This week’s whole-food recipe is a fantastic, super-filling side dish! Turmeric, ginger, and garlic work together to create a whole grain dish that’s the golden star of your plate.
What is a groat?
Groats are part of the whole grain family of foods — common types come from buckwheat, wheat, rye, barley, and oat grains. A groat is the most minimally processed form of the grain, producing a nutrient-dense, chewy grain. This recipe uses oat groats, but you could use any groat you have on hand. Oats also have four times more healthy fats, one-third more protein, and less starch compared to other cereal grains (Hebert & Grimes, 2013).
How a kernel is formed
There are 3 parts to a grain kernel, and each contains nutrients that work together to benefit our health. Fiber in the outer bran layer helps lower cholesterol, slows blood sugar spikes, and feeds probiotics in our gut. The germ layer provides healthy fats and antioxidants that help decrease inflammation and slow the blood sugar response (Schwartz, n.d.). The endosperm is what’s used to produce refined grains, and it contains a high amount of the carbohydrate found in grains.
During processing into foods like white rice, white flours, and breakfast cereals, the bran and germ are removed, leaving the starchy, carbohydrate-filled endosperm. This process removes around 90% of the vitamin E, over 50% of the B vitamins, and over 80% of the fiber found in the whole grain (The Nutrition Source, n.d.). Even though flours are often fortified after manufacturing, only a few select nutrients are added back in, leaving a low-nutrient, high-carbohydrate food.
Whole grains vs. processed grains
Removing the bran and germ during processing causes a grain to produce a faster rise in blood sugar after eating. Unregulated blood sugar over time is linked to a higher risk of chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease, among others (Ye et al., 2012).
Benefits of eating whole grains
Over 90% of Americans don’t consume the recommended amount of whole grains, averaging just 1 serving a day (Perry, 2023). People who ate more than 70 grams of fiber a day, compared to those who rarely ate whole grains, were over 20% less likely to die from cancers or cardiovascular disease, and had a 20% decrease in total mortality (Zong et al., 2016). Switching from a processed grain to a whole grain daily can positively influence gut bacteria in as little as 3 weeks (Costabile et al., 2008). Fiber and complex carbohydrates aid digestion and help you feel full longer, supporting eating fewer total calories.
Whole grains are also a good source of protein, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and several B vitamins.
Consider this: When brown rice is refined into white rice, the white rice ends up with 87% less B1, 78% less magnesium, 75% less B3, 66% less B6, 65% less B9, 54% less potassium, 48% less B2, and 38% less iron (Oldways Whole Grain Council, n.d.). Three servings of white rice (~600 calories) don’t provide the same fiber, folate, B1, B3, B6, or magnesium as one serving of brown rice (~250 calories).
Fun Fact: The people who live longest, with the fewest chronic illnesses, eat 50–65% of their daily calories as grains — mostly whole grains. (Capurso, 2021)
Spiced Up Groats
This recipe is remarkably straightforward — place the ingredients into a rice cooker and let it handle the rest. Feel free to experiment with other whole grains, like unpearled farro, wheat berries, wild rice, or whole barley.
Get the full recipe with ingredients, directions, and nutrition facts below ↓
Spiced Up Groats
Ingredients
Method
- Rinse groats with clean water and add to the rice cooker.
- Roughly chop garlic and ginger; add to the rice cooker.
- Add turmeric and garlic powder to the cooker.
- Pour coconut milk and bone broth over the groats and stir a few times to combine.
- Turn the rice cooker on — use the brown or wild rice setting if available.
- When finished, remove groats and serve hot. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 5 days; flavor improves over time.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Adding bone broth to this recipe increases the protein by 7 grams per serving without adding unnecessary fat. Turmeric and ginger add lots of flavor, and these little rhizomes are known for powerful antioxidant content and anti-inflammatory properties — enhanced by cooking. Ginger’s antioxidant content increases by 4 times when boiled this way (Zagórska et al., 2023). The curcumin in turmeric is 2 times higher in powdered turmeric than fresh, and it’s fat-soluble, so the coconut milk in this recipe increases its absorption and health benefits (Stohs et al., 2020). If increasing fiber in your diet causes gas or bloating, ginger can also help calm that.
Quick Review
Eating less than 1 cup of this recipe provides:
- 7% of daily need for potassium
- 8% of daily need for vitamin D
- 9.5% of daily need for copper
- 15% of daily need for vitamin A
- 15% of daily need for phosphorus
- 16% of daily need for calcium
- 20% of daily need for iron
- 32% of daily need for manganese
(Cronometer Software Inc., n.d.)
This simple dish balances fiber-rich whole grains with creamy coconut milk and the anti-inflammatory goodness of turmeric, garlic, and ginger — a satisfying side that supports your health and your taste buds.
Next up in the series…
Fun with color and legumes!
Tell me in the comments: which legume is your favorite to cook with?
References available on request — cites Capurso (2021), Costabile et al. (2008), Cronometer Software Inc., Hebert & Grimes (2013), Oldways Whole Grain Council, Perry (2023), Schwartz, Stohs et al. (2020), The Nutrition Source, Ye et al. (2012), Zagórska et al. (2023), and Zong et al. (2016).
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