| Although wheat products reign supreme on
the shelves of supermarkets in the United States, foods
made from whole rye are worth looking for, not only for
their rich, hearty taste, but for their numerous health
benefits. Like most grains, rye is available throughout
the year.
Health Benefits
In the U.S., where wheat products are the norm,
goods made from rye are rarely given premier shelf
space on grocery store shelves and, out of sight,
remain out of mind. But foods made from whole rye
are worth looking for, not only for their rich, hearty
taste, but for the numerous health benefits they
supply.
Rye's fiber Promotes Weight Loss
Rye is a very good
source of fiber,
which is especially important in the United States,
since most Americans do not get enough fiber in their
diets. Rye fiber is richly endowed with noncellulose
polysaccharides, which have exceptionally high water-binding
capacity and quickly give a feeling a fullness and
satiety, making rye bread a real help for anyone
trying to lose weight. A cup of cream of rye cereal
provides 21.6% of the daily value for fiber. A Better Grain Choice for Persons with Diabetes
Rye bread may be a better choice than wheat bread for
persons with diabetes. A study published in the November
2003 issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition found that bread made from wheat triggers a greater
insulin response than rye bread does. Finnish researchers
at the University of Kupio compared the effects of
eating refined wheat bread with endosperm rye bread,
traditional rye bread and high fiber rye bread on several
markers of blood sugar control including plasma glucose,
insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide
(GIP), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1), and serum C-peptide
in 19 healthy post-menopausal women. (GIP and GLP1
are incretin hormones secreted within the gastrointestinal
tract during meals that boost the effects of insulin;
c-peptide is a marker of insulin secretion) All of
these markers were evaluated in blood samples taken
both before and after the women ate each of the breads.
Results showed that after the women had eaten any of
the rye breads, their insulin, GIP and C-peptide responses
were significantly lower than after they ate wheat
bread. Among the different rye breads, however, no
significant differences were seen in insulin and C-peptide
response despite their varying levels of fiber. Researchers
felt this lower after-meal insulin response could,
therefore, not be attributed only to the fiber content
of the rye breads, but was also due to the fact that
the starch granules in rye bread form a less porous
and mechanically firmer matrix than in wheat bread.
This would translate into a much greater particle size
being swallowed when rye bread is eaten compared to
wheat, which would slow the rate at which the starch
could be digested into sugar.(December 31, 2003)
Fiber Fights Colon Cancer, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular
Disease
In addition to its usefulness in weight reduction,
fiber, like that found in rye, has been shown to
be useful for a number of different conditions. One
of the most important properties of fiber is its
ability to bind to toxins in the colon and then remove
them from the body. When it binds to cancer-causing
chemicals, fiber helps protect the cells of the colon
from damage. This is one reason why a high-fiber
diet has been shown to prevent colon cancer. When
fiber binds to bile salts in the intestines and removes
them from the body, the body is forced to make more
bile salts. This is good, because the body must break
down cholesterol to make bile. This explains why
a good intake of fiber can help to lower high cholesterol
levels.
Due to their high-fiber content, whole rye foods can
help to prevent high blood sugar levels in diabetic
patients, thereby helping with blood sugar control.
And adding fiber to the diet has been shown to reduce
the uncomfortable diarrhea or constipation experienced
by people with irritable bowel syndrome. Rye Can Ease Your Ride Through Menopause While
Helping Prevent Breast Cancer
Another situation in which rye may be helpful
is menopause. Rye contains a type of lignan that has
phytoestrogenic activity. In the body, phytoestrogens
act a little like natural estrogens, and although their
effect is much much weaker, can help normalize estrogenic
activity. For some women, the phytoestrogens in rye are
just strong enough to help prevent or reduce uncomfortable
symptoms that may accompany menopause, like hot flashes,
which are thought to be due to plummeting estrogen levels.
On the other hand, when too much estrogen is around,
rye's lignans, by occupying estrogen receptors, block
out the much more powerful human estrogens, causing a
lowering in estrogenic activity, and providing potential
protection against breast cancer. Description
Rye is a cereal grain, known scientifically as Secale
cereale, that looks like wheat but is longer
and more slender. Rye's color varies from yellowish
brown to grayish green. It is generally available
in its whole or cracked grain form or as flour
or flakes, the latter of which looks similar to
old-fashioned oats. Rye has a very hardy, deep,
nourishing taste.
Rye is the key ingredient in traditional rye and
pumpernickel breads. Since its gluten is less elastic
than wheat's, and it holds less gas during the leavening
process, breads made with rye flour are more compact
and dense. Since it is difficult to separate the
germ and bran from the endosperm of rye, rye flour
usually retains a large quantity of nutrients, unlike
refined wheat flour.
History
Rye is one of the most recently domesticated cereal
crops. Unlike some other cereal grains that can be
traced back to prehistoric times, rye was not cultivated
until around 400 B.C. It was first grown in this
manner in Germany. Rye is thought to have originated
from a wild species that grew as weeds among wheat
and barley fields.
Unfortunately, ever since the times of the ancient
Greeks and Romans, this nutrient-dense grain has
not been widely enjoyed. In many countries, rye seems
to have been relegated to a food for the poor, and
as standards of living rose in varied civilizations,
the consumption of rye declined. Yet, in some food
cultures, such as those of Scandinavian and Eastern
European countries, rye retains a very important
position. Hopefully, as more and more people discover
rye's nutritional benefits and its unique taste profile,
it will assume a more important role in our diets.
Today, the majority of the world's rye comes from
the Russian Federation. Poland, China, Canada, and
Denmark are among the other countries that also grow
rye commercially.
Safety
Rye and the Gluten
Grains
Rye is a member of a non-scientifically
established grain group traditionally called
the "gluten grains." The
idea of grouping certain grains together under the
label "gluten grains" has come into question in recent
years as technology has given food scientists a way
to look closer at the composition of grains. Some
healthcare practitioners continue to group wheat,
oats, barley and rye together under the heading of "gluten
grains" and to ask for elimination of the entire
group on a wheat-free diet. Other practitioners now
treat wheat separately from these other grains, including
rye, based on recent research. Wheat is unquestionably
a more common source of food reactions than any of
the other "gluten grains," including rye.
Although you may initially want to eliminate rye
from your meal planning if you are implementing a
wheat-free diet, you will want to experiment at some
point with re-introduction of this food. You may
be able to take advantage of its diverse nutritional
benefits without experiencing an adverse reaction.
Individuals with wheat-related conditions like celiac
sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathies should consult
with their healthcare practitioner before experimenting
with any of the "gluten grains," including rye.
Other Safety Issues
Rye is not included in the list of 20 foods that most
frequently contain pesticide residues, and is also
not known to contain goitrogens, oxalates, or purines.
Nutritional Profile
Introduction
to Food Rating System Chart
The following
chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either
an excellent, very good or good source. Next to the
nutrient name you will find the following information:
the amount of the nutrient that is included in the
noted serving of this food; the %Daily Value (DV) that
that amount represents (similar to other information
presented in the web site, this DV is calculated for
25-50 year old healthy woman); the nutrient density
rating; and, the food's World's Healthiest Foods Rating.
Underneath the chart is a table that summarizes how
the ratings were devised. For more detailed information
on World's Healthiest Foods' Food and Recipe Rating
System, please visit www.whfoods.com
Rye Cereal,
Cream of, Cooked
1.00 cup
108.63 calories |
| Nutrient |
Amount |
DV
(%) |
Nutrient
Density |
World's Healthiest
Foods Rating |
| dietary fiber |
4.32 g |
17.3 |
2.9 |
good |
| tryptophan |
0.03 g |
9.4 |
1.6 |
good |
World's Healthiest
Foods Rating |
Rule |
| excellent |
DV>=75% |
OR |
Density>=7.6 |
AND |
DV>=10% |
| very good |
DV>=50% |
OR |
Density>=3.4 |
AND |
DV>=5% |
| good |
DV>=25% |
OR |
Density>=1.5 |
AND |
DV>=2.5% |
|
© 2002 The George Mateljan
Foundation
References
-
Bach Knudsen KE, Serena A, Kjaer AK et al. Rye
bread enhances the formation of enterolactone
and increases its levels in plasma, urine and
feces. J Nutr 2003 May; 133(5):1368-75.
-
Ensminger
AH, Esminger, ME, Kondale JE, Robson JRK. Foods & Nutrition
Encyclopedia. Pegus Press, Clovis, California.
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Ensminger AH, Ensminger M. K. J. e. al. Food
for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia.
Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986.
-
Fortin, Francois,
Editorial Director. The
Visual Foods Encyclopedia.
Macmillan, New York.
-
Perfetti R, Brown TA,
Velikina R, Busselen S. Control of glucose
homeostasis by incretin hormones. Diabetes
Technol Ther. 1999 Fall;1(3):297-305.
-
Wood,
Rebecca. The Whole
Foods Encyclopedia.
New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press;
1988.
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