Cooking with Whole Grains

Health Canada recommends that all Canadians should aim to get at least half of their grain servings as whole grains. This means 3-4 whole grain servings per day depending on your age and gender. Whole grains are versatile and tasty but it may be challenging to figure out how to get more into your diet. Read on for tips on buying and preparing whole grains.

What are whole grains?

Whole grains are grains which have undergone the least amount of processing. This means that all three parts of the grain are preserved, including the bran, germ, and endosperm.

The bran is the protective covering of the grain and provides fibre, B vitamins, and minerals.

The germ nourishes the seed and is the source of new growth in the plant. It provides mostly vitamins, including B vitamins and vitamin E, minerals and healthy fats.

The endosperm is the inner seed and provides carbohydrate and protein. It also provides vitamins and minerals.

Don’t Be Fooled!

Surprisingly, in Canada there are no regulations for using the term “whole grain” on product labels. That means the term “whole grain” does not guarantee that the product is a healthy choice. Many products using the claim “whole grain” are in fact very low in whole grains.

How do I know I am getting a whole grain product?

Choosing whole grains can be easier than you think if you check the ingredient list on food labels. To make sure whole grains are the main ingredient, they should appear first on the ingredient list. Look for ingredients like “whole grain whole wheat flour”, “whole rye”, “whole oat” or “oatmeal”, “whole corn”, “whole barley” and other grains that start with “whole”.

Don’t be fooled by multigrain products, which may include a variety of different grains but may not include whole grains.

What about whole wheat?

Whole wheat is usually a refined grain, though there are exceptions. Refined grains are grains that have had some or all of the germ and bran removed from the kernel. Examples of refined grains are white flour, white rice, white pasta, whole wheat flour, and cream of wheat cereal.

Whole wheat flour contains at least 95% of the wheat kernel, but most of the germ and some of the bran is missing. Therefore, products labelled as 100% whole wheat or 60% whole wheat are NOT whole grain products.

The ABC’s of Some Popular Whole Grains

Wondering what to choose at the grocery store, or how to use some different grains? Try some of the following whole grains.

Spelt

oval in appearance
yellow-brown
store in a tightly sealed container, in the refrigerator
deep nut-like flavour
a distant cousin to wheat, it can be ground into flour to be used in
breads, baked goods, and pasta, but it can also be prepared as an
alternate to rice

Triticale

a hybrid between wheat and rye, and looks similar to both grains
comes as cracked, flaked or as flour
store in a tightly sealed container, in the refrigerator
a substitute for both rye and wheat in recipes and can be used in breads, muffins, pasta, waffles, and cereals

Bulgur

produced from wheat
ranges in colour from cream to brown, similar in appearance to sunflower seeds
store in a tightly sealed container, in the refrigerator
has a mild nutty flavour
since it’s precooked, it is quick to prepare as a side-dish, pilaf or salad

Amaranth*

tiny, circular grain
cream-colour
store in a tightly sealed container, in the refrigerator
mild, sweet, nutty flavour
try boiling it as hot cereal, or ground into flour for breads, muffins,
pancakes, and pastas, popped like popcorn, or toasted in a stir-fry

Millet*