Eat More Grains

My favorite grain is brown rice, but I find I can eat it for days before I realize that variety is the spice of life. Brown rice is balanced, but other grains offer a nutritional punch not unlike brown rice's balancing tone, yet with a wider array of content.

Take teff for example. You may have had teff and not known it if you have eaten Ethiopian food, where the bread, injera, is made out of teff flour (though not gluten free, in most restaurants). Teff is gluten free. Teff is also good for the heart, since it is red-toned (specifically chocolate-colored) a species of lovegrass from Ethiopia believed to have originated between 4000 BC and 1000 BC. The tiny seedy grain has an attractive nutrition profile, being high in dietary fiber and iron and providing protein and 17 times more calcium than whole wheat or barley.

And for those with celiac, there is good news! Thanks to a test developed by the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) it has shown that Teff is completely gluten-free, meaning it can probably be accommodated in the diet of patients suffering from celiac disease. Teff is a healthy wheat alternative, and there are ways to make it delicious. Featerued above is basic teff, flourished with avocado slices and cilantro, with a side of boiled collard greens and adzuki-squash soup. The entire meal has: 420 calories, 16 grams protein, 10 grams fat

Basic Teff:
1/2 cup teff
2 cups water
pinch sea salt

Bring water to a boil, add teff and sea salt. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
*this can also be made into a porridge for breakfast, add some molasses and slivered almonds.
Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving
Calories: 103
Fat: 1 g
Fiber: 2 g
Carbohydrate: 20 g