Forget lengthy and expensive beauty regimes and fad diets to look and feel your best. The humble whole grain is packed full of nutrients essential for keeping you looking and feeling good, from zinc to magnesium, B vitamins, iron, fibre and more.
Whole Grain Beauty Benefits
From luscious locks to glossy nails, whole grains have the essential vitamins to keep you looking your best from top to toe. The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council™ shares five ways grains will keep you looking and feeling great:
Shiny Hair and Nails – Zinc keeps hair healthy by maintaining its volume and keeping it looking shimmery, shiny and strong! It also helps maintain strong nails, helping them keep their shape and minimise breakages.
Luminous Skin – Vitamins B2 and B3 are important for helping keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. Your body needs a daily dose of Vitamin B3 as the body only stores small amounts.
Sparkling Eyes – Vitamin B2 is essential for eye health and the maintenance of good vision.
Tough Teeth – Magnesium found in grains regulates calcium levels and is essential for building and keeping teeth strong for a great looking smile.
Feeling ‘Fit’ – The vitamins and minerals in whole grain foods are essential to firing up your metabolism, helping you fight fatigue and make the most of your day.
Five whole grain foods with a beauty secret:
- Ancient grains like quinoa or freekeh
- Wholemeal flat bread
- Natural muesli
- Brown rice
- Whole grain crispbreads.
Fuel Up and Feel Great!
Grains every day keeps the doctor away! It’s what’s on the inside that counts and by incorporating whole grain 2-3 times each day, you’ll be at your healthy best.
Fight Fatigue – The B vitamins, iron and magnesium in whole grains help to reduce feelings of tiredness and fatigue to keep you going. Soluble fibre can help even out energy spikes and dips throughout your day.
Strong bones – Zinc and magnesium keep bones healthy so you can stay active.
Active and healthy brain – Zinc, magnesium and iron in whole grain foods keep you thinking straight!
Good blood – Vitamin B2 keeps blood cells healthy to transport iron through your body for energy.
Aid digestion – Insoluble fibre keeps you regular and resistant starch feeds the good bugs in your bowel.
Immunity boost – Iron and zinc are key ingredients for maintaining a healthy immune system essential in warding off troublesome bugs.
Power packed whole grain meal ideas:
Breakfast: Dive into a delicious bowl of bircher muesli. Overnight soak ½ cup of rolled oats in plain yoghurt, then stir through sunflower or pumpkin seeds and top with a scattering of your favourite berries.
Lunch: Spread 2 large whole grain crispbreads with a blend of 1 part wasabi to 4 parts low fat mayonnaise and top with a salad of smoked salmon, cucumber and baby spinach.
Dinner: Add a side of brown rice salad to a serve of fish. Simply combine half a cup of brown rice with some broccolini, asparagus, small handful of dill, and juice from half a lemon. Then sprinkle with seeds from half a pomegranate.
Boost the whole grain in your day
The easy way to boost the whole grain in your day is look for foods that are ‘high in whole grain’ or ‘very high in whole grain’ – you’ll be getting more of the nutrients essential to keeping you looking and feeling your best.
For a handy list of whole grain foods that align with the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council’s Whole Grain Ingredient Content Claim (WGICC) standard, click here.