How Grains can be profitable 

Eating grains, especially whole grains, provides health benefits.

People who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Grains provide many nutrients that are vital for the health and maintenance of our bodies.

With several examples of which grain, which benefit and how to consume it we will try to improve our nutrition hobbits and understand how that works. 

1) Sesame Seeds –

Sesame seeds are more and more used in western foods, restaurants and sold in hypermarkets whereas they are already part of asian food and preventive traditional medicine since centuries. 

Its oil seeds are sources for some phyto-nutrients such as omega-6 fatty acids, flavonoid phenolic anti-oxidants, vitamins and dietary fiber with potent anti-cancer as well as health promoting properties.

Sesame contains several notable health-benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for wellness. The seeds are an also very valuable source of dietary proteins with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth, especially in children. Just 100 g of seeds provide about 18 g of protein (32% of daily-recommended values) Sesame seeds contain health benefiting compounds such as sesamol (3, 4-methylene-dioxyphenol), sesaminol, furyl-methanthiol, guajacol (2-methoxyphenol), phenylethanthiol and furaneol, vinylguacol and decadienal. Sesamol and sesaminol are phenolic anti-oxidants. Together, these compounds help stave off harmful free radicals from the human body.

Sesame is among the seeds rich in quality vitamins and minerals. They are very good sources of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and riboflavin.

100 g of sesame contains 97 µg of folic acid, about 25% of recommended daily intake. Folic acid is essential for DNA synthesis. When given to expectant mothers during the peri-conception period, it may prevent neural tube defects in the baby.

Niacin is another B-complex vitamin found abundantly in sesame. About 4.5 mg or 28% of daily-required levels of niacin is provided by just 100 g of seeds. Niacin helps reduce LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood. In addition, it enhances GABA activity inside the brain, which in turn helps reduce anxiety and neurosis.

The seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper are especially concentrated in sesame seeds. Many of these minerals have a vital role in bone mineralization, red blood cell production, enzyme synthesis, hormone production, as well as regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle activities.

Just a hand full of sesame a day provides enough recommended levels of phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and protein. So No more time wasted, Go spread some sesame seeds on your food.

****Tips to Use Sesame seeds in dishes****

– Sprinkle sesame seeds on your salads,  yoghurts, tofu, oatmeal breakfast, pasta, rice with vinegar. 

-Cook fish with sesame seeds, pastries with sesame seeds : plain cake with sesame. (recipes to come)

2) Lin Seeds or Flaxseeds – 

Also called « women best friend » have many benefits and especially valuable and precious for women : such as prevent and help hit symptoms for women after menopause.

Most plant foods contain at least small amounts of phytonutrients called lignans. Lignans are unique fiber-related polyphenols that provide us with antioxidant benefits, fiber-like benefits, and also act as phytoestrogens. Among all commonly eaten foods, researchers now rank flaxseeds as the #1 source of lignans in human diets.

Flaxseeds turn out to be significantly higher in polyphenol antioxidants than fruits like blueberries or vegetables like olives. The antioxidant benefits of flaxseeds have long been associated with prevention of cardiovascular diseases and have recently also been tied to decreased insulin resistance.
Given the strong track record of flaxseeds as foods providing cardiovascular benefits, it’s not surprising to see recent research studies showing benefits of flaxseeds for improvement of metabolic syndrome.

This combination of features—omega-3 fatty acids, high-lignan content, and mucilage gums—is a key factor in the unique health benefits of flaxseeds. The specific areas of health benefit all draw in some way from this unique combination of nutrients not found in other commonly eaten nuts or seeds.

3) Sunflower Seeds

 

The sunflower is one of my favorite flowers also because they taste super good !

Plus they’re easily available all year round, and just a scant handful of them can mean dramatic improvement in the way you feel.

Let’s look at some of its benefits – Here’s a short list of what they can do for you:

They control cell damage, thus playing a role in preventing cancer. This is because sunflower seeds are a good source of selenium, which is a proven enemy of cancer.

They contain bone-healthy minerals. Besides calcium, your bones need magnesium and copper to stay strong. Sunflower seeds have both these minerals. As a bonus, they also contain Vitamin E, which helps ease arthritic pain.
They keep you calm. Yes! The magnesium in sunflower seeds is reputed for soothing the nerves, thus easing away stress, migraines and helping you relax.

They bring a glow to your skin. The star in this role: Vitamin E again, which combats UV rays and keeps skin youthful.
They ease every condition that’s inflammatory in nature, such as joint pain, gastric ulcers, skin eruptions, asthma and such. That’s because sunflower seeds are loaded with antioxidants.
Just ¼ cup of sunflower seeds a day can keep heart troubles away. These small seeds disallow ‘bad’ cholesterol from sticking to the walls of your arteries, thus preventing heart attacks.

With their crunchy, nutty taste, sunflower seeds can easily become a regular part of your daily diet. Sprinkle them on your salads, granola, stir-fries. Stir them into yogurt, pop them into sandwiches, rice, pasta, or knead them into your dough…the possibilities are as endless as the good qualities of these sun-loving seeds.

4) Easy recipes with seeds : 

 Mango and Linseed pudding 

-1 mango

-Large handful Mint (according to your tastes more or less)

-1 banana

-4 tbsp of Linseed

-100 gr of grated coconut 

-coconut water

Super simple and delicious recipe- easy to do from home – less than 5 mins preparation. 

Put all the solid ingredients in the blender and pour over just enough coconut water to cover the ingredients.

Whizz it up, pour into glasses let it cool down 4 hours in the fridge, and serve with a sprinkling of linseeds on top. 

Enjoy : delicious and healthy – to eat whenever you feel the need ! 

Hope You Liked this Article- share your ideas, comments and opinions ! Love to hear from you-

 

With Love and Passion,

Jey Dancepilates