Bulgur meets the definition of a 30 minute meal and a health food because it is pre-cooked. All its value is in the whole grain, so only use organic wholegrain bulgur, not the polished stuff.
Whole foods such as bulgur fight heart problems, cancer, diabetes, bowel problems among other things. It is made from several different wheat species, but most often from durum wheat.
Recipes
I don't usually offer recipes so early in my page, but it's easiest to explain what bulgur is with a recipe. Here's how to make your own quick healthy bulgur. Buy some organic wheat that has not been polished (is a whole grain still)
Soak overnight whatever quantity fits your cooking convenience such as two or four cupfuls in twice the amount of water.
Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Drain and keep the water for soup stock. Spread on a tray and dry in the sun or in an oven at 210F (100C) for an hour. Store it for your fast gourmet foods until you need it. This is bulgur.
Because it is pre-cooked you can re-cook it like rice in a quarter of an hour. Use it to replace rice in recipes when you want (rice whole grains are also good for you, but not white rice). Bulgur is very slightly more nutritious, but which rice and which bulgur? Treat them as having the same nutritional value.
Diets with whole grains such as pasta are good for you, but making the pasta ready to be cooked takes longer. How is this recipe for quick meals and easy cooking?
- Cook 1 part bulgur per 2 parts liquid for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes more.
- Fluff with a fork.
- 2 cups of cooked bulgur (as last recipe)
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- 2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
Mix together and put in the fridge for a couple of hours. That should be simple enough for your kids to start cooking, and if they cook their own, they will be keen to eat it instead of all the poisonous fast foods available.
Health food details
Bulgur prevents nitrates and nitrites from being converted into poisonous nitrosamines. Apart from that, the health food details are pretty much the same as for any whole grain such as buckwheat. It is a good source of iron and high in Dietary Fiber, Manganese, and Magnesium.
This may sound boring, but if your diet is deficient in fiber, manganese, or magnesium you would be in big trouble. Sub-clinical deficiency means that the symptoms aren't bad enough to take to the doctor, and you may think that it is the normal way to feel, because you always felt like that. Then you correct a deficiency and suddenly find that you have more energy and vitality and zest for life. Your doctor can't be blamed because even you didn't know that you were sick.
Analysis
A hundred grams of dry bulgur should contain
| Water | 9g | Well, I did say it was dry, didn't I? |
| Protein | 12g | |
| Carbohydrates | 76g | High, but consider the glycemic index. |
| Fiber | 18g | |
| Calcium | 35mg | |
| Iron | 2.5mg | Men often have too much blood iron |
| Magnesium | 164mg | |
| Phosphorus | 300mg | |
| Potassium | 410mg | |
| Manganese | 3mg | That's extremely high |
| Niacin | 5mg | |
| Folate | 27mcg | |
| Lutein zeaxanthin | 220mcg |
