The Best Grains to Add to A Vegan Diet
Interest in plant-based diets has risen in the last few years. In 2020, nearly 3% of Americans followed a vegan diet. This is partly due to the environmental benefits that result from eliminating meat and dairy food intake. Another reason that underlies the popularity of vegan diets? Plant-based ingredients have numerous advantages in managing chronic diseases. Essentially, sticklers for vegan diets consume fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Although all these ingredients are flexible in their own right, whole grains can be utilized for just about any dish.
Aside from their evident nutritional benefits, it's their variety that makes whole grains a staple in vegan diets. We’ve rounded up a few of the best that you can stock up on:
1. Quinoa
Don’t worry about not getting enough protein on a plant-based diet. Quinoa contains about eight grams (g) of protein. Not to mention, it has three to four times more nutrients than brown rice and is high in potassium. If you cook about 185 g of quinoa, you can get 318 mg of potassium, which can aid in controlling your blood pressure. While quinoa is commonly seen in breakfast bowls, it is also good for risotto, salads, and soups. One tip, however, is that you need to rinse it well beforehand. Quinoa has a bitter coating called saponin, which can leave a strange aftertaste in your mouth after eating.
2. Adlai
A study on the characteristics of adlai rice reported that one cup (100 g) provides the same amount of protein and healthy fats your body needs. Because it is rich in dietary fiber, it can also help impede glucose absorption and eliminate bad cholesterol. Now it’s easy to introduce adlai into your meals because you can prepare adlai as you would rice. Before cooking the grain in a rice steamer, you need to remember the right ratio. Every cup of adlai will need two or three cups of water. For fans of a fluffier texture, we suggest soaking the grains in cold water overnight after you clean them. If you don’t want to use adlai as a rice substitute, use it in soups or ground it into flour for pasta and porridge.
3. Buckwheat
Buckwheat is a great source of fiber, protein, and healthful complex carbohydrates. One cup (roughly 168 g) of cooked or roasted buckwheat seeds contains 118 mg of phosphorus and 86 mg of magnesium. By integrating buckwheat into your diet, its magnesium component can support energy production and muscle and nerve function. When prepared as pancakes, buckwheat can also be very filling. If you love Japanese cuisine, you can make soba noodles with buckwheat. Depending on your skills, you can either make noodles from scratch with a pasta maker or get shop-bought ones.
4. Barley
Before diving into its benefits, we should first clarify that hulled or hulless barley is what you should look for when you’re out grocery shopping. Unlike pearl barley, those variants retained their nourishments because their bran layer remains intact. Barley is specifically rich in fiber, manganese, and selenium. 100 g of uncooked hulled barley can offer roughly 37.7 mcg of selenium. Selenium is vital to protect your body against cell damage and infections. If you’re interested in adapting this to your diet, try producing barley flour for baking. Once you have your loaf of bread, we recommend cutting up a slice and topping it with one of our delicious vegan cheeses.
5. Corn
Don’t be surprised to see corn on this list. The grain belongs to the same family of cereal grasses, including barley, oats, and wheat. As such, corn contains a substantial amount of dietary fiber and antioxidants. Certain corn varieties are incredibly high in carotenoids, a group of antioxidants that can boost your immune system. Carotenoids can also be converted into vitamin A, which aids in eye health, and for reference, a 90 g ear of fresh corn can offer 4% of vitamin A. While corn can be eaten off the cob, we particularly enjoy it in salads. You can also use the grain to make cornmeal. If you want to revisit a favorite from Mexican cuisine, you can substitute regular flour with cornmeal to make vegan tortillas.