OK, so let me be frank, when a farmer from Punjab recently called us up and said that he was growing Black Wheat and would we be interested in the same, I frankly thought it was a crack call and someone was just having some fun! It was not until my co-founder Priya assured me that yes there is such a thing that i really looking into it.
I was super excited when we received the first batch of samples and lo behold it truly was “Black” and looked like a normal wheat grain in size!!
So, if you are like me and would like to get into why, what and how of everything that you put in your body, then this is the Ultimate Primer on Black Rice for you. I have compiled most questions that cover all the bases (including how to use).
So lets dig in!
What is Black Wheat?
Black wheat is a wheat which is black in color. It gets its color due to the presence of “Anthocyanins”
What is an Anthocyanins?
Anthocyanins are naturally occurring antioxidants that give color to Black Wheat Grain. These antioxidants help in revitalizing and delaying the ageing process in our body.
Anthocynanins are found naturally in fruits like Blueberries and Jamun.
Is Black Wheat a GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) crop?
NO, Black Wheat is not a GMO crop
Is Black Wheat Grain Gluten Free, can it be consumed by Celiac or gluten intolerant person?
NO, Black wheat grain is not gluten free. It contains gluten in its natural form. People who are Celiac or are allergic to wheat should not consume Black wheat grain.
How does Black Wheat grain gets its color from? Are the seeds naturally occurring?
Black Wheat is a grain made using process known as bio-fortification. Bio-fortification is the technique of breeding crops and making them to increase their
nutritional value
Is Black Wheat healthier compared to Normal Wheat?
Yes it is. Due to the presence of high antioxidants called Anthocyanins. Normal wheat has 5ppm of Anthocyanins and Black Wheat grain has 140ppm (per 100gms). This means it has over 28 times more antioxidants in it than compared to normal wheat.
Due to the constant pressure we undergo in our daily life a healthy dose of Antioxidants helps to ward of life style disorders like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, aging etc.
Consuming Black Wheat regularly helps your body fight the elements and life style diseases.
What can you make out of Black Wheat Grain?
Black Wheat Grain is super easy to cook. Just use it the same way as you would use normal wheat grain.
You can grind Black Wheat grain into Attas and make chapptis, rotis, paranthas, puris, etc
Hope I have covered all the bases as promised. If you like this article, give us a shout out in the comment section below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vinod Kumar, Founder Naturally Yours
An Engineer MBA, Vinod founded Naturally Yours with the vision to make healthy and organic food accessible to millions of Indians. He believes strongly that organic and health food industry is the answer to the major health problems in India.