It’s a good day for grains as scientists discover two healthy switch-ups that make a great difference to your health
A study by Harvard Public School of Health has found that eating a daily bowl of quinoa reduces the risk of premature death by 17 per cent. The extensive research, which studied more than 367,000 people for an average of 14 years found that eating 34 grams of the trendy grain per 1000 calories of food each day could reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.
If your local supermarket hasn't jumped on the quinoa bandwagon yet, fear not: the study also found that other whole grains such as oats or wheat had similar health perks. This isn’t an excuse to indulge in your white carb favourites though as the research published in the BMC Medicine journal highlighted that the health benefits outlined are only gained when bran and germ are intact.
If rice is your go-to grain then we also have some good news: Sri Lankan researchers have found a way to make the curry favourite less calorific. According to their latest findings, boiling rice in coconut oil and then cooling it can reduce the calorie content by a mind boggling 60%. The science behind the research is based around the rate in which the body breaks down the rice into simple sugars. By cooling the rice, the scientists have identified that the amount of glucose and therefore calories absorbed by the body is significantly less. Don’t fancy cold rice? As long as the rice is refrigerated for 12 hours prior to being reheated the science still works the same.
Quinoa and coconut oil will be the top of our next shopping list…