Coarse Food Grains Are Important Actors of Healthy and Sustainable Diets

Food health potential is not only due to the sum of its nutrients, but also to its food structure [1]. Food structure confers to foods a matrix effect involving impact on satiety feeling and digestive transit, different nutrient bio-accessibility/bioavailability, a package of bioactive compounds with synergistic physiological effects, and fiber co-passengers [2]. This is why coarse food grains have such an important role to play in human diet. They include cereals/pseudo-cereals, legumes, and nuts and seeds that are carbohydrates-, protein- and lipid-rich, respectively, together with a high density in bioactive protective phytochemicals and micronutrients, and with a generally low glycemic index. When eaten raw (e.g., nuts and seeds) or only minimally-processed (such as muesli), they generally keep their food structure more or less intact for a longer duration during the digestive process. However, the most striking fact is that almost all epidemiological studies reveal protective effects of coarse food grains toward main diet-related chronic diseases,i.e., overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers [3,4]. Last but not least: if our diets were predominantly based on coarse food grains, this would have a great impact on environment sustainability [5]. Indeed, grain-based foods generally have a low carbon footprint from field to plate [6].