Whole Grains are Good for You

I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes. - Sara Teasdale

I have to confess - I am deeply in love with carbohydrates. I know that carbs have had a rough go of it the past few years - people love to bash them and accuse them of making people fat. The Zone, Atkins and South Beach diets were all very trendy. However, the evil carbs are the refined, processed ones. Go ahead and say it aloud, "processed food is bad." 

I grew up on white rice (bad) and I was made in Taiwan, so maybe my love of carbs is compulsory. My carb palate is highly refined (I'm not bragging, I'm just saying), and I can taste the difference between the same type of white rice cooked in different ways. On average, the most delicious bowls of white rice are from Korean restaurants, then Japanese. Chinese restaurants fall a distant last.

Still, when I had my first bite of brown rice, it was an instant moment of deep, soulful recognition and bliss. It was nutty, chewy, and basically divine. However, I had initial doubts about brown rice's versatility - I thought it only went with steamed hippy foods and stir-fry - but now I realize it goes with everything. Sushi? Bring it on! Rice pudding? Why not? After falling head over heels for brown rice, I realized I liked everything in the whole grains family. Quinoa, barley, wheat berries, steel-cut oatmeal...

And the awesome thing is that whole grains are not only delicious, they are really nutritious! 

• Packed with nutrients: protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals
• Reduces the risk of heart disease, obesity, type II diabetes and some types of cancer 
• Keeps you feeling full longer and away from "carb crash" since your body does not absorb it as quickly
• Potentially helps lose belly fat 

The refined stuff (white rice, white bread, bleached flour, etc.) has had most of the nutrition processed out of it. Grains are made out of three parts: 1) bran - the tough outside which is full of fiber and antioxidants, 2) the germ which becomes the new plant and is full of minerals and B vitamins, and 3) the endosperm which is starchy and feeds the germ. A whole grain still has all three parts. Refined grains remove the bran and the germ (the most nutritious parts!) to leave the starch. And in some messed up logic, some nutrients are then added back to "enrich" the stripped grains. Just stick with the whole grains! 

What to do - Eat Whole Grains

1. Replace your refined grains with the whole version. Do you have white rice, rolled oatmeal or pearled barley? That's all been processed to leave out the most nutritious part of the grain. Replace it with brown rice, steel-cut oatmeal and whole barley. You can use substitute any grain for white rice - quinoa, barley, millet, wheat berries...
2. Soak your grains before cooking them. Grains contain phytic acid, which can leach nutrients, so you may want to soak them to neutralize. You soak them for 12-24 hours in water with 2T of vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, or whey. We haven't actually done this - we just learned it from our commenters below but we'll give it a whirl. (thanks all!)
3. All pasta and bread are processed. Sorry. We hate to break the bad news to you, but flour is smushed grains - that's processing. However, they are staples of most people's diets. If you're going to have these, look at the ingredients list and make sure that the word "whole" precedes any grain. "Seven grain bread" does not mean there are seven whole grain types. Products with at least 51% whole grains will have the phrase ""In a low fat diet, whole grain foods may reduce the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancers" or a Whole Grain Council's whole grain stamped 100%. Experiment and find what you like. Different manufacturers make very different tasting products. We tried many different types of whole wheat pasta until we found the Whole Foods brand, which we like as much as white. 
4. Don't like the taste of whole grains? Try mixing it. My mother weaned my father into brown rice by mixing brown into white rice and gradually increasing the ratio.
5. Look at the ingredients list in your cereal, and make sure it has whole grains. They are not only more nutritious; they will also "stick" with you to keep you fuller for a longer period of time. Kashi and Barbara's cereals are often made with whole grains.
6. Irish steel-cut oatmeal is the real deal. It's delicious. I'm partial to McCann's. It takes longer to cook, but it's worth it. You can plan ahead by bringing it to a boil the night before, turning the heat off, and leaving the lid on overnight, or using a slow-cooker on low for the night. 
7. Ask for brown rice in Asian restaurants. Lots of them carry it now. Even if they don't, the more requests they get, the more likely they are to serve it in the future.
8. Baking? Try substituting whole wheat flour, spelt wheat, and amaranth. You'll have to make adjustments so search out different recipes.
9. Add whole grains (e.g. barley, quinoa) to soups.
10. Make extra servings and keep it in the refrigerator. That way there's always something to snack on, and they work well in salads too. For extra credit, add ground flaxseeds. The flaxseed adds extra depth and omega-3's.
11. You don't have to switch over 100% immediately. Remember, it's about increasing your batting average. Make gradual changes, and you'll probably find you end up preferring whole grains. We did! 

Want to learn more? This Whole Foods blog post is great, as is this WebMD article and this Mayo Clinic article. Here's a good list of different grains.

Check out Food Renegade's blog carnival for more real food posts. 

What I ate: latte, 1 banana, 2 oranges, spinach salad + brussel sprouts + roasted squash + roasted mushrooms + wheat berries, 3 fried zucchini sticks, 4 small chocolate chip cookies (yikes!), 1 cup coffee, 1 apple, 1 handful sunflower and pumpkin seeds, 1.5 oz mixed nuts, 1 cup quinoa, steamed tofu + broccoli + asparagus, hot chocolate

Exercise: 3 miles + 5 1000m intervals (Paragon track workout)