An ancient variety of wheat grain belonging to the Poaceae family, kamut is also known as Khorasan wheat or Oriental wheat. In fact, a large region in what is now Iran, Afghanistan and parts of central Asia was known as Khorasan. Many are of the view that this variety of wheat was first cultivated in this region and hence the name. In 1949, kamut reached the United States of America, but people there were not very keen to use it initially. Nevertheless, about 28 years later, two farmers from Montana - Bob and Mack Quinn - decided to cultivate kamut on an experimental basis. In modern times, discussion as well as awareness regarding the health benefits and side effects of consuming the present day wheat has increased. This, in fact, has made the ancient whole grain popular among people.
Kamut is produced by an annually growing grass and the appearance of this grain is similar to that of modern day wheat kernels, but twice in size. Apart from that, the kernels of kamut have a rich nutty and buttery flavour. Compared to the modern day wheat, kamut grains contain more healthy fats, vitamins, proteins and essential minerals. You can use kamut for making bread, several baked goods and crackers. Kamut grains are unbelievably delicious and have the ability to add rich, nutty and buttery flavour to any baked goods.
Owing to the excellent nutritional profile of kamut, the health benefits of this ancient whole grain are somewhat remarkable. Consuming foods prepared with kamut can provide you with significant amount of dietary fiber, vitamins, protein and essential minerals, making this grain a valuable addition to your diet.
As mentioned earlier, adding kamut to your regular diet provides you with several health benefits. Kamut contains significant amount of the essential mineral manganese, which helps to make your bones stronger and healthier. At the same time, this vital mineral is helpful in reducing bone loss, particularly in older women and those who are vulnerable to feeble bones and fractures. Since manganese is useful in supporting the reliability of hormones as well as enzymes, it is involved in bone metabolism too.
Findings of one particular study showed that taking a permutation of copper, calcium, manganese and zinc is helpful in reducing loss of spinal bones in a group comprising post-menopausal women. Nearly half of all women and about a quarter of all men who are above the age of 50 are susceptible to breaking their bones owing to osteoporosis, especially when they suffer from deficiency of various essential minerals.
In fact, osteoporosis develops over several years unnoticed and the sufferers do not have any symptoms or experience any uneasiness until they suffer a fracture. When this disease occurs, the bones become weak and develop holes, which results in pain and fractures.
Consuming foods loaded with manganese, such as kamut, especially that provide us more than 100 percent of our daily recommended value of this mineral in a single cup, is vital for keeping your bones strong. At the same time, such foods are a natural remedy for conditions like osteoporosis and also prevent symptoms associated with bone damage.
Since kamut contains high concentration of dietary fiber, it helps in maintaining the regularity as well as the normal functioning of the digestive system. Any fibrous carbohydrate like kamut can help to keep you filled up and satiated so that you don't need to eat often. At the same time, such foods help the body in fighting bacteria and neutralizing toxins. They also help to enhance the intake of nutrients from ingested foods.
Our digestive system works by passing the consumed food in a series of phases. When the foods reach the colon, already the body has absorbed most of the nutrients. However, water, minerals and fat-soluble vitamins remain and these are absorbed by the body in the colon and subsequently the waste material is excreted by the body.
When the waste products enter the colon, they are in a liquid state and they soon transform into a solid state. The dietary fiber in kamut helps to solidify the waste products and also keep them moving smoothly throughout the digestive system. In fact, dietary fiber helps our body to form stool, which is actually the solid state of the wastes produced by our body. Moreover fiber also helps to combine everything that is left in the colon, such as vitamins, process waste, bacteria and food particles, to form stool.
Kamut also encloses significant amounts of zinc, which also promotes regular digestion. Deficiency of this essential mineral often results in chronic digestive disorders and also diarrheal diseases. In fact, it has been found that taking zinc supplements are not only effective in prophylaxis but also in treating diarrhea.
On the other hand, if you often suffer from fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, bloating, gas and other similar condition, it is possibly that you need to detoxify your liver. Kamut is loaded with phosphorus, which is an essential mineral that possesses the ability to ensure that your kidneys function optimally. At the same time, it also aids in detoxifying the liver by getting rid of waste substances and toxins through urine. Essential minerals such as magnesium, potassium and phosphorus present in kamut have the ability to serve as electrolytes that are able to maintain a healthy balance of uric acid, sodium, water and fat inside the kidneys as well as other organs involved in the digestive process.
Kamut also encloses antioxidants, especially minerals, such as selenium and manganese. These minerals work to protect our body from the onslaughts of the dangerous free radicals that are often responsible for cellular damage as well as genetic mutations.
On the other hand, proteins are responsible for our cell structure. They also make up our muscles and organs. Kamut is an excellent source of protein, which aids our body to made blood cells, hormones, coenzymes and even DNA. The major benefit of consuming foods rich in protein content is weight management. Proteins help to keep us full and satiated for a long time. As a result of which we do not over eat and become fat or obese. For instance, if you eat just as much as you feel satisfied and not overly stuffed, you will eat only the amount of food that is required by your body. This, in turn, will help you to lose any unwanted weight and also maintain a healthy and fit body.
As mentioned earlier, kamut also contains sufficient amount of zinc, which can help to put off common cold as well as the symptoms related to other ailments. Findings of different studies have shown that zinc also possesses the ability to get in the way of the molecular process that results in mucus and bacteria build up inside the nasal air ways. Ionic zinc, which has its base on electrical charge, possesses the ability to put forth an antiviral effect by binding to the receptors present in the nasal epithelial cells and obstruct any kind of viral infection.
Kamut also contains the essential mineral manganese, which is known to promote the health of our cognitive system. Therefore, this wheat can be said to be a viable food for the health of our brain. In fact, you would be surprised to learn that a specific percentage of the manganese supplied to our body actually exists in our brain. This is the main reason why manganese is intimately related to the cognitive function. Manganese is discharged into the synaptic cleft of our brain and it has an effect on the synaptic neurotransmission. Hence, it is likely that any deficiency of manganese in our body may cause people to become more prone to mood changes, mental illness, disabilities in learning and also epilepsy.
Manganese and zinc are both responsible for maintaining a natural balance of the hormones in our body. Zinc is beneficial for hormonal health as well as fertility as this essential mineral plays a vital role in production of hormones, including enhancing the output of testosterone naturally. In fact, testosterone has various as well as vital roles in men and women too.
Zinc is also beneficial for female sex hormones and is also involved in the development as well as release of eggs inside and from the ovaries. This essential mineral is required for producing progesterone and estrogen in women. Both these hormones support reproductive health. Any discrepancy in the estrogen levels - either when it becomes very high or very low - may lead to menstrual problems, infertility, mood swings and also easy menopause. What is worrying is that such a condition may even enhance the chances of developing cancer.
Consumption of foods that are rich in dietary fiber content is effectual for lowering "bad" or low density lipo-protein (LDL) cholesterol. This is because dietary fiber helps the digestive system and, at the same time, aids the body in getting rid of waste substances and toxin materials. This ensures that we do not fall ill, but remain fit and healthy.
