Eating Whole Grains - About Nutrition - Source Credibility

Hi again! It's been couple of weeks that I wasn't able to write a post. Finally, I have time and opportunity to write a blog. In this post I will tell you about whole grain foods, my thoughts about the future of nutrition in culinary industry and daily life, and credibility of websites for nutrition information.

Eating Whole Grains

Whole grains... I always buy whole grains bread when I need bread for home. Health Canada also suggests Canadians to eat whole grains. It is a great source of fibre.

-What is whole grain foods made of?

Whole grains are made of 3 parts. Bran, germ and endosperm.

• Bran is the grain's covering and has full of fibre, minerals and Vitamin B. It is %12-17 of the grain.

• Germ helps the plant to grow and cultivates the seed. It is %3-5 of the grain.

• Endosperm is %75-80 of the grain. It is also rich in protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and mineral.

In Canada, producers may cheat you buy labeling the products "Whole Grain", but they might not be enough whole grain in them. So it's better being careful when buying whole grain foods. I recommend you to see the Nutrition Facts Label at the back of the products. This way, you can see how much vitamin, mineral, carbohydrate and protein you get when you consume them.

Image by Bernadette Wurzinger from Pixabay

Here's some popular whole grains you might like to know:

Amaranth: This whole grain is gluten-free and has fibre in it. The shape is tiny and round. You can use this whole grain in many different ways. You can boil it and eat, or you can ground it into flour so you can make pastries with it. It is good for heart, leveling cholesterol, and digestion.

Millet: This whole grain is also gluten-free and rich in fibre as Amaranth. It also looks like amaranth. Creamy, yellowish colored, tiny little balls... The taste is sweety. You can cook it as rice or hot cereal. It helps reducing the blood sugar.

Bulgur: Bulgur is produced from wheat. It's usually yellow or brown. You can make it side dish as bulgur pilav (brown rice). It is very famous in the Middle Eastern cuisine.

Quinoa: Quinoa is a very popular whole grain nowadays. Little, yellow, ground balls. People cook it as a side dish or make a salad of it. It is a complete protein and very rich in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, folate and thiamin. It is also gluten free.

Triticale: This whole grain is very similar to rye and wheat. It's hybrid of these two grains. It can be used in making pastries and can be consumed as cereals.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

About Nutrition

I think, nutrition will get more important role in our lives. Even today people care what they eat and how much they eat. Restaurants put labels in their menus to let customers know. Years ago, ultra-processed foods were less than today. People's eating habits were not as hazardous as they are now. In the past, there were less people with obesity diagnosis. The rates are increasing in years. According to Public Health Agency of Canada, in 1978 overweight or obese rate in Canada was %49. In 2004, we can see that this rate goes up to %59. And today (The latest info is from 2017.) it is %64. So, obesity is basically today's problem. If the rates keep going up like this, nutrition probably will be more and more important in our daily lives and culinary industry in the future.

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Credibility of Sources on Nutrition

When you need a good nutrition advice, what would you do? Would you Google it, or go to a nutritionist for getting advices? Both way would work. However, Google is closer to misguide you. How would you trust a website? There are some steps that you can follow, so that you won't be misguided or fooled.

Step 1 - What is the type of website?

Is the website an organization website or a commercial website? If they are a commercial website, they might have a potential to advertise products to be able to sell you. I recommend you to visit more government websites, health organizations or other organization websites.

Step 2 - Who is the author of the post/website?

First thing, you should check the person/people who wrote the post or website. Are they experienced? What are their qualifications, occupation or education level or area of study? You should see if they are enough educated to tell people about the topic.

Step 3 - Does the author reference the data in the text?

You should also check the information in the text. Does the writer give you the reference? Are you able to check the information if it's true? If yes, that's a good information to get.

If you can get good answers to these questions, you can trust that website. :)

References:

Canada, H. (2019, September 5). Government of Canada. Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canada-food-guide/resources/healthy-eating-recommendations/eat-a-variety/whole-grain/get-facts.html

Food, U. (2017, July 12). All About Whole Grains. Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Cooking-Food-Preparation/Cooking-with-Whole-Grains.aspx

Timesofindia.com, T. (2019, November 3). What are whole grains? List of popular whole grains - Times of India. Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/what-are-whole-grains-list-of-popular-whole-grains/articleshow/71866639.cms

Quinoa. (2019, October 21). Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/quinoa/

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2018, January 25). Government of Canada. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/obesity-excess-weight-rates-canadian-adults.html