The New Complete Book of Food
15 percent of the R DA for a man), and 0.2 mg zinc (3 percent of the R DA for a woman, 2
percent of the R DA for a man).
One-half cup cooked kasha (roasted buckwheat groats) has 4.5 g dietary fiber, 24 mg
folate (6 percent of the RDA), 1.3 mg iron (7 percent of the RDA for a woman, 16 percent
of the RDA for a man), and 1 mg iron (6 percent of the RDA for a woman, 17 percent of the
RDA for a man).The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food
With beans, milk, cheese, or meat, any of which will provide the essential amino acid lysine
to “complete” the proteins in the grains.Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food
Gluten-restricted, gliadin-free diet (farina, kasha)
Low-carbohydrate diet
Low-fiber, low-residue diet
Low-sodium diet (see About the nutrients in this food, above)Buying This Food
Look for: Tightly sealed boxes or canisters.Storing This Food
Keep cereals in air- and moisture-proof containers to protect them from potentially toxic
fungi that grow on damp grains. Properly stored, degermed grains may keep for as long as a
year. Whole-grain cereals, which contain the fatty germ, may become rancid and should be
used as quickly as possible.Preparing This Food
* * *What Happens When You Cook This Food
Cereals are made of tightly folded molecules of the complex carbohydrates amylose and
amylopectin packed into starch granules. As the granules are heated in liquid, they absorb
water and swell. As the temperature of the liquid rises to approximately 140 ̄F, amylose and
amylopectin molecules inside the starch granules relax and unfold, breaking some of their