Everything you need to know about whole wheat & bull; hello healthy

Want to reduce your risk of premature death from all kinds of diseases by 15 percent, by just making one small change to your diet? Start eating whole wheat.

It's no longer a secret that we should eat more whole wheat, aka whole wheat. Whole grains are good for the body (full of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals) - they help control weight, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and lower cholesterol. However, most of us eat less than one serving of whole grains every day. Why is that?

Perhaps, some additional information about what whole wheat is and what it is for the body can be of some help.

Here are some facts about whole wheat.

Whole wheat is a whole grain

Grains are the seeds and fruits of cereal crops, such as wheat, rye (rye), rice, oats, buckwheat (buckwheat), brown or brown rice, and barley, which have been human staples for thousands of years.

This grain group includes plants that are efficient at converting sunlight, fertilizer, water, and oxygen into macronutrients. The end result is long-lasting seeds, and they can be stored for a long time.

In pre-industrial times, this grain used to be eaten whole (whole wheat), but advances in milling technology and processing of raw materials meant that these grains had to go through a large-scale separation process (flaked, cracked, puffed, or finely ground) before they could be processed. consumed, thus removing any part of the skin / bran and germ attached to the seed - which is precisely the most nutrient-rich part of the seed.

The result, is wheat flour or white flour that you usually find in supermarkets or nearby stalls, which only consists of starch. White flour products (such as white bread, white rice, white pasta, noodles, and many breakfast cereals, snacks, and biscuits) are considered refined grain . In the process of making flour, more than half of the vitamin B complex (B1, B2, B3) and E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron and fiber are lost.

A whole wheat can only be called whole wheat if the seeds still have germ (the inner part of the seed that contains good fatty acids), endosperm (middle layer, aka seed body, which is enriched with carbohydrates and protein, and then covered by the skin, or bran) (the outer layer with lots of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Whole grains can be food on their own, such as oatmeal, brown rice, jam, or popcorn, or used as food support ingredients, such as whole wheat flour in breads and cereals labeled "whole grain".

What are the nutrients in whole grains?

Reporting from Live Science, The American Heart Association recommends that we eat six to eight servings of whole grain foods, especially whole wheat versions, per day. Whole wheat is important for the body for a number of reasons.

For example, whole grains contain fiber. Fiber is an important component of health.

Fiber in whole grains

Wheat is rich in fiber, which is concentrated in the bran, while refined wheat flour contains almost no fiber. Whole grain fiber content ranges from 12-15% of the total dry weight.

The high fiber content in wheat makes whole grains also more filling. This is partly because you have to chew the grains harder, so it will take you longer to eat them. This means that your stomach has more of a chance to tell your brain that you are full, which can help reduce the risk of overeating.

The most common fiber found in wheat bran is arabinoxylan (70%), which is a type of hemicellulose. The rest consists mostly of cellulose and beta-glucan. All these types of fiber are insoluble fiber. These insoluble fibers pass through the digestive system almost intact, some of them also feed the friendly bacteria in the intestines, which leads to increased stool weight. Due to the high fiber content, eating whole grains helps to make your bowel movements more regular. Eating a diet high in insoluble fiber can also help women avoid gallstones.

The above benefits of fiber are the reasons why a diet that emphasizes whole grains can help people maintain a healthy weight. Low fiber intake has been linked to a number of ailments such as constipation, hemorrhoids, appendicitis, diverticulitis, polyps and cancer.

Important vitamins and minerals in whole wheat

One of the important minerals in whole wheat is magnesium. Magnesium is used by more than 300 enzyme systems in the human body, including the enzymes involved in the use of glucose in and insulin secretion. Magnesium is also important for heart, brain and bone health.

Whole grains are absorbed slowly by the body and then gradually metabolized, while processed wheat flour is absorbed by the body rapidly, causing insulin and blood sugar spikes. This factor is the reason why regular consumption of whole grains also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Whole grains can also benefit your eye health. The low glycemic index of whole grains can help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over the age of 60. In addition, the vitamin E, zinc, and niacin, which are found in whole grains, can also help improve overall eye health.

The health benefits of oats, which are mostly related to consumption of the whole wheat version, include vitamins (B vitamins, vitamin E), minerals (iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, selenium), essential fatty acids, phytochemicals (physiologically active components of the plant has functional health benefits) and other bioactive food components.

Most of the health-promoting substances found in the germ and bran of whole wheat seeds, and include resistant starches, oligosaccharides, inulin, lignans (preventing colon cancer), phytosterols, phytic acid, tannins, lipids, and antioxidants, such as phenolic acids, alkylresorcinols. (protects against heart attack), and flavonoids. Nutritionists believe that this array of nutrients and other compounds, when taken together, have an additive and sustained effect on general health.

Risks of eating whole wheat

When switching to a whole grain diet, you may experience a deficiency of folic acid, a B vitamin. Often, processed foods (such as wheat flour, wheat flour, or fortified cereals) are fortified with folic acid, while whole wheat bread is not. Be sure to check the nutritional value information labels on product packaging to make sure these foods contain folic acid.

On the other hand, oats contain small amounts of soluble fiber (fructan) which can cause digestive problems in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, in people who have a high tolerance for soluble fiber, this effect is reversed.

Wheat is also quite high in protein, especially in the form of gluten and lectins. Gluten may have side effects in people with celiac disease or a sensitivity or allergy to gluten.

Meanwhile, lectins can cause flatulence. Consuming whole nuts and seeds in their raw form can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This indigestion occurs because lectins can damage the lining of the intestine. In people with Crohn's disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the lining of the intestinal wall becomes more sensitive to lectins in the food source, which can correlate with intestinal leakage.

However, the lectin compounds in whole wheat will become inactive when exposed to heat, and become nil when the whole wheat has been processed or roasted. The effects of dietary lectins exist only as long as they are in the body, and the effects can be mitigated by consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables (instead of one type continuously), and foods with good bacteria (eg, yogurt).