Name Five Grains Used to Make Cereals

Grain cereals are healthy because of nutrients.

Grains are nutritious ingredients used to make breakfast cereals. Grains are seeds or kernels or all shapes and sizes. Inside each tiny kernel are three parts: the bran, the germ and the endosperm. The bran is the external shell shielding the other parts from bugs, sunlight and diseases; its has antioxidants, B vitamins and fiber. The germ is the embryo that produces a new plant; it has a good supply of B vitamins, a minimum amount of protein, healthy fats and minerals. The endosperm, the largest part of the kernel, supplies the germ with food to help the plant grow; it has minimum vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and protein. Whole grains are healthier than refined grains without the bran and germ. According to the Whole Grains Council, "without the bran and germ, about 25 percent of a grain's protein is lost, along with at least 17 key nutrients." Does this Spark an idea?

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Corn
- Corn is a popular ingredient used to make ready-to-eat and hot cereals. From the plant species Zea Mays, corn develops into ears covered in rows of kernels. Each kernel is protected by silk-like threads and enclosed in a shell called a husk. Yellow corn is usually used for breakfast cereals. However, corn comes in a variety of colors --- blue, black, red, purple and white. Seven states make up the "corn belt": Kansas, Ohio, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri. Corn may be a great way to start the morning due to its healthy components like vitamins (B1, B5, C and folic acid), minerals (manganese, zinc, calcium and iron), antioxidant phytonutrients (lutein and beta-carotene), fiber and protein. Due to corn's excellent supply of nutrients, it may reduce the risk of colon cancer, regulate blood-sugar levels, and aid in digestion.
Oats
- Oats, a grain from the plant species Avena Sativa, also are used to make RTE and hot breakfast cereals. In the United States, oats are another leading cereal crop. Oats are stronger and hardier than other crops and can grow and survive in the lowest quality soils. Before oats can be eaten by humans, they must first be harvested, roasted and hulled, then processed into rolled oats or ground to make oat flour. A breakfast with oat cereal is a great way to get the nutrients like protein, fiber, calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Wheat
- For more than 100 years, wheat breakfast cereals have started many days. Wheat, a grain from the cereal grass known as Triticum, was first cultivated by humans during the Neolithic Era (New Stone Age). China, Russia and the United States are leaders in wheat production. The wheat belt spans through the Ohio Valley, the prairie states, Kansas, and even Washington and Oregon. A wheat plant grows from a wheatberry, or kernel. The kernel has three parts (bran, germ and endosperm) separated in the milling process to make flour. Wheat flour, made from the soft and white types of wheat, are used to make biscuits, pie crusts and breakfast cereals. Wheat-based cereals can provide much-needed nutrients, such as B vitamins, protein, healthy fats and antioxidants.
Millet
- Millet, a tiny, round grain from the cereal plant Panicum Miliaceuem, has a tasty, sweet and nutty flavor. This grain can be made into a hot breakfast cereal served with cream and a fruit topping, much like cream of wheat. Millet is considered one of the oldest grains, traced back to the Bible as an ingredient to make unleavened bread. Today, millet is consumed as an ingredient, rice substitute and cereal around the world in China, Manchuria, Japan, the former Soviet Union, Egypt, Africa and India. In the United States, millet is primarily grown for birdseed and livestock food. Pearl millet, which produces the largest seeds, is chiefly used for human consumption. Millet seeds are encased in a hard, indigestible hull that should be removed. This does not affect the seed's nutritional value, though. Millet contains minerals (phosphorus, iron, magnesium and potassium), fiber, protein, B vitamins and amino acids (lecithin and vitamin E).
Barley
- Barley is a grain from the cereal grass Hordeum Vulgare and related species. It is another one of the world's oldest grains and it was first cultivated about 8,000 years ago. Barley looks a lot like wheat and it has a nutty flavor and chewy texture. Pearl barley, with removed hull and bran, is usually used in human food. A cooked cup of pearl barley is rich in calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus and zinc. Barley flour and portions of barley like middling and bran, separated during the milling process, are used for foods like breakfast cereals. The amount of dietary fiber in barley is greatly affected by a genetic property known as a nude gene, which determines whether barley seeds have a hull. The hull-less, or "nude," barley seed is being considered for use in human foods because the whole grain can be used. Another genetic property, waxy starch, combines with the hull-less property to develop barley that is high in beta-glucans -- soluble dietary fiber.