The Gluten Grain I Love!

Ever heard of Rye? How about rye bread or rye flour? Well after reading this you’ll be looking for it left and right!

Rye’s nutrition profile and benefits greatly differs from wheat, barley and oat. I personally LOVE rye and if you read the below, you’ll know why!

Ok, but the #1 question you may ask is: Is rye gluten free?

No it’s not. It contains the protein secalins, which is a form of gluten. However, it does contain much less gluten than wheat when used in baking. The type of gluten in rye is much less elastic and also poorer at trapping bubbles during the baking process as opposed to the gluten in wheat.

The nutrition in rye flour tends to surpass wheat (or even barley) because of the whole nature it comes, the outer hull of the rye berry. The endosperm holds potent starches as well as fiber and nutrients. It’s much harder to separate and remove the germ and the bran from the endosperm during the milling, therefore carrying with it more vitamins and nutrients into the end product of rye flour. Types of rye.

Health Benefits of Rye Flour

Improves Digestion
The particular dietary fiber in rye makes it perfect for someone who is suffering from constipation or other blockages of the bowels, especially when combined with yogurt containing probiotics! You may find this study fascinating!

Weight & Cholesterol
Weight tends to be something on everyone’s mind. I tend not to focus on any number as we are all different, however being at a healthy weight is important for overall health and rye can certainly aid in weight regulation. Opposed to wheat, rye reacts differently when digested and it’s been shown to actually suppress weight gain, as well as significantly lower obesity. Whole grain rye has also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and lower total plasma cholesterol!

Appetite Control
Rye can help you feel satisfied for hours after you finish your meal, resulting in satiety. In a study, patients who received the same amount of caloric intake from their breakfasts but were given rye porridge instead of wheat or another grain had a satisfied feeling without needing to intake more food for up to eight hours after their meals.

Another study was conducted but used rye bread instead of rye porridge. What they found was that eating rye bread at meal led to less appetite before and after the following meal, showcasing rye’s powerful ability to help achieve satiety. A great addition to your first meal of the day!

Glucose Control
If you have trouble with glucose control, rye may also help with that! It’s been shown to help regulate and improve the blood glucose profile. When scientists studied the effects of rye in patients tested during breakfast meals, they found that whole grain rye products, bran rye breads and endosperm rye flours, especially sourdough rye breads (yes, there is such a thing as rye sourdough! Yay!), helped improve glycemic profiles, stabilizing insulin responses, and improving sensitivity to insulin.

Inflammation
Inflammation is the cause of so many different health issues including IBS, Crohns, arthritis, skin disorders, just to name a few. So anything to help with inflammation I’m in! Check this out! In a study when patients with metabolic syndrome were put on a 12-week diet of rye and pasta, it was shown that the insulin responses after meals were better and helped reduce inflammation in the body as a result compared to a 12-week diet of oats, wheat bread and potatoes. The reduction of inflammation can also be beneficial in reducing the chances of diabetes as well, which particularly runs in my family.

Gallstones
This might be the most well known attribute to rye and for good reason! The insoluble fiber is so high in rye flour that it’s been shown to help reduce the risk of gallstones. The particular fiber in rye also helps speed up elimination time in the intestine as well as reduce the amount of bile acids in the stomach that lead to gallstones!

Fun Fact!

Rye flour has much higher concentrations of proline (an essential amino acid that helps build proteins) than wheat, and high concentration of proline has shown much less growth of acrylamide, which is a chemical compound linked to the formation of cancerous cells within starchy foods like potatoes and wheat products!

How To Use It

Rye flour can be used in replace of wheat flour when baking and is sold at specialty food stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, and online.

– Zen Bakery’s Banana Nut Muffin (shown in my Instagram photo) and their other muffins including rye flour (found at Whole Foods and Sprouts)

I hope this was helpful and would LOVE to hear your thoughts on THIS POST on the gram. See you there! @lilsipper