Vitamins in wheat

Many vitamins can be found in whole wheat foods. These include vitamin A, vitamin C, the B-vitamin, folate. Wheat can be found all over the world and is very easy to incorporate in daily diet.

The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer that supplies B vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. The germ is the core of the seed where growth occurs; it is rich in with vitamin E, B vitamins,

The endosperm is the interior layer that holds the proteins, carbohydrates, iron, and B-vitamins such as riboflavin and niacin.

Vitamins A (in the form of beta-carotene), C, and E function as antioxidants, which are vital in countering the potential harm of chemicals known as free radicals. If these chemicals remain unchecked, they can make cells more vulnerable to cancer-causing substances.

Wheat protein and vitamins B and E aid to develop and rebuild muscle tissues. The wheat germs that are eliminated during the purification process are also high in important vitamin E, which could also lead to heart disease if not consumed.

There are a variety of B vitamins in wheat, such as thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin and folates. These molecules are water-soluble and play an important role in metabolism, particularly the metabolism of carbohydrates (thiamine), proteins and fats (riboflavin and pyridoxine).

Consuming a quarter-cup of wheat germ boosts your folate intake by 81 micrograms, or 20 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Vitamins in wheat

Nutrient of cereal grass

Cereal grasses such as wheat, oat, rye, barley and brown rice are most familiar cereal grasses are one of the “functional foods” that is gaining recognition as a potential nutritional product which has medical and health benefits. The cereal grass such as barley was domesticated about 10,000 years before the present in the Fertile Crescent and became a founder crop of Neolithic agriculture.

They are excellent source of vitamin, minerals, antioxidant, amino acids, protein, chlorophyll and active enzymes.

The taste of young cereal grass leaves varies slightly with the species of cereal plant, from quite sweet (rye grass) to slightly bitter (barley grass). But the nutrient content of these grasses varies with their stage of growth and growing conditions, rather than with the species of cereal grass.

Cereal grasses are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin K, folic acid, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber, as well as good sources of vitamin C, many of the B vitamins, and chlorophyll, with established antioxidant properties. Dehydrated cereal grasses have been used for over twenty years as a vitamin/mineral supplement.
Nutrient of cereal grass

Vitamins and minerals in rye

Rye is a cereal grain with a strong, unique flavor and visual characteristics similar to that of wheat, but with more length & slimness; the color of the cereal varies from yellow-brown to green to gray.

Rye is considered a good source o B-vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, panthotenic acid, pyridoxine, and folate and an excellent source of alpha-tocopherol, the vitamin E isomer with the highest biological activity.

These micronutrients are mostly remove during milling of flour, as the vitamins are stored mainly in the aleurone layer of bran, while vitamin E isomers are found in the germ.

Rye seeds contain numerous important minerals such as Ca, Mg, P, K, and Fe. A great feature of rye is its 4 to 1 ratio magnesium to calcium content.
Vitamins and minerals in rye

Cereals in Human Nutrition

Cereals are very important part of human diets. The three major species, wheat, maize and rice, account for a large proportion of the calories and protein in human diets.

Cereal grains contain 60% to 70% starch and are excellent energy rich foods for humans. Doctors recommend cereals as the first food to be added to infant diets and evidence from research upholds that healthy diet for adults should have most of its calories in the form of complex carbohydrate such as cereal starch.

Wheat and rice are the most important cereals with regard to human nutrition, and they account for 55% of the total cereal production.

A healthy human diet must also include 20 to 30 g/day of dietary fiber, which can easily achieved by eating whole grain cereal products such as breads, cookies or porridges.

Other components such as proteins and vitamins may be of great significance in human nutrition because of the large contribution of cereals to the diet.

Cereal protein is especially valuable in human diet because it complement amino acids between various plant sources. Cereal protein represents an important component in the diets of people, roughly 16 to 45 g per capita per day. Adult woman requires about 50 g of protein per day, whereas an adult man needs slightly more (about 63g).

In rural areas of poorer countries people may eat more than 500 g of cereal per day, which will provide most of their protein needs (and more than 50% of their total daily energy requirement).

It is also recognized that cereals grain have a low protein concentration and that protein quality is limited by deficiency in some essential amino acids, mainly lysine.

Cereals are an excellent source of fat soluble vitamin E, which is an essential antioxidant. Whole cereal grains contain 20% to 30% of the daily requirements of the minerals selenium, calcium, zinc, and copper.

Cereals in Human Nutrition