This past weekend, I was a keynote speaker at the 22nd Annual Celiac Conference at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. I actually spoke twice; once with a group of 35 kids, ages 7-11, and then later in the day with the adults.
With the kids, we viewed a virtual tour of Bob's Red Mill's plant to see how whole grains are processed in the mill (click on Virtual Tour at www.BobsRedMill.com) Then, we used little hand-held coffee/spice grinders to grind whole grain brown rice into brown rice flour. Then, for fun, we weighed each sample with a kitchen scale.
With the adults, I discussed the fact that the Whole Grains Council recommends 3 to 5 daily servings of whole grains. A whole grain has all three parts: bran, germ, and endosperm. A serving of cooked whole grains such as oatmeal or brown rice is only one-half cup. A serving of gluten-free cold cereal is about ¾ to 1 cup.
We have a wide variety of gluten-free grains available to us (such as gluten-free oats, plus amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, sorghum, and teff). They are easily cooked on the stove, or in a pressure cooker or a rice cooker.
There are many benefits of increasing our intake of whole grains:
Lower rates of heart disease
Reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancer
Overall gastrointestinal health
Reduced diabetes risk and better maintenance of glucose levels
Better weight management
Reduced belly fat
Eat cooked whole grains as hot cereal for breakfast, topping them with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, raisins, or dried fruit. On the morning I left for Columbus, my breakfast was a Thai dish made of brown rice cooked with coconut milk and tossed with chopped fresh mango and shredded coconut, then sweetened with honey. Yummmmm.....
I often make whole grain soups for lunch, such as tomato-quinoa, or a cold grain salad called Tabbouleh (see photo below) made from cooked quinoa rather than the usual bulgur. I serve cooked whole grains as side dishes for dinner, rather than the usual white rice or potatoes. Desserts can have whole grains in them, such as adding cooked whole grains to pudding or brownies, or using them as toppings such as an oat crumbles on apple crisp.
My latest book, 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes, uses every one of the gluten-free grains (that is available to consumers) in at least one recipe... either as a whole grain or as a flour. So, make a promise to yourself and your family to eat more whole grains. As Mom said, they're good for you.
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