Gluten-Free Grains That Are Healthy

Let’s take a look at gluten-free grains that are healthy. A lot of people choose to stay away from consuming gluten, which is a protein found in wheat.

There are a lot of reasons why a person might want to avoid having gluten in their diet.

Some of these include suffering from celiac disease, gluten intolerance or sensitivity, a wheat allergy, and other digestive health conditions.

However, there are gluten-free grains that are healthy, which means you don’t have to avoid all grains.

There are actually some grains that are naturally gluten-free, and they include millet, amaranth, oats, corn, and quinoa.

In this guide, we will discuss healthy grains that are also gluten-free, so dive in and let’s get right into it.

What Are Gluten-Free Grains?

However, what are gluten-free grains? Gluten is actually just a form of protein that you can find in wheat products and some other grains like barley and rye.

Although there are some grains that contain gluten, you will also find a number of naturally gluten-free grains.

So, people following a gluten-free diet can enjoy them. They include millet, amaranth, brown rice, oats, quinoa, corn, buckwheat, and teff.

Fortunately, most of these gluten-free grains are available at grocery stores.

You can also buy some less popular grains from a health food or specialty store or just order online.

Gluten-Free Grains

Below are a number of naturally gluten-free grains that people on a gluten-free diet can safely consume:

Quinoa

Quinoa is definitely one of the most popular gluten-free grains. It is filled with antioxidants and is also rich in protein.

When it comes to your healthy diet, it is a perfect addition, particularly when you can make delectable meals from it.

For instance, using quinoa, you can also make patties, pancakes, a quinoa salad, porridge, and so on.

Sorghum

It is also commonly referred to as jowar. It is a gluten-free grain that is extensively cultivated in India.

Sorghum has a lot of health benefits. It is perfect for diabetic people, given the fact that the fiber in jowar absorbs the sugar and also helps maintain blood sugar levels.

Apart from that, it also helps boost digestion and enhance immunity. You can add this to your diet by preparing the jowar flour and making chapatis from it.

Amaranth

Amaranth is another gluten-free grain that you can add to your diet. It is also commonly referred to as ramdana, chaulai, and rajgira in Hindi.

This grain is light brown and very healthy, thanks to the fact that it is fully packed with iron, zinc, and calcium.

Using amaranth, you can make delicious rotis, pakodas, and pancakes.

Oats

Oats are also one of the most popular gluten-free grains available, and they’ve been a staple of the American diet for a very long time.

You can use oats in a great number of recipes, ranging from meatloaf to sweet potato casserole, or even in a tasty hot cereal dish.

Even though oats are gluten-free, you still need to be sure that the oats you are buying are “certified gluten-free.”

This is so given the fact that they can sometimes be cross-contaminated with barley, rye, and wheat.

Brown Rice

As you know, rice is an ingredient a great number of people have in their pantries, and this is true whether it is white, brown, black, or wild rice.

I can assure you that you are making the perfect gluten-free grain choice. Rice has also been a diet staple for centuries.

So, I strongly suggest you add it to your diet as well, whether you are on a gluten-free diet or not.

It is also available in all cuisines, ranging from burrito bowls to stir-fries to curries, and so on.

Teff

There are several ways to add teff to your diet, from flatbreads to fudge brownies. Teff is actually one of the smallest grains on this list.

It is around the size of a poppy seed. It has also been a staple food in many different types of American cuisine.

When it comes to baking, it is often ground into flour, or you can just cook it to serve with veggies and protein.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is unrelated to wheat and gluten-free, in spite of its name.

This grain offers a high amount of antioxidants, which include quercetin and rutin.

These are the two specific antioxidants. Eating this grain can help reduce the risk of heart disease due to the fact that it is linked with lowering bad cholesterol levels, which is a risk factor for several heart diseases.

Consuming buckwheat can also help reduce high blood sugar, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure.

One cup of cooked grain can offer 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

It is a rich source of other essential nutrients and minerals such as magnesium, copper, and manganese.

You can add this grain to salads and soups to jazz them up. You can also add it to a veggie burger.

You can also find buckwheat noodles in the market, and they are an ideal gluten-free swap for traditional pasta.

Millet

For more than hundreds of years, millet has been used as a grain, but it has just recently gained popularity in the United States.

It is naturally gluten-free, and since ancient times, it has been grown in India and Africa.

Millet is a healthily dense grain, and it contains a lot of essential minerals.

You will find 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein in a cup of cooked millet.

And it has a high amount of thiamin, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, and copper.

As you know, all of these nutrients and minerals are essential when it comes to enhancing health and reducing the risk of several diseases.

You can use millet as a substitute for rice, and it can be made into flour for baking. You can also use it to make polenta and porridge.

Final Thoughts on gluten-free grains that are healthy

Several grains are naturally gluten-free and can be an excellent choice for those following a gluten-free diet.

People suffering from gluten intolerance or celiac disease consider this diet, and some people follow it for health reasons.

Some of the naturally gluten-free grains include buckwheat, millet, oats, corn, brown rice, teff, sorghum, amaranth, and quinoa.

These grains contain a high amount of nutrients, which offer you several health benefits.

However, when it comes to purchasing gluten-free grains at supermarkets, you need to be careful, as they can get easily contaminated with gluten.

I highly recommend you stay away from products in the bulk bin and go for the packaged ones, but make sure they have a gluten-free label.

That being said, this will be the conclusion of this guide, as you now have a list of gluten-free grains that are healthy.