Eating Whole Grains: Steaming is Better Than Boiling
Whole grains are one of the most lacking foods in the modern diet. People currently eat only one-fifth to one-quarter of the recommended amount of whole grains, and "not knowing how to eat them" is a major obstacle to their consumption.
Whole grains are defined in contrast to refined grains like white rice and white flour. Whole grains mainly include two categories: one is unrefined grains like brown rice and whole wheat; the other is various miscellaneous grains excluding rice and wheat. Examples include grains like corn, millet, black rice, purple rice, barley, oats, and buckwheat, and miscellaneous beans like soybeans, mung beans, red beans, and black beans. Whole grains can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Additionally, whole grains can promote digestive function, relieve constipation, and balance the gut microbiota.
Although everyone knows that eating whole grains is beneficial, there are many misconceptions about how to eat them, especially in cooking methods. Professor Yang Yuexin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society, points out that steaming is the best way to eat whole grains. Methods like frying or boiling porridge can, to some extent, damage the healthy properties of whole grains. The reason whole grains are healthy is that they are rich in various health-promoting components and dietary fiber, with very little fat, and no sugar or salt. However, if cooked by frying, they will absorb a large amount of fat, and at the same time, the nutritional components such as unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins in the whole grains will be completely lost. It is particularly worth reminding that boiling whole grains into very soft porridge is the biggest misconception. Many people think that porridge is light, healthy, and easy to digest, so cooking whole grains into porridge must be right. Especially since it has a low glycemic index, patients with chronic diseases like diabetes should eat more of it. However, the research team led by Yang Yuexin found that the softer and stickier the porridge, the higher the degree of gelatinization of the starch in the whole grains, which in turn speeds up the rise in blood sugar. If whole grains are cooked into such a porridge, the benefits for blood sugar are lost.
If you just eat plain whole grain rice, the taste can be monotonous. How can you make whole grains both delicious and healthy? First, mix grains and beans in a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio and soak them overnight. Then, place the soaked whole grains in a steamer and steam for about 10-20 minutes. The steamed whole grains can be mixed with rice to cook into a meal, or you can add goji berries and walnuts, simmer them over low heat for a while, and make porridge. However, note that this porridge should be a clear soup type and not cooked into a sticky consistency, otherwise it will cause a rapid increase in blood sugar. If you prefer wheat-based foods, you can also mix the steamed whole grains with white flour and cornmeal, and add raisins and nuts to enhance the texture and nutrition. You can also steam the whole grains first, and then stir-fry them with eggs and vegetables like tomatoes and green peppers. Finally, if the steamed whole grains are not finished, you can divide them into small portions and freeze them for later consumption.