These look like the real deal
This gluten-free Asian grain is often used in porridge, to make congee, as well as stir-fried dishes. It’s also ground and used to make flatbreads in India. Since it’s gluten-free, it’s increasingly found in pancakes, muffins, and other sweets as well.
For breakfast, try a hot bowl of oatmeal with all the sweet fixings of fruits, jams, nut butters, or even chocolate. You can also bake them into a breakfast muffin, or make overnight oats by soaking them—the options are endless!
Though technically a seed, this superfood plant-based protein has every essential amino acid as well as iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, folate, vitamin B1, and fiber. Quinoa is also a slow digesting carbohydrate, so it creates sustained energy.
Oats contain highly-soluble fiber that helps improve digestion, lower cholesterol, and keep your blood sugar in balance, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Plus, they’re rich in iron and calcium, and keep you feeling full.
There are many kinds of millet—a group of related grasses with small seeds—but generally, millet is gluten-free and contains fiber, minerals, and amino acids. It’s also loaded with manganese, which is a mineral that supports bone and brain health.
This pseudo-grain is very versatile, as it can work in salads, soups, as a rice substitute, mixed with milk as a porridge, worked into burger patties, and so much more.
This whole grain is not only low-glycemic, it also has four times the fiber per serving that brown rice has, and it keeps you feeling fuller for longer. It’s made from young wheat and roasted to give it a signature smoky flavor. It also has tons of protein, fiber, and vitamins.
You can use sorghum flour to make bread and baked goods, or turn it into couscous, or even pop it and eat it like popcorn!
This ancient cereal grain is popular around the world. Since it’s gluten-free, it’s popularly used in the US for those with celiac disease.
This chewy, nutty grain is relatively unknown in American cuisine, but has been a staple in the Middle East for centuries. A Lebanese way of preparing it, which often involves first browning onions then cooking the freekeh with the onions and water, often pairs with chicken. The grain makes a great substitute for rice in dishes, it cooks quickly, and works well as a porridge, too.
Though not technically a grain (it’s actually a cousin of the rhubarb plant), buckwheat earns an honorary place on this list because it’s used like one. Plus, it has all nine essential amino acids, which makes it a whole protein, and is packed with B vitamins, magnesium, and soluble fiber.
This gluten-free whole grain is best known as an ingredient in soba noodles, or as cereal (known as kasha), or in healthy pancakes. You can also toast buckwheat for a wonderfully crunchy addition to salads or granola.
Barley works great as a base for grain bowls or salads, as well as in soups. You can try barley flakes as a breakfast porridge instead of oats, or use barley flour with wheat flour in baked goods to get a kick of fiber in your sweet treats.
Also known as cracked wheat, bulgur has more fiber than quinoa, oats, and millet, which helps keep your digestive system happy. It’s also low in fat and packed with minerals like magnesium, manganese, and iron.
Bulgur is most famously found in tabbouleh, the Mediterranean salad, but it helps bulk up any salad. Its nutty flavor and chewy texture are also useful in soups and when stuffing vegetables. All you have to do is boil it like pasta to prepare it.
Deceiving in its name, wild rice is actually an aquatic grass seed. Though it has less iron and calcium than brown rice, it gives you twice the protein and fiber. It also has 30 times more antioxidant power than white rice.
One of the oldest grains in humanity, going way back to ancient Egypt, barley has the most fiber of all the whole grains, including a soluble fiber called beta-glucans that keeps cholesterol low and supports your immune system. Whole grain barley packs more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals than the pearled version.
Wild rice pilaf with mushrooms is always a hit, but you can also make some delicious fall meals with it like stuffed squash or creamy soup.
As farro is nutty, chewy, and hearty, this fiber-rich grain can be prepared in salads, soups, or in place of rice. Try a Caprese farro salad or a Greek farro salad.
A well-known grain in Italy and the Mediterranean, farro is packed with protein and fiber, as well as a nice dose of iron, magnesium, and B vitamins.
This tiny ancient grain is small but mighty. Coming from grass that grows mostly in Ethiopia and Eritrea, it has significantly more calcium than other grains, and it’s packed with protein, iron, fiber, magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, and manganese—not to mention it’s gluten-free.
Teff flour is most famously (and deliciously) used to make the spongy Ethiopian flatbread called injera. You can also bake and cook with it.
Rye is unique because it has fiber in both its endosperm and bran, which gives it a lower glycemic index than most other grains and helps keep your blood sugar stable. It’s also typically more nutritious than wheat and contains more minerals for less carbs.
Swap in rye bread for your sandwiches and get a nice dose of fiber and protein.
This ancient whole wheat boasts a high protein and zinc content, and it’s popular among people who are allergic to wheat because it offers many of the same benefits without the allergic reaction.
You can use brown rice in the same way you’d use regular rice—think fried rice, pilaf, pudding…the possibilities are endless!
Sources: (WebMD) (Real Simple) (Healthline)
Brown rice is a slow-digesting carb that is high in B vitamins and fiber. It has three parts: bran, germ, and endosperm, with nothing removed during milling, so while it has more calories than white rice, it also has more protein and fiber.
You can use spelt in place of rice or pasta, or use spelt flour in place of white or whole wheat. For vegans and vegetarians, sprouting, fermenting, or soaking the grains reduces its antinutrients (which can reduce the absorption of zinc and iron from your gut).
With so many grains out there, however, it can be hard to know what to get, and from there, it's hard to know what to make with them. Click to know which ones offer the most health benefits.
Delicious ways to enjoy the healthiest carbs
Nutrient-dense grains can be delightful too!
FOOD Healthy eating
Despite fearmongering anti-carb sentiments in the weight-loss world, carbs are actually essential to maintaining a balanced and steady diet—you just have to pick the right ones!
Grains are a plant food that provides us with important vitamins, minerals, carbs, fiber, and protein, which fuel our muscles and brains and keep our bodies working like well-oiled machines. With so many grains out there, however, it can be hard to know what to get, and from there, it's hard to know what to make with them. That's where we come in! Click through to see which grains offer the biggest nutritional bang for your buck, and what delicious meals and goodies you should make them into.