Homesteading Guide to Buying Cooking and Eating Whole Grains

Eating healthy has become the “in thing” these days, with more and more people trying to live healthier lives. One of the biggest part of a healthier lifestyle is making better choices when it comes to what you eat every day. We all remember learning about the food triangle as we were growing up and our doctors remind us all the time that we need to get more fresh fruits and veggies in our diet.

However, there is one thing that is not mentioned quite often enough and not getting enough, can actually do more harm than good. While most people get enough protein from a variety of meat sources and from veggies in the case of Vegetarians and Vegans. The problem comes in when it comes to carbohydrates. Not all carbs are created equal and the wrong kinds will not help you to reach your goal of being healthier.

Foods made from the whole grain are much better because they include all of the parts of the grain. This includes the fiber and that is what helps to make you feel full faster. Also, whole grain helps to make your food taste much better. When grain is processed it is often stripped of all of its beneficial fiber and other nutrients are wiped away.

Foods containing processed grains also include higher amounts of simple carbohydrates. The combination of processed grains and simple carbohydrates do not give the body the right amount of energy and often lead to excessive fat retention and excessive weight gain.

When you pay close attention to what is in the food you eat, you are much more likely to be healthier. Always avoid processed foods and replace them with whole grain sources of carbohydrates. Whole grain sources of carbohydrates digest slower and provide a longer duration of energy. This is unlike processed grains which have like nutritional value and burn much faster.

What types of whole grain should you eat?

Once you have decided to take a closer look at the foods you currently are eating, you might be very surprised to find out that some of the things are often mistaken for healthy. Here is a brief list of a good place to start on your journey to healthier eating.

Whole Wheat , Whole Oats, Whole Barley, Whole Maize, Brown Rice, Rye, Millet, Quinoa. When cooking, use whole wheat flour (never white flour). Select only whole grain wheat breads and whole pastas and avoid white breads.  See the guide from Real Simple for a good look at the different grains.

Click here to read about and view the whole chart:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/preparation/whole-grains