Bulgur For Weight Loss & Happy Outcomes

Most people trying to lose weight take great measures to avoid carbohydrates––no pasta, no pizza, no thick slices of toasted sourdough, no rice. For many, that’s a major feat. Our bodies crave carbs because they are a primary macronutrient, containing sugar, fibre, and starch, that gives us immediate energy.

When we consume carbs, our blood sugar increases and causes our bodies to release insulin, which signals our cells to pick up––effectively, burn––the sugar, thereby stabilizing blood sugar levels. But when we don’t burn it all, which in most cases we don’t, that excess insulin gets stored in fat cells––and stays there as long we continue to consume a lot of carbs, and especially if we’re under-active.

Why Are You Craving Carbs? Ask Your Microbiome

But as with most diets, there is the issue of cravings––how do we get around them? It’s common to misinterpret cravings for what the body actually needs. How do you know your body doesn’t actually need double fudge chocolate chip cookies or that croissant when every cell in your body seems to scream for them?

Registered Dietitian and Founder of Nutrition Stripped explains carb cravings: "There could be underlying factors if you're craving carbohydrates… it could be you're not eating enough food in general, or not balancing meals with enough protein, healthy fats, and fiber to stabilize blood sugar."

Ah ha! It makes sense––a craving for carbs may actually be your body’s way of telling you that you’re deficient in some other nutrient. So that 3 pm desire for a sugary doughnut may actually be a request for some freshly cooked bulgur wheat with a side of steamed vegetables. While it may seem unlikely, it makes sense, particularly when we look to probiotics––our happy-belly bacteria––and prebiotics, the nutrients those bacteria feed on.

What Is The Microbiome?

The microbiome is the community of active cultures that live in the gut––both the good ones and the harmful ones. When too much harmful bacteria populate the microbiome, they take over, like a bad houseguest, and deplete the beneficial flora that do all the good work to keep our digestive systems clean, healthy, and functioning properly. But there’s more involved than just our gut.

Recent research about the gut-brain axis reveals that those bacteria influence our psychology as well (1). That is, they impact the brain’s signaling. They can trigger mood swings, depression, anxiety, cravings, and more. Or they can influence our sense of calm and joy. When we consider that over 90% of the human body’s cells are actually bacteria, then it’s no wonder they have such dominion over our day-to-day experience.

So what does all this have to do with bulgur? It’s just a simple carb, isn’t it? One that you should avoid if you’re trying to lose weight, right? Wrong! It’s a whole grain, and your body needs whole grains as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Let’s take a look at some of the facts about bulgur that demonstrate why it’s a necessary carb inclusion, rather than exclusion, in your weight loss diet.

Bulgur contains resistant starch.

When you consume carbs, the enzymes in your small intestine digest the starch and turn it into sugar. But some carbs contain a starch that’s resistant to digestion, so it moves through your stomach and small intestine, and arrives in your colon, where it becomes prebiotics––remember those? They’re food for your gut’s beneficial bacteria.

By eating resistant starch, such as that found in bulgur wheat, you’re actually giving your gut a lot of extra good, healthy, happy bacteria that not only benefits digestion, it feeds your brain in a good way too.

Bulgur has been around since ancient times, and as evident in many cases, our ancestors seem to have the answers that we return to time and time again as a modern civilization in search of ways to improve our health. To learn more about bulgur’s fascinating history, see my blog Becoming Bulgur.

Bulgur has a low GI.

On a scale of 1-100, bulgur is a 48 on the glycemic index, which is a measure of the impact nutrients have on our blood sugar levels. A measure of 1 indicates almost no increase in blood sugar, while 100 indicates a huge spike. At 48, bulgur is considered low because it’s slowly digested and absorbed so it prompts a lower and less rapid rise in blood sugar than many other grains.

Bulgur contains 8 grams of dietary fibre in each cup.

How much fibre do you actually need? According to the American Heart Association, the average daily fibre intake should be about 25 grams. So, one serving of plain bulgur pilaf gives one-third of what you need for a day. Considering all the additional forms of fibre you consume through fruits and vegetables, that’s a fairly generous dose.

Bulgur contains 6 grams of protein in each cup.

Remember how we learned that carb cravings can signal a nutrient deficiency? The wonderful thing about bulgur as a whole grain is that it gives us a bit of everything––including a modest dose of protein, which many processed grains don’t. That 6 grams may not seem like much, but it’s roughly 13% of the protein you require for a day, and that’s from a grain! When you include other protein-rich foods on your plate, such as fish, poultry, eggs, tofu, and legumes, bulgur gives you that extra bit more than rice or pasta, for example.

Bulgur is low in calories.

When compared with quinoa, a rival weight-loss grain, bulgur contains 112 calories per cup, versus 222 calories per cup of quinoa. Examining the entire nutrient profile of bulgur then, shows that bulgur gives us the energy, fibre, protein, and micronutrients we need, without the excess. That means it’s better grain for weight-loss than so many others, including quinoa.

Not sure what to make with bulgur? Try my Authentic Turkish Kisir, it’s a tomato-y, peppery, lemon-y sensation that my family loves because it’s tasty and satisfying (they don’t need to know that it’s super nutritious too!)

Kitchen Is My Therapy is a one-woman enterprise born of love, passionate encounters with food, and wholesome, feel-good food therapy. If you have any questions, ideas, or inspirations you wish to share, feel free to reach out anytime.

Blessings,

Ginger Kroeze

References

1. The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection, by Scott C. Anderson, John F. Cryan & Ted Dinan.