Wholegrains for energy

Not all carbs are created equal. Whole grains are your best bet, with higher fibre content, more nutrients, and a lower GI, these help get you sustained energy levels without the crash that comes with high GI processed carbs or high sugar foods. Here are our top tips for easy convenient ways of including wholegrain into your week.

Porridge

Forget your normal porridge, for a real nutrient punch, throw in a variety of different grains. Rolled oats, barley, spelt, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth. Put together a concoction of them all if you like, or just choose two or three.

If mornings are too much of a rush, soak grains overnight and cut the stovetop cooking time. Either make with water, milk, or a mixture of both. Add chia seeds, bran, or LSA mix to make it even healthier.

Popcorn

Home made or store bought, as long as you choose the plain versions without all the butter and mass quantities of salt or seasoning, popcorn is considered a healthy wholegrain.

Rice

Brown rice, black rice, red rice, any rice that isn’t white still has its germ and bran which contains important nutrients. White rice has been processed to remove these parts of the rice, and so is the less healthy option.

Bread

Often bread is avoided for weight loss, but your grainy versions are actually a great way to get in healthy carbohydrates and are super convenient. Whereas white bread is processed, high GI so it won’t keep you full for long, causes insulin spikes which has been linked to increased abdominal fat storage, and can result in blood sugar crashes after an hour or two- on the other hand wholegrain bread is nutrient dense, low GI, high fibre, and helps keep you full for longer periods.

If you are unsure, choose bread with wholemeal flour as the main ingredient (not plain flour) and a good variety of other grains. Preservatives in bread is something you may choose to avoid, and freezing bread is one way to get longer use out of a loaf, wholegrain toast with and egg and cooked vegetables is a great way to start the day.