12 Steps to Whole Foods

Making Plant-Based Main Dishes
Millet. This grain is alkaline even when cooked, stores well long term, and is finely textured, mild flavored,
and easy to digest. It may be unfamiliar to most Americans, but it is one of the most important grains in the
world, growing wild in droughts and heat, and feeding populations of Asia and Africa. It makes a delicious
cooked breakfast cereal.
Buckwheat. Actually a fruit seed rather than a cereal grain, buckwheat has a hardy flavor and texture (doesn’t
go “mushy” when you cook it) and has been found in research to help control blood sugar and avoid heart
disease. It satisfies hunger perhaps more than any other grain and, with a little maple syrup, makes a good hot
breakfast.
The following tables list the macronutrients and Glycemic Index for grains and legumes:
Grain // Legume
(1 C cooked) Protein (g) Carbohydrates (g) Fiber (g) Glycemic Index*
Barley (hulled, not pearled) 7 59 14 Low
Brown rice 5 45 3.5 Medium
Buckwheat 6 34 4.5 Medium
Millet 8 57 3 Low
Oats, rolled (not pearled) 6 25 4 Low/Medium
Quinoa 6 29 2.5 Low
Rye 8 39 8 Low/Medium
Spelt 6 30 4.5 Medium
Whole wheat 6 34 8 Medium
Beans, common (black, pinto, kidney) 14-15 40-44 11-15 Low
Chickpeas (Garbanzos) 15 45 8 Low
Lentils 18 40 10 Low
Split peas 16 41 5 Low
* Low GI = 1-44, Medium GI = 45-60, High GI = 61-100
Cautions about the Glycemic Index
I want to suggest caution about taking the glycemic indexes (GI) as the “gospel truth” to guide all your eating
habits. I use it to keep an eye on how fast sugar enters the bloodstream with various foods, but other factors
must also be considered, including the fact that you rarely eat a food all by itself. For instance, potatoes,
carrots, and bananas are high on the GI chart—but they also provide excellent nutrition. Also, significant
evidence has come to light that a food’s glycemic index is not an accurate predictor of the effect that the food
has on blood sugar, insulin, or cholesterol levels.
Basing my opinion on a survey of the literature, I suggest you feel free to eat high-glycemic foods if they are
whole plant foods, rich in fiber and nutrients. No evidence exists that fruits cause weight gain or diabetes; in
fact, quite the opposite is true. Avoid high-glycemic foods that are stripped of nutrition (white flour, white
sugar), and eat high-glycemic foods in their natural state, along with fibrous plant foods such as greens, grains,
legumes, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 163