Cracked wheat, or Dalia is a popularly consumed dish. Most of us have devoured it in our childhood and still enjoy it today. It has been an important part of the Indian cuisines since ages. Dalia is made from wheat and possesses all its nutritional benefits. It tastes best in both sweet and spicy form.
The best part of this wholesome grain is that it is easy to digest. This makes it very healthy for infants, children and old people. This superfood is appropriate for all age groups. Let us look at the health benefits that you get by including this nutritious food in your diet.
About Cracked Wheat
Cracked wheat is originated in North African, and traditional Mediterranean nations that include Israel, Turkey, and Lebanon. Presently, this versatile food has become a lot popular throughout the world. Cracked wheat has got its name from the procedure that goes into making it. Health-conscious groups are the major consumers of this super grain. It can be either made purely from wheat or a combination of grains such as wheat, corn, and barley.
In India, cracked wheat is a purely whole-grain product. It is made by crushing wheat berries into rough particles. It can be consumed as a whole or as an ingredient in baked dishes. Dalia is a healthy food that is easy to gulp and digest for babies. Thin Dalia makes it an ideal food for babies who are just starting on solids.
It is another wholesome grain that has the goodness of wheat. When consumed regularly, it enhances your diet, and improves health and wellness. Broken wheat is characterized by its unique texture and distinctive nutty taste. It is loaded with fiber content that boosts digestive and heart health.
Nutritional Composition of Cracked Wheat
Cracked wheat has limited processing needs. It can provide the same level of nutritional health benefits like wheat. It is packed with micronutrients, macronutrients. 100 grams of cracked wheat is packed with the following nutrients:
Carbohydrate 75 g
Fiber 12.5
Protein 12.5 g
Calcium 50 mg
Lipid 1.25 g
Iron 4.5 mg
Energy 350 kcal
Also contains folate, and beneficial vitamins.
Broken wheat has naturally high levels of fiber in it. Along with it, it also has plenty of health beneficial phytochemicals and minerals. Due to its whole grain nature, it is a healthy choice for people who suffer from chronic ailments, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular ailment, obesity, cancer, and inflammation.
Benefits of Consuming Dalia
Here are some amazing benefits of eating Dalia on a regular basis.
1. Loaded with Fiber
Dalia is a rich source of fiber. It boosts your metabolism, and improves your digestive function. The regular intake of Dalia lowers high cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels. This makes it beneficial for people who suffer from constipation. Dalia is a complete meal. It is loaded with nutrients that make it an apt snack or an addition to your well-balanced meals.
2. Helps in Weight Loss
Dalia is an ideal weight-loss food. It can help shed an excess layer of fat from the belly region and give you a flat tummy. Eat plain Dalia with milk in the breakfast, or vegetable Dalia in your lunch/dinner to reap its benefits. Whichever way you consume it, this light and easily digestible food will help keep your weight within control.
3. Rich Mineral Source
Dalia has good amounts of fiber and minerals like manganese that your body needs on a daily basis.
4. Keeps Tummy Full
Dalia is a fiber-rich food that is composed of slow-digesting carbs. It keeps your stomach full for a long time and doesn’t lead to frequent hunger pangs.
5. Low-Fat Diet
Dalia is a low-fat and low-calorie food. It does not add many calories to your body. So, you can enjoy it without worrying about getting fat. One bowl of Dalia when consumed with milk, provides only 220 calories to your body. It also has enough fiber to keep you satisfied for a long. It increases your strength and reduces hunger pangs without making you fat.
6. Good for Diabetics
What you eat and how much you eat is very important especially when you have diabetes. This is because the food you eat is going to directly impact the blood sugar. A diabetic is only advised to eat foods that stabilize the blood sugar levels.
Daila is advised for people who suffer from diabetes. It is a low-GI food that has slow-digesting complex carbohydrates. They slowly release sugar in the body. This prevents any spike in blood glucose levels and keeps them stable. In this way, cracked wheat makes it a good choice in diabetes.
7. Reduces Chances of Breast Cancer
Studies have shown that broken wheat has anti-tumour properties. It helps ward off specific types of cancers. The daily intake of this superfood is found to be beneficial in reducing the risk of breast cancer to a considerable extent. Due to this reason, Dalia is highly recommended to post-menopausal women.
8. Lowers Risk for Serious Diseases
Including grains in your diet can help reduce possibilities of heart disease, mortality and cancer. Cracked wheat, is a good substitute for low-nutrient foods. This grain has an abundance of nutrition that helps protect from acute health issues.
Grain rich diet is also linked to fewer possibilities of diabetes, respiratory diseases, infectious diseases, and more. Cracked wheat is one of the best sources of whole grains that provides fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and iron compared to refined grains.
9. Relieves Constipation
Dalia is wheat with husk where the maximum amount of fiber lies. This husk/fiber source helps cleanse the intestine and regularize bowel movements. If you wish to get rid of constipation, then start eating it daily with either vegetables or milk. You will soon observe that your digestion has become better.
10. Helps Build Muscle Mass
It may surprise you at first but it is true. Dalia can get you a professional athlete look. It is a potent source of protein. It is loaded with minerals and vitamins that help to recover from the post-workout session. By making it a part of a regular diet, you can achieve six-packs.
11. Promotes Health heart
The high fiber content in Dalia makes it a heart-healthy food. It helps reduce low-density cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. In this way, it manages cholesterol levels in the body and contributes a healthy heart.
12. Good For Growing Children
Dalia is a highly nutritious food that has been traditionally used to feed babies and growing children. Being a natural source of minerals, B-vitamins, protein and fiber, Dalia is healthier than packaged foods. It is free from strong smell and taste and doesn’t have any preservatives. All these qualities make it an ideal food for developing kids.
13. Easy To Prepare
Another benefit of eating Dalia is that it mixes easily with vegetables and milk. It is easy to cook. You can use it to prepare several recipes with it. The simplest ways to enjoy it is either adding milk and sugar or fresh veggies and your choices of spices to boiled Dalia.
14. A Versatile Food
The major benefit of cracked wheat is that it eases its preparation, improves the texture and add crunchiness to several food recipes. Fine cracked wheat replaces wheat flour in the preparation of certain baked food items. It is used as a base in products like couscous salads and adds a nice nutty taste to them. It is served alongside meats or vegetables. In cereal grain-based goods, this form of wheat can be used in
- Breads
- Multi-grain bread
- Grain pilafs
- Pancake
- Muffins
- Porridge
- Pastries
- Other types of grain dishes
- As a substitute for rice
- Accompanying chicken and meats
- Cooking in hot porridge and a dessert
15. Distinct flavour
Have you got bored with eating the same wheat? Try cracked wheat! It is a delicious substitute for wheat for those who are looking to introduce more fiber and a different flavour in their diet.
16. More fulfilling
Cracked wheat has five times more fiber compared to other starches. These fibers are slow-digesting in nature. It stays in your stomach for a longer time and curbs untimely hunger pangs. Due to these benefits, cracked wheat is more fulfilling and wellness-promoting.
17. Quick To Prepare
Another benefit of cracked wheat is that it takes a lot lesser time to cook. This is because it is broken and smaller in size than that of whole wheat grain. This helps you prepare tasty whole-grain dishes in just a snap.
18. Healthy Food for Babies
Dalia is the best food to consider when you are introducing solid foods in your baby’s diet. It helps increase the appetite. Along with breastfeeding, you can start feeding Dalia to your baby. It will keep the child fuller than flour or rice-based meals. Broken wheat has good amounts of phosphorus, iron and magnesium that are vital for their physical and mental development.
The process of breaking whole wheat releases compounds that are high in fiber content and several other nutrients. They strengthen their digestive system and enhance the metabolism of your baby.
Dalia is a highly nutritious and filling food that energizes your baby. It stimulates their digestion system. The right time to start feeding Dalia to your babies is when they turn ten to twelve months old. At this age, your baby will be able to digest solids and obtain the maximum advantages from cracked wheat.
Healthy Dalia Recipes (Cracked Wheat Recipes)
Dalia is a versatile food that you can enjoy in various tempting ways. Here are listed some easy to prepare and nutrition-dense Dalia recipes:
1. Vegetable Dalia
This dish contains the goodness of cracked wheat along with the added nutritional punch of vegetables. If your child doesn’t like to eat vegetables, then it can be a delicious way to get him to eat them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dalia
- Half a cup of peas
- One finely chopped carrot
- 1 medium-sized potato
- Half a cup of finely chopped onion
- One-fourth cup of Urad dal
- 4 to 8 curry leaves
- Half a teaspoon of mustard seeds for tempering
- 3 to 4 Green Chillies (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- Salt to taste
- Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder
- Water as needed
Method
- Take a pan and add the broken wheat in it. Now saute it until it turns golden brown. Switch off the flame and remove the contents of the plate to a different bowl.
- Now take another pan. Heat the oil in it. Add the mustard seeds. Allow it to crackle.
- Once it happens, add the onions, and curry leaves into the bowl. Follow it up by the urad dal. Now stir-fry them for a few minutes.
- Add the turmeric powder and vegetables in the mix. Stir it nicely.
- Add some salt to the mixture. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook it for some minutes.
- Add water to the mixture. Next, add your pre-roasted Dalia into it. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid the formation of lumps.
- Cook at low flame till all the water gets absorbed.
- Allow it to come to normal temperature. Your vegetable Dalia is ready.
3. Dalia Kheer
Dalia kheer is a healthy and nutritious dessert. It is the perfect way to introduce Dalia to your child’s diet. The crunchiness of nuts and the rich aroma of cardamom makes this slippery sweet treat simply irresistible. You can enjoy this all-time classic dish once in a while.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Dalia
- 4-5 Cashew nuts
- 4-5 Almonds
- One-fourth teaspoon of Cardamom powder
- Jaggery to taste
- 2 cups of full-fat Milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of Ghee
Method
- Take a pan and heat some oil in it. Now add nuts (almonds and cashew nuts) to it. Roast it. Stir-fry the contents properly. Keep it aside.
- Take another pan and dry roast Dalia for a few minutes. Keep stirring so that it doesn’t burn.
- Once you get a sweet smell from it, begin adding the milk to it. Keep stirring for some time. Cover it with the lid and let it begin to boil.
- Cook the dish on a low flame for fifteen minutes. Continue stirring the contents. Add milk and water to get the right consistency.
- Once the dish is properly cooked and has the desired consistency, add your choice of cardamom powder and nuts in it. Serve it warm.
4. Dalia Lapsi
This is an age-old recipe that is tantalizing to taste buds. This sweet delight is a perfect way to complete any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Dalia
- 1 tablespoon of Ghee
- 1 tablespoon of Jaggery
- Water as needed
Method
- Take a pressure cooker. Heat some ghee in it. Now add the cracked wheat to it. Stir-dry it till its colour becomes golden brown and you get the delicious aroma.
- Take a pan and add the jaggery and water to it. Boil the mixture till the entire jaggery dissolves. This jaggery water in the pressure cooker. Mix well. Close it and cook it for three whistles on medium heat.
- Let the pressure release on its own. Bring the dish to the normal temperature. Your Dalia lapsi is ready. Enjoy this mouth-watering delight when it is warm.
Conclusion
Cracked wheat is one of the healthiest dishes that can improve your overall health. This high fiber food is easy to digest and is full of nutrition. It is high in fiber and believed to be one of the best alternatives for your breakfast and dinner. Its regular consumption builds strength and achieves weight loss naturally. So, when are you trying these healthiest and tastiest Dalia recipes?
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