1. Whole Grains Offer a Complete Nutritional Profile
Whole, unrefined grains have been the mainstay of the human diet for centuries. Often referred to as cereals, they provide fiber, protein, carbohydrates and fats. They are also a fantastic source of energy-giving B complex vitamins. Plus, whole grains are packed with a wealth of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper and manganese.
2. Eating Whole Grains Can Ease Diverticulitis
Little pouches called divertula can form along the outer surface of your colon wall. These pouches usually form at weak spots, where blood vessels poke through the wall of the bowel. Most of the time, these diverticula cause no problems. But sometimes, if you are straining to push hard stool along, the muscle in the colon wall can thicken, causing pain and spasms. The diverticula can also become infected (a condition called diverticulitis) or perforated (leading to severe abdominal infection and pain). Eating whole grains every day is a great way to treat, as well as prevent diverticulitis. Your best bets are whole cooked oat, wheat, kamut, millet, brown rice, buckwheat and quinoa.
3. Avoid Certain Grains
About one in every 100 people is intolerant or allergic to a protein called gluten that is found in certain grains. Wheat is the most common gluten-containing grain, including the many forms of wheat such as durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, and wheat's cousin triticale. Other gluten-containing grains include barley, rye and some oats. If you are allergic to gluten or simply intolerant of it, you can still enjoy the health benefits of whole grains. Just be sure to stick to brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, millet and quinoa.
4. Choosing Brown Rice Over White is Better for the Environment
Not only does brown rice contain far more nutrients than its processed white counterpart--including vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, potassium, magnesium and iron--but it also has four times more fiber. Best yet, because it is a whole grain, brown rice requires less processing than white. And less processing means less energy used. Plus, white rice is often enriched with several synthetic vitamins and minerals, all that can play havoc with the environment. So do your body and the environment a favor and go brown.
5. Whole Grains Can Help Balance Estrogen Levels
Whole grains are also excellent sources of lignans, plant chemicals that act like mild estrogens in women, helping to balance estrogen levels. A study from Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine confirmed that once plant lignans are eaten, intestinal bacteria convert them to substances that are weakly estrogenic and can provide additional nutritional support to menopausal women deficient in this hormone. When choosing whole grains, opt for organic, which tend to have a better nutritional profile than conventionally grown grains.
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