Drug Medical Information

FOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH: GRAINS

Variety, in this category, is an understatement. There is such an abundance of grains, and new and exotic varieties keep appearing, not only in health-food stores, but in supermarkets as well. Brown rice, brown basmati rice, wild rice, wehani (a California whole-grain rice), barley, millet, cracked wheat (bulgur), oats, rye, whole-ground cornmeal, wheat berries, triticale (a cross between wheat and rye), pastas made from whole grains or Jerusalem artichoke flour, soba and other Oriental noodles, and the more exotic grains like amaranth and quinoa - you've got endless possibilities for casseroles, salads, main dishes, side dishes, and cereals.
It's true that grains are easier to find than nutritious bread: Most supermarket breads contain small amounts of saturated or hydrogenated fats, and are baked with refined flours, dough conditioners, sugar, excessive sodium, and other additives. (Whole-wheat pita bread is always a good choice, though, and is perfect for sandwiches and dips.)
And here's where you can rely on your health-food store to really help out. They frequently offer a number of interesting multi-grain and sprouted whole-grain breads made without undesirable ingredients. These recipes may be a mixture of oats, corn, rye, cracked wheat, brown rice, millet, barley, and even lentils; like other loaves, they store easily in the freezer. These are satisfying, flavorful breads - again, you won't feel deprived of the sugar and fat. The taste of whole grains is so much better without all that doctoring!
Avoid most commercial brands of crackers: Instead choose Scandinavian flatbreads, unsalted rye crackers, crisp-bread, whole-wheat matzo, rice cakes, unsalted whole-grain or sourdough pretzels (some pretzels are free of oils and shortening).
Cereals from the big name brands now offer hope: The list of fiber-rich ready-to-eat cereals that contain little or no refined sugar has grown substantially in the past several years, and shows little sign of stopping. Look for flakes, puffs, "crispies," and other varieties made from whole or mixed grains, including brown rice, oats, corn, millet, barley, rye, wheat, and amaranth. Many of these (like amaranth flakes) are still more common in health-food stores, but you'll find many others - traditional favorites such as shredded wheat (or shredded wheat and bran) and raisin bran, as well as lots of interesting new varieties, many bearing familiar brand names - right on the supermarket shelf.
Be careful about other cereals; read the labels. Many contain a lot of salt, refined sugar, and tropical and/or hydrogenated oils ("natural" does not necessarily mean healthful - beware of misleading advertising ploys). Some cereals are made with several different sweeteners, which you'll find scattered throughout the list of ingredients; they are easily missed, so watch out for them. Look for words with the suffix "-ose" (for example, dextrose, fructose, maltose) - a tip-off to added sugar. While small amounts of added sugar aren't a big concern, if a cereal to which you haven't even added fruit tastes overly sweet, it probably contains an excessive amount of refined sugar.
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