Food

Why you should eat whole foods

pasta e pane integrale
Written by EFW Staff

Whole food: more than healthy!

Pasta, bread, croissants and flours: chose their whole version! Whole foods are having a great success and now lots of shops like the bakeries, bars, pizzerias or supermarkets offer the brown variety besides the white one. It is true that the whole food is healthier than the white flours, but do you know why?

What does “whole” means?

Grains, under the whole version, aren’t treated in the same way of the refined flours; in fact they maintain each part of the grain: the amid, the bran and the germ. They are rich in fibers but also other important nutrients that could get lost once refined. In this way they are preserved in products like flours, carbohydrates, proteins and mineral salts.

Why do they are healthier that the refined flours?

White refined flours (like 0 and 00 flours) don’t have the germs and the bran; these are, instead, two important parts of the grain, almost the 20% and they are rich in good and healthy nutritional principles for the organism. The germ is rich in antioxidants that help us to slow down the cellular ageing whereas the bran is a real marvel: it contains lots of fibers, vitamins B, minerals and antioxidants. Whole grain, with bran and germ, has an extra 80% of fibers and an extra 90% of Vitamin E.

The benefits of whole food

  • They satisfy you more, so they are able to keep under control the quantity of food that you eat without gaining weight
  • They help the intestinal regularity, and the good working of the intestine in general, thanks to their fibers
  • They reduce the assimilation of fats, such as cholesterol and the sugars, reducing the risk to pick up the diabetes type 2
  • They fight the arise of cardiovascular diseases
  • They have a lower glycaemic index
  • They give a high content of Vitamins and mineral salts to the body, in particular zinc

How to eat whole grains?

Whole flours are tasty for each recipe but many pizzerias introduced pizzas with whole flour and many bars offer a wide range of whole croissants with honey. Moreover it won’t be difficult to find biscuits, bread and crackers with non refined flours also in a supermarket or at the bakery. Try also the whole grains cereals in tasty recipes like black rice seasoned with zucchini, cherry tomatoes and Quartirolo (a type of cheese) or whole barley with pumpkin and Pecorino.

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About the author

EFW Staff