DIET

24 WELLNESS FOR ALL

In  February  this  year,  a  coffeshop  in  Bukit  Batok  jumped  on  the  healthy  food  bandwagon,  offering  local  fare  with  whole  grain  ingredients  such  as  brown  

rice  and  whole  grain  noodles.  By  and  large,  whole  grains  have  been  touted  as  a  healthy  addition  to  a  diet;  here’s  a  closer  look  at  why  they’re  good  for  you.

Anatomy of a whole grainAll  grains,  like  wheat,  oat  and  rye,  start  out  as  whole  grains.  What  qualifies  

them  as  whole  grains  are  the  bran,  endosperm  and  germ  found  inside  the  kernels.  These  are  what  make  whole  grains  beneficial,  as  they  are  rich  sources  of  vitamins  and  minerals.    

The  bran  is  the  outer  layer  of  the  whole  grain  which  is  rich  in  fibre,    B  vitamins,  minerals  and  phytochemicals  (chemical  compounds  found  in  plants).  The  endosperm  —  the  middle  layer  —  contains  mainly  carbohydrates  and  protein.  Finally,  the  germ,  which  is  

Why go against the grain when you can sink your teeth into them? Here’s why a simple switch to whole grains can reap major nutritional benefits.By GENE KHOR

whole (grain) truth

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found  inside  the  whole  grain,  is  packed  with  more  B  vitamins,  vitamin  E,  minerals  and  phytochemicals.  

However,  during  the  refining  processing  the  production  of  white  rice  and  flour,  the  germ  and  bran  layers  are  removed  from  the  whole  grain,  resulting  in  the  loss  of  important  nutrients.

Inside outSo  you  know  what  makes  a  whole  grain  great,  but  why  are  they  good  for  you?  

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According  to  the  Health  Promotion  Board  (HPB),  eating  more  whole  grains  has  been  shown  to  lower  the  risk  of  developing  chronic  diseases  such  as  heart  diseases,  diabetes  and  certain  cancers.  

It’s  not  just  one  magical  nutrient  in  the  whole  grain,  but  its  different  components  working  together  to  protect  your  health.  For  example,  vitamin  E,  selenium  and  phytic  acid  in  whole  grains  have  antioxidant  effects  which  may  help  prevent  damage  in  blood  vessels  while  fibre  in  the  bran  helps  reduce  blood  cholesterol.  All  these  play  a  role  in  lowering  the  risk  of  developing  heart  disease.

Know the differenceYou’re  ready  to  make  that  switch  to  whole  grains,  but  are  confused  by  the  many  foods  available  proclaiming  to  be  healthier  alternatives?  For  example,  bread  labelled  as  ‘softmeal’,  ‘7-­‐grain’,  ‘multi  grain’  or  ‘enriched’  doesn’t  necessarily  contain  whole  grains.  As  a  general  rule  of  thumb,  the  HPB  suggests  looking  out  for  the  word  ‘whole’,  as  in  ‘wholemeal’,  ‘whole  wheat’  and  of  course,  ‘whole  grain’.

Is  there  a  difference  between  ‘whole  grain’  and  ‘wholemeal’?  The  HPB  describes  wholemeal  as  whole  grains  that  have  been  milled  to  a  finer  texture,  but  still  have  the    bran,  endosperm  and  germ  intact.  This  means  that  wholemeal  food  products  are  also  whole  grain.  You’ll  see  examples  of  them  as  wholemeal  bread  and  wholemeal  spaghetti.  On  a  related  note,  even  though  it’s  flaked,  steamed,  cracked  or  ground,  instant  oatmeal  is  also  considered  a  whole  grain  as  it  has  all  three  layers  intact.

Eating out whole-somelyHere are some places that offer whole grain options.

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etty Images, Istockphoto

FOOD KING COFFEE HOUSE Block 233, Bukit Batok East Avenue 5

Since February this year, eight of the stalls have started using ingredients like brown rice, whole grain noodles and oil that’s lower in saturated fat. For example, the chicken in its chicken rice dish is now served skinless and the accompanying bowl of rice is now a mixture of both white and brown.

CEDELE Outlets around Singaporewww.cedeledepot.com

You can choose from a variety of whole grain breads such as wholemeal linseed and wholemeal sunflower seed, either to take away or as bread for your sandwich. At their larger outlets, wholemeal pasta and brown rice dishes are also served.

QQ RICE

Originally from Taiwan, this food stall sells rice rolls made from a mixture of red, purple, brown and wheat grains mixed with brown rice. You can choose up to five fillings for your roll from ingredients like sliced burdock, roasted sesame seeds, turkey bacon and tuna.

Making the switchIt doesn’t mean that you have to stop consuming white rice and bread completely.

Singaporeans recommends that out of the five to seven servings of Rice and Alternatives (such as bread and noodles) two to three servings should be whole grain products. All you have to do is have brown rice, wholemeal bread, whole wheat pasta, instant oatmeal, chapatti (an Indian flat bread made of whole wheat flour) and whole grain biscuits.

Endosperm

Germ

BranAnatomy of a whole grain