I love me some carbs.
It’s not my fault. I was exposed to carbs at an early age.
Heck, my father would hide cookies in his nightstand, doling them out for tasks well done.
I carried over this “carbs-as-a-reward” idea well into college.
I was a GREAT student…
and hundreds of “rewards” later, I was also 20lbs heavier.
Thanks, dad.
First, I tried the whole no carb Atkins diet thing…
Turns out that Die-Hard-Atkins-Carb-free me = Homicidal-Rage-filled me.
No bueno.
It wasn’t until I started doing some real research on this Atkins thing, that I found out that
NOT ALL CARBS ARE BAD!
I couldn’t believe it.
You mean I could eat a carb & not feel like I was doing the devil’s work?!
Yeah, you can totally sign me up for that.
However, with knowledge comes great responsibility.
I could eat a carb sure, but now I had to pay attention to the type of carb I was ingesting.
If I was going to eat rice, brown was better than white.
If I was going to eat bread, multigrain high-fiber was better than potato.
If I was going to eat a breakfast porridge, farro was better than oatmeal.
Um…what the heck is FARRO & how is this supposed to substitute my delicious microwavable apple cinnamon oatmeal with the dehydrated fruit??
So once again, I turned to the internet & here’s what I learned:
Farro (also known as emmer) is a type of whole grain that had once been widely cultivated in the ancient world but up until recently was mostly grown & consumed in Italy. Like many other obscure & delicious things, the United States has begun to take notice & now you can find this nutrient-rich grain in most specialty stores.
Farro (also known as “emmer”) is a type of whole grain that had once been widely cultivated in the ancient world but up until recently was mostly grown & consumed in Italy. Like many other obscure & delicious things, the United States has begun to take notice & now you can find this nutrient-rich grain in most specialty stores.
It is a complex carb containing twice the fiber & protein than modern wheat, low in gluten & rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients, lignans & betaine (click on the links for more info than I care to type).
I found mine at Whole Foods…(shocking, right?) They have some pre-packaged boxes which are about $8.99/lb or you can head over to the bulk bins & get it for about $3.54/lb. I have to say, I didn’t notice a difference between the fancy boxed kind & the kind I took home in a bag. I treated the grain like I would quinoa or barley, boiled it in a 50/50 mix of apple juice & water, added some spices, honey, yogurt, sautéed dried fruit & voila! Healthy breakfast carbs!
Enjoy!!
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