Ready to start! A friend asked me if I’d made any New Year’s resolutions. I usually don’t, but because her question related to health and food (not exercise) I decided to think about it. I knew improvements needed to be made in this area of my life. So I decided to focus on eating more whole grains. I eat about 50 percent whole wheat bread, but I'd like to increase that to 75 percent (or more). I buy and eat both brown rice and white rice, so I’m planning to buy only brown, and to eat brown rice in a restaurant if it’s available. Most of the time I cook rolled oats for oatmeal, but this year I plan to wait the extra 15 minutes to cook steel cut oats (at least more than I do now).
What exactly are whole grains? According to the Whole Grain Council, “All grains start life as whole grains. In their natural state growing in the fields, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed (which industry calls a "kernel") is made up of three key edible parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm – protected by an inedible husk that protects the kernel from assaults by sunlight, pests, water, and disease.” See their list of whole grains from amaranth to wild rice here.
This morning, NPR reported on the new dietary guidelines from the U.S. government. There is one big change: “Americans are being told to limit sugar to no more than 10 percent of daily calories.” However, some of the guidelines have not changed since the last time the guidelines were updated five years ago: “Much of the dietary advice included in the new guidelines will sound very familiar and remains unchanged from 2010. For instance, there's a focus on consuming more fruits and vegetables, more fiber and whole grains, and less salt.”
Have you made a New Year’s resolution related to health and food? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
In honor of my resolution, I baked the best granola (see here for an earlier blog post) and have whole-wheat bread rising in the bread machine. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy! And may you take steps to improve your health in 2016!
First Step Whole-Wheat Bread
One third of this bread is whole-wheat flour to two-thirds white flour. It’s a great start in the transition from eating white bread to eating whole-wheat. I’ll be experimenting with 100 percent whole-wheat flour bread recipes this year and share them in future posts.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons active-dry yeast
Measure and add all ingredients to a bread machine loaf pan in the order listed. Use the basic white bread setting according to the manufacturers instructions. After baking, remove from loaf pan and let cool on a rack. For even slicing, use an electric knife. I like to slice the loaf in half down the middle, then place the half cut side down and slice ½-inch thick. Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf
This morning, NPR reported on the new dietary guidelines from the U.S. government. There is one big change: “Americans are being told to limit sugar to no more than 10 percent of daily calories.” However, some of the guidelines have not changed since the last time the guidelines were updated five years ago: “Much of the dietary advice included in the new guidelines will sound very familiar and remains unchanged from 2010. For instance, there's a focus on consuming more fruits and vegetables, more fiber and whole grains, and less salt.”
Have you made a New Year’s resolution related to health and food? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
In honor of my resolution, I baked the best granola (see here for an earlier blog post) and have whole-wheat bread rising in the bread machine. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy! And may you take steps to improve your health in 2016!
First Step Whole-Wheat Bread
One third of this bread is whole-wheat flour to two-thirds white flour. It’s a great start in the transition from eating white bread to eating whole-wheat. I’ll be experimenting with 100 percent whole-wheat flour bread recipes this year and share them in future posts.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons active-dry yeast
Measure and add all ingredients to a bread machine loaf pan in the order listed. Use the basic white bread setting according to the manufacturers instructions. After baking, remove from loaf pan and let cool on a rack. For even slicing, use an electric knife. I like to slice the loaf in half down the middle, then place the half cut side down and slice ½-inch thick. Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf
 What a heavenly aroma! |  First slice bread in half.  Then cut into slices. |
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