8 healthy wholegrains you should be eating

Whole grains can be a nourishing food for the fibre they offer but also their rich nutrient profiles. The challenge can be how to get those grains into your diet in delicious ways. In this article we look at grains such as quinoa, oats, whole wheat, buckwheat, rye, brown rice, barley and bulgar wheat to see how you can make them part of your recipe roundup.

- LISA HOLMEN

Whole grains are a great and easy way to add fibre and nutrients into your diet. Since they are naturally high in fibre, they keep you fuller and satisfied for longer. They are also rich in nutrients including iron, magnesium, manganese and B vitamins just to name a few, and are linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other health issues. They may be a carbohydrate, but rest assured they are of the healthy complex kind.

So what exactly is the difference between a refined grain and a whole grain? All grains start as whole grains, but in the processing and milling stages many essential nutrients are lost. Whole grains are simply grains which still have the whole grain including the bran, the germ and the endosperm) intact, while refined grains are processed, resulting in foods including white bread, sugary breakfast cereals and white rice, which offer next to no health benefits for your body. As far as classification goes there are two main types of grains: cereal grains and pseudocereal grains. Cereal grains come from cereal grasses such as oats, wheat, rice, corn, barley, rye and millet, while pseudocereal grains do not come from grasses but are cooked and consumed in a similar manner to grains, for example quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth.

Don't know where to start? Discover eight of the best whole grains to eat as part of a healthy diet and some delicious ways to serve them.

Quinoa