Whole grains are an indispensable part of the human diet and should constitute a large portion of it.
In China, the concept of the "Five Grains" has a long history, and our grain-based dietary habits have been followed for thousands of years. The ancient book "Rites of Zhou" specifies the "Five Grains" as broomcorn millet, panicled millet, beans, wheat, and rice. This saying gradually became a custom. Among them, broomcorn millet refers to corn and also includes yellow millet, panicled millet refers to foxtail millet, and beans refer to legumes. To this day, the "Five Grains" have become an abstract term referring to various grain crops, or "whole grains," including fine grains (such as rice and wheat), coarse grains like cereals (such as corn, millet, sorghum, purple rice, oats, buckwheat, etc.), legumes (such as soybeans, fava beans, peas, red beans, etc.), tubers (such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc.), and other miscellaneous grains.
So, what is the significance of whole grains for spring health? How can they be consumed to better benefit health in spring? These are the topics we will discuss in this chapter.
Grains are the original source of life, so we must pay close attention to them in our diet and not neglect whole grains.
"He who has grain prospers; he who loses grain perishes." Our ancient sages deeply understood the great health-preserving effects of grains from long-term life experience. The book "Suiyi Ju Yinshi Pu" states: "Congee and rice are the number one nourishing things in the world. The poor suffering from deficiency syndromes can use thick rice soup as a substitute for ginseng soup, often achieving miraculous effects. For patients and new mothers, congee is the most suitable food." Li Shizhen also said that the "rice oil" is the "poor man's ginseng soup," and if an infant consumes it for a hundred days, they will become plump and fair.
In folklore, the day of the Start of Spring (Lichun) marks the beginning of the agricultural year for the year. The Start of Spring is commonly called "Da Chun" (Beating the Spring). Historical records state that King Wu of Zhou ordered local officials to hold a "Welcoming the Spring" ceremony annually. The officials had to bathe, wear plain clothes, and walk to the outskirts of the city to "welcome the spring" on the day before the Start of Spring. The next day, they would gather villagers, burn incense, and bow to worship, as the "God of Germination" (Mangshen) whipped a clay ox. This was intended to drive away the laziness of the spring ox to welcome a bountiful harvest for the year and also to announce the beginning of spring plowing and sowing. Later, people changed the clay ox to one made of bamboo strips, papered over, and filled with grains or peanuts, walnuts, and dates to symbolize a bountiful harvest. This shows the great importance ancient people placed on whole grains.
There is a widely spread Chinese proverb: "Man is iron, rice is steel; one meal without it and the heart grows anxious." As a staple food, rice is steamed or boiled from grains. It plays an indispensable role in our diet. Experts and health experts, both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, all believe that "rice is the foundation of all flavors." Therefore, whether it's the ancient "Huangdi Neijing" (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), modern China, or many Western countries, their dietary guidelines all emphasize the importance of grains. The "Huangdi Neijing" believes that the principle of diet should be "nourish with the five grains, assist with the five fruits, supplement with the five livestock, and supplement with the five vegetables." "Nourish with the five grains" emphasizes that the energy and protein we need daily should mainly be supplied by grains. Grains are the staple food for the Chinese people and the original source of life.
The nutritional value of grains has the following main features: First, carbohydrates are the main nutrient in grains, usually accounting for over 70%, mainly starch, as well as cellulose and hemicellulose. Therefore, they are the easiest for the human body to digest and absorb. Second, grains are rich in plant protein, which is important for improving anemia, enhancing the body's immunity, and maintaining the health of human skin and hair. However, because their amino acid composition is not ideal, the nutritional value of the protein is not high. But if grains and legumes are eaten together, the complementary effect of protein can be demonstrated. This shows that it is in line with modern nutritional concepts for the ancients to include legumes as one of the five grains. Third, the fat content in grains is low, mostly unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids can maintain the relative permeability of cell membranes to ensure the normal physiological functions of human cells, and their oil belongs to high-quality edible oil.
Grains can be processed and prepared into various staple foods and are often used as raw materials in the brewing industry. Grain foods are a major source of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and B vitamins. Especially coarse and miscellaneous grains, which have not been finely processed, can preserve the aleurone layer, and thus also preserve vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc. Chinese people are very prone to a lack of vitamin B1, which acts as a coenzyme in carbohydrate metabolism, can increase appetite, promote digestion, and maintain the normal functioning of the nervous system, which is extremely beneficial to health. Miscellaneous grains just make up for this deficiency. The dietary fiber in miscellaneous grains has effects such as lowering blood sugar and lipids, promoting bowel movements, detoxification, preventing cancer, and enhancing disease resistance.
Therefore, to achieve a balanced diet and promote health, we must follow the principle of "diversity of foods, with grains as the mainstay." The above is about the position of grains in the diet. I hope it can help everyone establish a correct concept of health preservation.