Grains Give Energy
GRAINS are seeds of certain plants — wheat, rice, oats, corn, barley. They're a HUGE source of food worldwide. Bread, pasta, cereal, tortillas, rice — most are made from grains. Grains are the body's favorite source of CARBOHYDRATES (or "carbs"), which your body breaks down for energy.
WHOLE grains vs REFINED grains. Whole grains keep all the parts of the seed: bran (fiber), germ (nutrients), endosperm (starch). They digest slowly = steady energy. Refined grains (white bread, white rice) have the bran and germ removed = mostly starch. They give a quick energy boost but a quick crash. Choose whole grains most of the time: oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread.
Which gives you LONGER-lasting energy?
How much. Grains usually make up about 1/4 of a healthy plate. Examples: a slice of whole wheat toast at breakfast, brown rice with dinner, whole grain pasta, oatmeal in the morning. Try to make at least HALF your grains whole. Reading labels helps — if "whole" is the FIRST ingredient, that's a good sign.
Grain Hunt
Look at three foods at home: a bread, a cereal, a bag of rice. Read the labels. Are they whole grain? How can you tell? Are the first ingredients listed "whole [grain]"?
Grains have fed humanity for thousands of years. Knowing which to choose — and how much — gives your body the steady fuel it needs all day.
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