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Whole Grain Recipes
and Whole Grain Pasta Recipes
Cook
one or more whole grain recipes every day. For successful weight
loss, be sure you use mainly intact whole grains or whole
grain pasta. What exactly are
intact whole grains?
Intact Whole Grains
Intact whole grains are grains that we cook and eat in their
original round or oval
shape. They are not polished, refined, or ground into flour. They are
chewy and filling. They have a low calorie density.
Whole grains are high in vitamin E and most of the B vitamins. They
have been a staple food for our species since our
ancient ancestors first started growing plants.
However, some people, especially those with
celiac disease, must not eat grains that contain gluten. If you cannot
tolerate gluten, there are many alternatives. The Gluten Free Chef,
although not a vegan site, has a complete
list of gluten-free grains and ingredients, and also some
whole grain recipes.
Most
whole grain recipes are easy to make. You boil 2 cups of water,
add 1 cup of whole grains, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until done.
Some grains need a little more water, and some benefit from
other cooking methods. Eating whole grains satisfies
our
hunger. Here
are three basic whole grain recipes to get you started:
Speedy Oatmeal
Recipe. We almost always eat whole grains for breakfast, and
oatmeal is our
favorite.
We add frozen berries or fresh fruit in season. Don't forget a
tablespoon of freshly ground flax seed.
How to
Cook Brown Rice. Our
brown rice never burns. It doesn't turn into starchy clumps when it is
cold. You can reheat it in the microwave or by pouring boiling water
over it. It is perfect every time. Try it!
How to Cook Millet.
This easy millet recipe makes a light and fluffy breakfast cereal. Add
diced vegetables and balsamic dressing for a grain salad. Top it with
chili or vegetable stew for a healthy dinner.
For a change from the whole grain recipes, cook some whole grain pasta.
Top
it with vegetables and an oil-free sauce.
But Isn't Pasta Fattening?
Most people think that pasta is fattening. Sure,
pasta covered with meat sauce, olive oil, melted
cheese, or a creamy sauce is high in fat and in calories. Typical pasta
sauces probably contain more calories than does the pasta.
But even without those greasy toppings, semolina pasta is not
great on our vegan weight loss program.
Why? Because food companies remove most of the fiber and
important nutrients from the whole wheat when they make semolina pasta.
With little fiber, white pasta is not filling, so we get hungry soon
after we eat it. With nutrients missing, our body tells our brain it
needs more fuel; we eat more, searching for the missing
nutrients.
What about "enriched" pasta? Food companies remove most of the fiber,
vitamins, and minerals. Then they add back a few of the cheapest
vitamins and call it enriched. What a joke. Don't be fooled by such
food industry shenanigans.
Once in a while when you are stuck in a restaurant with no decent whole
plant foods on the menu, semolina pasta might be OK. Top it with
steamed vegetables and maybe some marinara sauce.
But first check with the wait person to make sure the pasta does not
contain eggs. Many restaurants use only egg pasta, especially
high end places. Some people think egg pasta is "better" than
wheat pasta. Well, it is not better for your health or
waistline, that's for sure. Also ask if the marinara sauce contains
beef stock, parmesan, or other animal products. It's a minefield out
there!
Calorie Density of Whole Grain
Pasta
If you look at the label on a box of Westbrae Whole Wheat Lasagna
noodles, you will see that 2 oz of noodles contain 210 calories. That
means that the dry noodles have a calorie density of 105 calories per
oz. Read our
page about low calorie foods and calorie density to
understand the concept of calorie density.
You might be thinking that 105 calories per oz is a high
calorie
density. It is, but remember, we don't eat dry noodles. When you read
the label on a packaged food, you often can't tell the true
calorie density of the
food until you cook it.
As we cook noodles, they absorb a lot of water. One oz of dry
noodles will weigh more than 2 1/2 oz when it is cooked. Whole wheat
pasta contains about 40 calories per oz, only a little more than beans.
And if you serve your whole grain pasta with lots of vegetables and
tomato sauce, the calorie density of the meal goes down even more.
Enjoy your whole grain pasta without guilt.
When company is coming, or when you have some time to spend in the
kitchen, make a pan of lasagna:
Vegetable
Lasagna Recipe
It is low fat, low sodium, and loaded with healthy
vegetables. You could eat this lasagna for every meal and still lose
weight.
When you look for whole grain recipes, be aware that pasta is
different
from most other foods made of flour.
Bread and Other Baked Goods
Did you read the page
about low calorie foods
carefully? If so, you noticed that bread, burger buns, and
tortillas have a high calorie density:
about 65 - 75 calories per oz. All breads and flatbreads are
in
this range, even the healthy ones. Why does bread have a
higher calorie density than pasta, if they are both made from flour?
For a food to have a low calorie
density, it needs to be:
- high in fiber
- low in fat
- high in water content
Most whole grain recipes for bread are high in fiber and low in fat.
The
problem is their low water content. Bread may contain
some liquid, but not nearly as much as cooked pasta does. Most of
the liquid
in bread evaporates during baking. If you are hoping you can just drink
a big glass of water with your bread, we're sorry. It just doesn't work
that way. :-)
Some people, especially men, can eat several pieces of whole grain
bread a day and still lose weight. Others, usually
women, find they can only eat bread once in a while.
Before you go shopping, read our suggestions
for finding a good vegan bread.
If you gain weight the minute you look at a piece of
bread, you are not alone. Learn to enjoy your
potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grain pasta,
and intact
whole grain recipes. Save the bread and other flour
products for special occasions.
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