Page 10 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

Ancient Grains By Densie Webb, PhD, RD

an assistant professor of nutrition and
dietetics and director of the didactic
program in dietetics at Saint Louis Uni-
versity. Compare that, she says, with
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Africa, India, and China, where sorghum
is a dietary staple.

Sorghum Nutrition
Sorghum, also known as milo, is a
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member of the grass family. The grains
can vary in color, from white or red
to golden-brown or purple. Sorghum
seeds have an edible hull. The whole
grain is a good source of protein (5 g)
and an excellent source of fiber (8 g) per
1/4-cup serving. 4
“Sorghum is also rich in phytochemi-
cals, including anthocyanins, flavones,
tannins, and phenols,” says Caroline
Sluyter, MS, program director of the
Oldways Whole Grains Council. Most
of the phytochemicals are concen-
trated in the bran fraction. Because the
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outer hull remains, even processed (eg,
cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, or
cooked) sorghum should provide a bal-
ance of nutrients similar to that found
in the original grain seed. The excep-
tion is pearled sorghum, in which the
bran and some of the germ is removed to
create a softer product. 2
Sorghum syrup is a sweetener made
by evaporating the water from the
extracted juice of sweet sorghum stalks.
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There are several varieties of sorghum,
some sweeter than others. Sorghum
Sorghum syrup provides a bit of calcium, potas-
sium, magnesium, and iron. While sim-
This once-uncommon grain is now ilar to blackstrap molasses, sorghum
surging in popularity. syrup tends to have a thinner consis-
tency and is less nutrient dense. 7
S orghum is an ancient grain, defined by the Oldways Whole Grains Council as by milling the whole grain into a flour
Whole-grain sorghum flour is made
“a grain that has remained largely unchanged over the last several hundred
and is high in fiber, providing about 6 g
years.” Despite its longevity, according to the council’s 2018 survey of con-
per 1/2 cup, an amount similar to whole
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sumers, only 31% of respondents had heard of sorghum and only 7% had tried
has about the same amount of fiber as
it. But due to its gluten-free status, its couscouslike shape, and its high fiber wheat flour. Refined sorghum flour also
content, it’s positioned for a surge in popularity. In fact, a 2016 article in Vogue maga- refined wheat flour (1.5 g per 1/2 cup).
zine dubbed sorghum “the next quinoa.” 1 Sorghum isn’t commonly found in
According to the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, sorghum originated in US supermarkets, but the grain, flour,
northeastern Africa. The earliest known record of sorghum dates back to 8000 BC snacks, breakfast cereals, and pasta are
from an archeological dig in the area. The crop spread to India and China and even- widely available online from suppliers
tually made its way to Australia. In the United States, the first known record of sor- such as Bob’s Red Mill, Nature2Kitchen,
ghum comes from Benjamin Franklin, who in 1757 wrote about its application in Organic Grains, Shiloh Farms, and To
producing brooms. Today, it’s grown throughout what’s known as the Sorghum Belt, Your Health Sprouted Flour Company,
which runs from South Dakota to southern Texas. and in natural supermarkets such as
In 2018, American farmers planted 5.7 million acres of sorghum, but most of that Whole Foods and Sprouts.
was used for livestock feed and ethanol production, according to Whitney Linsen- Linsenmeyer compared prices and
meyer, PhD, RD, LD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and found sorghum products to be more

10 TODAY’S DIETITIAN • MARCH 2020