Introduction: The nourishment from the five grains is one of the essences of Chinese dietary culture. The classic Chinese medical text, "Huangdi Neijing" (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), contains the saying, "The five grains are the foundation of nourishment." Today, the wisdom of our ancestors has been confirmed by modern scientific research. Scientifically consuming these grains is indeed of great significance to health. In this issue, I will introduce the medicinal value of several coarse grains.
Oats lower blood lipids. The most highly regarded health component of oats is beta-glucan, a water-soluble fiber that gives oats their sticky texture. Studies have shown that beta-glucan in oats can lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood without affecting the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("good" cholesterol). Therefore, the US Food and Drug Administration and related agencies in many European countries have announced that as long as a food contains a sufficient amount of beta-glucan, it can claim to have functions such as "preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases" or "lowering cholesterol." In addition, oats have a low glycemic index, which helps control blood sugar. Oats also have the effect of preventing constipation and colon cancer.
Sweet Potato and Oat Porridge
It should be noted that the beta-glucan in oats only works when it is dissolved, and the stickier the oats, the stronger their health benefits. Therefore, it is recommended to cook oats whenever possible. For example, oat groats can be cooked with rice to make rice, or you can cook oat porridge. Rolled oats are best cooked for 3-5 minutes before eating, which is more effective than simply soaking them.
Buckwheat lowers blood sugar. Buckwheat is rich in dietary fiber and flavonoids. Especially in the tartary buckwheat, a specialty of our country, the content of flavonoids and rutin is very high. Rutin is a main ingredient in drugs for preventing and treating diabetes and controlling postprandial blood sugar rise. Therefore, buckwheat and tartary buckwheat are particularly suitable for diabetics. The main buckwheat foods on the market are buckwheat noodles, but many buckwheat dried noodles have a very low buckwheat content (possibly only a few percent). Therefore, diabetics need to carefully check the food ingredients list when choosing and try to select products with a high buckwheat content. Diabetics are best to choose instant buckwheat noodles, which are darker in color, glossy, and similar to cold noodles, requiring a long soaking time before eating. Tartary buckwheat foods are now more commonly seen as tartary buckwheat tea and tartary buckwheat instant powder, which diabetics can choose according to their own situation.
Buckwheat Noodle Salad
Job's tears (Coix seed) prevent cancer. Job's tears oil has been found to have a good function in controlling the growth of cancer cells, making it an ideal anti-cancer food. Job's tears also has a skin-whitening and beautifying effect, which is why it is a common ingredient in high-end cosmetics. Job's tears are relatively hard, so it is recommended to soak them before cooking into a porridge.
Millet protects the stomach. The nutrition of millet is relatively balanced, with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and their content is also relatively high. The biggest characteristic of millet is that it is easy to digest and absorb, so it does not put a great burden on the stomach, which is why there is a saying that "millet protects the stomach." Millet can not only be used to make porridge, but also can be cooked with rice to make "mixed rice" (erfan rice).
Purple rice and black rice protect the eyes. Purple and black coarse grains like purple rice and black rice are generally rich in anthocyanins, which have antioxidant effects, prevent fat oxidation, and maintain the health of ocular blood vessels. Purple rice and black rice also contain relatively rich dietary fiber and minerals, but their texture is hard and they absorb water slowly, so they need to be soaked for a long time before cooking, preferably for up to 12 hours. Cooking purple rice and black rice into a porridge is more conducive to human digestion and absorption.
Chinese Yam and Purple Rice Soup