You are eating your vegetables, consuming a healthy amount of fruit and choosing lean proteins. What is missing? Wholegrain foods, which are key to a healthy, balanced diet.

What are they? In short, they are unpolished grains that have their bran, endosperm and germ intact and thus a higher nutrient content in the form of vitamins B and E, trace minerals and phytochemicals. Wholegrains are wholesome food with many proven health benefits –from controlling blood sugar levels to lowering bad cholesterol and preventing type 2 diabetes. What is often overlooked is the diversity of taste and texture they bring to any meal, as previously noted. Here Joanne Washburn, Food.news, reflects on the health benefits of a grain-free diet:

“Grains like rice and wheat are staple crops around the world. But more and more people are starting to remove this essential food group from their diet.

It’s important to note that grains are some of the richest sources of fiber, which we need for good digestion and blood sugar control, among others. But for some people, their bodies just can’t process some of the compounds present in grains, such as gluten. Others might struggle with digestive problems and inflammation.

Enter grain-free diet. This diet bars grains and all food products that contain or were made with grains. But it’s not as extreme as it sounds. A grain-free diet still ticks all the boxes when it comes to important nutrients. Plus, a grain-free diet is linked to a number of health benefits, including pain relief and weight loss.

What’s in a grain-free diet?

You still have lots of food to eat on a grain-free diet. These include:

• Fruits – With grains out of the picture, you’ll need to eat more of other fiber-rich foods, such as fruits.
• Vegetables – Starchy vegetables like potatoes and squash are good fiber-rich alternatives to grains. You can also get your fiber from leafy greens and stalky vegetables like broccoli.
• Plant-based sources of protein – If you’d like to make your diet vegetarian as well, opt for foods rich in protein that aren’t meat or animal products, such as beans, edamame, chickpeas and the like.
• Nuts and seeds – Nuts and seeds are good sources of beneficial fats and protein.
• Meat and animal products – You can still have grass-fed beef, chicken, fish, milk, cheese and the like on a grain-free diet.
• Pseudocereal – Pseudocereals look like grains but are actually seeds. These include quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth.
• Non-grain-based ingredients – You can still use ingredients like flour provided that you opt for ones made with nuts or seeds, such as almond flour and flaxseed flour.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://www.food.news/2021-03-04-benefits-going-grain-free.html