Modern people have come to understand that eating refined and delicate food does not necessarily mean eating healthily. Coarse grains, once considered rustic, have now transformed into an important category of healthy foods that cannot be ignored.
Coarse grains are a major component of traditional food. In the agricultural era when food was relatively scarce, diets were rich in coarse grains. In the food structure of Easterners, a variety of plant-based foods coexist, such as dried beans, corn, buckwheat, oats, and sorghum.
The health benefits of coarse grains are significant. As modern food becomes more refined, such as with white rice and white flour, and the intake of grains decreases, the nutritional value is actually poor. This is related to the high incidence of chronic diseases. The Fourth National Nutrition Survey in 2002 found that the less staple foods, coarse grains, and whole grains people consumed, the higher the incidence of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and obesity.
First, coarse grains are rich in dietary fiber, which can lower blood lipids. When ordinary food is converted to glucose and enters the body, the blood sugar index rises and falls quickly. In contrast, after consuming coarse grains, the blood sugar index remains relatively stable. This is beneficial for blood sugar control in diabetics, and once blood sugar is controlled, it also benefits lipid metabolism.
Second, eating coarse grains can increase satiety, which is beneficial for weight loss. An experiment was conducted on over 40 diabetic patients in two communities, Shimen Road and Caojiadu, aiming to control diabetes through diet. One important measure was to increase coarse grains and whole grains, with coarse grains accounting for one-third of the staple food. After two months of the experiment, the patients' blood sugar and blood lipids decreased significantly, and their body weight was reduced.
Third, eating coarse grains can also improve constipation.
Furthermore, coarse grains are rich in many nutrients, such as B vitamins, which are abundant, and they are also high in calcium, iron, and other minerals.
For the average person, coarse grains can make up 1/5 to 1/3 of their staple food, with a serving of coarse grains guaranteed daily. For patients with diabetes, high blood lipids, high blood pressure, or obesity, it is even more important to eat more coarse grains, which can account for 1/3 or even 1/2 of their staple food. There are various ways to prepare them according to personal preference, such as using whole wheat bread or bran bread instead of white bread, or choosing cornbread or sorghum bread; when eating noodles, one can opt for buckwheat noodles, corn noodles, or mung bean noodles; when cooking rice or congee, one can add oats, red beans, or corn. It is also important to balance the intake of coarse grains.
Although coarse grains are beneficial, not everyone needs to eat large amounts of them. Some people are not suitable, such as those with poor gastrointestinal health, like patients with ulcers, enteritis, or after gastrointestinal surgery, because coarse grains are relatively coarse. This also requires special attention.