Most of the world’s population eat some form of grain each day. Their nutritional value depends on the quantity and the type of grain consumed with top marks going to wholegrains.
Myths about grains
Paleo and keto diets are popular, although rarely followed long-term. Both forbid grains, claiming they are not part of the ‘natural’ diet of humans and are responsible for obesity and type 2 diabetes. As regular readers know, I don’t support such claims.
Until the 1970s, grains dominated the diet of people in most Asian countries, yet obesity and type 2 diabetes were rare or non-existent. These problems emerged only when western dietary habits crept in with more processed foods, sugar and fats, accompanied by a sharp decrease in consumption of rice and other grains, along with urbanisation and less physical activity.
Some historical facts
Throughout the world, humans have long consumed the seeds of wild grasses, separating them from their husks or florets and grinding them into different types of flour. This was also the case in Australia, and current research has identified at least 15 species of indigenous grasses that provide significant quantities of nutrients and could lend themselves to sustainable eco-system farming.
It’s interesting to discover how much knowledge Indigenous people had accumulated about edible plants in Australia. My first experience of this was finding that purslane (Portulaca oleracea), a plant known as dhamu, that grows throughout Australia, including prolifically in our Valley, is a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids. The healthful properties of this plant were common knowledge to First Nations people, who used its fleshy leaves, but also valued its tiny seeds for their health benefits. About the size of a poppy seed, the seeds of purslane have been seen as valuable by our Indigenous people and also people in India, Greece and many Middle-Eastern countries. Many of us are ignorant and simply see it as a weed. I admit purslane isn’t high on my list of favourite foods, so I feed it to our chooks so their eggs are then a source of omega 3 fats.
Native grasses (dhunbarr) have a long history of use in many areas of Australia. They were grown, harvested and consumed for thousands of years before white settlement.
The most widespread native grain is Guli (Panicum decompositum), a millet also known as papa grass or umbrella grass. It grows in every mainland state of Australia and has a small seed that is relatively easy to thresh. Nutritionally, it’s a good source of protein, and is rich in dietary fibre. Ganalay (Astrebla spp), also known as Mitchell grass is one of the most highly nutritious of the native grass seeds. Its seed is held in a ‘floret’, the flowering unit of the grass spikelet. To separate this seed from the flower and its two enveloping bracts is time-consuming, but thousands of years before we analysed foods for their nutritional virtues First Nations Australians recognised that this grass seed was highly nutritious. Recent laboratory analysis shows it has almost twice as much protein as most grains.
Many other native grasses and seeds were used, ground into a paste to eat raw or cooked over a fire. Working largely through its campus at Narrabri, Sydney University has an extensive investigation of how these native grasses could be grown and used. Modern agriculture has narrowed the varieties of grains grown, concentrating on strains suitable for monocultures. This can lead to environmental problems, and we could learn a lot from those who favoured polyculture farming. A 36-page booklet ‘Native grains from paddock to plate’ is available online.
Wholegrains
The major grains grown throughout the world include wheat, corn, rice, oats, rye, barley, millet and sorghum, with wheat and rice the most commonly grown for human consumption. Some are grown to feed animals, which is the case for about 40% of all grains grown in Australia.
Modern varieties of wheat were developed from ‘ancient’ grains such as einkorn, emmer and spelt. These ‘ancient’ forms contain slightly more protein, including gluten, than modern wheat and, contrary to popular belief, must be strictly avoided for life by the small number of people who have properly-diagnosed coeliac disease. (Note that adverse gastrointestinal reactions after eating wheat are more commonly due to fermentable sugars called fructans found in wheat and many other foods.)
The varieties of rice vary throughout the world and modern rice is milled to a much higher degree than previously, so white rice now has lower levels of some nutrients.
Dietary guidelines emphasise the superiority of wholegrains over refined grains. Australian guidelines recommend at least two-thirds of grain choices should be wholegrain. Most people fall far short of that and consume about two-thirds as refined grains. A nutritional comparison shows that wholegrains have more protein, dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients than refined grains. Fat content is low but present as healthy, unsaturated fatty acids. Wholegrains have the added advantages of being filling and providing fuel for healthy bacteria in the bowel.
There’s also good research showing that consuming wholegrains can lower the risk of many health problems, including cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
Which ones?
Wholegrains include:
- wholemeal or wholegrain breads, cereals and pasta and wholemeal couscous
- bulgur (cracked wheat)
- farro (steamed green wheat) and freekeh
- oats (rolled or steel-cut)
- brown rice
- whole barley, rye and millet
- wild rice and quinoa (not strictly grains, but included because they are nutritionally similar).
Refined grains
These products are milled to remove the germ and bran. This increases their shelf life but strips away many of the beneficial nutrients including minerals, some B vitamin and vitamin E, as well as about 75% of the phytonutrients and most of the dietary fibre.
Pasta is made from high protein varieties of wheat so retains more value than the refined flours used in products such as biscuits, cakes and pastries.
In Australia, white flour is not bleached as it is in some parts of the world, and retains at least some nutrients. Bread flour is fortified with vitamin B1, folic acid and iodine. I would apply my usual mantra that ‘less doesn’t have to mean none’ to foods made with refined grains.
Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM
