What are Grains?
Grains are any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain product. Although processed/refined gluten and wheat products should not be part of your Indigenized diet, sometimes you cannot avoid it. Knowing more about grain products will help you make informed decisions about your eating lifestyle. Here are some examples from this group: Whole Grains (brown and wild rice, oatmeal and rolled oats), Refined Grains (bagels, biscuits, tortillas)
What You Need to Know About Grains
Many of the grains in our foods are processed and refined. That means many of the nutrients from grains were removed and re-introduced in factories. From the perspectives of our ancestors, the grains used in most foods found in our stores are not healthy. If you choose to eat grains, make sure they are whole and organic. Also, make sure there are no added ingredients such as preservatives and added sugars.
Summary and Recommendations
Adopting and maintaining an Indigenized diet is hard if you are used to eating grains all the time. However, it is also important to eat fewer grain products and get your carbs from sources like yams and sweet potatoes. If you want to learn more about grains and how you can choose healthier options as part ofyour diet, go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains
Resources
United States Department of Agriculture – ChooseMyPlate (Grains)
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains
Special Thanks:
Derek Chang graduated with a Bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Utah. Go Utes! He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He aspires to become a physician-entrepreneur to find and create new ways of improving overall patient health. He enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, reading books, meeting new people, and learning anything new.
