Cereals: Properties, Nutritional Benefits and Recipes

The use of cooked wholegrain cereals is the base of a macrobiotic standar diet.

OATS “The Queen of cereals”

Properties

It’s one of the most used cereals due to its nutritive and energetic properties. It’s known as “the Queen of cereals” thanks to the high content in proteins, carbohydrates, phosphorus, trace elements, iron, nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Benefits

• It is purifying
• Helps control blood sugar levels in the blood
• Improves digestion
• Is anti carcinogenic
• It is good for the heart
• Help the central nervous system

Prevents osteoporosis

Recipe

Oats porridge

BULGUR WHEAT

Properties

Bulgur is a cereal rich in starch, in good quality carbohydrate and it is low in fat, which makes it an interesting food for athletes.

Benefits

• Easy digestion
• Low in fat
• Useful for cholesterol

BARLEY

Properties

Barley is a cereal highly recommended, given their excellent therapeutic and nutritional properties, especially in spring and summer as it nourishes, relaxes and refreshes the liver and gallbladder.

Benefits

• Inositol source
• Barley also has B vitamins, folic acid, choline and vitamin K
• Good source of potassium, magnesium and phosphorus
• Rich in trace elements, iron, sulfur, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium, iodine and molybdenum
• Barley is the cereal with the biggest amount of fiber (17%)

Recipe

Barley soup with vegetables and miso

COUS COUS

Properties

Cous cous contains slow absorption carbohydrates, high-fiber, vegetable protein, B vitamins, especially B3 and B5, and is rich in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and potassium.

Benefits

• Provides plenty of essential Vitamins
• Source of trace elements
• Provides Dietary fiber
• Excellent source of vegetarian protein

MILLET

Properties

Considered a sacred and powerful therapeutic food for Traditional Chinese Medicine, millet is the only alkalizing cereal, besides being a great remineralizer.

Benefits

• It’s gluten free
• It’s rich in fibre
• It is a good source of magnesium
• Contains vitamins B
• It is a natural source of phosphorus
• Also contains fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin E

Recipe

Thanks to its compact texture once cooked, millet is a very practical cereal to make croquettes, hamburgers or vegetable cakes: Millet healthy hamburger

QUINOA

Properties

Quinoa’s properties are mainly nutritional. Almost 20% of its dry weight corresponds to vegetable proteins of very good quality for the facility to be assimilated by the body.

Benefits

• It’s gluten free
• Has twice the proteins than rice or barley
• It contains 11 amino acids
• Good source of iron, manganese and magnesium
• Quinoa has a much higher fiber content than most cereals
• Can increase the antioxidant and nutritional value of a gluten free diet
• It has anti-inflammatory, anti viral, anti-cancer and anti-depressive effects

Recipe

Quinoa Salad

CORN GRITS

Properties

These grains contain protein, fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals while not naturally a good source of any other nutrient.

Benefits

• Natural source of selenium
• Regulation of metabolism of thyroid hormones
• Antioxidants production

Start feeling the benefits of including cereals as the base of your diet!