RYE (Secale cereale) 

Rye was for a long time considered as a weed when it first appeared in wheat fields. Over the years farmers realized that rye grows faster than wheat. So, in fact rye is also referred as “poverty grain” because it can grow also on fields where soil is too poor for other grains. Therefore, rye became very popular in countries where the temperature is lower (Poland, Russia, Canada and other). And for those who didn’t know there also exists a hybrid of wheat and rye named Triticale (Triticosecale rimpaui) The main reason to create this hybrid was to produce a grain which had many advantages of wheat for product development and had the ability of rye to grow in adverse conditions.

Rye is consumed widely only in some countries, so it is not as widespread as other whole grains and there are not many researches made about its benefits. Rye is a great source of dietary fiber, it has a lot of fiber named arabinoxylan, which has high antioxidant activity. It also contains phenolic acids, lignans, alkylresorcinos and other important compounds [1].

Though rye has a lot of important nutrients it also contains gluten which makes it unsuitable for people who cannot tolerate gluten [2].

HOW TO BE CERTAIN YOU'RE GETTING WHOLE RYE?

References:

1. Oldways whole grains council. Rye +Triticale August grain of the month

2. Oldways whole grains council. Gluten free whole grains

3. Oldways whole grains council. Whole grains A to Z