STAPLE FOODS

A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities as to constitute the dominant part of the diet and supply a major proportion of energy and nutrient needs.

A staple food does not meet a population's total nutritional needs: a variety of foods is required. This is particularly the case for children and other nutritionally vulnerable groups.

Typically, staple foods are well adapted to the growth conditions in their source areas. For example, they may be tolerant of drought, pests or soils low in nutrients. Farmers often rely on staple crops to reduce risk and increase the resilience of their agricultural systems.

Most people live on a diet based on one or more of the following staples: rice, wheat, maize (corn), millet, sorghum, roots and tubers (potatoes, cassava, yams and taro), and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs, cheese and fish.

Of more than 50 000 edible plant species in the world, only a few hundred contribute significantly to food supplies. Just 15 crop plants provide 90 percent of the world's food energy intake, with three rice, maize and wheat - making up two-thirds of this. These three are the staples of over 4 000 million people.

Although there are over 10 000 species in the Gramineae (cereal) family, few have been widely introduced into cultivation over the past 2 000 years. Rice feeds almost half of humanity. Per caput rice consumption has generally remained stable, or risen slightly since the 1960s. It has declined in recent years in many of the wealthier rice-consuming countries, such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, because rising incomes have enabled people to eat a more varied diet.

Roots and tubers are important staples for over 1 000 million people in the developing world. They account for roughly 40 percent of the food eaten by half the population of sub-Saharan Africa. They are high in carbohydrates, calcium and vitamin C, but low in protein.

Per caput consumption of roots and tubers has been falling in many countries since the beginning of the l 970s, mainly because urban populations have found it cheaper and easier to buy imported cereals. Since 1970, consumption of roots and tubers in the Pacific Islands has fallen by 8 percent, while cereal consumption jumped by 40 percent, from 61 to 85 kilograms per person.

Many countries are experiencing a similar shift away from traditional foods, but there is growing recognition of the importance of traditional food crops in nutrition. After years of being considered "poor people's foods" some of these crops are now enjoying a comeback. Cassava, considered a minor crop at the turn of the century, has now become one of the developing world's most important staples providing a basic diet for around 500 million people. Plantings are increasing faster than for any other crop. Quinoa, a grain grown in the high Andes, is also gaining wider acceptance even outside of Latin America with the introduction of new varieties and improved processing.

Beans and Grains: The Perfect Pairing

Combining beans and grains in a single meal has a rich history in ancient culinary practices. Experts discuss the health benefits and how clients can boost their intake.

Red beans and rice. Black bean soup with whole grain rolls. Corn chips and bean dip. Quinoa and black bean casserole. Rice salad with white beans. What do these dishes have in common besides the fact they all contain beans? They're all pairings of beans and grains.

While these dishes are modern renditions, bean and grain combos have a rich history in ancient culinary practices, long before nutrition scientists discovered the health benefits of beans and whole grains or the protein boost provided by combining different plant proteins to get all nine essential amino acids.

"Now that these benefits are widely known, more and more of us are embracing the old ways, and letting traditional cuisines inspire new culinary trends,"

Traditional Bean/Grain Pairings

Beans have been a food staple in some parts of the world for 10,000 years, and they continue to be a regular part of diets today in China, India, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Rice is well known as a staple crop across Asia, so it's no surprise that many traditional Asian recipes have variations of rice and beans. In China, rice sometimes is cooked down into a thick porridge called congee, and often is paired with sugar and mung beans or red beans. In India, congee often is prepared from other grains as well such as millet. These thick rice porridge dishes were an excellent way for the poor to stretch a small serving of grains into a hearty meal. In Greece, a traditional appetizer is gigandes plaki, large white beans cooked in a tomato sauce and often served with bread for dipping. In Italy, pasta e fagioli is a soup with pasta, beans, and vegetables. Traditional African cuisine makes great use of a wide variety of grains and beans. In Ethiopia, for example, bean stews are served with injera bread, a pancakelike bread made from the teff grain. Beans, especially black beans, are served with rice in various combinations throughout Latin America. In Costa Rica and Brazil, gallo pinto is a traditional rice and beans dish. Feijoada, a black bean stew served with rice and oranges, is said to be the national dish of Brazil. Tortillas, found in Mexico, and their close cousin, arepas, found in Colombia and Venezuela, are both corn-based flatbreads that often are filled with beans and vegetables.

Nutrition and Health Benefits

Beans are an inexpensive source of protein, fiber, carbohydrates, and micronutrients, including folate, which often is lacking in diets. Research has shown that bean consumption could greatly improve the diet quality of people. Consuming only 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans per day results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron, and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.

A 1/2-cup serving of beans supplies 10% or more of the DV for potassium, magnesium, and iron, and beans are low in sodium.

However, less than 8% of people consume either dry beans or peas on any given day.

The soluble fiber and resistant starches in beans may help suppress appetite and manage blood sugar.

While the sodium in canned beans can be an issue, individuals can reduce the sodium count by 40% if they rinse the beans.

Beans also contain oligosaccharides (short-chain sugar polymers) and resistant starch, both of which act as prebiotics in the intestinal tract, similar to the action of dietary fiber.

Beans also are rich in antioxidants, offering greater quantities than many vegetables.

Among the phytochemicals they provide are saponins, phytic acid, phenolic compounds, and lectins.

The health benefits of whole grains, like whole grain wheat and oats, have been studied extensively and the idea that whole grains improve health dates back to Hippocrates. Research has demonstrated that consumption of whole grains improves diet quality and is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and improved weight management and gastrointestinal health.

But as with beans, people consume very little whole grains. Less than 1% of the population consumes the recommended intake of three servings (48 g) per day of whole grains, and about 20% report they eat no whole grains at all.

A major benefit of combining beans and grains is the amino acids they provide. Both beans and grains are incomplete proteins, meaning they lack some essential amino acids. Together, they complement one another, provide all of the essential amino acids, and can take the place of high-quality animal proteins. For example, several grains are deficient in the essential amino acid lysine; beans are one of the few plant foods that provide lysine.

On the other hand, many beans provide small amounts of the essential amino acid methionine, which is found in greater amounts in grains.

It's been suggested that the nutritional and phytochemical components of beans, when coupled with those of whole grains, may have a synergistic effect that provides significant health benefits.

Beans and whole grain consumption deliver complementary proteins, increase dietary fiber, and dilute energy density, Increased consumption of whole grains and beans simply represent better nutrition. Even combining beans with refined grains, such as white rice, improves the impact on blood sugar levels; the greater the ratio of beans to rice, the more the beneficial effect.

A clinical study published in 2012 in Nutrition Journal found that beans and rice meals lowered blood sugar, compared to rice alone.

Black and pinto beans were found to lower blood glucose the most. Research has demonstrated that beans regulate a number of metabolic processes, and it's been suggested that they may function similarly to the oral diabetes medication acarbose and may share a common mechanism with metformin, an oral diabetes medication.

One of the most surprising suggestions to come from bean research is that consuming beans on a regular basis may have a preventive effect similar to Tamoxifen, a medication prescribed to premenopausal women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to decrease the risk of recurrence.

Mix It Up for Maximum Benefit

Many clients and patients may be most familiar with kidney beans, pinto beans, and navy beans, but there's tremendous diversity in the bean world, including adzuki, lima, cranberry, garbanzo, great northern, broad, black, and fava. "Research has shown that a higher-diversity diet is more effective in reducing biomarkers of oxidative damage than a diet with low botanical diversity, even when consumption of fruits and vegetables is high."

Wheat is by far the most widely consumed grain in the Western World, and whole grain wheat is a good choice, but there's also quinoa, teff, spelt, barley, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, bulgur, and sorghum, which will add diversity and boost the health benefits of whole grains. Corn, which often is thought of as a vegetable, actually is a grain. Research has found that whole grain corn cereals act as a prebiotic, and popcorn contributes to consumption of whole grains, bringing people closer to the recommended whole grain intake

.

Some of the benefits of pairing beans and grains are as follows:

They can be used interchangeably to provide different shapes, colors, sizes, and textures to suit any taste. Clients can adapt to the flavor profile of both sweet and savory dishes due to their mild flavors. Beans and grains can be used for hot or cold entrées, side dishes, or salads, and they're convenient to use and store, low in cost, readily available, and nutrient dense. And, combined, they're a good source of high-quality protein, comparable to animal proteins.

Dietitians can recommend a twist on familiar recipes to clients and patients. Chili with kidney beans can become three-bean chili and include any variety. Hummus is made with garbanzo beans, but clients can make it with a blend of garbanzo beans and white beans. And bean dip typically is made with pinto beans, but any cooked, puréed bean will do.

The possible ways to combine beans and grains are endless, but if your clients and patients are at a loss for how to create their own tasty and nutritious bean/grain combo dishes, share the following bean and grain recipes to get them off to a good start.

Quelling the Gas (Wind)

While the oligosaccharides raffinose, stachyose, and verbacose are believed to provide health benefits, they're also a major contributor to the intestinal gas that results from adding more beans to the diet. Be sure to tell clients that increasing their intake of beans and whole grains likely will cause an increase in intestinal gas in the beginning and offer these tips for taming the gas-producing compounds in beans.

1. Mix 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda or a spoon of vinegar into the soaking water. Soak beans for eight to 10 hours.

2. Rinse beans thoroughly and don't cook beans in the water in which they were soaked because it contains the gas-causing sugars.

3. Slow cook beans in a crockpot for several hours.

4. Drain and rinse canned beans; this will significantly reduce the gas-producing oligosaccharides.

5. Add beans to the diet in small amounts in the beginning until clients get used to it.

Corn and beans have been staple foods for thousands of years.

While researching I talked to many people who remembered corn and beans as their mainstays as children during the Great Depression. Cornbread and cornmeal mush and beans were always there, regardless of their poverty, and they thrived!

If you have a supply of corn and beans you'll never hunger. Moreover, they taste good. They can also be mixed with any other food, adding bulk and flavor to the most humble meal.

To utilize corn you can buy it in 50 pound sacks very cheaply from your local feed and seed store. You'll also need a Grain Mill.

When you get your corn, transfer it to two liter pop bottles, plastic bags, gallon jars, etc., as weevils will come from all over to eat it.

Don't bother trying to sprout the corn as it's most likely hybrid and so only about one grain out of ten will sprout and the rest will only rot.

CORNBREAD

Now for cornbread. This is delicious. It's among the simplest breads to make. It's baked in a greased or teflon-coated pan about two inches deep and 8x10 Inches or round in an iron skillet.

It's cut into slabs and the slabs are then cut in half and spread with margarine. Cornbread doesn't hold as firmly as wheat or rye breads so it needs half wheat flour for the gluten to keep it from being too crumbly. Cornbread doesn't lend itself to making sandwiches but it's bread all the same.

To bake it you get together 2 cups of cornmeal, I cup of wheat flour, 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, cooking oil, melted margarine, etc., 2 teaspoons of salt. I egg, 3 teaspoons of baking powder and 1-1/2 cups of water.

To make a lighter loaf, substitute commercial white flour and milk and add another egg. This may taste better to some, but I like the cruder kind just fine.

Mix the flours and add the grease or oil and mix some more. Then add the egg and salt and mix some more. Now add the water and mix until smooth.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. and add the baking powder and mix again. Then pour the batch into the baking pan and put it in the oven. Bake It for 45 minutes.

You can also make corn pancakes with this recipe. Use 2 cups of water so they'll spread, and fry them in bacon grease, etc., in a hot skillet like regular pancakes. When the bubbles in the middle of the cakes stay open. it's time to turn them. A couple of minutes later they're done. These are heavier than flour pancakes. Spread them with margarine butter or lard while hot and they taste great with salt and pepper or even syrup if you're into sweets.

PINTO BEANS

A pound of dried pinto beans turns into 3 pounds of cooked beans. At 40 cents a pound, dried, that's a little over 13 cents for a pound of cooked beans.

Pinto beans are best cooked in a Crock-Pot as they take quite a while and no one cares with a Crock-Pot, but in a kettle they might be forgotten and burn.

Nothing is simpler to cook than beans. If you only want beans but little or no soup, put in 6 cups of water and 2 cups of beans, plus a couple teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of pepper, chili powder or whatever seasoning suits you. Cook on high for three hours and if they mash easily they're done.

Otherwise cook for another hour. Since a Crock-Pot doesn't quite boil, you can't overcook them, so an hour or more doesn't matter. If you want bean soup, use 8 cups of water. I'd like you to make and try everything in this article. You'll find it's ever so easy and you'll be surprised at how much good-tasting, nutritious and filling food you can have for so little cost.

You'll not only learn how to cook but you'll realize that you and yours will never go hungry, as will so many who relate to food only as it is processed and prepared by others.

I lose patience with people who see such food as dull and unappetising. You go to a Mexican restaurant, or Chinese, or Italian, pay an arm and a leg for admittedly delicious meals. Yet you fail to see that they are all prepared with simple, inexpensive ingredients.

Recipes

MIELIE PAP & SOUS

FOR THE MIELIE PAP

4 cups of water

1 TBS coarse salt

2 cups of mielie meal

FOR THE GRAVY

4 TBS olive oil

1 -2 tspn chilli flakes

1 TBS coriander

28 oz –chopped and diced tomatoes

3 cups of white onions – diced

3 TBS tomato sauce/ketchup

2 TBS Woestershire Sauce

1 TBS brown sugar

1 cup of water

Coarse Salt & Black Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE MIELIE PAP

Bring water and salt to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the mielie meal and mix together well with a wooden spoon. (The consistency you get the pap will not change with cooking. So make sure it is the texture you want it at this stage.)

Reduce the heat to medium/low. Cover securely with a lid and simmer. Open the pot and stir occasionally during the cooking and reseal. Cook for 30 minutes

FOR THE GRAVY

Heat the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Cook the onions with the chilli flakes and coriander until golden brown (8 minutes). Add the tomatoes, ketchup, woestershire sauce, sugar and water.

Cook for 30 minutes till sauce thickens and water evaporates. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SAMP AND BEANS

Serves 10

Ingredients

500g samp (substitute: hominy) – rinsed and soaked overnight

500g sugar beans (substitute: black eyed peas) – rinsed and soaked overnight

salt to taste

oil

1 onion

2-3 tsp curry powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

1-2 tomatoes

1 vegetable stock cube

2 potatoes

50 ml butter (optional)

Directions

Mix the samp and beans together and soak overnight.

Drain the water after soaking and place the samp and bean mix in a large pot. Add 5-6 cups of water and allow to simmer slowly, allowing most of the water to evaporate. Cook until the samp and the beans start to get soft. If not soft enough, add more water. Season with salt to taste.

While the samp and beans cook, sauté the onion in a little oil until translucent. Add the garlic and curry powder. Allow to cook for a 1 -2 minutes to get flavor out. Add the tomato, vegetable stock , ½ cup of water, and potatoes. Allow to simmer until potatoes are slightly soft.

Drain the slightly soft samp and beans and add to the mixture. Allow to cook slowly until the potatoes, samp and beans are soft.

Stir in the butter. Serve hot with a main course of choice.

Each recipe gives six servings .Mealie meal (Corn)

CRUMBLY (“KRUMMEL”) PORRIDGE:

450ml water

1 teaspoon (5ml) salt

500g organic mealie-meal

3-4 teaspoons farm butter to serve

coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Method: Place the water and salt in a heavy-based pot and bring to the boil.

Add the mealie-meal to the water and stir with a long fork until it forms coarse crumbs.

Cover and cook over the lowest heat for 45-50 minutes, loosening the crumbs with the fork every 10 minutes.

Take care not to burn the porridge. Serve with farm butter and black pepper.

THICK (“STYWE”) PORRIDGE:

500ml water

1 teaspoon salt

250ml organic mealie-meal

1 tablespoon butter to serve

Method: Place the water and salt in a heavy-based pot and bring to the boil.

In a separate bowl, mix the mealie-meal with a little water to make a moderately runny mixture, then add this to the pot.

Mix well.

Cover and cook over the lowest heat, simmering for about 50 minutes: stirring twice during this time.

The porridge should form a lovely surprise crust over the base of the pot which is heavenly with butter, Timm says.

SMOOTH (“SLAP”) PORRIDGE:

1 litre water

1 teaspoon salt

250ml organic mealie-meal

Milk and sugar to serve

2 tablespoons butter and extra to serve

Method: Pour 750 ml of the water and salt in a heavy-based pot and bring to the boil. Mix the remaining water with the mealie-meal until smooth, then add this to the pot.

Cover and cook over the lowest heat, simmering for 50 minutes, stirring twice during this time.

Remove from the heat and stir through the butter.

Serve with milk, sugar and top each serving with a dollop of butter.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

11/2 cups quinoa

21/4 cups water

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

11/2 T red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

11/2 cups cooked corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

11/4 tsp dried cumin

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear. Put the quinoa in a pot with 21/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss the beans with the vinegar, salt, and pepper.

3. Combine the beans, corn, bell pepper, scallions, garlic, cayenne, and cilantro with the cooled quinoa. Toss well.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, and cumin. Slowly pour in the oil while whisking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Note: The salad can be made one day ahead and refrigerated and covered. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Nutrient Analysis per serving

Calories: 360; Total fat: 13 g; Sat fat: 2 g; Total carbohydrate: 47 g; Protein: 11 g; Dietary fiber: 7 g; Sodium: 260 mg

Three-Bean Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 T canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T ground cumin

1/2 to 1 tsp ground chipotle chile

4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-oz can red beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped and divided

1 T dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

30 baked whole grain corn chips

1 to 2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

1. In large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and green pepper for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, 2 minutes. Stir in cumin and chipotle, and cook 1 minute, stirring.

2. Add broth, diced tomatoes with their liquid, beans, 1/2 cup of cilantro, and dried oregano. Bring liquid to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Let soup cool for at least 30 minutes to increase flavor, then reheat before serving. Or, refrigerate soup for up to four days.

3. To serve, reheat soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble corn chips into the bottom of eight bowls. Ladle soup over chips. Garnish bowls with remaining chopped cilantro and lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Nutrient Analysis per serving

Calories: 230; Total fat: 7 g; Sat fat: 0 g; Total Carbohydrate: 32 g; Protein: 10 g; Dietary fiber: 8 g; Sodium: 480 mg

— RECIPES FROM THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

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