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r Wheat Cereals
See also Barley, Corn, Flour, Oats, Rice.Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate
Protein: Moderate
Fat: Low
Saturated fat: Low
Cholesterol: None
Carbohydrates: High
Fiber: Low to very high
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins
Major mineral contribution: Iron, zincAbout the Nutrients in This Food
Wheat cereals such as bulgur wheat, farina, and kasha are grains that have
been milled (ground) to remove the cellulose and lignin covering (bran) so
that we can digest the nutrients inside.
When grain is milled, the bran may be mixed in with the cereal or
discarded. Cereals with the bran are very high-fiber food. Cereals with the
germ (the inner portion of the seed) are high in fat and may turn rancid
more quickly than cereals without the germ.
The proteins in wheat cereals are limited in the essential amino acid
lysine. Wheat cereals are naturally good sources of the B vitamins, includ-
ing folate, plus iron and zinc. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration
ordered food manufactures to add folates—which protect against birth
defects of the spinal cord and against heart disease—to flour, rice, and
other grain products. One year later, data from the Framingham Heart
Study, which has followed heart health among residents of a Boston suburb
for nearly half a century, showed a dramatic increase in blood levels of folic
acid. Before the fortification of foods, 22 percent of the study participants
had a folic acid deficiency; after, the number fell to 2 percent.
One-half cup cooked bulgur wheat has 5.5 g dietary fiber, 16.5 mg
folate (4 percent of the RDA), 0.87 mg iron (5 percent of the RDA for a
woman, 11 percent of the RDA for a man), and .52 mg zinc (7 percent of
the RDA for a woman, 5 percent of the RDA for a man).
One-half cup cooked farina has 0.7 g dietary fiber, 79 mg folate (20
percent of the R DA), 1.2 mg iron (7 percent of the R DA for a woman,