Why is wheat porridge useful for the body

The benefits and harms of wheat porridge are a pressing issue for everyone who tries to eat healthy and tasty food. It is necessary to study the properties of porridge and the peculiarities of its effect on the body.

What is wheat porridge made of

Groats are created from ordinary durum wheat - but before that, the grains undergo incomplete grinding and crushing. As a result, smooth and hard polished nucleoli are obtained, which in turn are divided into two grades:

• "Poltavskaya" numbered - from No. 1 to No. 4. Any cereal is of high quality and rather large, but cereal No. 1 consists of the largest grains.
• "Artek" - grits of fine crushing, but good grinding, also distinguished by high quality and valuable properties.

In addition to cereals, you can find wheat flakes in stores - they are obtained from flattened grains. The benefits and harms of wheat groats largely depend on the quality of the purchased product.

The chemical composition of wheat porridge

Crushing and grinding do not affect the beneficial properties of the cereal - it retains a rich elemental composition. It includes:

• valuable minerals - potassium and iron, calcium and phosphorus, magnesium and zinc;
• vitamins - B, C, E, PP, A, F;
• starch and fiber;
• amino acids and sugars.

The health benefits of wheat can hardly be overestimated - it has a beneficial effect on all body systems.

Nutritional value and calorie content of wheat porridge

The product contains a complete set of essential nutrients. In particular, there are carbohydrates in the amount of 70 g per 100 g, fats in the amount of 1 g and proteins - about 16 g. Ash (about 2 g) and fiber (about 0.3 g) also take a certain share in the composition.

The calorie content of wheat porridge per 100 g depends on how it is prepared. Groats cooked in water will contain approximately 90 calories per 100 g. But if boiled in milk, the nutritional value will also depend on the fat content of the milk - but on average it will be up to 130 calories.

The benefits of wheat cereal porridge

The benefits of wheat porridge for the human body is that the product:

• supports liver function and regulates the balance of bad and good cholesterol;
• has a positive effect on vision and prevents the development of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism;
• has a beneficial effect on the work of the brain and nervous system;
• strengthens the body's resistance to colds;
• helps to improve metabolism and fat metabolism;
• maintains normal blood sugar levels;
• regulates blood pressure and prevents the formation of blood clots in the vessels;
• improves skin tone, strengthens nails and hair;
• normalizes the activity of the intestines - this is the special benefit of wheat porridge for the elderly.

Wheat groats are included in many therapeutic diets, due to their properties, it is recommended for use even for some serious ailments.

Wheat porridge for pregnant and lactating mothers

In the absence of acute stomach diseases and gluten allergies, the product must be present in the diet of expectant mothers. The benefits of wheat porridge for pregnant women are that it saturates the body with vitamins, eliminates constipation, accelerates metabolic processes and helps to cope with fatigue and stress.

During lactation, you need to carefully approach the properties of cereals - it is recommended to reintroduce it into the diet only 3 months after childbirth. You need to cook porridge in water and carefully monitor the reaction of the baby. If symptoms of allergy and harm do not appear, then wheat porridge while breastfeeding can be consumed regularly in amounts of up to 200 g.

The benefits of wheat porridge for children

The benefits of wheat porridge for children lies in the fact that it supplies the developing body with minerals and vitamins, regulates the intestines and stimulates brain activity. However, gluten is present in the composition - therefore, wheat is given to children quite late in order to avoid harm from allergies.

At what age can wheat porridge be given to babies

For the first time, it is recommended to offer a product to a child no earlier than 9 months, after the introduction of buckwheat and rice into the diet. For kids, wheat porridge is boiled in water - the benefit will be maximum, and harm is almost excluded. Salt and spices are not added, and the initial portions should not exceed 1 teaspoon in volume.

If allergic reactions do not follow, portions can be gradually increased. To ensure that the properties of the product are not harmful, it should be offered no more than twice a week.

For what diseases is wheat porridge useful?

For some ailments, the product brings special benefits and is recommended for use. But you need to know exactly how and during what periods you can eat wheat porridge.

With gastritis and stomach ulcers

The health benefits and harms of wheat porridge are ambiguous in the phase of exacerbation of diseases - it has an irritating effect on the walls of the stomach and can be harmful. But during remission, the benefits from it will be great, since the beneficial properties will help the rapid restoration of digestive functions and prevent constipation.

With diabetes

The product is considered one of the most beneficial for diabetes as it slows down the formation of fat cells and prevents obesity. The glycemic index of porridge is low - 45 units. Eating healthy wheat porridge for breakfast is best with vegetables and lean meat.

With pancreatitis

You can eat wheat porridge during remission, in the mild stage of the disease - it will help to cope with the feeling of hunger, saturate the body with vitamin B. But during acute inflammation of the pancreas, the product will have to be temporarily excluded - the properties of the porridge will cause a feeling of fullness in the stomach, it will be slowly and difficult to digest and will only do harm.

The benefits and harms of wheat porridge for weight loss

The calorie content of the product is average, and there are a lot of useful properties, therefore, it is highly recommended to include wheat porridge in the diet during the diet. It will support healthy bowel function, protect against constipation, and help cope with natural hunger.

For weight loss, it is better to eat wheat porridge in the morning, and boil it in water. You can combine it with low-fat cottage cheese and vegetables, sometimes a wheat porridge diet includes whole fasting days exclusively on wheat.

How to cook delicious wheat porridge

Taste properties are determined not only by the quality of the cereal, but also by how well the porridge is cooked. Here are some tips to help you make your meal as delicious as possible.

• As a rule, wheat porridge is cooked in a 1: 3 ratio. At the same time, even milk porridge is boiled mainly in water - milk serves only as an auxiliary component, it is added a little.
• Before cooking, wheat grits must be washed. Unwashed cereals are covered with imperceptible flour dust - during cooking, this dust will soften, and the porridge will become slimy and tasteless.
• It is not customary to stir wheat porridge - this worsens its consistency.
• Readiness is determined by the presence of "funnels" on the surface of the porridge - as soon as they appear, the pan can be removed from the stove.

Well-cooked porridge is tasty by itself, but it is usually eaten with vegetables, boiled meat or fish, mushrooms. As a dressing, you can use not only butter and spices, but also pieces of fruit, sugar, jam, condensed milk and cream.

Wheat porridge recipes

There are several particularly popular cooking recipes. You can choose one of them, your favorite - or you can alternate recipes, each time enjoying a slightly new taste.

Wheat cereal porridge on water

The recipe is one of the simplest, and the benefits of wheat porridge in water are manifested for the whole body. To prepare a dish, you only need cereals, water and a little time.

• The required amount of cereals is washed, poured with water in a ratio of 1: 3 and brought to a boil.
• The boiled cereals are salted, the temperature is reduced and the mixture is boiled for another 15 minutes.
• After the dish is ready, cover it with a lid or wrap it up and wait another 20 minutes.

Milk Wheat Porridge

Contrary to popular belief, a dairy dish is not cooked exclusively with milk. For its preparation, the cereals are still poured with water and boiled for about 15 minutes. But at the last stage, a little more milk is added to the porridge - to taste - and they continue to cook for another 5 - 7 minutes, until it acquires the desired consistency.

The benefits of wheat porridge with milk are even greater than that of a dish prepared in the usual way. The beneficial properties of milk are added to all the valuable elements in the composition of wheat.

Wheat porridge with pumpkin

An unusual, but very nutritious and healthy dish is porridge with the addition of pumpkin. It is very simple to prepare it. To do this, you need to take:

• quality wheat groats;
• 200 g pumpkin pulp;
• 2 large spoons of sugar;
• 40 g butter;
• some milk - 250 ml;
• a pinch of salt;
• 200 ml of water.

The preparation itself looks like this:

• peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds from the middle, cut the pulp into small cubes;
• the pulp is poured with water, put the pan on the stove and cook for about 10 minutes, periodically checking the pumpkin with a fork or knife for softness;
• washed wheat groats are added to the pan, mixed once and cooked for about a quarter of an hour;
• after that, milk is poured into the pan, mixed, salt and sugar are added and kept on fire for another 5 minutes.

After that, the wheat must be tasted, and if it is really ready, it must be removed from the stove. A little oil is added to a hot dish.

Wheat porridge with meat

With the addition of meat, the wheat will turn out to be especially nutritious and will bring great benefits. In the usual diet, you can use fatty meat, in the dietary one - low-calorie poultry meat.

The ingredients for a regular recipe are as follows:

• 250 g of good cereal;
• 350 g of pork meat;
• 30 ml of vegetable oil;
• 500 ml of water;
• 1 onion;
• salt and black pepper - a little to taste.

It takes a little longer to cook the dish, but the result is worth the effort.

• The washed cereal is poured with water and sent to the stove. After boiling, the porridge will need to be salted and cooked for another 20 - 25 minutes until fully cooked.
• Pork meat is washed, dried with paper towels, cut into small pieces.
  
• In a large frying pan, heat the oil, then place the chopped meat on it and fry until a small crust appears, stirring slightly.
• While the meat is cooking, cut the onion into half rings - and add to the pork when it is browned.
• Reduce the heat, fry the meat and onions for about 10 minutes more over low heat.
• After that, a little boiling water is poured into the pan - no more than 80 ml - and the meat is stewed under the lid for another quarter of an hour.

When both pork and wheat are completely cooked, add the porridge to the pan, mix with the meat and sprinkle with pepper and salt. In this form, the dish is fried for another 5 minutes - and served on the table, decorated with herbs or vegetables.

Wheat cereal porridge in a slow cooker

It is easiest to prepare a healthy dish in an automatic multicooker - the process requires almost no direct participation.

The washed and then dried cereals are poured into a kitchen appliance in a volume of 1 glass, then poured with 2 measuring cups of water, salted and turned on the multicooker in a special mode "Groats". After the device informs about the readiness of the porridge, add a little butter to the dish - butter or vegetable - and keep it for another 10 minutes in the heating mode.

The harm of wheat porridge and contraindications

With all its useful properties, sometimes cereals can harm the body. It is not recommended to use it:

• if you are allergic to gluten - or, more simply, gluten;
• with flatulence and exacerbations of pancreatitis, gastritis, peptic ulcer;
• after operations on the abdominal cavity.

For the first time, it is always worth trying a dish in small quantities to make sure that there is no individual intolerance.

How to choose wheat groats

The benefits and harms of wheat groats for the body are determined by the quality of the product. They choose cereals not only for the price. Even without opening the package, you can draw attention to some of the characteristic features of the product.

• The groats must be fresh - you need to check the expiration date and make sure that it is not coming to an end.
• Useful cereals should be uniform both in color and composition. Lumps or rubbish inside the bag or rubbish indicate poor quality.
• The package must say that the wheat is produced from durum varieties.

What is the difference between wheat porridge and millet

In everyday life, people often confuse wheat and millet groats - both are abbreviated as "wheat", sometimes "millet". However, the difference between them is fundamental - cereals are made from different raw materials. Wheat groats are made from wheat grains, but millet is made from millet.

It is easy to distinguish between the two cereals and in appearance - wheat grains are gray-brown and uneven, millet - round and yellow. At the manufacturing stage, wheat grits are crushed and partially ground, but millet is only ground.

Both types of cereals are useful in regular and dietary meals. But you should not confuse them, since the properties are completely different.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of wheat porridge depend mainly on whether there is an individual allergy to gluten or acute stomach ailments. With good health, the product will be of great benefit and help to strengthen the body.

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