HOW THE BEST GRAIN RANK
It's misleading, if not impossible, to rank grains. Their relative value depends on what nutrients
you are looking for. Is one nutrient more important than another? Is fiber more important than
protein? Maybe, if you're a senior citizen, but not if you're a child. Do you judge nutritional
value by nutrients per ounce, or nutrients per calorie? When you see any rating system for food,
take it with a grain of salt and remember that variety is an important key to healthy eating.
In spite of these difficulties, we decided to give it a try and rate the twelve most common grains
according to the following nutrients: protein, fiber, iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamin E, riboflavin,
niacin, thiamin, and calcium. If you assign one point for each of these nutrients, the ratings come
out as follows:
Total Nutrient Points
(highest to lowest) |
Fiber Content
(grams per serving) |
Protein
(grams per serving) |
1. Amaranth
2. Rye
3. Oats
4. Wild rice
5. Millet
6. Barley
7. Quinoa
8. Buckwheat
9. Whole wheat
10. Brown rice
11. White rice
12. Corn
|
1. Barley
2. Amaranth
3. Whole wheat
4. Rye
5. Buckwheat
6. Millet
7. Oats
8. Wild Rice
9. Quinoa
10. Corn
11. Brown Rice
12. White Rice
|
1. Amaranth
2. Oats
3. Rye
4. Wild rice
5. Millet
6. Quinoa
7. Barley
8. Whole wheat
9. Buckwheat
10. Corn
11. Brown Rice
12. White Rice
|
The grains highest in calcium, ranked in order are: amaranth, quinoa, oats, barley, rye, and
whole wheat. Gluten-free grains are: corn, rice, soy. (Buckwheat may contain a small amount of
gluten.) The top five grains for iron are: quinoa, amaranth, oats, enriched rice, millet and barley.
The top grains for zinc (an important immune-booster) are: wild rice, rye, amaranth, oats, and
quinoa. The top grains for folic acid are: millet, wild rice, rye, amaranth, and oats.
Botanically, amaranth is not really a grain, but it has the nutritional profile of one. It surpasses whole wheat in calories, protein, iron, zinc, copper, and nearly all nutrients, and is the grain highest in folic acid, calcium, and vitamin E. Also, like wheat, amaranth is rich in the amino acid lysine. It even contains a bit of vitamin C. Even though this overlooked and underappreciated food is expensive and found only in nutrition stores, it is a grain with a future. Amaranth can be added to other grains, used as a thickener, garnish, popped like popcorn, or added to homemade bread. Because it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods, we have placed it at the top of our greatest grains list.
Information from http://askdoctorsears.com/html/4/T042700.asp
