Fried bulgur wheat with turmeric

Fried bulgur wheat with turmeric is a satisfying low-GI meal full of flavour for you and fibre for the microbiome. The prunes or dates give the dish a slight sweetness to contrast with the lemon and spices.

Whole grains provide the satiety so we are not famished two hours later as is likely after an egg on white toast, for example.

Whole grains

Everywhere researchers are telling us of the virtues of whole grains. What they don't mention is just how hard they are to get. Using wheat berries instead of white rice in your cooking is one simple and inexpensive way. Well, the price has risen and will continue to do so until the dust has settled in Eastern Europe.

Bulgur is traditionally boiled like rice, completely dried and then ground; so it needs no further cooking.

It is a true whole grain but the process is long-winded and tiresome; and there is no nutritional advantage to simply cooking the wheat as one would with rice.

• Tabbouleh bulgar wheat

Carbs get bad press these days. Retrogradation overnight is part of the solution. Avoid the semi-pearled varieties; extraction of the bran means loss of the fibre and at least four B vitamins. It's no longer a whole grain.

I prefer my bulgur wheat "al dente;" slightly chewy. Don't cook it too long.

Many colours

Those who enjoy 7 or more coloured foods every day have a 33% lower all-cause of death^[1]. Small quantities it's true but this morning you have just enjoyed your quota; no reason not to have plenty more at lunch and supper.

Constipation

Roughly one in five people enjoying typical grocery store food suffer from constipation^[2]; even higher in the elderly and up to 50% of those on the nursing-home diet. It results in 100,000 hospitalizations every year in the US alone.

Largely this is caused by the extraction of fibre from many foods; most folk eat less than half the recommended amount.

However pelvic-floor dysfunction, particularly in elderly women, is also to blame. The puborectalis sling and anal sphincter muscle will not relax. A simple set of lumbar and pelvic exercises done faithfully every morning before arising would be of great benefit.

A short walk is also particularly beneficial. This is recommended after a starchy meal in any case since so many people now suffer from insulin-resistance; nearly one half of all adults.

 

This fried bulgur wheat with turmeric is rich in both forms of fibre. In particular, prunes have been shown to be more effective than the most commonly prescribed medical treatments^[3].

Turmeric

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice much used in Asian cooking, mostly in its dried and powdered form^[4]. Like ginger though the tuber also gives greater flavour and nutritional benefits. Used as a salve with raw honey it is one of the best treatments for bedsores at home.

These are the best ways to use turmeric.

Fried bulgur with turmeric is just one more way to enjoy nutritious food that is easy to prepare.

Microbiome

The microbiome is the term given to the friendly bugs that dwell in our intestines; they are hugely important, regulating the immune system and synthesizing many vital neurotransmitters.

They are utterly dependent on undigested fibre from our food which, on reaching the intestine supplies these friendly viruses, bacteria and yeasts with their needs.

In many people both the number and diversity of this normal-flora are greatly diminished; chemicals from our food, medication and an unknown host are to blame. Making a probiotic such as kefir is proving a corner stone to greater wellness; and eating plenty of fibre for these bugs.

It takes only five minutes to make kefir in your own kitchen; for the price of half a cup of milk. It is also the very best source of dietary calcium.

Fried bulgur with turmeric is a low GI food so those concerned about the carbs need not be unduly concerned. It's the refined starches like cake flour, sugar and white rice that are the great enemy; they also provide no fibre for the microbiome.

Fried bulgur wheat with turmeric

Fried bulgur wheat with turmeric is one of the true whole-grains; they are difficult to get and there is much confusing advertising on the subject.

For example millers can call their flour "wholemeal" provided they do not remove more than half of the bran and germ; that is where the minerals, vitamins and other important nutrients are to be found.

Let this recipe be the beginning of something creative from your own kitchen; never be tied down by Bernard Preston's fancies.

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