We have recently become fans of quinoa, which we call the unrecognized superfood because of its exceptional nutritional value and because not many people know about it. That is why we were pleasantly surprised to find a pasta made from quinoa flour on a recent trip to our local Publix supermarket. We bought the shell pasta to try with our twins and it went really well! They loved the cooked pasta shells with a layer of shredded cheddar on top.

Here is what we like about this product -

1. Made with a mix of quinoa and non-GMO corn flour
2. Looks and tastes like regular pasta
3. Rich in iron, thiamin (vitmain B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2). Unlike regular pasta these are not added vitamins
4. Gluten free, non GMO
5. No saturated fat or trans fat, no cholesterol, no added sugar
6. 4 g fiber, 4 g protein per serving
7. Quinoa is a low glycemic index grain and it contains many amino acids (building blocks of proteins)

Here is what we don’t like about this product -

1. Adding corn flour, while necessary to make the shape, diminishes quinoa’s value. Serving size is 57 g; if it were all quinoa, you would get a lot more protein, fiber, vitamins and nutrients.

Overall, we are giving it a thumbs up. I think this is a great idea!

Disclaimer – I have not received any sponsorship or free samples of product from Ancient Harvest Quinoa for writing this review. For complete nutritional information and other products, visit Quinoa Corporation.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Last week I wrote about the mystery of enriched flour, which on the surface appears healthy but in reality not as good as whole grain. In response, a reader wondered:

What about rice? Why is white rice called not so healthy compared to brown rice…is it because the first one is polished and the latter one is not?

We don’t normally eat brown rice because we prefer basmati rice. In fact, we eat it almost every day at dinner. It tastes great and has a low glycemic index. So, I decided to research this question to confirm if brown rice is nutritionally superior to white rice.

The short answer is YES!

Just like the process of milling wheat removes the bran and the nutrient-rich germ to leave behind carbohydrate-rich endosperm, milling rice does the same to produce white rice. During my research, I found a great website called the Cereal Knowledge Bank from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which is a Philippines-based non-profit agricultural research organization. Here is a link to a great summary of modern rice milling.

After pre-cleaning the rice paddy, the husk is removed. What you get at this stage is brown rice; this is the whole grain. Which means that it contains the bran, the endosperm and the germ. Polishing removes the bran layer from the brown rice. The amount of bran removed is called the milling degree and it is usually in the range of 8 – 12%. The higher the degree of milling, the higher is the amount of vitamin and oil-rich layers removed. Finally, whole kernels are separated from large and small broken kernels and polished further to add luster.

Here is a comparison of nutrients in brown rice and white rice on a 100g cooked basis. White rice is of un-enriched variety. Source: USDA Nutrient Database.

Red is “bad”, yellow is “about the same” and green is “better” compared to brown rice.

Overall, white rice contains a much lower amount of dietary fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Brown rice is definitely better from a nutritional value point of view. The problem is that the oils from the bran layer can oxidize and turn the rice rancid in as few as 6 months. Brown rice therefore comes with an expiration date! Also, it takes longer to cook, the taste is chewy and it does not come out as fluffy as white rice.

Does it mean you should stop eating white rice and switch completely to brown rice? Definitely not! If you are eating  a lot of high glycemic index white rice (jasmine rice for example), it will be better to consider switching to brown rice at least a few times. And if you simply can’t give up white rice, try white basmati rice!

Photo source: Photoxpress
©2009 Littletomaks.com

Over the weekend I was looking at the ingredient list of freshly baked bread that we got from our local Publix supermarket. What caught my eye was the very first ingredient called enriched flour. At first it appeared to be a good thing. After all, look at what all it contains:

Enriched flour – wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid

Niacin is vitamin B3 needed for DNA repair and production of steroid hormones. Lack of vitamin B3 results in Pellagra, a disease of 4 D’s: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and death!

Reduced iron is simply a form of iron added to the flour. Iron is essential for all living organisms and its deficiency causes anemia where blood hemoglobin gets to low levels.

Thiamine Mononitrate is vitamin B1 and its deficiency causes beriberi which affects the nervous system.

Riboflavin is vitamin B2 is needed for metabolism of fats, carbs and proteins. Its deficiency causes inflammation in eyes, mouth and throat.

Folic acid is needed for a lot of different bodily functions especially at a time of cell division and growth (pregnancy and early childhood). Folate deficiency results in loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, headaches, heart palpitations and behavioral disorders.

So on the surface, all this looks good since enriched flour is giving you iron and important B vitamins. What can be wrong with it you wonder.

Well, the main question is why they need to add them to flour in the first place since wheat contains these nutrients anyway!

Simply grind the wheat, turn it into flour and forget about all this processing and enrichment. Turns out, things are not so simple.

Customers love the looks of bright, white flour. But enriching is necessary because the processing used to make white flour destroys some of these nutrients that originally were present in the whole grain. So, FDA forces producers to add these important nutrients so that they don’t have to face the public health nightmare resulting from their deficiency. This makes everybody happy – customers get the white flour they like, producers make a profit and FDA doesn’t have to deal with public health problems.

But is that really true?

Vitamins, minerals and oils are stored inside the germ of the whole grain, protected by the bran so they can continue to nourish the seed. The carbohydrates and proteins are stored inside the endosperm which is also protected by the bran. The milling process of turning wheat into white flour removes the barn and the germ, so all you are left with are the carbs and proteins from the endosperm. High surface area of the flour causes very rapid release of sugar in your blood when you eat stuff made from white flour. Insulin levels have to go up to correct this sugar surge. Done a lot of times, this can lead to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. You can add back vitamins and minerals and feel good about it, but the problem of sugar over time is the one we need to worry about.

Next time, go for whole grain bread instead of the white bread. I know it tastes so good, and it is ok to consume it in moderation; but over eating baked foods made from the so called enriched white flour is a long term health risk.

Photo Sources:
White Bread – PhotoExpress
Whole Grain Kernel – Wikimedia Commons
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

It has a funny name, but it’s nutritional value is not a joke!

Honestly, we did not know about quinoa until very recently, and chances are it hasn’t yet gotten on your shopping list either. Check it out; in fact it is so nutritious that at one point even NASA looked at it for long duration space flight missions!

Here are a few interesting facts about quinoa, tips for cooking and a few simple recipes.

It looks like a grain but it is not

Quinoa (pronounced as keen-wa or kin-wa) sold in stores is actually a seed of the plant, which is closely related to plant species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. According to the wikipedia entry on quinoa, it is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. Rice, wheat, barely, maize, oats are examples of cereals. Usually it is pale yellow in color, but some of the species can be of different colors. For example, recently we got red quinoa:

Check out this article for more details on the history of quinoa.

It is super easy to cook

We cook it almost exactly the same way we cook basmati rice.

Mix 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa in a large saucepan. Add a little olive oil and stir well to mix. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and cover tightly. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is soft. When cooked, the grain appears soft and translucent. The germ ring is visible along the outside edge of the grain as seen in the picture below:

It is important to wash the quinoa thoroughly with water before cooking otherwise you will get a slightly bitter after-taste. In its natural form quinoa has a coating of saponin, a bitter tasting chemical, which is usually washed off during processing. Still, it may contain a small amount when you buy it in stores. You can easily wash it off, or soak it in water for an hour or so before cooking. Sometimes, we use chicken broth to cook with instead of water. Or make a recipe with vegetables or chicken after cooking separately. Here are links to two of our recent simple recipes you can try -

Chicken with quinoa

Grilled chicken with quinoa and salad

Here are some more quinoa recipes from the Quinoa Corporation. We bought their Ancient Harvest brand of organic quinoa from Wholefoods.

It has excellent nutritional value

According to the Quinoa Corporation, here are a few nutritional facts about quinoa:

• It is 35 on glycemic index, which is quite low. Low glycemic index foods are good for you because they do not cause the blood glucose levels to rise rapidly after they are eaten. That means your body is not working overtime to produce insulin after you eat.
• It is alkaline (meaning not acidic but basic), which is good for maintaining the acid balance in your digestive system.
• It is an excellent source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber. It is also a good source of protein.
• It has a lot of vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc.
• It is gluten-free.

Here is a nutritional facts label from Wikipedia:

You can find it in Whole Foods or other specialty health stores

We usually buy quinoa from our local Whole Foods market. Check out your local area or look for a specialty store selling natural or organic health foods. You can also buy in bulk from the Quinoa Corporation.

Go ahead, give quinoa a try! And feel free to share a recipe if you like it.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

I wrote this article as a guest post for Jenna’s food with kid appeal blog. She has great recipes and tips for eating healthy that will bring joy to the entire family. You can follow her on Twitter @kidappeal. I have updated this post since then with a few additional details.

Snacking is popular…

Adults and kids alike love snacks! They are usually within reach, require little or no effort and provide an instant feeling of satisfaction, even a quick boost of energy on demand. Not a surprise then that the snack industry is big, and poised for enormous growth. According to this report, the global snack food market is projected to be worth $300 billion by 2010! That means you are going to see even more new snack products on the grocery aisles inviting you to just Grab ‘n Go with their fancy packaging and reasonable price. And very likely, more of it will end up in your own kitchen cabinets and find its way into your child’s diet.

Snacking is not necessarily bad, if done right. It can be a great way to introduce small portions of new foods, including fruits, veggies and nuts to slowly build your child’s taste for healthy eating. A growing child needs energy, vitamins and minerals throughout the day, which can come from snacking in small portions at the right time between meals.

..But there is a problem

In reality, many parents struggle with their child’s snacking habits. Even if they try to offer healthy snacks, they find that their children have already developed an addiction for potato chips and crackers, sugary juices and soda, salty cheeses and candy bars. What is even more annoying is that they munch on them whole day – relishing their taste and quick energy – so much that they are not hungry at regular meal time. Soon it becomes a vicious cycle leading to picky eating habits, poor nutrition and many health problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes over the long term.
Snacks rich in sugar and simple carbohydrates and low in fat, fiber and protein are quickly digested, which causes the blood glucose levels to rise rapidly, forcing the body to release a burst of insulin. These foods are classified as having a high glycemic index (GI). Glucose, by definition, has a GI of 100. Foods with low GI are less than 55, medium GI are 56 – 69, and high GI are 70 – 100. Uneven production of insulin over time can lead to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. It has been shown that following a low GI diet over a long period of time can result in reducing the risk of developing Type2 diabetes and heart disease.

Another important factor besides the GI is the total amount of carbohydrates in a single serving. The combination of these two is called Glycemic load (GL). Obviously, foods high in both GI and GL are less healthy compared to foods with even high GI but low GL.

Physical health problems aside, there is also a good chance that poor snacking habits can result in behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, moodiness and impulsiveness. Many people believe that foods rich in sugar, artificial sweeteners or color additives can cause hyperactivity, but this has not been conclusively proven by scientific experiments. The link between sugar and hyperactivity is controversial, although many experts do acknowledge a connection with poor nutrition and food allergies.

So what can you do?

Based on a lot of research and some personal experience, I would like to suggest the following 5 tips for healthy snacking.

1.    Manage the amount and timing
Snacking should be a bridge between proper meals and not a substitute. I am a big fan of Dr Spock, who advises parents to use “common sense” when feeding between meals. Each child is different, so there is no common formula except that you should try to give small portions of different types of snacks around half way between meals, no close than an hour or half before the next meal.

2.    Set an example
Believe it or not, you are a role model for your child. Children eat whatever their parents eat. In 6 easy steps for helping your child choose healthy foods, I wrote about how even at a very young age, children’s food preferences are shaped by their parents. Children watch what you do, not what you say. So, if you want them to develop healthy snacking habits, it has to start with you.

3.    Check the label – go for low sugar, complex carbs and fiber
When selecting snacks, pay attention to the label and the list of ingredients. Select snacks that are low in sugar (anything over 10g per serving is a red flag in my opinion) and carbohydrates should be preferred. Look for dietary fiber under the carbohydrate category. Some fat is good, but try not to go for saturated or trans fats. It doesn’t hurt, of course, if it is fortified with minerals and vitamins, particularly B and C vitamins and iron, calcium and zinc. I have written a few reviews of some of our favorite snacks from Earth’s Best if you are looking for some ideas.

Keep in mind that the nutrition label does not show the Glycemic index and Glycemic load of the foods. You can research the Glycemic index of various foods on this website. I have prepared this table for some common snacks, which you can use as a quick guide. Go for snacks in the Green and Yellow boxes, which are low in GI and GL.

4.    Try fruits, veggies and nuts
Snack time could be a great opportunity to introduce a variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Not only are they low in glycemic index, they also pack a lot of useful vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. You could also try fruit bars and vegetable juice. Fruit juice, unless prepare fresh at home, should be offered only as a treat. Here are a few ideas for encouraging more fruits and veggies in your child’s diet.

5.    PBJ is good but skip the white bread
Peanut butter is an excellent idea as a snack, however go slow on the jelly and, if you can, substitute a whole grain or wheat bread instead of white bread. White bread has both a high glycemic index and glycemic load, which should be avoided as much as possible. Foods containing whole grains slow down the digestion which helps to keep the blood glucose levels under control even when the glycemic load of other foods eaten at the same time might be high.

What is your experience? Do you have other tips for healthy snacking? Share what has or has not worked for you.

Image source (Cupcakes): Gaetan Lee on Flickr
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Basmati rice has a regular place on our dinner table, and I am glad that our twins have already developed a taste for it. They like to nibble on the long, flaky, bright white grains of Basmati rice. Sometimes, we mix it with yogurt or lentil soup for them. The only problem is that they make a terrible mess out of it, and we end up having to pick it up – grain by grain – from the floor under their booster seats. Oh well, that’s what you get when you try to feed the two-and-a-half-year olds!

But seriously, it is also good for you

Taste and fragrance aside, the main reason why we like Basmati rice is because of its medium glycemic index (GI). Basmati rice is a good source of carbohydrates, and according to the Canadian Diabetes Association , it has a medium glycemic index. Glucose, by definition, has a GI of 100. Foods with low GI are less than 55, medium GI are 56 – 69, and high GI are 70 – 100. High GI foods, such as white bread, baked potato, corn flakes, cereals, watermelon and jasmine rice, increase the blood glucose levels very quickly right after they are eaten. This results in a rapid release of insulin from the pancreas. Low GI foods, such as whole grain bread, vegetables, fruits (except watermelon), pasta, fish and eggs, do not increase the blood glucose levels that quickly; so the insulin levels are also low after eating. Uneven production of insulin over time can lead to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. It has been shown that following a low GI diet over a long period of time can result in reducing the risk of developing Type II diabetes and heart disease.

Where to buy Basmati rice

Basmati rice is available in Costco and Sam’s Club in 20 lb bags. We buy a brand called Royal Basmati Rice , which at Costco costs about $25 per bag. Many other brands of Basmati rice are available in both white and brown varieties. Bags of smaller sizes may also be available in supermarkets and local grocery stores. You can also check out several online distributors for more options.

How to cook Basmati rice

Cooking Basmati rice is very simple. Add 2 cups water to 1 cup Basmati rice in a 1 quart saucepan. Although, many recipes suggest washing the rice in water to remove its starches, we don’t follow that advice. It saves time! Add a little salt and 2 tbsp olive oil and mix well. Uncovered, bring to boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover tightly. We cover the saucepan with a paper towel before putting the lid on. This way, the steam escapes very slowly. In about 15 – 20 minutes, the rice will be ready. Do not stir. When cooked well, the grains do not stick to each other; they should remain separate and flaky. Typical serving size is about 50g (1/4 cup), which packs about 180 calories, 5 g fat, 41 g (14%) carbohydrate and 4g protein.

Ready to try it out?

Follow the method described above if you are cooking for your toddler. If you want to try a few different (and very delicious!) recipes for yourself, and if you have a taste for Indian spices, here are a few recipes you can check out (I have not tried them, but they look great):

1. Lime flavored rice with split peas - Lisa’s Kitchen
2. Lamb chops with organic saffron basmati rice – Organictobe.org
3. Navratna Pulao – Mom’s Recipes
4. Basmati rice with Cinnamon and Saffron by Madhur Jaffrey

If you want to read up on Glycemic Index, here is a great technical report.