أطفال مستلقون يضحكون في حقل لزراعة القمح

    Tips

    A whole lot of fun whole grain facts

    You might already know a lot about whole grain – like how important it is in a balanced diet, and how tasty it can be. But do you really know everything about it? No? Great! You’ve come to the right place.

    Chewing it over

    People have been eating whole grains for more than 17,000 years – they picked seeds, rubbed off the husks and chewed the kernels raw or boiled them in water.

    صورة لماء يغلي على النار

    Oh mummy!

    Egyptians used to bury mummies with necklaces made from barley, and in 1324 King Edward II of England set the standard for the measurement - making the ‘inch’ equal to ‘three grains of barley, dry and round, placed end-to-end lengthwise’.

    صورة لقلادة مصنوعة من الشعير

    A whole lot of grains

    One bushel of wheat contains around a million individual whole grain kernels.

    صورة لدلو به حبوب

    War on whole grain

    Amaranth is a whole grain that was incredibly important to the Aztecs. So when the Spanish invaded, their leader, Cortez, tried to destroy the Aztecs by not allowing them to grow it – anyone caught was put to death!

    صورة لجمجمة من القمح

    Tut, tut ...

    Khorasan grain is a wheat variety that was brought to the US as a souvenir from an Egyptian tomb - it was sold as ‘King Tut’s Wheat’. Now known as kamut, an ancient Egyptian word for wheat, this rich, buttery-tasting wheat is certified organic.

    صورة لفرعون بالكاموت

    Rice in disguise

    Wild rice isn’t really rice at all – it’s the seed of an aquatic grass originally grown by Native American tribes. It has a strong flavour and is quite expensive so it’s usually mixed with other types of rice.

    صورة لحبة أرز أبيض وأرز بني

    Mighty wheat!

    Wheat is the most widely grown cereal grain. It’s grown on over 17% of the total cultivated land in the world, and is the staple food for 35% of the world’s population. It provides more calories and protein in the world’s diet than any other crop.

    صورة للكرة الأرضية

    Pop goes the kernel!

    Popcorn is simply a puffed-up whole grain. It’s made from a special type of corn called ‘zea mays everta’ – the only type of corn that can ‘pop’. Try popping your own corn at home with the kids – great fun!

    صورة لفشار منتفخ

    Food of goods and kings

    In Asia, the Amaranth grain is known as ‘king seed’ and ‘seed sent by God’.

    صورة لأحد الآلهة الهندية

    Pure gold

    Quinoa, pronounced ‘keen-wa’, is a whole grain that was highly prized by the ancient Incas – they called it ‘gold of the Incas’.

    صورة للذهب والقمح

    Footnotes

      Let'stalk

      We've tried to answer as many of your questions as possible. You can search them all here:

      How can I find foods made with whole grain?

      Two things to remember: • Look for food labels where the word 'whole' appears in front of the name of the grain, like “whole wheat” or “wholemeal bread”. • For foods with more than one ingredient, make sure whole grain is listed towards the top of the ingredients list. The further up the list it is, the more whole grain has been used in the recipe. And look out for the percentage of whole grain. You should find this in the ingredients list too.

      Which Nestlé cereals are made with whole grain?

      All Nestlé breakfast cereals carrying the green banner are made with whole grain; this is our Whole Grain Guarantee. They are made with at least 8g or more of whole grain per 30g serving. There are ingredient lists on all packs, showing the exact amount. By end of 2015, we’re committed to making whole grain the main ingredient in all Nestlé cereals popular with children.

      What should be in a complete breakfast?

      A complete breakfast should include a balance of nutrients from each of the major food groups.