refined grains to intact whole grains products.
- White rice to brown rice, barley or quinoa
- Water crackers swap to whole grain crackers
- White pasta switch to wholemeal pasta
- Instead of rice bubbles, take oats
- Whole grain bread from white bread
- Why not roll white bread to a multigrain bread roll
- Use wholemeal flour white flour to whole grain flours
Eating more vegetables should also be considered and swapping refined grains like white bread and pasta to vegetables too.
3. Save at least one meal a day just with a whole grain
Here are some simple ideas to begin with:
- Breakfast: Prepare porridge, toasted whole grain bread Bircher muesli or
- Lunch: salad wrap wholemeal or soup with a whole grain bread roll
- Snacks: whole grain crackers with humus
- Dinner: pan-fry along with buckwheat noodles, include barley to soup, casseroles or risotto, make salads using various grains like brown rice, quinoa or wholemeal pasta
4. Bake a whole grain for a weekend
Why not spend your weekend baking some whole grains? You may wish to find recipes that use whole grains like oats, millet, bran or wholemeal flour.
Here are some good ideas:
- Peanut butter and oat snack balls
- Kumara data loaf
- Almond and oat crackers
- Banana bread
Improved overall heart health is not dependent on the single food but it is on our overall diet and having a self-discipline of what we eat daily.
Practically, we can eat whole grains along its plenty of vegetables and fruit alongside legumes (such as chickpeas and lentils), seeds, nuts, non-fat dairy products, and oily fish.
