Whole grains are good for you, tasty, and easy to make

Americans love rice. We eat an average of 25 pounds per person annually. But we are less likely to experiment with other whole grains. And we should. After all, they are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates. Whole grains also contain important vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.

In fact, you have a much better chance of maintaining a healthy weight if whole grains are part of your diet because they quickly satisfy your appetite making you feel fuller after eating only small amounts of them. Many trainers I know recommend starting the day with a bowl of oatmeal for just this reason.

And studies show that regularly eating whole grains can reduce the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. All whole grains are rich sources of fiber with 1 cup supplying almost 15 percent of your daily requirement.

Whole grains are simply grains that have all their parts intact — the germ, bran and endosperm. Refined grains usually have only the endosperm left in place. Keep in mind that whole grains can be sprouted to produce more grains.

Fortunately, it is easy to consume a diet rich in whole grains as manufacturers are now producing cereals, breads, muffins, desserts and snack foods made with them. Even traditionally unhealthy crunchy snacks have been transformed with whole-grain goodness.

I enjoy cooking whole grains from scratch. Most supermarkets carry a variety of rices, rice blends, wheat berries, quinoa and barley. I purchase most of my grains in bulk at natural food markets. That way I can buy as much or little as I want.

If you aren't used to cooking whole grains, you'll soon discover that all of them are as easy to cook as rice. Yet each has a unique flavor and texture.

The trick to cooking whole grains is to use just enough liquid so that the grain becomes tender by the time the liquid is fully absorbed. But each type grain absorbs a different amount of liquid and thus needs to be cooked in a different ratio of grain to liquid. For example, long-grain brown rice needs to be cooked in three parts liquid to one part rice. Quinoa should be cooked using equal amounts of liquid and grains.

If you want to put your feet in the water slowly, try making brown rice. You can find long-grain, medium-grain and short-grain brown rice at most natural food stores.

The shorter the grain, the more starchy and soft the cooked rice will be. I like the comforting texture of short-grain brown rice to use in desserts and for making fried rice. Long and medium grain are great in rice pilafs.

A guide for cooking brown rice:
Use a heavy-bottom saucepan that will hold all the rice once it is cooked. Remember, brown rice triples in volume when cooked so that 1 cup raw brown rice yields

3 cups cooked rice.
Add 2 1 / 2 cups water for each 1 cup raw brown rice you want to prepare

Bring the rice and water to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce the heat and simmer the rice without lifting the lid for the first 45 minutes of cooking. After that time, check the doneness of the rice. If it is still a bit hard in the center of the kernels, add a sprinkling of water, cover and continue to cook 5 to 10 minutes.

When the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to rest, covered, 5 minutes.
Then fluff the rice with a fork or spoon.
All the liquid should be gone.

Brown rice, like all other grains, can be cooked and then frozen, or you can add vegetables and proteins to make fried rice or pilafs.