What foods are whole grains. Why are cereals so good for human health? Types of grain products

After a long boycott, cereals are once again the mainstay of a healthy diet. According to nutritionists, thanks to products containing cereals, you can easily get rid of unwanted kilograms. And this is not their only merit. After a detailed study of the diets of various ethnic groups, the Slavic diet is considered to be one of the healthiest due to them. Cereals are the most important source of carbohydrates. They contain proteins, minerals, fiber and other important and useful elements.

Why are cereals so good for human health?

There are many types of cereals. Cereals, flour, or cereal will be equally useful. It does not matter whether whole or crushed cereal, boiled or in the form of loaves, past pre-processing or not - its value to the body will not decrease.

Rutin, contained in buckwheat, is indispensable for the full functioning of the body. It helps circulation and lowers the risk of high cholesterol. By regularly using this product, you will get excellent prevention of vascular blockage. Corn has greatest content antioxidants. They are much more than in other types of grains or vegetables. Oats protect blood vessels. Rice groats the most easily digestible, which means that it is - dietary product. However, hard varieties contain more gluten. Wild rice rich in proteins and dietary fiber. The content of these substances is much higher than that of ordinary rice.

Are cereals good for everyone?

Sometimes such a product becomes an allergen. The reaction can be caused not only by pollen, but also by proteins. However, allergy sufferers do not need to completely abandon the benefits. cereal products. There are cereals that do not belong to this family. These include buckwheat and wild rice.

Increasingly, the so-called protein intolerance found in some cereals. This protein is called gluten. People with this problem should choose dishes without it. The main health benefit of eating cereals lies in their high fiber content. This important product for getting dietary fiber. It is fiber that improves the functioning of the intestines with its daily use. Most fiber is found in whole grains.

Without B vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates will not be converted into energy, but will be deposited as body fat. And cereals are rich in this group of vitamins.

If a reaction to gluten is detected, then check with your doctor which cereals you can eat. He will explain what kind of bread the patient can eat, and also advise suitable ways processing the necessary cereals.

• British scientists say that people who have a healthy heart eat cereals as a staple.
• Eating a whole grain product regularly will help lower your cholesterol levels.
• Such a diet supports the health of blood vessels and the heart.

Cooking cereals correctly

Patients who are recommended a sparing diet can cook mashed rice porridge. From almost any cereal, both a homogeneous mass and a crumbly dish are prepared. It all depends on the state of health, the recommendations of doctors and personal imagination. Even the usual semolina on milk can be incredibly easy. We grind the swollen cereal with an egg and dry it in the oven on a sheet. Then we pass through a sieve. If you cook semolina in the usual way, and then send to the oven, it will turn out very crumbly.

For consumption various kinds cereals require strict adherence to the rules for adding water when preparing porridge. For semolina porridge for 50 g of kupa, about 400 g of liquid is needed. Doctors often recommend mixing water and milk in half. To get a crumbly dish, you need to mix 50 g of cereal and 100 g of liquid. Pour grated grits with egg into boiling water and mix thoroughly. Then almost ready meal put in the oven. The recommended time is 15 minutes.

For millet porridge, you will need to use other proportions. For crumbly dish take 50 g of thoroughly washed millet and add to 100 g of water. The water must first be boiled. Then, the dish is sent to the oven. You can replace the oven with water bath. Naturally, in a water bath, the water should also boil. Drying time - 15 minutes. To get a homogeneous porridge, it is necessary to pour 50 g of millet into 300-350 g of water. After readiness, carefully sift the dish through a sieve.

These methods are suitable for the preparation of barley and buckwheat. For crumbly barley porridge, you need to take 2½ parts of water per part of the cereal. To get crumbly buckwheat porridge- 1.5 liters of water is needed for 1 kg of cereals.

Unusual cereal recipes

Porridge is not a boring dish at all, if you include at least a little culinary fantasy. Besides, very useful to diversify your diet, because then it becomes possible to enrich your diet with many more irreplaceable substances. You can experiment! However, adjust the composition of the dish, based on your state of health.

• Adding nuts and sugar to your food will help increase the calorie content of the dish.
• Adding dried apricots will add porridge interesting sweetness. Doctors advise introducing this product if an increased intake of vitamin A and potassium salts is needed.
• Cheese helps with calcium and protein deficiency.
• interesting and very useful combinations are made using juices, almond milk, buttermilk and gravy.

Grains are the key to health

In the scientific world long time there has been much debate about the benefits and harms cereal crops. Such a diet began to gain popularity after many women of fashion began to turn to nutritionists more often. The main reason was oversaturation and exhaustion from the complexities of protein diets.

Doctors recommend cereals for the prevention of many diseases. At minimum quantity grain products in the diet, the performance of the body quickly falters. And so the cereal food system began to gain more and more supporters.

One of the reasons was the low effectiveness and fragility of protein, low-carbohydrate diets. British scientists decided to observe the nutritional habits of various ethnic groups. And some especially admired the food culture of the Slavs. Numerous studies have proven that when adding to your menu at least the only product containing gluten, you can save yourself from many chronic diseases. However, for people who carefully monitor their figure, it is important to remember the calorie content of cereals. This is not a dietary product. Therefore, whole grains should be consumed instead of refined ones.

Choosing grain product in the store, carefully study its composition. It should only contain natural ingredients and synthetic additives should be kept to a minimum.

On the example of children's dry breakfast pillows, it can be seen that there are not so many directly cereal components. For the rest, no beneficial body ingredients.

We select products for ourselves

First of all, all cereal-containing products can be divided into whole grains, processed or refined cereals, and finished grain products. In whole grain cereals, after cleansing from the chaff, the most upper layer- bran, the middle part of the grain is the germ, and the inner part is the endosperm. In peeled cereals, the first 2 layers are removed, leaving only the endosperm. TO finished products includes any food containing processed or whole grains.

GRAIN PRODUCTS obtained from cereals; they are essential in the diet of the majority of the population. The main products of grain processing are cereals (see) and flour (see). The latter serves as a source of bread production, as well as a large assortment of bakery, pasta and confectionery products. Grain is also used to produce starch, alcohol and other products.

In the grain, there are: the main nutritional part, which averages 85% of its mass (endosperm); biologically active part, constituting 1.5% (embryo); shells that make up approx. 14%. Chem. The composition of the grain depends on its type and cultivation conditions. Cereals are divided into the following main groups: cereals - wheat, rye, barley, corn, etc. - contain an average of 65-67% carbohydrates, 10-12% proteins, approx. 2% fat, 13-14% water; legumes - peas, beans, lentils - contain 23-25% proteins, 50-55% carbohydrates, approx. 2% fat, 13-14% water; oilseeds - sunflower, peanuts - contain 21 - 26% proteins, 45-53% fats, 5-10% carbohydrates, 8-10% water.

3. items in human nutrition are the main source of vegetable protein and carbohydrates, as well as B vitamins and mineral salts.

A decrease in the quality of grain and its deterioration during receipt, storage and transportation can occur as a result of the vital activity of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), the infestation of grain with weed seeds, and also as a result of the development and vital activity of insects in the grain - granary pests (see. Pests of grain, grain products ).

The microflora of grain is diverse. The main factors contributing to the development of grain microflora during storage is the increase in humidity and air temperature in storages. At the same time, the vital activity of microorganisms is activated, accompanied by the activation of enzymes and biochemical reactions with the release of heat. Under the influence of life mold fungi the shell of the grain is broken, free access to the endosperm opens, which is moistened and infected with various microorganisms.

When assessing the quality of 3. items, the degree of damage to grain by granary pests is taken into account (according to the number of live specimens found in 1 kg of grain).

Measures to combat granary pests include disinfestation of storages, organization of strict control, which excludes the possibility of insect pests entering the storage with batches of received grain, gamma irradiation of grain before loading into elevators, maintaining the established humidity and temperature in storages.

Bibliography: Food Hygiene, ed. K. S. Petrovsky, vol. 1-2, M., 1971; Kretovich VL Biochemistry of grain and bread, in the book: Technical biochem., ed. V. L. Kretovich, p. 18, M., 1973, bibliogr.

V. A. Kudasheva.

IN Lately we are increasingly hearing calls from experts for the inclusion of whole grains in daily diet nutrition. These appeals are directed to people suffering from many diseases, to those who are struggling with overweight, to those who lead, as well as completely healthy people in order to maintain their health for many years. Products from whole grain are the basis accepted by the majority of nutritionists worldwide. How to understand what a whole grain product is, how to find it in a store and what its benefits are, we will understand in this article.

What are whole grains.
Corn different cultures when ripe, it consists of three parts:

• The endosperm is the main part of the grain, and, in fact, the grain itself. The endosperm contains carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals.
• The germ is the part of the grain that, under favorable conditions, germinates and turns into a new plant. The germ is the source a large number vitamins, minerals (, and others), proteins and fats.
• Husk - The shell that surrounds and protects the grain, also called the bran. Bran is rich in B vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.

It is the grain that has retained all three parts and is whole grain. When grinding, peeling, peeling and peeling, the grain loses its shell and germ, thereby losing most healthy substances.

What foods are whole grains.
Whole grains include food products made from whole grains. It can be cereals (brown, cereals, couscous, and others), as well as pasta and bakery products from wholemeal flour. Recently, it has been increasingly appearing on the shelves of our stores, this allows people to cook delicious and healthy pastries on their own.

Health benefits of whole grains:

• Whole grains are very beneficial for of cardio-vascular system they help lower cholesterol blood pressure improve blood composition. People with heart disease should eat whole grains regularly.

• Many experts claim that whole grain foods help protect against oncological diseases. Numerous studies show that people who regularly consume such foods are significantly less likely to suffer from cancer.

• Regular consumption of whole grains reduces the risk of diabetes.

• Favorably affects the nervous system.

• Due to their high fiber content, whole grain products improve performance gastrointestinal tract help to normalize digestion and get rid of constipation.

• Regular consumption of whole grains improves skin condition and thus helps people stay young and beautiful for many years.

• A whole grain breakfast energizes the body for the whole day, and this, in turn, is a guarantee Have a good mood and well-being.

Whole grain products for weight loss.
For weight loss, people most often begin to reduce the intake of foods rich in carbohydrates, i.e. stop eating bread, pasta, etc. Meanwhile, most nutritionists recommend, on the contrary, to include these products in your diet, but with the condition that they must be whole grains. Whole grain products contain a large amount of fiber, which helps to normalize digestion, improve metabolism, cleanse the body of toxins and toxins, and also maintain a feeling of satiety for a long time. In addition, whole grains are rich in

Grain products are important in human nutrition as sources of:

dietary fiber (fiber);

starch;

B vitamins;

iron and others minerals.

They have a low fat content (if not added in the preparation of dishes and products).

Limitations: Virtually non-existent for products without added fat and sugar, do not contain vitamin C

Grain products play an extremely important role in human nutrition. It is enough to list the products included in this group (bread and bakery products, cereals, pasta) to understand their indispensability. In Ukraine and Russia, cereals are the most important - wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, buckwheat, rice.

The central part of the grain of cereals - the endosperm - consists of starch. The grain is covered with several shells that contain many essential nutrients - vitamins and minerals. main product grains - flour. In the process of obtaining flour, the grain is ground and most of the shells and the germ of the grain are separated from it, which form the bran fraction. The separation of bran is caused by the fact that the germ contains fats, which oxidize during storage, causing spoilage of the flour.

The content of nutrients in flour depends on the amount of bran particles remaining in it - the components of the grain shells. Without going into technological details, we note that the less bran is separated from the flour, the coarser the grinding of grain is considered, the darker the color of the flour. Such flour is called the flour of the lower grades (wallpaper and flour of the 2nd grade). The less bran remains in the flour, the whiter it is and is called flour. higher grades(highest and 1st grades). Since the bran contains more various vitamins and minerals than the inner part of the grain, what coarser grinding flour, the more it contains vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. Differences in the composition of flour of different grinding are also reflected in the composition of products produced from flour. The most valuable is the flour obtained from whole grains, since the bran is not removed from it at all.

Upon receipt of cereals from grain, bran is also partially removed, however, there are more of them in the cereal than in the flour of the highest grades.

Bread and bakery products

It is almost impossible to live a day without bread. Bread is never boring and contains almost all the essential nutrients necessary for nutrition. nutrients, with the exception of vitamin C. This is an indispensable food for any age, with the exception of only infants. In our country, adults consume 250-350 g of bread per day.

For the production of flour, wheat and rye grains are used. Flour mixed with water and yeast - dough - loosen the bubbles carbon dioxide, which is formed by yeast from carbohydrates. White bread baked from wheat flour. When added to test rye flour get black bread. Although brown bread is called rye in everyday life, it contains only part of rye flour, and most of it is wheat flour. A significant part of the consumed table salt comes with bread.

The peoples of the world have their own national varieties of bread. There are a great many of them. Our Russian varieties bread, especially brown bread, have very good nutritional properties, are well preserved, give a feeling of satiety. There is every reason to be proud of Russian bread and to keep unique recipes its production.

There is a misconception that bread consumption is the cause of widespread obesity. This is completely contrary to the scientific understanding of the nutritional properties of bread and the mechanisms of obesity. It must be remembered that in our time no one eats just bread. Bread is used with anything. Butter spread on bread is more likely to cause overeating, but not the bread itself.

Products from sweet dough

Bakery products include a wide range of products obtained from flour with various additives that improve taste are sugar, eggs and butter. Butter dough- This is a dough prepared with the addition of fat, eggs and sugar. With a large amount of sugar and fat, bakery products turn into confectionery - cakes and pastries, which bear little resemblance to nutritional properties on products made from flour, although it forms their basis. Cookies, gingerbread and sweet buns occupy an intermediate position between bread and cakes and pastries. If in flour the main part total calories provides starch, confectionery- fats and simple sugars. It is these products, and not simple bakery products, that may be the cause excess consumption fat and energy, contributing to obesity.

The less rich the dough, the healthier it is. Cooking skill is to make the dough less rich, but tasty. For this, various flavor additives or include a filling in the product. For example, pies with apples or other fruit filling can be made from not very rich dough, but thanks to fruit filling they are tasty without a lot of fat and sugar.

Pasta

This flour products long-term storage. Pasta is made from wheat flour High Quality and water with the addition of eggs, milk and other additives. They produce pasta of various shapes, each of which has its own name: vermicelli, horns, tubes, noodles, etc. All of them have approximately the same nutritional value. You can make a lot of pasta independent dishes and side dishes.

Groats

Groats are obtained from various grain crops by removing the upper shells of the grain. At the same time, a certain amount of fiber, minerals and vitamins, which are contained in the shells of the grain, are lost. Groats are stored for a long time and are used to prepare a variety of dishes.

Main Russian dish from cereals is a porridge that is prepared by boiling cereals in water or milk. Add to porridge for flavor butter, fruits, raisins. Currently, quickly prepared porridges are being developed, to which it is enough to add milk or water - and the porridge is ready without cooking. Porridge, both dairy and as a side dish, can be consumed at any meal.

As for the proverb “you can’t spoil porridge with butter,” modern nutritional science says that nutritional value grains and cereals can be spoiled big amount butter, as illustrated in the characterization of pastry. It is recommended to use porridge with a small amount oils and sugar.

Cereal products go well with milk and dairy products. A mixture of porridge with milk high quality mixture proteins. Milk supplements porridge proteins, making them more complete in terms of nutritional properties.

Cereal flakes

Flakes, sticks, balls, rings are prepared from corn, rice, oats, wheat. The flakes are easily soaked in any liquid. They do not need to be boiled, which is why they are sometimes called quick food. They can be consumed with milk, juice.

To understand how important a place in the human diet is occupied by products such as porridge, bread and pasta, just look at the classic food pyramid: its basis is precisely the group of grain products. This means that they should be the most in the daily menu. As a rule, this is how it turns out - even if a person forms his diet without knowing anything about any pyramids. With the only exception that nutritionists mean: a significant part daily ration cereal should be whole grain. Do you think this is just a minor clarification? You are mistaken: in their properties and effects on the body, whole grain products are so different from refined grain products that there may be doubts about their original relationship. Let's try to figure out why this happens.

In itself, the process of cleaning (peeling and peeling) grains has become a logical consequence of progress and development culinary arts: just at some point in history, when suitable devices appeared, people decided that they wanted to eat bread not rough, gray and scratching the throat, but white, thin, soft. The rest became a matter of technique: they learned how to clean the grain, and since the flour from it turned out to be white and ideal for baking the thinnest muffins, this practice has been entrenched in culinary skills for centuries - and is relevant to this day. It would seem that this whole story tells about the victory of enlightened industrial thought over the primitivism of ancient people who ate bread “with sawdust”, but in fact, if you dig a little deeper, it turns out that this story is about how people switched to a more harmful modification of cereal products, thereby losing in health. What is the difference between refined grain and whole grain - “coarse”?

The grain is made up of three elements, each of which has its own composition and fulfills its own unique role.
Endosperm (core)- consists mainly of carbohydrates and proteins and serves as a source of nutrition for the future plant. In fact, these are concentrated nutrients, the purpose of which is to "feed" the sprout, which is supposed to break out of the grain in the future.
germ- an actually undeveloped future sprout of a plant. It is the "working part" of the grain, its purpose is to break through the earth to the light and give rise to an escape.
Grain shell- is a protective element in the grain: it surrounds and protects the endosperm and germ, preventing damage. The grain shell does not have nutritional value, but right below it all the most important minerals and vitamins are concentrated (up to 70% of their total amount in the grain!). The grain shell is bran, it is it that represents the main source of fiber. After all, it is known that fiber in products of whole grain origin is in the highest concentration.

When the grain is cleaned, the following happens: the grain coat and the germ are removed, leaving only the “naked” endosperm with its carbohydrates and proteins. On the one hand, the process is completely logical, comparable to how, for example, nuts are cleaned. On the other hand, as it turned out later, the grain shell is not an analogue of a dead and useless nutshell. Foods made from whole grains include the following: brown (unpeeled) rice, whole grain cereals and whole grain bread, durum wheat pasta, whole grains, oatmeal - and derivatives of them. Their benefits compared to refined grain products are clear:

Whole grains are low in calories and much more satiating, not least because they are digested very slowly without causing blood sugar spikes. As a result, the feeling of fullness comes earlier, but hunger, on the contrary, does not return soon.

If the grain is not cleaned, it retains 65-75% more useful substances, trace elements and vitamins - such as vitamins E and B, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, folic acid etc.

The impact of a diet rich in whole grains on health is undeniably positive: in particular, it is known that daily menu can significantly reduce the risk of developing malignant tumors, especially in.

But the main advantage of whole grains is that they are especially rich in fiber, which is originally contained in the grain shell.

Fiber in whole grains

Cellulose- This vegetable fibers found in almost all constituent parts plants - from stems to fruits - and are not digested in the intestines. Fiber has minimal nutritional value for the body. It is of two types: soluble and insoluble:

- Soluble fiber- These are vegetable resins and pectins. Soluble fiber is found in black bread, legumes, oatmeal, various vegetables and fruits.

- insoluble fiber are lignin and cellulose. Insoluble fiber is found in rice, nuts, some types of fruits, but, most importantly, it makes up the grain shell of grains and, accordingly, is found in products made from whole grains.

In relation to the body, fiber is an inert mass, which, without being absorbed and absorbed by the body, passes through digestive tract, simultaneously performing several functions at once:
Reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood.
Accelerates and improves the digestive process: food with high content fiber goes through its full cycle of processing in digestive system much faster than low fiber foods.
Significantly increases the feeling of satiety (effective in losing weight).
It has a positive effect on blood sugar levels, levels out fluctuations in glucose levels - and, as a result, helps to fight against diabetes.
Normalizes the intestinal microflora.

However, with fiber, as with any food component, you need to know the measure: too much fiber consumed can lead to increased flatulence, problems with hormones and a deficiency of certain minerals. In calculating the volume of fiber, you can focus on the average physiological norm - 45-50 g of fiber per day.

Whole grains in your diet

Making sure your diet includes as many whole grains as possible is easy. The main thing is to ensure a gradual but steady displacement of bread and cereals from refined grains by products made from whole grains. This preemption might look like this:
- White and black bread - gray bread whole grain with bran
- White rice - brown rice
- Steamed cereal flakes - whole grain flakes
- Refined Grain Cereals - Whole Grain Cereals