Making Whole Grains Easier

Whole grains offer wonderful nutritional support, but most of us don't know how to cook them easily. A "whole grain" is one that still has all of its edible parts in tact: the bran, germ and endosperm are still part of the grain, offering fiber, minerals, protein, and antioxidants.Skip that white, processed Uncle Ben's in a box, and go straight for the darker beige and brown grains in the bulk section for real health benefits. A serving is only 1/2 cup!Eating just 2.5 servings of whole grains each day is associated with a 21 % lower risk of cardiovascular disease, the top killer of American women, compared to consuming only 0.2 servings. Including 2-3 servings of whole grains a day is associated with less obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.Because whole grains like brown rice, millet or quinoa take a little longer to cook than white rice many people feel they don't have enough time to make them a regular menu item. Not true!Here are my best tips for making grains easy to integrate:1. Make extra: cook up a big pot of quinoa, brown rice or other whole grain and refrigerate the unused grains for up to 2-3 days in an air-tight container. You can then scoop out cooked grain 1/2 cup at a time and add it to dishes for easy meals.2. Pretend like it's pasta: Scoop a 1/2 cup of cooked grain out of the refrigerator and reheat on the stove with some vegetable stock or water. Top with your favorite pasta sauce and veggies. Takes about 6 minutes.3. Pretend like it's salad: Scoop 1/2 cup of cooked grain and toss with your favorite salad dressing. Add chopped veggies like cucumbers, shredded carrots and olives.4. Pretend like it's oatmeal: Scoop 1/2 cup of cooked grain into a small saucepan and mix with a little water, juice or plant milk (rice, almond, hemp, soy, oat). Reheat over medium and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and some raisins. Add some chopped nuts or sunflower seeds. Takes about 5 minutes.