Wheat is among the globally popular cereal grains that have a remarkably high demand in the global market. A cereal grain from Triticum genus, it has been consumed for millennia. Wheat is mainly cultivated for its grains used in baking, dough, pasta, pastries, and other consumables that are derived from flour.

Wheat flour is a staple ingredient in many households and culinary traditions around the world. Derived from grinding whole wheat grains, it comes in various types, each suited for different cooking and baking needs. Here’s an in-depth look at its uses and benefits.

Uses of Wheat

• Food Products: As one of the ingredients, wheat flour is important when preparing bread. It contains gluten which allows dough to expand and well, it gives dough the stretch ability it requires. Durum wheat is of hard type and is used for preparing semolina flour used in the production of pasta. Many recipes for baked products such as cake, cookies, muffins and more may employ wheat flour. Wheat is another widely used ingredient in breakfast cereals, although most of them are whole grain or made from a combination of ingredients.

Benefits of Wheat:

• Wheat is used as a source of carbohydrate food, thus providing energy. Whole wheat is high in dietary fibers that are essential for digestion of food and improvement of the human gut health. Wheat is a rich source of Protein that is required for the ‘re-modeling’ of other tissues in the body. Wheat products are rich in vitamins, particularly the B vitamins, as well as iron, magnesium, and selenium.

• Consumption of whole wheat is associated with decreased possibility of heart disease resulting from cholesterol, thanks to the fiber rich content. The presence of fiber also make wheat products effective in helping one in conceiving a full stomach and thereby assisting in managing the weight. Fiber in wheat enables one to ease from a constipation menace and realize a clean bowel movement. Also, whole wheat contains little amounts of GI because they have a low index than the refined wheat products.

Wheat is one of the most prominent grains in human consumption today and has countless uses even outside the kitchen. It has nutritional value that makes it important in enhancing the health standards as a good part of the human diet. An understanding of the economic significance of wheat cannot be overemphasized, given that the grain feeds communities that depend on agriculture for income and is also instrumental in global markets. Even today one can come across people who prefer using wheat in the simplest way, as a loaf of bread or in a featured pasta dish it remains unbeatable.