Eating Well - Beaming with Health

TAe Food We Eat 101
the germ, the embryonic plant which, if lefi to its own
devices, would use the endosperm as food to fuel its
growth into a little seedling. The germ contains protein,
fatty acids and is a storehouse of minerals and vitamins,
particularly vitamin E. Protecting the grain is a tough coat
called the husk or bran. This is where we frnd most of
the fibre, including celIulose. The husk also contains a
fair amount of micronutrients, but not as many as the
aleurone layer, the undercoating that lies snugly over the
grain and under the husk. Grains contain a large percentage
of carbohydrate, around 80 per cent. They also
contain a little more than 10 per cent protein and are in
general very low in fat, at about 2 per cent.
Flour power
Grains, also known as cereals, are the seeds of grasses. As
hunters and gatherers thousands of years ago, we gathered
these wild grass seeds, in addition to the roots, leaves,
flowers, fruits, insects and odd rodent that crossed our wandering
path. The wild grasses of yesteryear were very different
from the lush ears of corn and wheat we cultivate today.
It would have been slim pickings indeed. Not only would it
have been time consuming to gather these seeds but they are
virtually inedible in the raw state. So, we would have had to
lug these seeds on our 40 kilometre walk (the estimated daily
average distance covered by our fit ancestors) and at the end
of a long day, grind the pesky seeds on a bit of rock, then
add water, then cook it over the coals. Pass the insects please.
So much less trouble.
Nevertheless, someone was keen to eat their wheaties.
Humankind became 'civilised' when it began to cultivate
grain around 10 000 to 15 000 years ago. Sowing seeds in the