Grains are the basis of a healthy vegan diet. Yes, you can forget all those years you were told to stay away from foods such as breads, rice, cereal, and pasta.
Why are grains so important?
- They are all low in fat and contain no cholesterol
- There is little sodium in them unless salt is added
- There is between 5 and 10 grams of protein per cup
- Grains have fiber, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, zinc, copper, and iron content
Think grains take too much time? This isn’t always true. Grains with long cook times can be helped with overnight soaking or pressure cooking. Crockpots are also useful because you can set it and forget it.
Grains with less than 30 minutes of cook time:
- Quick brown rice
- Couscous
- Quinoa
- Buckwheat groats (kasha)
- Teff
- Bulgur
Don’t just stick to rice and pasta. Widen your palate by cooking new grains and adding herbs and spices, vegetables, tofu, seitan, tempeh, and a variety of sauces.
The table below by Vegetarian Journal has scored different grains based on their nutritional value. Points were determined by the percentage of Daily Values for fiber (Fib), riboflavin (Ribo), vitamin B-6 (vit B-6), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and iron (Ir). Foods were ranked for the amount of each nutrient (per 1 cup cooked). Good sources are identified with a +, better sources identified with ++, and the best grain sources identified with +++.
| Grain | Score | Calories | Fib | Ribo | Vit B-6 | Zn | Cu | Ir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaranth | 184 | 364 | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| Quinoa | 119 | 254 | ++ | +++ | ++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| Barley, pearled | 69 | 193 | +++ | ++ | +++ | ++ | + | ++ |
| Triticale | 69 | 322 | na | +++ | ++ | +++ | ++ | ++ |
| Bulgur | 64 | 151 | +++ | + | ++ | ++ | + | ++ |
| Wild rice | 62 | 166 | ++ | +++ | +++ | +++ | + | + |
| Millet | 59 | 207 | ++ | +++ | +++ | ++ | ++ | + |
| Oat bran | 56 | 88 | +++ | ++ | + | ++ | + | ++ |
| Brown rice | 53 | 218 | ++ | + | +++ | ++ | + | + |
| Buckwheat groats | 52 | 155 | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | + | + |
| Rolled wheat | 45 | 142 | ++ | ++ | + | +++ | na | ++ |
| Rolled oats | 43 | 145 | ++ | + | + | ++ | + | ++ |
| White rice, enriched | 35 | 242 | + | + | + | + | + | ++ |
| Wheat berries | 31 | 84 | ++ | + | ++ | ++ | na | + |
| Couscous | 26 | 176 | ++ | + | + | + | + | + |
| Corn grits, enriched | 24 | 145 | + | +++ | + | + | + | ++ |
| Corn grits, unenriched | 12 | 145 | + | + | + | + | + | + |
| Oat groats | na | 232 | +++ | na | na | na | na | ++ |
| Rye flakes | na | 165 | +++ | na | na | na | na | ++ |
| Steel-cut oats | na | 340 | +++ | na | na | na | na | ++ |
| Teff | na | 208 | +++ | na | na | na | na | +++ |