5 Easy Ways To Add More Wholegrains Into Your Diet
The start of a New Year tends to jumpstart a lot of change around the world. People reflect on their lifestyles and look for ways to improve themselves, with diet usually being quite a popular change to make.
There are endless ways to give yourself a health boost; you can cut down on sugar, cut down on highly processed foods, have better portion control etc. Another great way to eat healthier is to make sure that you’re consuming enough whole grains each day.
Unlike refined grains (e.g. white bread), whole grains are unprocessed and nutritionally ‘complete’. All whole grain kernels contain three parts: the bran, germ, and endosperm, and each of these parts contain important nutrients, including:
fiber
minerals
protein
antioxidants
vitamins
Whole grains have also been found to reduce the risk of certain diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Current scientific evidence indicates that whole grains even play an important role in lowering the risk of chronic disease.
So we have established the whole grains are good for us. But how exactly can we incorporate them into our diets?
Start With Snacks
Did you know that popcorn is considered a whole grain? In fact, 100g of popcorn contains 13g of fiber! So the next time you want to cosy up to a movie, you shoudn’t feel too guilty about wanting to snack on a bowl of popcorn. More ideas for snacks include whole grain cereal, salad with whole wheat tortillas, or avocado on rye crackers.
Then Breakfast
Once you’ve started to incorporate more whole grain snacks into your life, then you can begin to add some whole grain breakfasts into your weekly menu. There are many choices for breakfasts, for example, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, or muesli. You can jazz these whole grains up as much as you want with syrups, fruit, spreads, or whatever you like.
Baking Substitutes
Look into using whole grains in your baking, such as buckwheat, wholemeal flour and oats. One benefit of using whole grains in baking is that they tend to give off a richer, nutty flavor whereas refined grains like plain flour are like a blank canvas.
Eat Wholewheat
Switching from white bread to wholewheat bread is one of the most popular (and not to mention easy) ways to get more whole grains into your diet. If you don’t like shop-bought wholewheat bread, you can make your own with this super easy recipe.
Quinoa Instead Of Rice
The final step is to be more adventurous with your ingredients! Instead of having rice in your burrito bowl or with your curry, opt for quinoa instead. Quinoa is a fantastic superfood that’s high in protein, fiber and it’s naturally gluten-free. Just like with most new things, quinoa can take some practice to perfect when cooking it. Fortunately, you can purchase it ready-made from supermarkets if you’d rather skip the cooking process!
