Grains, beans, nuts and seeds

This year, we are trying a regimen of whole-grain cooking. To this end, I am learning more about grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Actually each of these are the seed of a different plant, so they all contain nutrients needed to sustain life.

"Grains are the seeds of grasses. Examples include: wheat, corn, oats, and rice. Beans are the seeds of legumes. Examples include: peas, lentils, soybeans, and chickpeas. Nuts are the seeds of trees. Examples include walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans. And seeds are…well…seeds. Examples include sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and sunflower seeds."

Food	Latin Name	Order	Glycemic Index
Barley*	Hordeum vulgare	Poales	25
Wheat berry*	Triticum aestivum	Poales	45
Bulgar wheat*	Triticum aestivum	Poales	47
Wheat bran*	Triticum aestivum	Poales	60
Couscous*	Triticum aestivum	Poales	65
Chickpea	Cicer arietinum	Fabales	10
Soybean	Glycine max	Fabales	18
Lentil	Lens culinaris	Fabales	28
Black bean	Phaseolus vulgaris	Fabales	30
Pinto bean	Phaseolus vulgaris	Fabales	30
Sunflower seed	Helianthus annuus	Asterales	<20
Poppy seed	Papaver somniferum	Ranunculales	<20
Chia	Salvia hispanica	Lamiales	<20
Sesame seed	Sesamum indicum	Lamiales	<20
Flax	Linum usitatissimum	Malpighiales	<20
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Caryophyllales	45
Quinoa	Chenopodium quinoa	Caryophyllales	53
Hominy	Zea Mays	Poales	40
Polenta	Zea Mays	Poales	68
Rice	Oryza sativa	Poales	50
Oats	Avena sativa	Poales	55
Millet	Pennisetum glaucum	Poales	67

* Contains Gluten

We've had a successful 2017 with our Kaiser Wellness Center tumblr recipe blog. With the addition of a George Foreman grill and a pressure cooker, I hope to continue adding successful healthy recipes throughout 2018. See previous post for a discussion of glycemic index.

If you're wondering where to find whole grains at a low price, look no further than WinCo Foods. Note: you must be comfortable buying from bulk bins.

Whole Foods, Porter Ranch

Removing the items not available at one or more stores, that leaves us with 15 items which can be purchased at all 4 stores. If you purchased one pound of each item, the total cost is shown below for comparison. For us, we would have to drive almost 40 miles to any of the nearest WinCo stores, but since we get 40 mpg that is just 2 gallons of gas (approximately $8), well worth the price difference. And we just have to remember to visit WinCo when we visit family, when we're making the trip already.

WinCo             $21.45
Walmart           $61.95
Whole Foods   $66.53
Von's                $65.23

Also, some of the items (e.g. couscous and polenta) must be ordered online for in-store pick-up at WalMart and delivery via Amazon for Whole Foods and is not routinely stocked at our nearest store location.  WinCo has all these items in stock, in the bulk section, with the exception of poppy seeds.

Brown rice, pearled barley, green lentils

Comparing the prices of some dry beans

Removing the items not available at one or more stores, that leaves us with 7 items which can be purchased at all 4 stores.

WinCo             $  7.27
Walmart           $10.52
Whole Foods   $21.23
Von's                $16.13

The beans below were purchased in Long Beach while Mike was attending the CSULB Student Sustainability Coalition meeting on Friday, April 20th.

References

http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/grains-beans-nuts-and-seeds/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_vulgaris

http://elitemensguide.com/glycemic-index-chart-and-glycemic-load-chart-of-common-foods/

Joseph Mercola and Kendra Degen Pearsall. Healthy Recipes for Your Nutritional Type (The Perfect Companion to Dr. Mercola's book Take Control of Your Health). 2007, Mercola.com, p 261.

Judith Finlayson. The complete whole grains cookbook. 2008, R. Robert, p 218.

Sheryl London and Mel London. The versatile grain and the elegant bean: a celebration of the world's most healthful foods. 1992, Simon & Schuster.