7 Healthy Grains These Dubai Foodies Swear By

When it comes to having a healthy breakfast, most of us think that the menu is very limited and finding both energy-boosting and delicious ingredients can be a hard task at the best of times. Now grains may not be your first thought when it comes to exciting breakfasts – but we will show you how to incorporate a variety of grains into your diet for a healthy and wholesome start to the day.

Grains, beans, nuts and seeds are all considered as the bank of energy; they provide the fibres and vitamins that the body needs to energise and get ready for the day ahead. Because grains affect many bodily functions, and specifically the digestive system, the base of our trusty food pyramid consists of a recommended 6-11 servings of grains per day. So they must be good for us in that case!

Why are grains an essential food group?

Seeds are the source of life after all and human beings have depended on whole seeds and grains even before the refined grains became more common. All seeds have an outer bran coating for protection and this has a great benefit on the body as it consists of fibre. Not only is this fibre essential in aiding digestion, it also helps to control blood sugar levels, lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of digestive disorders and it supports your diet if you’re trying to lose weight because it makes you feel full for longer. Grains can also be a great addition to a vegetarian diet as they contain the likes of vitamin C and B complex. To get the real benefit of this fibre and the energy it provides then you have to eat the grains whole — whether cracked or puffed, soaked or ground. Choose organic whole oats, wheat, quinoa, corn, brown rice and other beans and seeds to use in everyday meals.

There is a big health movement going on in the region and UAE residents on the whole tend to lead a healthy lifestyle, both nutritionally and in terms of fitness. There are so many local foodies who show us how its done as they give the rest of us ideas on how to prepare breakfast grains in creative and delicious ways. We headed straight to Instagram for a dose of inspiration — see our top 7 breakfast grain ideas and start adding grains to your life today.

Whole Oats Pancakes

@dubaifitfoodie

As a Branding and Marketing professional, Gbemi Giwa of DubaiFitFoodie.com has a talent for identifying new trends in food, sharing her activities and tips, while showcasing the healthy lifestyle of Dubai. In this delicious dish, Gbemi proves that whole grains are not as boring as you may think and you can curb your sweet craving the healthy way with her Whole Oats Pancake recipe mix.

Zaatar Flax Crackers and Hummus

@secretsquirrelfood

When Karen McLean moved to Dubai from Australia, she invested her creativity and love for photography in her Secret Squirrel Food blog, spending weekends cooking and learning about different cultural food trends. Winning the 2015 Cosmopolitan Fabulous Female Awards for her blog, Karen is known for her talent for healthy, natural wholesome recipes that combine tastes from different cultures. In this Zaatar Flax Cracks and Hummus recipe, you will be amazed at how Karen has taken inspiration from the Arabic culture and put her own spin on the recipe to create a healthy breakfast meal for everyone to try out.

Smoothie Power

@blueberrysmoothies

Although she’s not based in the UAE, Mari’s wholesome ideas have gone global, as she shares her amazing recipes on her Blueberry Smoothies blog. Many of Dubai’s food bloggers have taken inspiration from Mari and developed their own innovative creative smoothie recipes to suit their own nutritional goals. Try out this chia seed and granola flake smoothie with its colourful and eye-catching assortment of healthy ingredients. Delicious!

Toast with Toppings

@beelabakes

“The foodie haven” — that’s how Nabeela Ismail describes the city of Dubai. As soon as she moved to the city, she found her artistic side in cooking, baking and preparing savoury food, using her multi-cultural knowledge on her Beela Bakes blog. In this seeds and grains-topped toast, you don’t need to feel guilty when eating bread because it’s altogether wholesome and nutritious when topped with hummus, labneh and avocado. Get creative and sprinkle your bread with pine nuts, sesame and pumpkin seeds — such a great way to start the day!

The Breakfast Bowl

@straightupbananas

Honest, easy and quick homemade meals — that’s the idea behind Ahlam Altaamare’s food blog: Straight-up Bananas. In addition to her profession as a creative copywriter, Ahlam fills her blog and Instagram account with the beautiful places she visits, the healthy and delicious meals she makes — focusing on breakfast as an essential way to start the day before getting into the hectic hustle and bustle of daily life. Start out with strawberry yoghurt, add to the mix whatever fruits you have in the fridge and sprinkle oats, nuts, coconut and chia seeds over the top for a really scrumptious breakfast bowl.

Booster Bars

@noreenwasti

Noreen Wasti suggests these peanut butter honey oat bars as the best start to your day. Her food passion is best communicated through her Nonisplace.com blog, where she shares a delicious variety of recipes and healthy food options to keep your food plan nice and varied from day to day.

Corn with a Twist

@sukainarajabali

Many Asian countries consider corn as a great breakfast option because it is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fibre that provide you with the boost you need for the day ahead. Sukaina Rajabali shares her food photography experience on her blog and gathers recipes and inspiration from different cuisines around the world. Try topping cooked corn with an almond crust or sunflower seeds to give the modest corn on the cob an interesting twist. The simpler the better in this case.

Follow theses wonderful foodies on Instagram and be inspired every morning with creative and healthy recipes for you and your family. Follow us for more health-related ideas and tips by signing up to the Sun & Sand Sports Become newsletter in the box below.

SSS INSTAGRAM

SSS HOME