Healthy eating section: whole grains and legumes

The importance of healthy eating at all ages

To achieve a state of well-being, our body needs to eat in a varied and balanced way: this means that, in addition to choosing quality foods, it is necessary to integrate the daily diet with all the resources that Nature offers us.

Among the most functional foods for this purpose, the Mediterranean diet includes cereals and legumes: traditionally considered an integral part of a balanced diet, they are therefore included, even together, in a vast number of recipes.

1. The energy boost of cereals

In our country, foods based on cereals, such as bread and pasta, but also sweets and biscuits, are part of an indispensable gastronomic tradition.

Sources of nutrients and energy, cereals are practically consumed on a daily basis and can be found in many preparations.

Carbohydrate-based products bring precious elements to the well-being of the body, such as starch and dietary fiber, but not only: in wheat and rice, corn, barley and all other cereals, it is well contained 29% of the protein needed to keep fit.

The importance of these foods from a nutritional point of view is then accentuated by the fact that carbohydrates are easily assimilated by our body and, consequently, represent a source of energy that does not affect caloric intake, especially when you choose to consume whole grains.

Compared to refined products, in fact, foods packaged using whole grains contain a higher percentage of fibers and have a more pronounced satiating power; therefore, a smaller quantity is consumed, consequently also limiting the introduction of calories.

In this regard, in recent years the attention given to carbohydrates of whole origin has contrasted with a sort of "demonization" of white flours.

In reality, it is true that whole grains help to carry out a protective function of the organism against the onset of numerous pathologies (cardiovascular, tumours, chronic-degenerative), but a balanced consumption of products based on refined flours is not harmful for health and does not directly cause any disease: these foods are only less rich in fiber and, therefore, have a lower preventive efficacy.

1.1 Celiac disease

The only, very important, exception to the use of cereals in food preparation is represented by celiac disease, an autoimmune intestinal disease caused by the gluten contained in cereals, which affects subjects genetically predisposed to develop it.

When it is ascertained, celiac disease imposes an absolute prohibition on ingesting foods that contain gluten; in the same way, but with less serious consequences, the intolerance defined as "Gluten Sensitivity" is treated which, by eliminating gluten from the diet, goes into remission or, in any case, improves within a few days.

2. The protein content of legumes

All plants classifiable as 'legumes' provide important nutritional sources, because they guarantee a high contribution of proteins, the "building blocks of the cells" which help to create and keep the structural parts of the organism vital.

Regular consumption of legumes such as peas, beans, chickpeas, lentils and the celebrated soy represents a virtuous attitude that contributes to making the diet complete.

In addition to proteins, legumes contain, in fact, a whole series of micronutrients and beneficial elements, such as minerals (especially iron and zinc), group B vitamins and a good amount of directly soluble dietary fiber.

From the point of view of their therapeutic value, legumes help fight the tendency to overweight and obesity, while they help prevent the risk of contracting chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, having an excellent nutritional yield against a relatively low cost, they represent an "added value" in terms of savings and economic sustainability.

2.1 Favism

The introduction of legumes in the diet is totally prohibited in the case in which one suffers from favism, a congenital disease deriving from the mutation of an enzyme, the deficiency of which leads to the destruction of red blood cells (haemolysis) and the onset, even lethal, of anemia.

At present, the only form of prevention against this serious pathology consists in the complete elimination from the personal diet of foods that contain beans, as well as in physical removal from the places where this legume is grown or marketed.