Lentils with bulgur wheat

I adore lentils. They are little gems of protein and so versatile, I can eat them every day. They are commonly eaten in the Middle East and adjacent regions, usually with rice, but I decided to use bulgur wheat instead. Bulgur wheat is also a staple of many Middle Eastern countries. I am minimizing my rice consumption(both white and brown) these days due it possibly playing a role in diabetes, and because other grains, like bulgur wheat, have a far superior nutritional value.

Bulgur wheat is often confused with cracked wheat. This may help clear up any confusion – GRAIN BASICS – BULGHUR (BULGAR) AND
CRACKED WHEAT

It took about 30 minutes to cook the entire meal, boiling the green lentils(which require more cooking time) first in half water/half vegetable broth. I then added some red pepper powder, black pepper, and garlic powder. I also added chopped onions, along with chopped garlic, and a dash of olive oil. It tasted great, though I think it would have been better if I had added some cumin.

As a side dish/appetizer, I had some Korean kimchi(or Korean pickle), which helps stimulate digestion due to its spiciness and friendly bacteria. Koreans eat kimchi with almost every meal. The kimchi wasn’t homemade(it was Sunja’s Medium Spicy Kimchi), but it is vegan. Kimchi in Asian restaurants usually has shrimp or fish added to it. I occasionally make my own sauerkraut, but every time I try to make kimchi it doesn’t turn out well. The ingredients in this kimchi are: cabbage, carrots, red peppers, leeks, green onions, garlic, ginger, sea salt.

Lentils with bulgur wheat can also be considered an example of “Mediterranean” cuisine, besides “Middle Eastern”, depending on your definition of “Mediterranean”(many Middle Eastern countries have Mediterranean coasts, so I see no reason why they they can’t be considered both). The Mediterranean diet is back in the news these days due to recent research reaffirming how healthy it is, in part due to legumes like lentils being an important protein source in many Mediterranean countries. So you can’t go wrong by consuming more lentils. The east Asian diet is also similarly healthy, so combining the two has a uniquely healthful synergism to it.

All in all, a delicious vegan power meal that is a fusion of the best of Middle Eastern and Korean cuisine.

Rice consumption and diabetes

You probably heard recently that white rice consumption is linked to type 2 diabetes. This has likely made some people terrified of rice, giving men afraid of commitment yet another reason to not walk down the isle. Others are just apathetic due to conflicting health news headlines. People who eat high protein or “paleo” grain-free diets feel vindicated.

The news media very often misrepresents the findings from scientific studies, often to sensationalize or over-simplify things to boost ratings. So people can’t be blamed for being cynical of what they hear in the media. What really has to be examined is the scientific evidence behind the head-lines.

Now I am not an expert by any means, but I prefer going to the source to see what is really going on. As far as I can tell, researchers found a correlation between white rice intake and type 2 diabetes; this means they are linked, but the evidence does not suggest that white rice actually causes type 2 diabetes. So it looks like what was said in the media had a lot of truth to it.

According to: BMJ. 2012; 344: e1454.

Pooled data suggest that higher white rice consumption is associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in comparison with lower intake levels
This association is stronger for Asian (Chinese and Japanese) populations than for Western populations
Overall, there was a dose-response relation between higher intake of white rice and increasing risk of diabetes

It appears the association is much stronger for east Asians than for westerners(mostly caucasian, I will assume). And east Asians eat a lot more white rice than westerners. Why white rice consumption is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in east Asians, but not as much in westerners, we do not know. I don’t even think we can rule out genetic factors. There are so many confounding factors that need to be sorted out.

White rice wasn’t found to be the cause of type 2 diabetes, but it may play a role in it somehow. This isn’t surprising considering white rice’s high glycemic value(which means it rapidly converts to sugar), and due to the fact that it is almost nothing but empty calories, since it was stripped of its husk, bran, and germ. It has little fiber, protein or minerals as a result. Brown rice, which still has the nutritious germ layer on it is much more healthful, though it tends to spoil faster than white rice due to the oily germ. Keep this in mind when buying brown rice.

Better yet, you can try eating other, more nutritious grains instead of rice, like rye, barley, amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa or millet. Quinoa and amaranth are loaded with protein, fiber and important minerals. This is not surprising, considering that quinoa, and amaranth are in the same family as spinach. This, in turn means that quinoa and amaranth aren’t “real” grains – real grains are grasses, and spinach and its relatives are not a type of grass.

This doesn’t mean you can’t eat them like grain.