There is good news and bad news about whole grains. The good news is that at least 40% of Americans are eating whole grains; the bad news is that they are only eating one serving a day? far short of the 3 to 5 servings recommending by the USDA and the Whole Grains Council. “Since most Americans eat the gluten-grains of wheat and barley, people on a gluten-free diet need to know what other grains they can use and how to prepare them,” says Carol Fenster, author of 10 gluten-free cookbooks, “so that is why we wrote this guide, Whole Grains in the Gluten-Free Diet.
Gluten is the general name for specific proteins found in the grains wheat and barley, but also in spelt, kamut, rye, and triticale. According to the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research, 3 million Americans have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder where gluten inhibits the absorption of nutrients in food. The only treatment is a strict lifelong, gluten-free diet. The Center says that another 18 to 21 million people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity and must also follow a gluten-free diet.
Fenster and Shelley Case, RD, a well-known dietitian who specializes in the gluten-free diet, teamed up to write this guide that shows how to choose and prepare gluten-free whole grains. Gluten-free grains (also called cereals) are the seeds of plants and include brown rice, corn, Montina™ (Indiana ricegrass), millet, oats (pure, uncontaminated), sorghum, teff, and wild rice––as well as the pseudo-grains of amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa.
A grain is “whole” when it is consumed in a form that includes the bran (outer layer and primary source of fiber), germ (the part that sprouts into a new plant) and endosperm (the bulk of the seed). Oats are also classified as a whole grain but people on a gluten-free diet must choose clearly-labeled gluten-free oats because regular oats are often cross-contaminated with gluten grains during the manufacturing process.
“The benefits of eating whole grains include lower risk of obesity, lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, and cancer so it is important that everyone eat the required servings per day,” says Fenster. “Many people say they would eat more whole grains if they had more time to prepare them,” says Fenster. So she and Case, the author of Gluten-Free Diet, offer several easy recipes for preparing whole grains and they also show how to cook whole grains overnight in a slow-cooker to save time.
The guide also shows easy ideas to add whole grains to one’s diet in time-saving ways. For example, Fenster uses uncooked cream of buckwheat cereal or rice bran as ingredients in her homemade breads. She also cooks a batch of whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa and serves it as a replacement for white rice with dinner. Then she freezes any leftovers in individual portions to use in the following ways:
[1] Toss cooked whole grains with gluten-free pasta
[2] Sprinkle cooked whole grains over mixed green salads
[3] Blend cooked whole grains with black beans or pinto beans in Southwestern dishes
“These amounts may seem small, but a serving of cooked whole grains is only 8 tablespoons, so a tablespoon here and there really adds up throughout the day,” says Fenster.
“You can also get whole grains from store-bought products rather than cooking them from scratch,” says Fenster. Look for the yellow Whole Grains Stamp on a variety of products such as cereals, breads, and crackers. Eating three whole grain food products labeled “100% Whole Grain”–– or six products bearing ANY Whole Grain Stamp––satisfies the need for 3 to 5 servings per day.
