Rye

Rye, scientific name secale cereale, is an ancient cereal grain already cultivated more than 2000 years ago in Asia Minor. Nowadays rye flour, obtained through the grinding of the rye grains, is used to prepare a tasty black bread, rich in mineral salts, such as potassium, phosphorus and calcium and able to bring a high quality fiber, useful to support the digestive processes, the intestinal transit by counteracting constipation and helpful to keep under control the levels of cholesterol and blood sugar. But rye bread contains also lysine, an amino acid that is usually in very low amount in cereals and for this reason rye is an exception. Lysine is very important for the body because it plays a role in improving the tissue elasticity of skin and blood vessels. In addition to this, rye bread has a glycemic index of 65, lower than white and refined bread that has a glycemic index of 80, this means that rye bread doesn’t cause the peak blood glucose as is the case with refined bread and gives constant energy. Finally, rye contains mostly insoluble fiber that, according to a research of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, has a protective role against the formation of gallstones (Tsai et al, Am. J. Gastroenterol, 2004). Rye bread has gluten and for this reason it isn’t suitable to be inserted in the diet of those people who suffer from celiac disease. For the other people there aren’t contraindications, just, like for all foods, don’t exaggerate with the bread but for sure a slice of rye bread spread with sugar-free jam that you like is the best choice for a snack in order to guarantee slow release carbohydrates, sense of satiety and nutrients. There is also the glycerin macerate obtained from secale cereale, but we will speak about this topic in the next post.