Health Benefits of Cereals

Ever since the onset of agriculture cereals have provided unlimited health benefits to mankind as they are the staple food in our diet. Cereals are rich in complex carbohydrates that provide you with ample energy, help to prevent cancer, constipation, colon disorders, high blood sugar levels and also enrich your health system with abundant proteins, fats, lipids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Cereals are enriched with niacin, iron, riboflavin and thiamine. Most of the cereals have abundant fiber, especially barley, oat, and wheat. Cereals also have soluble bran that aids in lowering blood cholesterol levels and keeping heart diseases away. Cereal consumption means intake of high amount of protein; often breakfast cereals are taken along with milk that makes a high protein rich meal. For infants, the iron-fortified cereals are said to be the premium solid foods.

What are Cereals?

Cereals or grains belong to the monocot families ‘Poaceae or Gramineae’ and are cultivated widely to obtain the edible components of their fruit seeds; botanically these fruits are called ‘caryopsis’ and are structurally divided into endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grains are cultivated in huge quantities and provides more food energy than any other type of crop, thus they are also known as staple crops.

History of Cereals:

Be it the world history, growth of civilizations or development in the human diet patterns – cultivation of cereal grains has played a significant role throughout. The word ‘cereal’ is derived from ‘Ceres’ - the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest. It is said that almost 12,000 years ago, ancient farming communities dwelling in the Fertile Crescent district of southwest Asia cultivated the first cereal grains. The first Neolithic founder crops that actually initiated the development of agriculture include einkorn wheat, emmer wheat and barley.

Cereal Production:

Other than owing to its superior nutritive value, the cereals are popularly used in kitchens all over the world for its prolific growth and plentiful production in most of the countries. Different countries have different cereals as their staple food; the reason for this diversity is the production statistics. For example, wheat is the most significant part in the diets of most of the European countries and India. On the other hand, rice is the primary grain (gram or grain?) used in China, Japan, South East Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Brazil, Mynamar, Vietnam, US, and India. The staple food cereal in Northern, Central America and Africa is maize or corn, while millets and sorghum are widely consumed in India and Africa. Many factors like climatic differences, population choice, production quality and others are responsible for such global differences of cereal consumption in tropical and subtropical regions. Cereals are also known as “staff of life”; however this name is not justified in true sense because you probably cannot live on cereals solely for lifetime and retain optimum health.

What is a Breakfast Cereal?

Breakfast cereal is actually the packaged breakfast food available in all commercial food stores. These types of cereals are sometimes eaten cold or else mixed with milk or water and then fruits are added for extra nutrition and taste. You can say cornflakes, porridges, and oatmeals to be the best examples of breakfast cereal. Usually these cereals are soaked or boiled to attain a softened structure; it makes them palatable. Then sweeteners like honey, sugar or maple syrup are added for better taste. Breakfast cereals have become immensely popular in the fast moving counties, as it provides a bowl full of nutrients in short and simple way.

Types of Cereals:

The most familiar grains used for making the category of cereals include rice, maize, corn, ragi, bajra, wheat, barley, sorghum, Italian millets and oats. Here we discuss about some of the widely used cereals -

Rice: Rice is probably the most common and popular cereal consumed all over the world; especially in the tropical and temperate regions. Rice cannot grow in cold regions. It is used as the staple food in most of the countries and restaurants all over the globe have invented some lip smacking rice recipes that are truly appetizing. Read more
Brown Rice: Brown rice is another variety of rice that is rich in vitamin B group, particularly thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and minerals like iron, potassium, phosphorous and magnesium.
Maize: It is the staple cereal in continents like Africa, America and even used as animal feed worldwide. ‘Cornflakes’ as we know is nothing but the flaked form of maize. Popcorn is also a popular corn product, which has become a favorite snacks for all ages round the globe. Read more
Wheat: This is a prime cereal consumed in temperate zones, especially in Australia, North America, Europe and New Zealand. Wheat is a major ingredient in foods like bread, biscuits, pastries, porridge, cakes, crackers, pancakes, muesli, pies, cookies, rolls, muffins, doughnuts, gravy, and some breakfast cereals. Wheat is grown in different forms all over the globe. Some wild species of wheat are now domesticated and grown widely in specific agricultural zones. Some such species include ‘Spelt’, ‘Einkorn’ (wheat species with one grain only), ‘Emmer’, and ‘Durum’ (species of wheat used to make semolina). Read more
Barley: This cereal is popular and highly nutritious one that is usually grown for malting; livestock also thrives on it in lands that are not capable of growing wheat due to financial or climatic conditions. Read more
Sorghum: It is consumed widely in Africa and Asia; it is also considered a good livestock feed.
Millet: It is grown widely in Africa and Asia. Millet porridge is extremely popular in China, Germany and Russia. It is also used in alcoholic beverages and sometimes as bird and animal feed.
Oats: Oats were initially a staple cereal in Scotland, however now oats are very popular as breakfast cereal in almost all countries. Owing to its fiber rich property oats are considered vital for all ages and are used as livestock feed.
Rye: It is an important cereal grown in cold climates. It is used for making breads, beer, whiskeys, vodka and also as animal fodder.
Triticale: These are manually made crops that cross breeds wheat and rye. Initially it was harvested in Sweden and Scotland only, FAO recently declared that in 2009 triticale was harvested by almost 29 countries across the world.
Fonio: It is a popular crop grown in western Africa and some remote areas of India. It grows easily in semi arid regions with poor soil quality and in a short period of six to eight weeks. Fonio is used in bread, porridge and beer.
Buckwheat: This cereal is popularly used in pancakes, noodles and porridge. It is popularly used like wheat cereal, but its characteristics are not related to wheat. This cereal is high in protein and amino acids.
Quinoa: This cereal is rich in dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. It is mainly grown in Andes; however it is also popular in North America.
Other types: Maize, rice and wheat together count up to 87% of total grain production all over the world. There are many more cereals that are used in specific regions and are not as popular as the above mentioned ones. ‘Teff’ is one such cereal, grown widely in Ethiopia but hardly known elsewhere. It is rich in fiber and protein. It is often used as staple food, or sometime used as breakfast cereal. ‘Wild rice’ is grown moderately in North America; ‘Amaranth’ was initially a staple crop of the Aztec Empire and now it’s widely cultivated in Africa.

Composition and Nutrient Value of Cereal Grains:

Belonging to the complex carbohydrates food group, cereals are rich source of minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, oils, proteins and fats. Whole cereal grains have an outer bran coat, a starchy endosperm and a germ.

Bran: The outer layers of the kernel are called bran that is made of about 5% of the kernel. The kernel is rich in fibre and minerals while the bran has high amounts of thiamine and riboflavin.
Aleuron: While refining, the bran layer is removed and the aleurone layer is exposed that lies just below the bran. This layer is also rich in phosphorous, protein, fat and thiamin.
Endosperm: Unfortunately, this layer is also lost during processing. Now the endosperm is revealed; this large central part of the kernel has high percentage of starch and protein and is low in vitamin or mineral content.
Germ: The small structure at the rear part of the kernel is known as the germ. Rich in protein, fat, minerals and vitamins, this germ is the storehouse of nutrients for the seed while germination.

The health benefits of cereals are discussed comprehensively below –

Produce Energy: Cereals are probably the greatest source of energy. Providing almost 30% of total calories in regular diet, cereals are probably the most widely taken calorie food in America. This percentage rises in places like rural Africa, Asia and India where cereals are reported to supply almost 70 to 80% of energy requirements (since people in these regions cannot afford to eat other food products like fruits, vegetables, meat, milk products, etc). Cereals are inexpensive and widely available source of energy; this is probably the prime reason why people from all budgets prefer cereals to be the major energy provider in their diet. Cereal intake tends to be quite high amongst poor income families as they attain a good amount of energy through minimal expenditure.

High Mineral Content: In cereals, around 95% of minerals are the sulphates and phosphates of magnesium, potassium and calcium. A good amount of phosphorous in cereals is present with the name of phytin. These phylates present in the cereals considerably reduce the activity of iron absorption. The unrefined cereals have more phytates as compared to the refined cereals. After the cereals germinate, phytates diminishes due to the breakdown of enzymes and then the iron content is enhanced. This is the reason why malted flours of cereals are said to have more nutritional value than raw flour. Zinc, copper and manganese are also present in cereals in very small quantities. Cereals hardly have calcium and iron; however ragi is exceptional. Amongst cereals, rice is the poorest source of iron and calcium. Ragi, millets, jowar and bajra have high amounts of minerals and fibre.

Prevent Cancer: Whole wheat products reduce the chances of breast cancer. Cereals are rich in phytosterols or plant based steroids and plant oestrogens that stimulate the hormone oestrogen. Phytosterols bind to estrogen receptor present in the tissues of the breast and blocks human oestrogen that promotes the growth of breast cancer. Many studies have showed that colon cancers can be avoided by consuming whole wheat products or any fibre rich cereals. Phytosterols increase the stool movement through the intestines, thereby constricting the reabsorption time of the oestrogen into the blood through the colon wall.

Prevent Constipation and Colon Disorders: Cereals have both the insoluble and soluble fibers like cellulose, pectin and hemicellulose. These fibers are present in the bran and pericarp, which often gets demolished while processing, thus it is advisable to consume whole cereals to cure extreme constipation troubles. Cereals also effectively improve peristalsis in the intestine and increase the bulk of the stools, thus keeping your internal system clean. Ragi is high in cellulose and has excellent laxative properties that relieve constipation. Brown rice is also helpful in this disorder.

Maintain Blood Sugar Levels: The fibre content in cereals decreases the speed of glucose secretion from food thereby maintaining sugar levels in the blood.

Cereals have High Protein Content: Proteins are present in every tissue of the cereals grain. The concentrated protein rich areas are scutellum, embryo and alleurone layer and moderate amounts in the endosperm, pericarp and testa. The concentration of proteins becomes denser in the endosperm from centre to the borderline. The cereal proteins are of different types; like albumins, prolamines gliadins, globulins and glutelins. These types of proteins are called “Gluten” proteins. This gluten has extraordinary elasticity and mobile properties, mainly present in wheat grain than the other type of cereals. Cereals have usually 6-12% protein of its quantity and lack in lysine. The protein content varies in each type of cereals. For instance, rice contains less protein in comparison to other cereals. In fact, the protein percentage even varieties with different varieties of the same cereal. Although less in amount but the quality of rice protein is better than the other cereals. When you consume cereals with pulses, the protein quality automatically improves owing to the mutual supplementation. Pulses have high lysine content and are deficient in methionine; on the other hand cereals have abundance of methionine.

High Vitamin and Enzyme content: If you are deficient of Vitamin B complex ensure whole grain cereals in your diet. Most of the vitamins of cereals are present in the outer bran, the refining process usually reduces the vitamin B content, and thus it is advisable to consume whole grain cereals. Cereals are usually devoid of either vitamin A or vitamin C; only maize has small amounts of carotene. The cereal grains are processed to extract oils that are rich in vitamin E. Rice bran oil has concentrated amounts of vitamin E than other oils available in market.

Cereal grains are rich in enzymes, particularly protease, amylase, lipases and oxido-reductases. After the seed germinates, amylase actively increases. The germ encloses the proteases enzymes.

Cereals are undoubtedly full of nutrition, but unfortunately the refining process degrades their quality. The degree of milling, polishing and refining to some extent decide the nutrient content of cereals. Some nutrients are lost during food preparation, especially vigorous washing, soaking and cooking methods result in depletion of the nutrients on the skin of the grains.

Are there any negative effects of cereal consumption?

There are some disadvantages of cereals when it comes to excessive consumption. Most of the commercial varieties of cereals have abundance of salt, sugar, and fat; which should be avoided in excess. Moreover, the high-bran products often lead to discomforts like abdominal pain, bloating and intestinal gas flatulence. If you have too much of these products, the body’s capability of iron, zinc or other mineral absorption decreases radically.

Most grains are acidic in nature, thus they can produce acidic state within the tissues and blood. Uncontrolled cereal consumption can call for premature ageing and increases the chances of certain diseases like arthritis. Grains are comparatively difficult to be digested than salads, fruits, sprouts or vegetables, so it is always recommended to have cereals in moderate amount to avoid chronic disease conditions. Even then, cereal grains are advised to be consumed after mild cooking. Excessive heat destroys the minerals, enzymes and vitamins of cereals, so baking or steam cooking is preferred in such cases.

If you are suffering from celiac diseases or irritable bowel syndrome, try to avoid whole grain cereal as they aggravate such disease conditions.

Cereal Selection for Kids:

It is often seen that kids are fond of cereals, as you can make them in a plethora of ways and also they keep children filled for long. Grains have proved to be great food for the kids since ages; they provide energy and enough nutrition required for healthy growth. If you can feed your child with at least one cup of cereal, your kid gains almost half the daily requirements of most of the vitamins and minerals. If you add milk or yogurt to the cereal, it will enhance the nutritional content of the meal. However, choosing the right cereal for your child is very important. Check out the cereal grains that have ample protein, iron and fibre. Protein aids in growth during the tender years, iron is very important for healthy blood formation and fibre is necessary for a clean digestive track. Some good choices for your kid during mealtime include millet, barley, buckwheat, rye, oats and whole wheat.

You can also introduce juicy cereals to your kids. As said before when you add milk to cereals they give complete protein meal. If your child needs calories and protein, primarily go for milk and cereal combination. On the other hand, if your child is in need of proper iron absorption, then juice and cereal mixture will serve a good purpose.

Source of photos: PhotoXpress.com

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