[Sca-cooks] CNN-Ancient Grains

[Saint Phlip]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/06/21/alternative.grains.ap/index.html

For 'ancient grains,' a future in the American diet
Amaranth, quinoa, others finding a following

Wednesday, June 21, 2006; Posted: 7:04 p.m. EDT (23:04 GMT)

Amaranth, once grown by the Aztecs, has twice as much iron as wheat
and is higher in protein and fiber.
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HEALTH LIBRARY

• Fitness & Nutrition RELATED
• Whole Grains Council
WHOLE-GRAIN NUTRITION
A nutritional comparison of three types of whole grains, per 100 grams:


Wheat


Fiber, 12.2 grams


Protein, 13.7 grams

Iron, 3.8 milligrams


Amaranth

Fiber, 15.2 grams

Protein, 14.5 grams

Iron, 7.6 milligrams


Quinoa

Fiber, 15.5 grams

Protein, 14.2 grams

Iron, 4 milligrams


Sources: Bob's Red Mill, NuWorld Amaranth
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Manage Alerts | What Is This? ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Amid the aisles
of spaghetti and canned peas, cereals and breads made with
mysterious-sounding grains such as amaranth and quinoa are sprouting
up at major supermarkets.

Wheat is still king of this country's whole grains, but the appearance
of such alternatives indicates consumers are beginning to expand a
niche market once relegated to the obscure corners of health food
stores.

"People are realizing there's a benefit to eating a diversity of
grains -- and these grains have some incredible nutritional
properties," said Carole Fenster, an author of numerous cookbooks that
incorporate wheat-free grains.

New federal guidelines recommending three servings of whole grains a
day have put a spotlight on wheat, but exposure to barley, brown rice
and other options has also grown, said Alice Lichtenstein, chair of
the nutrition committee at the American Heart Association.

According to the marketing information company ACNielsen, sales of
products with whole grain claims on their packages for the year ending
April 22 increased 9.5 percent from the previous year.

NuWorld Amaranth, one of the country's main buyers of amaranth,
reported a 300 percent increase in sales in the past three years.
Bob's Red Mill, which sells alternative wheat-free grains, saw a 25
percent increase in sales in the past year, with quinoa driving the
bulk of the growth.

Amaranth, grown for millennia by the Aztecs, has twice as much iron as
wheat and is higher in protein and fiber. Quinoa, an ancient Andean
crop, has less fiber but more protein and iron than wheat.

It may take some time for the unfamiliar grains to find broad
acceptance. The American palate is still adjusting to whole wheat, and
amaranth's distinct, slightly nutty taste could take some getting used
to.

One reason for the fledgling demand is a growing awareness of celiac
disease, which is triggered by gluten, the protein found in wheat.
Symptoms range from severe cramping to chronic fatigue and even organ
disorders. The condition is believed to affect about 2 million
Americans, with others sensitive to the protein.

There is also a growing crossover market of health-conscious shoppers
in search of the most nutritious grains, said Diane Walters,
spokeswoman for NuWorld.

ConAgra Mills is working with farmers to expand the supply of
sustagrain, a type of barley with a 30 percent fiber content, said Don
Brown, vice president of business development at the company.

Products made entirely of amaranth and quinoa may not hit the
mainstream anytime soon, but the demand for such grains as ingredients
is likely to get a boost as multigrain products proliferate, said
Robert Myers, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Agricultural
Institute, a research center in Columbus, Mo.

"Once they get past corn, wheat and oats, they'll eventually get
around to picking up grains like amaranth," he said.

Alternative grains also benefit from the popularity of organic goods,
Fenster said -- Whole Foods even has a line of bakery goods devoted to
gluten-free diets.

"As people go into those stores, they can't help but notice those
products," she said.

Supply of some alternative grains is still limited, however. Estimates
of U.S. farmland devoted to amaranth, for example, range from 1,000
acres to 3,000 acres -- compared with 50 million acres for wheat,
according to the Thomas Jefferson Institute.

But the supply of white wheat in the country was also limited until
Sara Lee recently launched its white wheat bread, said Cynthia
Harriman, director of food and nutrition at the Whole Grains Council.
To ensure adequate supply, ConAgra began contracting with farmers
about five years before the product launch.

The same thing could happen for other grains that are easy and
inexpensive to grow, Myers said.

-- 
Saint Phlip

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