After talking about the origins and uses of spent grains in the kitchen, it’s time to talk about why all this should interest you. The fight against food waste has many positive impacts for the planet, but it also has some for you.
The cereal residues that make up the spent grains provide an impressive nutritional contribution. We can thus please the environment and our health, and all this at a low cost.
Here are the 5 benefits that you could enjoy by integrating spent grains into your diet:
- A better intestinal transit
- A lowering of your cholesterol level
- A reduction in your risk of chronic diseases
- A healthier gallbladder
- A better control of your blood sugar
A ton of nutrients
Why can milled spent grain flour do us so much good?
If we take the example of Still Good, it contains nearly 40% fiber and nearly 20% protein, proving that it is an ingredient suitable for a balanced diet.
It is the soluble and insoluble fibers of milled spent grain flour that promote good digestion. According to specialists in the field, it represents the main advantage of consuming these derivatives of brewing production.
As for proteins, they are more interesting than those of other cereals: they include about 30% essential amino acids, especially lysine.
Milled spent grain flour also offers us several vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron and folic acid.
That’s not all! Richer in phenolic compounds than many vegetables, it is a great source of natural antioxidants.
Enriched food
Many have encouraged research on spent grains, including how they affect the nutritional values of other foods.
When you incorporate milled spent grain flour into a recipe, you improve the final result. Several studies confirm this: the more spent grains you include, the more you increase the amount of fiber and protein in a dish.
Depending on what you are cooking, you can double the fiber intake with only 15% spent grains in the starting ingredients.
Adding spent grains also amplifies the antioxidant effect of a smoothie or fruit juice.
With all this, the mystery behind spent grains is a little less mysterious, right?
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Sources
CHETRARIU, A., et A. Dabija. « Brewer’s Spent Grains: Possibilities of Valorization, a Review », Applied Sciences, 13 août 2020. doi : 10.3390/app10165619.
LYNCH, Kieran M., Eric J. STEFFEN et Elke K. ARENDT. « Brewers’ Spent Grain: A Review with an Emphasis on Food and Health », Journal of the Institute of Brewing, 28 octobre 2016. doi : 10.1002/jib.363.
MAYO CLINIC. « Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet », dans Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition and Healthy Eating, [En ligne], 6 janvier 2021. [https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983].
NAIBAHO, Joncer, et collab. « The Potential of Spent Barley as a Functional Food Ingredient: Study on the Comparison of Dietary Fiber and Bioactivity », Proceedings, 20 novembre 2020. doi : 10.3390/foods_2020-08486.
