Importance of Varying Grains
I love receiving questions because they remind me of important points I should have made. Tracy asked me the following question:
I don’t understand the reason for the various grains. Is it just for varied flavors in the end product? I figured there must be a health benefit.
This is a really good question and very important to discuss. Jeff and I have thought and thought about this very question. We wouldn’t bother going to the effort of providing varied grains for our family’s consumption if we didn’t believe it was the best thing to do. We have four reasons (and counting…) for desiring to maintain a variety of grains in our diet.
1) God made all the grains for our consumption. We desire to honor Him by embracing the foods He made for us. We do this by including them regularly in our diet.
2) Each grain has a different nutritional profile. Some are higher in iron, protein, B-vitamins, fat, micronutrients, etc. To vary the grains we consume means we maximize the nutrition that each provides.
3) Each grain has a unique flavor. We find the flavors and textures enjoyable to experience. Certain meals are really, really tasty, and we learn more about our Creator and His love for us. He wants us to enjoy the good food He made for us and praise Him for it.
4) Evidence suggests that allergies develop when an individual’s diet relies heavily on one food. To diversify the grains one consumes would then reduce the risk of developing an allergy to any of them. Of course, this is not a guarantee that one won’t develop an allergy. But to us, varying our grains to prevent developing allergies makes good sense.
There you have it — why we rotate through the various grain options for our meals. Recently, I started mixing up the cracked grain cereal mix. So instead of eating oats, we enjoy a bowl full of 14 different grains each morning. Our soups and main dishes feature millet, buckwheat, rice, quinoa, spelt, barley or others. I try to pick a different grain (or a couple grains) each time I cook.
We enjoy experiencing the beautiful flavors and textures that God provided for our nutrition. It is fun to learn more and try more of the foods He made. We know that by embracing what He made for us, we honor Him.
Related information:
Varying Grains (includes a grain cooking chart)
Healthy Skillet Dishes (includes ideas for creating unique main dishes with a variety of ingredients)
Reason number 4 is an excellent reason. Besides, if you are thinking about varying your grains, you are thinking about the health of your food, and if you eat well, you are less likely to develop allergies.
Thanks Wardeh! You are such a wealth of infomation. I’ll let you know what I find out about the pricing of the grains in your mix.
Hi Wardeh,
I so enjoy your blog! (I found you through Titus2 when looking for quilts.) I recently bought a bag of 4 Grain Flakes through our coop. I’m wondering if I can use this like your Cracked Grain mix? Mine looks like oatmeal; I’m not sure what cracked would look like. Thanks so much,
Cindy
Cindy, your grain flakes will cook up much like oatmeal. They have been rolled through a flaker to make them flat like rolled oats.
Cracked grains are cut into smaller chunks but not pressed flat. When cooked, they resemble cream of wheat.
Your cereal you bought is a very healthy choice! If I had a grain flaker I would make some of it myself.
In addition to cooking it like oatmeal, you can also use your 4-grain flakes for granola or in my muesli recipe. You can add them dry or soaked into your bread dough, too. Lots of healthy choices.
Thanks for visiting!
Love, Wardeh
Tracy, you’re welcome. Please do let me know what you find out. I want you to be successful!
Love, Wardeh