What do you get when you cross two great grains? Triticale is a combination of rye and wheat and what a combination is is. The resulting hybrid grain is higher in protein and has a more healthful balance of amino acids.

Triticale can be quite heavy, however, so if you want to bake bread or other goods with triticale, you might want to go with half triticale flour and half wheat flour.

You can use rolled triticale flakes as a substitute for oatmeal, and the triticale berries can be cooked as a side dish, though they are chewier than rice.

Want to try some other different whole grains? Check out my posts on amaranth, bulgar, barley and quinoa.

If you're a whole grain purist, you may not think amaranth belongs in the group. While it's not in the same botanical family as most whole grains, it offers the nutritional perks of whole grains. In fact, amaranth does whole grains one better; it has 16 percent more protein than most whole grains and -- bonus -- it's a complete protein. Which makes amaranth a great addition to any diet, but especially great for vegetarians.

Amaranth is gluten free, so it has to be mixed with wheat flour in order to make leavened breads. You can make some great gluten-free baked goods, though. Amaranth Soda Bread is definitely one to try. Amaranth also makes a delicious side dish.

Want to learn more about different whole grains? Check out my posts on quinoa, bulgar and barley.

When it comes to whole grains, it's great to have variety. I've filled you in on quinoa and barley, and another great grain to try is bulgar. Bulgar is essentially wheat -- but the grain has been soaked, cooked and dried. Part of the bran is removed but since some remains, bulgar is still considered a whole grain. (Whole grains 101: a whole grain contains all three parts of the grain -- the germ, the bran and the endosperm.)

Bulgar is as quick cooking as dry pasta and is very versatile. Like most whole grains, it's a great addition to soups. But you can also try it on top of salads and use it to extend meat dishes (e.g. add bulgar to your meatball mixture). It also makes a great side dish, works well in pilafs and is the base for tabbouleh.

Bulgar has more fiber than a lot of other whole grains, so it's a great addition to any diet. Check out some of these bulgar recipes to get you started.

Source

Whole grains are a nutrition powerhouse. But, for many people, once they venture away from white rice and squishy, refined white bread, they don't get too adventurous with their whole grains. Last week, I told you about quinoa, now let's check out barley.

Like most whole grains, barley is low in fat but high in fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Barley is also packed with vitamins and minerals, such as niacin, thiamine, iron and magnesium.

Barley is a natural addition to many broth-based soups, but there's a lot more you can do with this versatile grain. Here are some ideas:

• Cook barley flakes instead of oatmeal.
• Stuff mushroom caps with cooked barley and a variety of finely-diced and cooked vegetables (bell pepper, zucchini and garlic, for example).
• Add sauteed onions and celery to cooked barley for a delicious side dish (try cooking the barley in chicken or vegetable stock for added flavor).

Source

Your choices for whole grains don't start and stop with whole wheat and brown rice. There's a wide variety of whole grains to enjoy.

Quinoa has a nutty, delicious flavor and can be used in much the same way as rice. What's more, quinoa is jam-packed with nutrition. It's low in carbohydrates, contains healthy fats and is considered a complete protein (meaning it has all of the essential amino acids your body needs).

Enjoy quinoa as a sidedish, or incorporate it in any number of recipes just like you would with rice (just note that quinoa cooks up faster than brown rice). Try bell peppers stuffed with quinoa, try a twist on traditional rice pudding by using quinoa, enjoy it warm with fruit in lieu of oatmeal or add it to your favorite soup.

Source

Kids have many health habits that leave a little to be desired. As health habits spiral downward, childhood obesity and related illnesses are on the rise. It's the role of a parent to help change kids' bad habits and replace them with health-promoting foods and activities.

AOL Health counts down some of the worst health habits that kids have today:

• Eating too much white or refined flour. White flour is void of nutritional value, so while it might make that soft and squishy bread kids love, whole wheat is always a better choice.
• Drinking soda. Not only does soda add ridiculous amounts of unnecessary calories, it's also damaging to dental health. To help break the soda habit, don't keep it in your house. Water meets your child's hydration needs better than anything else. Milk and 100 percent fruit juice are also good choices in moderation.
  
• Not exercising. Kids should be active for at least 60 minutes each day. Many schools are cutting back on physical education and even on recess -- so it's important that parents create time for active play. One of the best ways to be sure your kids are being active is to get out there and play with them.
  

Check out the slideshow on AOL Health for more unhealthy kid habits.

Source

Today I had more than bills in my mailbox. When I opened it up, there was a little treat waiting for me. A free cookie, courtesy of Kashi. I love Kashi cereals, so when I saw a commercial for free samples of their cookies, I thought I would give it a try. The sample was an Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie, and it was totally yummy.

More importantly, it's packed with nutrition. The main ingredient is a blend of seven whole grains (hard red winter wheat, oats, rye, triticale, barley, long grain brown rice, and buckwheat). It also has sesame seeds and, of course, tasty dark chocolate. Even though it's all natural and contains lots of good ingredients, it is still a cookie -- it has 130 calories and five grams of fat (1.5 is saturated). It also has eight grams of sugar, but thankfully none of it is from high-fructose corn syrup. Honey and and brown rice syrup are used for sweeteners.

The cookies are also available in Happy Trail Mix (cranberry, raisin, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and shredded coconut) and Oatmeal Raisin Flax flavors. Go ahead. Steal a cookie from the cookie jar and see what you think.

Source

I try to incorporate as many whole grains as possible into my family's diet. We always opt for whole-grain pastas, crackers, and most of our cold cereals are whole grain (we slip a few treat cereals in now and then). We also eat plenty of oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain cous-cous. But, other than adding barley to soups now and then, I run a little short on ideas for other healthy whole grains.

There are so many delicious whole grains to try -- such as quinoa and triticale. The Whole Grains Council has a library of recipes to try.

Eat Better America has a recipe for tabbouleh with fruit that sounds wonderful. I'm a big fan of tabbouleh and this is a new twist I can't wait to try. Some of the ingredients include bulgar, fresh herbs, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, as well as olive oil and cinnamon.

Source

Many studies show that people who eat breakfast have a better chance of losing weight. When you consume a balanced breakfast including foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, you're fueling your body with slow-burning foods that will keep you energized throughout the day. In addition, healthful breakfast choices will help you feel full longer.

A new study narrows down the healthful breakfast recommendations. The study found that dieters who ate two eggs for breakfast had better weight control than those who ate bagels. (The overall calorie intake of all study subjects was controlled.) In detail, those who ate eggs lost 65% more weight, had 61% greater reduction in BMI, and had higher energy levels.

It's important to note that the study was funded by the Egg Nutrition Center. I have to wonder what the results would be if the non-egg eaters in the study had eaten something more nutritious than a bagel (the report doesn't specify if the bagels were whole grain and if they were topped with anything).

Source

Yes, I've heard: white carbs are out, so you can't eat pasta. Well, that's not necessarily true. There are lots of good whole grain pasta options: whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice.

Our fave? Brown rice, as the taste and texture most resemble semolina pasta, especially if you use Trader Joe's brand or Tinkyada. So cook some up and toss with this wonderful recipe of curry sauce, spinach and scallops.

We always use whole fat organic yogurt, so we substituted that for the low fat, and I simply opened up a can of organic diced tomatoes instead of the fresh ones -- how's that for lazy? But healthy, nonetheless!

Source

For a lot of people it's tough figuring out what kinds of food to eat as well as how much. But for vegetarians, it can be even harder as a major staple of their diet -- protein derived from eating meat -- is removed from the list of foods they can eat.

If you're a new veggie and you're wondering what exactly you need to consume each day to maintain a healthy diet, this vegetarian food pyramid is a great place to start. Obviously, it's pretty similar to a traditional food pyramid (and shouldn't be confused with a vegan food pyramid) but offers examples of what you should eat to replace meat in your diet.

This article goes into a bit of depth explaining how the pyramid works. Basically, you should eat the foods at the top (vegetable fats and oils, sweets and salts) sparingly, and munch on more of each of the subsequent levels. Staples like whole-grain bread, cereal, rice and pasta are at the bottom of the pyramid, so you should include lots of these in your meals and snacks each day.

Remember though that everyone is different and while the pyramid is a useful general guide, it may be a good idea to chat with a nutritionist about your own personal dietary needs.

Source