Ingrained, The World of Versatile, Nutritious Grains

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Hi, there, beautiful Mama!

Being a mom to a young baby who depends on you for milk and all the nutrients to grow strong and develop a solid immune system, you might wonder what foods you should consume. While vegetables, fruit, fish, and plant protein sources matter, grains should also be on your list of priorities.

If you ask an average consumer what grains they know about or use the most, the top answer will be “oats,” “wheat,” or “rice.” However, these are also the grains that today are either highly processed and devoid of their true nutrient power or allergenic, causing celiac disease and intestinal discomfort.

Little do we know about the world of versatile, nutritious, and beneficial grains for us to add to our diets or even base them on.

The world of grains remains widely unexplored. A significant part of it belongs to the so-called “ancient” grains, the characteristic signifying their old-fashioned nature, them being “ingrained” in traditional diets, constituting the staples for many nations, looking and tasting much the same as they did centuries ago.

Most ancient grains are gluten-free, resulting in better digestibility and increased nutrient density. Most of them are prepared like rice or pasta and are relatively simple to incorporate into a weeknight meal.

Ancient grains fall into three categories: quick cooking, wheat grains, or pseudo cereals.

Quick-Cooking Cereals

Quick-cooking cereals can be boiled or simmered in a cooking liquid and set aside to “fluff” for about 10 minutes. Quick-cooking grains include teff, millet, and bulgur, among many others.

Teff is a staple in eastern Africa, boasting a nutty, cocoa-like flavor. It plays incredibly well with sweet flavors like dates, raisins, or maple syrup. Teff also boasts the highest calcium content among all grains, with 1 cup containing 123mg (about the same as half-cup of cooked spinach).

Millet is a tiny, gluten-free mild-tasting grass seed grain packed with minerals. It originates everywhere, from Africa to China. Because it is so small, it can be easily added raw to baked goods to offer a nutritional boost and crunchy texture. Toasting millet before cooking in water will help create a nutty, corn-like flavor.

Bulgur is common in Middle Eastern cuisine; use it instead of rice or quinoa in any side dish. “Tabbouleh” is considered a more familiar term for this grain. Like pasta, bulgur is precooked and dried, requiring only a quick 10-minute boil. It is one of the most fiber-filled grains on the market.

Ancient wheat grains

Among ancient wheat grains are khorasan (kamut), wheat berries, spelt berries, einkorn, and farro (emmer).

Even though khorasan does contain gluten, it is easier to digest than other grains. Khorasan offers essential minerals like manganese and selenium. It can be puffed and used as a hot or cold cereal, ground into flour, or boiled and used in a grain salad.

Out of all ancient grains, wheat berries benefit the most from soaking. They make a great candidate for bulk cooking in a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. Because they are hearty and hold up well in liquid, they are an excellent, fiber-rich addition to soups and stews.

Spelt berries can be added to grain salads or cooked like risotto. They can be ground into flour and used instead of wheat flour in bread, muffins, pancakes, and more.

Einkorn can be cooked in its whole-berry form or milled into flour. It is excellent as an addition to stir-fries. Even though it can be challenging to find in a traditional supermarket, it boasts vitamin A and potassium.

Farro (emmer) can be used in risotto or as a swap for pasta. If unprocessed, farro requires an overnight soak; semi-pearled farro makes for quicker cooking.

Pseudo-Cereals

Pseudo-cereals are the seeds of other plants, not grasses. Most of them are gluten-free and include buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth.

Buckwheat is an ancient grain popular in Asia and Europe. It cooks quickly and can serve as a traditional wheat flour alternative. Because it contains all nine essential amino acids, it is a complete protein. Its versatility in use is fascinating — from pancakes to porridge, it has multiple benefits in the kitchen.

Quinoa’s origin comes from Peru and Bolivia. It can be an excellent substitute for rice; it blends well with the flavors of Latin American and Mediterranean cuisines.

Amaranth is a staple crop of Aztecs; this high-protein seed has a sharp, peppery taste. It is used mainly in tortillas or chapati. You can pop the kernel and eat it like corn, making it a great snack.

Farro (Emmer) can be used in risotto or as a swap for pasta. If unprocessed, farro requires an overnight soak; semi-pearled farro makes for quicker cooking.

With so many grains, you can create an endless variety of meals in your kitchen! Adding grains to salads and soups or eating them with dried fruit and nuts for breakfast means adding healthy carbohydrates and plenty of vitamins and minerals to your nutrition.

I hope you learned about a new grain or two today and are curious to try it — let me know in the comments below what your favorite grain is and how you enjoy preparing it. Also, feel free to contact me to learn about the benefits of different grains, how much you should consume daily, and how I prefer to incorporate grains into my diet!

Anastacia

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