While tradition suggests us to go for products that are close to their natural form, the modern satiety dictates to compromise for anything lesser than scientifically-advanced.
A grocery shopping routine finds us preferring the all glossy and attractive cereals over the pale and distorted ones. And it is in the name of this “progressive” sense of food-picking that polished fares have found permanent places in many of our kitchens.
Be it rice, dal, wheat, or even certain millets, most of our platters generally ends up accounting to this very class of grains and cereals.
So, what exactly are these polished foods and how do they differ from the unpolished ones? Also, how is it that consuming any of them might affect our health?
Here’s all you need to know.
Polished v/s Unpolished
Whole grains are made up three parts namely-bran, endosperm and germ. While bran is the outermost cover, the endosperm and germ constitute the middle and innermost parts of the grain respectively.
Collectively, the grains are powerhouses of nutrients. Particularly, bran is a rich a source of dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. The germ too consists of high quantities of vitamins and minerals.
However, in the process of polishing whole grains, the bran and germ are removed as by-products, thereby leaving behind just the endosperm as the bright and shiny cereal.
Thus, devoid of many crucial vitamins and minerals, the polished cereal stoops drastically when it compared to the unpolished variety on a nutritional front.
Moreover, the refinement technique involves several chemical processes that might infuse or coat the grain with undesired substances, making their consumption unprescribed.
Unpolished cereals, on the other hand, are as close as we can avail them in the natural form. Consisting of bran and germ, along with the endosperm, these varieties are sources of vital nutrients and come recommended to maintain our health in a sound state.
Benefits of the unpolished varieties
Here are some benefits that would be on offer if you opt for the unpolished varieties over the polished ones.
- Unpolished cereals like brown rice, pulses, wheat and even millets, come as rich sources of nutrients that can help our bodies in multiple ways.
- Since these come along with the bran, expect high quantities of dietary fibre content, which is a crucial component of a healthy diet.
- Since there is little usage of chemicals on these, the risks, that would otherwise be posed by the consumption of polished grains, are considerably minimised.
And given the number of advantages that could be availed, unpolished grains generally tend to enjoy higher stakes in the market.
However, in spite the pricier ranks, it is advisable to opt for the cruder counterparts than the polished ones in order to keep cruising along your path of a healthy lifestyle.
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