San Diego Farmers Market Manager

Whole Grain Love on Valentine's Day
Posted by () on Feb 16 2011
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"Whole Grain Love on Valentine's Day"

Did you know that the right whole grain can be an even better source of antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables?

Whole grains are simply the seeds of grasses, and seeds are full of powerful stuff. A grain is "whole" when all three parts - bran, germ and endosperm - survive any refinement or baking process. The germ and the bran of a grain--both of which get destroyed during the milling involved in making white breads and pastas--contain the more robust antioxidants and vitamins (most importantly: vitamin E, magnesium and iron).

Specifically, a slice of white bread made from refined flour has 66 calories, 1.9 grams protein and 0.6 grams fiber. A slice of whole-wheat bread, on the other hand, contains 69 calories but 3.6 grams protein and 1.9 grams fiber.

The US government publication, "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005," recommends that all adults eat half their grains as whole grains.

Maybe the government is trying to cut its medicare bills.

Whole grains have been shown to:

* reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol levels, blood

pressure, and blood coagulation;

* reduce the risk of many types of cancer; and

* help dieters lose weight (fiber filling the stomach reduces appetite).

If you're shopping at the grocery store, look for these seals from the Whole Grains Council: (note: one is GOOD; other is EXCELLENT)

Whole grain stamp

The Whole Grains Council also provides a list of bars, beverages, cereals, baking mixes, pasta, pizzas and soups and more that have earned its whole grains stamp.

Hey Parents: That Whole Wheat White is the Real Thing!

While it sounds too good to be true, whole-wheat WHITE bread does count as whole wheat! Made with a sweeter, albino variety of wheat, it still has its bran and germ which carry all the good stuff. Don't let the feathery feel fool you. Whole wheat white gets that soft texture after going through an extra processing step. The Mayo Clinic confirms it in: Whole Grains: Hearty Options for a Healthy Diet.

Vendor Heartland Harvest Whole Grain Foods Weighs in . . .

In the early 90s, Pamela Leathers was a stay-at-home mom looking for fun ways to make bread. The class she found was lead by a teacher that ground her own grain in a mill. When Leathers tasted the resulting bread, she was hooked.

With her own mill, she began making delicious, healthy varieties of flours and served the bread to her family.To her delight, she began to lose weight. After years of trying various diets, it was the first time in her life the pounds went away and stayed away.

For families who want to switch to more whole grains, Leathers recommends starting with rice. Simply cook both white and brown rice, but after preparing both separately, cut the white rice with brown rice in a 3 to 1 ratio (maybe 3 cups white rice to 1 cup brown). After serving that for a while, give the family rice that's ½ brown and ½ white. Because, as Leathers explains, children's palates are both more sensitive and limited, changes work best when they're gradual and begin with the familiar.

Or . . . to find easy high-nutrient, whole grain dinners, side dishes, soups and breakfasts almost fully prepared (you will need to add heat and maybe one or two ingredients), visit Leather's Heartland Harvest booth at Brian's Markets' at UTC on Thursday and Sunday at Point Loma.

Pappardelle's Carefully Selected Whole Grain Durum Wheat Pastas

Pappardelle's Pasta, which appears at Brian's Markets in University Town Center (Thursday), Mission Valley (Friday) and Point Loma (Sunday) also sells several high nutrient, whole wheat pastas. Their Five Grain Fettucine, Organic Whole Wheat Pasta, Whole Wheat Garlic Fettucine, Whole Wheat Herb Trenette and more feature whole grain flour.

More, Pappardelle's website lists several recipes to go with each style of pasta they create (just reviewing their site made me so hungry for good pasta! Dont' believe me? Read "Why Our Pasta's Special" on the website and then go try to eat some carrots.)

The website explains that pasta made with all-purpose or bleached flours are bland and low in nutrient value.Knowing that the higher quality the durum wheat, the better tasting the pasta, Pappardelle's found the one unique flour mill in North Dakota that nurtures and handles a very hard variety of grain that features a nutty flavor while keeping its shape and firmness when cooked.

Show 'em you love 'em this Valentine's Day by giving them the good stuff: meals full of high-quality whole grain.

Have you eaten a Heartland Harvest whole grain meal or a Pappardelle's Pasta? Share it with us on our Brian's Markets Facebook page.

Whole Grain Love on Valentine's Day

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