Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Wheat Berries


 A berry covered in wheat?  Wheat covered in berries?  Not quite!

What are they, you ask?  Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels that contain the germ, bran, and starchy endosperm of the grain.  Basically, it is the grain without its shell!  All wheat products are made from wheat berries.

Because all three parts of the grain remain, wheat berries are wonderfully nutritious – they are high in fibre, low in calories, and jam packed with vitamins and minerals.  Whole grains are an essential part of a healthy diet and Canada’s Food Guide tells us that at least half of our grain products should be whole grains each day.

Wheat berries can be found at Early’s Farm and Garden and at Co-op’s in Saskatoon.  Look around at your local grocery store to see if they are available!

Now that you’ve heard how great wheat berries are, let’s explore how you can use them in your meals and snacks.  Be sure to watch the video from Health Castle below to learn how to cook wheat berries.


Wheat berries can be added to baking, soups, stews, salads, and much more!  For example, at breakfast, you can put cooled, cooked wheat berries into your yogurt with fruit to start off the day ‘nutrishusly’ ;).  You can also add texture and fibre to salads and muffins by incorporating wheat berries into your meals and recipes. 

So, make sure you look for wheat berries on your next trip to the grocery store.  I know I will!

Sources:
How to Cook Wheat Berries Video. HealthCastle.com
Wheat Berries - March 2010's Featured Food. LeslieBeck.com. 

Guest post by Jayme Nicholls, Dietetic Intern

for:
Steph Wheler, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching