Wholesome grains & nuts | Food fact sheets | Waitrose

Find out why these wholesome grains and nuts are nutritious and how to make them delicious below.

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Be sure to have these nutritious and versatile staples in your healthy larder:

Cereals
All grains eaten as food such as rice, oats, wheat and barley. Great for providing starchy carbohydrate, fibre (when choosing wholegrain varieties) and a number of vitamins and minerals.

Pulses
Edible seeds of pod-bearing plants such as peas, beans and lentils. Great for providing protein, starchy carbohydrate, fibre and a number of vitamins and minerals. Pulses are an excellent source of soluble fibre which may help lower blood cholesterol.

Tree nuts and seeds
Tree nuts are the fruits of trees and seeds are the reproductive parts of plants. Great for providing unsaturated fat, which can help to keep our heart healthy, protein, fibre and a number of vitamins and minerals.

Click on the ingredient to find out how these can be prepared and try it today!

Wholesome grains and nuts

Nutritious

Food facts

Wheatgerm - Add to loaves for bread-making or sprinkle ready-toasted wheat germ over breakfast cereals and yogurt Rich in fibre, vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin, zinc and iron. This tiny powerhouse of nutrients is retained in wholemeal wheat flour, bread and pasta.
Walnuts Rich in folate, vitamin B6, thiamin and a source of fibre, zinc and iron. This tree nut provides beneficial polyunsaturated fats.
Brazil nuts Rich in thiamin, selenium and zinc and a source of fibre, vitamin B6, iron and calcium. Just 4 brazil nuts provides you with approximately 60% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for selenium and around 90 kcals.
Wheat bran - Serve bran-based cereals with milk or yogurt and fresh or dried fruit. Rich in fibre, folate, vitamin B6, thiamin, zinc and iron and a source of riboflavin. This forms the outer layer of the wheat grain, which is removed to produce refined, white flour, bread and pasta.
Blackeye beans Rich in fibre, folate, thiamin, zinc and iron and a source of vitamin B6. To help the body to absorb the iron, eat with vitamin C-rich food.
Green and brown lentils Rich in vitamin B6, thiamin, zinc and iron and a source of folate and fibre. To help the body to absorb the iron, eat with vitamin C-rich foods.
Pinto beans Rich in iron, selenium, thiamin, vitamin B6 and folate and a source of calcium, and zinc. These are popular in Mexican cooking to make the popular tortilla accompaniment, refried beans.
Soya beans - Buy soya beans fresh and either boil, steam or stir-fry, removing the beans from their pods before eating. If bought dried, they are prepared in a similar way to other pulses, by soaking in water overnight followed by boiling Source of iron, vitamin B6 and folate. These are made into a range of products such as soya milk and yogurt, soya flour, tofu, tempeh and soy sauce. They are a good source  of a type of omega 3 fat that’s found in seeds.
Sunflower seeds Rich in thiamin, selenium, zinc and iron. The seeds of a sunflower - a symbol of summer - is predominantly used as a source of sunflower oil.
Cashew nuts Rich in folate, vitamin B6, thiamin, selenium, zinc and iron and a source of fibre. Around 50% of women and 20% men in the UK are not getting the recommended intake of selenium, an important mineral for protecting the body from cell damage. These selenium-rich nuts are a tasty way to get this mineral.
Peanuts Rich in folate, vitamin B6, thiamin and zinc and a source of fibre and iron. Peanuts come from a different family to tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts) and are actually a member of the pulse family (e.g., beans). Groundnut oil is made from peanuts.
Red kidney beans Rich in fibre, folate, thiamin, zinc and iron and a source of vitamin B6 and selenium. To help the body to absorb the iron, eat with vitamin C-rich foods.
Chick peas Rich in folate, vitamin B6, thiamin, zinc and iron and a source of riboflavin. To help the body to absorb the iron, eat with vitamin C-rich foods.
Mung beans Rich in folate, thiamin and iron and a source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, selenium and zinc. To help the body to absorb the iron, eat with vitamin C-rich foods.
Wholemeal spaghetti Rich in fibre, thiamin and zinc and a source of folate, vitamin B6, selenium and iron. The wheat bran and wheat germ are retained in wholemeal spaghetti. Versatile and conveniant, it is a great way to get the goodness that wholegrains provide.
Oatmeal Rich in fibre, folate, thiamin and zinc and a source of vitamin B6 and iron. Oats are rich in soluble fibre, the type that helps to carry harmful cholesterol out of the body.
Red lentils Rich in vitamin B6, thiamin, zinc and iron and a source of folate and fibre. To help the body to absorb the iron, eat with vitamin C-rich foods.
Pine nuts Rich in thiamin, zinc and iron. Pine nuts make a tasty addition to breakfast cereals and salads - 2 tablespoons (30g) is a healthy portion.
Whole grain barley Rich in fibre, vitamin B6, zinc and iron and a source of folate and thiamin. The refined version is pearl barley. Produced by polishing barley, the outer layers of the grain are removed, along with the fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Almonds Rich in fibre, riboflavin, calcium and zinc and a source of folate, thiamin and iron. The absorption of iron, zinc and calcium is impaired in riboflavin deficiency. These riboflavin-rich nuts are a nutritious addition to the diet as a snack or sprinkled over breakfast cereals.
Pumpkin seeds Rich in iron and zinc and a source of thiamin and riboflavin. Pumpkin seeds contain omega 6 and omega 3 fats, both of which have anti-inflammatory properties and may help maintain a healthy heart when eaten as part of a balanced, low fat diet.