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Semolina (semolina porridge) for several generations of the inhabitants of our country was a symbol, especially in childhood. Modern research speaks of the ambiguity of this product, which undoubtedly has a large number of useful properties, but at the same time can be harmful to the human body. Let's take a closer look at this.

Semolina - groats obtained as a result of coarse grinding of wheat. Semolina porridge is inferior to other cereals (, etc.) in its beneficial properties, but it is satisfying, cooks quickly and therefore retains most of the beneficial properties, it is quickly absorbed by the body and gives it energy. For adults, semolina porridge is wonderful, healthy diet dish. But the effect of semolina on the children's body is written a little further in this article.

Composition of semolina porridge:
The composition of semolina includes groups B (, B6), phosphorus and other minerals. Semolina is rich in protein and starch. But there is very little fiber in semolina porridge.

Calorie content of semolina:
The calorie content of semolina is about 100 kcal per 100 grams of product. The calorie content of semolina porridge cooked on with various additives (sugar, butter, jams, preserves, etc.) increases significantly.

Benefits of semolina:

• Semolina has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system.

• Group B contained in semolina has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system.

• Semolina is a good prevention of diseases of the digestive system. Experts recommend that you include semolina in the diet of people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

• Semolina porridge is included in the menu of people who have undergone serious illnesses and operations. It is nutritious, rich in useful vitamins and minerals, well absorbed and does not irritate the stomach.

• Semolina enriches the human body with strength and energy, helps to cope with fatigue.

• Semolina porridge boiled in water without adding sugar, oil and other additives is recommended for overweight people.

• Semolina porridge is digested and absorbed in the lower intestine, which makes it very useful for the elderly.

Harm of semolina:
Semolina porridge is contraindicated in case of intolerance to gluten by the body. When using semolina porridge, you must remember that everything is good in moderation. Too frequent use of semolina can cause allergies and contribute to the development of gluten intolerance.

Semolina porridge for children:
Most experts are inclined to believe that you should not give semolina to a child under one year old. Children can include semolina in their diet, but you should not do this too often. Semolina contains substances (gluten and phytin) that interfere with absorption into the intestinal wall useful substances and can disrupt the intestinal microflora. And with frequent use of semolina, they contribute to the leaching of calcium from the body, which is very important for the proper growth and development of the child.

If you do not like semolina porridge, the benefits of it will be small: you simply do not know how to cook it. Any self-respecting cook will say so, because even ordinary semolina with milk can be delicious. This porridge, known to children in the post-Soviet space, is included in the menu of all kindergartens and school canteens. Millions of children cannot be given unhealthy food - this is the logic. Let's try to figure it out together.

Semolina is made from wheat at a grain processing plant. For manufacturing, take wheat kernels, peeled from the outer shell. After their grinding, flour is obtained with grains of different fractions, which is then sieved. Coarse grinding - this is semolina.

The core of wheat contains the most nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, semolina is usually used in children's and diet food.

For the production of this cereal, grains of hard and soft wheat varieties are taken.

The manufacturer indicates this with letter marking:

• "M" means soft grades;
• "T" - hard varieties;
• "MT" - a mixture of varieties.

Grade “T” semolina is superior to other types in terms of protein content and takes longer to cook, after cooking it has a slightly grainy structure.

100 g of semolina contains about 330 kcal, it contains the following nutritional components:

• proteins - 10 g;
• fats - 1 g;
• carbohydrates - 70 g.

The amount of dietary fiber compared to other cereals is small - about 18% of the daily requirement.

Useful properties and cooking features

Many housewives cook semolina incorrectly. It must be cooked in a mixture of water and milk, adding salt and sugar to taste. When the liquid begins to boil, pour in the semolina with constant stirring so that lumps do not form. It's even easier to add required amount cereals into a cold mixture of water and milk, and standing at the stove, stir constantly until the porridge thickens.

After boiling the milk, semolina should be boiled for two minutes, and then removed from the heat so that the water is absorbed when the heat is already turned off.

Semolina porridge will turn out very tasty if you try an interesting and simple recipe:

1. Melt a spoon in a saucepan butter without bringing to a boil.
2. Pour in 2 tbsp. l. semolina. If you take cereal without a top into a tablespoon, there will be liquid porridge, with a top - of medium density.
3. Pass the semolina until slightly golden, stirring constantly.
4. Pour in 400 ml of water and 100 ml of milk (can be baked).
5. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp. l. Sahara.
6. Stir well so that there are no lumps, remove from heat after 1-2 minutes after boiling.
7. Let stand covered for a while.

Semolina will turn out to be creamy in color with an unusual pleasant aftertaste. It is tasty and healthy served with nuts and fresh fruit.

The benefits and harms of semolina

Numerous statements about the harmfulness of semolina are dictated by commercial considerations of entrepreneurs. It may seem so if you look at the data on the chemical composition of semolina.

• essential amino acids;
• 7 vitamins;
• 8 macronutrients;
• 14 trace elements;
• starch and dextrins.

Semolina is rich in vitamin PP, cobalt, silicon, manganese and molybdenum, which play an important role in metabolism:

1. Cobalt (250% of the norm in 100 g of cereals), promotes the metabolism of folic acid, is part of vitamin B12.
2. Vitamin PP (15%) supports the health of the skin, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.
3. Silicon (20%) stimulates collagen synthesis.
4. Manganese (22%) is necessary for the formation of bone and connective tissues, is involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, is responsible for the normal growth of the body, the health of the reproductive system.
5. Molybdenum (16%) is part of many enzymes that provide amino acid metabolism.

The benefits of semolina porridge for the body are obvious, but there are small nuances. It also contains phytin, which disrupts the absorption of trace elements important for life and growth (Ca, Fe). This must be taken into account, including porridge in the diet of children.

For adults

For adults, semolina is useful as a source of carbohydrates. If it is cooked in milk, then it is absorbed more slowly, has a lower glycemic index. The benefit of eating this dish is the effective replenishment of energy costs. It is wrong to consider semolina porridge in the diet of an adult as a milky mess on a plate.

Groats are included in the recipe of many dishes:

• puddings (the same porridge, only baked in the oven with cream or butter, egg, fruit);
• vegetable and meat cutlets;
• casseroles, etc.

Semolina porridge is included in many therapeutic diets. It has a positive effect on a sick stomach, removing inflammation of the mucosa. In some cases, it is cooked on a vegetable or fruit broth. Liquid semolina helps the patient to get out in the postoperative period, it is easily digested, satisfies hunger and restores strength.

It is undesirable to use this dish for those who suffer from diabetes or obesity. A large serving of ready-made semolina without butter contains about 300 kcal.

During pregnancy and lactation

The menu of a woman during pregnancy and lactation should be especially carefully thought out. It may contain semolina porridge in milk, but not in in large numbers- no more than 3 times a week.

To decide whether semolina should be included in your diet during pregnancy, it is worth remembering all its advantages:

• quickly satisfies hunger, easy to digest;
• source of energy, some vitamins and minerals;
• does not cause irritation of the gastric mucosa;
• is inexpensive.

And disadvantages:

• can cause allergies;
• contributes to the development of anemia (oxygen starvation of the fetus);
• interferes with the absorption of calcium (the formation of the child's skeleton is disturbed, the mother's teeth fall out).

If a woman does not want to eat porridge, then no reasonable arguments about partial benefits are powerless. This is not critical: semolina is easy to replace with another dish that is more useful during pregnancy and lactation.

For a child

Parents feed many children with semolina, claiming that it is very useful. Indeed, semolina tends to swell well, therefore it creates the illusion of satiety for a long time. It is effective to feed the baby with such porridge for dinner. He won't wake up at night feeling hungry. And the whole family will be able to sleep peacefully until morning. But nutritionists do not advise giving semolina to babies under 10 months old.

This cereal contains a lot of gluten - a gluten protein. Some children have a congenital intolerance to this substance. If they begin to receive foods containing gluten before 10 months of age, this will lead to serious metabolic disorders and gastrointestinal diseases. If the child does not have gluten intolerance, he can eat semolina several times a week.

Semolina for a child should not be present in the daily menu. This can lead to the development of such a dangerous disease as rickets (due to impaired calcium absorption in the gastrointestinal tract). Even if the baby does not develop an ailment, his bones will be fragile. The sad consequence of the semolina diet will be numerous fractures in primary school and adolescence.

For the elderly

Semolina is useful for older people in a small amount. This product does not irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. Liquid semolina porridge on the water is dietary product with easily digestible carbohydrates and delicate texture. Such a dish is included in the diet of weakened people who have undergone surgery, suffering from gastritis or stomach ulcers.

Keep in mind that gluten absorption decreases with age. This protein is found in semolina and can cause severe allergies, constipation and other organic disorders.

Contraindications for use

The use of semolina porridge in some cases can adversely affect health.

Here is a short list of those who should exclude this dish from their menu:

• children under 10 months (some nutritionists believe that it is better not to give semolina to babies under 3 years old);
• patients diagnosed with celiac disease;
• overweight people;
• diabetics.

For everyone else, it is often undesirable to eat semolina porridge because of its special composition. Semolina contains phytins that bind calcium. Calcium deficiency leads to brittle bones. In children, the constant use of semolina porridge can lead to the development of rickets. After semolina enters the body, not only the absorption of calcium, but also iron is disturbed, which leads to the development of iron deficiency anemia. This condition is especially dangerous during pregnancy.

Knowing the features of semolina, you can protect yourself and your family from many health problems caused by malnutrition.

A delicious dish is associated with the first feeding, kindergarten, lumps. Some people adore porridge even at a respectable age, others cannot stand it since childhood. Despite the inconsistency of opinions, the cereal is still often discussed along the way about the benefits and harms of semolina.

Small cereals are made from the kernels of wheat grains, where useful substances and energy donated by the sun are collected. The type of cereal presented on the packages with lettering depends on the content of starch and gluten.

1. T is an indicator of core hardness. Semolina is suitable for making desserts, added to soups.
2. M - means a high content of gluten, which is indispensable for the preparation of casseroles, viscous cereals.
3. MT - combined varieties.

Semolina: benefit or harm

Useful properties of semolina determines chemical composition. There is little fiber in it, but in carbohydrates. Grains are rich in vitamins E, PP, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine. In favor of semolina speaks the fact of the content of minerals: calcium, zinc, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, iron, essential for the heart of magnesium, potassium. However, in quantitative terms, they are inferior to buckwheat and other cereals.

What to know

Carbohydrates and gluten are the main components that make it possible to judge the benefits and harms of semolina. There are plenty of them in cereals. Overweight people are sometimes allowed to treat themselves to a dish in the morning, if you do not use fatty milk as a basis, in the form of jam, nuts, butter. The calorie content and benefits of semolina porridge do not depend on wheat groats(96 kcal / 100 g), namely because of the products that sweeten the taste. Semolina porridge for adults will become useful if the cereal is boiled in water without ingredients that enhance gastronomic sensations. Otherwise, the calorie content will reach 320 kcal.

Harm of semolina

Any product can be both useful and provoke unpleasant symptoms. What is harmful semolina porridge for children is allergic reactions to milk, gluten. Vegetable protein sometimes leads to the development of celiac disease. It depletes the intestinal mucosa, which subsequently prevents the full absorption of nutrients. With the exception of negative reactions to protein and lactose, cereals are still considered a low-allergenic product.

There is a lot of discussion on the topic of phytin contained in cereals. Can semolina be useful for adults and children if it interferes with the absorption of calcium and iron? For a developing organism, a lack of calcium leads to rickets or spasmophilia, abnormalities in the functioning of the heart muscle. For these reasons, it is recommended to start complementary foods with vegetable puree. However, with a balanced menu, the same phytin increases appetite and strengthens the body during exhaustion. So, it is necessary to include more dairy products in the daily menu.

What are the benefits of semolina

In favor of semolina porridge for adults is the fact that the dish forms the basis of a therapeutic diet for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is included in the diet after surgery on the digestive organs, because one of the beneficial properties of semolina is the ability of the product to be quickly digested and absorbed into the intestines. In these cases, it must be boiled in water. The benefits of semolina are that it:

1. Envelops the stomach and helps in the restoration of the mucosa.
2. Relieves painful spasms in gastritis, soothes the irritated intestines.
3. Gently rids the body of mucus.
4. Differs in high digestibility.

These beneficial features semolina porridge is indispensable during a protracted illness, because. the body receives the necessary energy, nutrients:

1. Folic acid is indispensable for the female body, and the usefulness of semolina porridge on water during pregnancy has been repeatedly proven.
2. In case of kidney diseases, a diet without proteins is often prescribed, and it is recommended to start the day with useful semolina porridge.

Useful properties of semolina

No matter how the supporters scolded the dish proper nutrition, but the benefits of semolina porridge in milk are recognized in Tibetan medicine. Adults are strongly recommended to include it in the menu, because. calcium will contribute to the strength of teeth, nails, bones, hair. With constant use, it is easy to gain extra pounds, but this can be avoided if:

• change your taste habits;
• give up sugar and butter;
• add 1-2 tablespoons of wheat bran to it;

The benefits of semolina porridge in milk will be obvious. The number of calories will slightly exceed 100 kcal / 100 g, but will allow you to forget about snacking.

In bran, useful components are almost completely preserved. The processed cereal is poor in fiber, so the components from the grain shell will restore its deficiency and become an absorbent for the body. Cleansing will warn:

• development of oncology of the colon;
• the occurrence of hemorrhoids;
• increase the usefulness of semolina.

Bran will absorb water from the tissues, swell and, moving through the intestines, rid it of toxins. People in the period of exacerbation of the gastrointestinal tract of diseases should refuse to add dietary fiber so as not to irritate the mucous membrane.

What is useful semolina porridge for children

Children's doctors talk about the need for a growing body in a large amount of calcium, macro and microelements. For this purpose, it is recommended to eat up to 200 g of dairy products daily. The usefulness of semolina is that, in combination with milk, the child replenishes the reserves necessary for the development of the musculoskeletal system. There are many technologies for preparing cereal dishes, and if someone does not like viscous porridge, it can be replaced with a casserole, pudding, add sour cream, cottage cheese with berries, ice cream as a sauce. And then semolina will benefit the body.

To preserve all the useful properties of semolina, it must be properly cooked. To begin with, the cereal should be washed. This will not only remove defective fragments, but will eliminate the prospect of lump formation. Semolina is added to the boiling liquid with active stirring. It is enough to cook for 6-7 minutes and leave on the stove for 5 minutes. Bon appetit!

More recently, semolina was the most popular porridge in many republics of the former USSR. Many healing and nutritional properties were attributed to her, she was prescribed to patients with an ulcer or gastritis, with the help of semolina they restored strength after serious illnesses, she was in the diet of almost every elderly person or child. Now this dish has become a rarity on our table. About whether semolina porridge is rightly forgotten, about the dangers and benefits of this dish, we propose to learn from this article.

Compound

Semolina is equal in composition and properties to flour of the highest grade.

Its composition is a combination of saturated fatty acids, fats, proteins and carbohydrates, starch (almost 70%) and gluten, saccharides, fiber, ash, dietary fiber. Semolina contains a set of vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B9, PP, E) and minerals (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, sulfur, chlorine, zinc).

The composition of semolina is a combination of such easily digestible components that are designed to provide the body with a supply of nutrients with maximum absorption in the shortest possible time. If we compare semolina with other cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice), then it will lose to them in terms of the amount of vitamins and trace elements by 3-5 times.

Semolina porridge has the following healing properties:

• phosphorus contributes to energy;
• potassium is indispensable for the normal functioning of the kidneys and heart;
• calcium is the basis of bone tissue;
• zinc supports immunity;
• dietary fiber reduces the risk of heart and oncological pathologies;
• vitamin E is an antioxidant, "supervises" the work of the brain and the conductivity of nerve fibers;
• lowers cholesterol levels;
• creates a feeling of satiety for a long time.

Calorie semolina

The calorie content of semolina porridge is approximately 123 kilocalories per 100 grams. ready meal. In dry form, the calorie content of semolina is 326 kilocalories.

The calorie content of this porridge is also quite high because for the preparation of semolina, high-calorie additives such as fat milk, sugar and butter are usually used. When cooking porridge on water, with a minimum amount of vegetable fat, the calorie content of the finished dish will be small. For example: when cooking porridge with milk, it will give the body as much as 100 kcal, and if you cook semolina in water, then it contains only 80 kcal.

Useful properties of semolina for human health

Let's find out for what medicinal properties manga should be respected. And these properties, it turns out, quite a lot.

Here are the main valuable properties of semolina for the human body:

• due to the minimum fiber content, it does not irritate the mucous membrane and is used for people with diseases of the digestive system or those who have undergone surgery on these organs;
• due to digestibility in the lowest part of the intestine, it removes fats, salts and mucus from the body and ideally cleanses the intestines;
• can be used for various nervous breakdowns or disorders due to the content of antioxidants;
• ideal product for people with chronic renal failure due to the minimum protein content;

Benefits for men

Semolina is perfect for physically active men who are not afraid of extra calories. It will give the stomach a pleasant feeling of fullness and perfectly saturate the body until the next feeding. Especially justified is the introduction of this dish in the morning diet of people with chronic inflammatory diseases such as colitis, gastritis, enteritis. Milk-based semolina porridge with butter and sugar will support the strength of real men working outdoors at low temperatures, helping to cope with great neuro-physical stress.

Benefits for women

Most women prefer to eat oatmeal for breakfast, which has almost completely replaced semolina. However, the prevailing opinion about the dangers of semolina is not entirely true. Semolina can be used with great benefit for those women who are forced to keep their figure, but cannot eat foods with coarse fibers (bran, fiber) due to diseases of the digestive system.

Also semolina great alternative for women who are not accustomed to hearty breakfast and intercepting sandwiches. Semolina porridge is a constipation of a healthy stomach and intestines, serving as a prevention of diseases of the digestive sphere. For a morning meal, semolina porridge, boiled in water, is suitable. additional ingredients as vegetable oil and greenery.

A wonderful version of semolina porridge, for some reason undeservedly forgotten, is the so-called " Guryev porridge". This is primordial Russian dish, known since the 19th century, the basis of which is the same semolina boiled in milk, but with a useful additive in the form of dried fruits or nuts. You can also add hazelnuts, raisins, figs, dried apricots, cashews and other components there. As a result, you can get a perfectly balanced dish, rich in vitamin and mineral complexes.

Guryev porridge will allow women to improve not only their health, but also improve their appearance, restoring shine to their hair and freshness to their skin.

Benefits for children

Most modern doctors do not consider semolina the perfect dish for our children, as it was before. Even 20 years ago, it was with semolina porridge that the first complementary foods for babies began, it was it that all the children of the "country of the Soviets" ate for breakfast. Feeding a child this particular, hated porridge for many children, was considered the pinnacle of usefulness for a child. The well-known words “for dad, for mom” are firmly rooted in our head. It is with semolina that most of us have memories of kindergartens, schools, hospitals.

Below we consider the reasons why semolina is now considered harmful for constant consumption by children:

• the phytin contained in semolina prevents the absorption of calcium, which is fraught with impaired blood clotting, heart problems, and seizures;
• gluten content leads to allergic manifestations and disorders in the gastrointestinal tract;
• iron absorption is impaired, leading to iron deficiency anemia.

Semolina is considered high-calorie product, little used in weight loss. But the competent use of semolina is also acceptable for diets, when the main goal is to lose extra pounds.

Here is a diet option that allows you to lose 4-5 kilograms per week.

Variant of a low-calorie diet on semolina porridge

With this diet, the same daily menu is used. For this, only semolina porridge is used three times a day (at breakfast, lunch and dinner), but with additions in the form of fruits or dried fruits.

For food, semolina is used, which is cooked in milk with 2.5% fat at the rate of 2 tablespoons of semolina for 2 cups of milk.

• Breakfast: a plate of semolina plus one fruit (any) weighing about 100 grams.
• Dinner: a plate of semolina plus four dried fruits (optional).
• Dinner: a bowl of porridge plus one tablespoon of condensed milk.

During the diet, it is useful to drink plenty of liquids (mineral water without gas, purified water) and unsweetened drinks such as freshly squeezed vegetable or fruit juices, sour fruit drinks. Tea and coffee are limited to 3 cups per day. No other foods are included in this diet.

The semolina diet is considered sparing. It does not provoke an exacerbation of chronic ailments and is not a great stress for the body. However, the effect of losing weight with this diet exceeds expectations.

Benefits and harms during pregnancy

Semolina during pregnancy is less preferable for a future mother than oatmeal, buckwheat or millet groats. Nutritionists warn about the high calorie content of this cereal and about gaining excess weight with frequent use.

The advantage of using semolina during pregnancy is its property not to irritate the stomach and intestines, which is especially important for toxicosis of the first half of pregnancy. In addition, often in pregnant women, all their “sleeping” chronic ailments worsen, incl. gastrointestinal. Therefore, the use of semolina porridge during pregnancy is justified, especially if additives in the form of greens, berries or dried fruits are added to it.

The benefits of semolina porridge with milk

Semolina porridge with milk has a high calorie content, especially if whole milk, sugar and butter are used for cooking.

This porridge is used in diet food for people with diseases of the digestive system or chronic renal failure. Usage this dish for the daily diet is not recommended due to the high calorie saturation of the body with "empty" calories.

With pancreatitis

Semolina porridge in milk with water 1: 1 is used for pancreatitis.

At acute pancreatitis it is applied starting from 4-5 days after the onset of the attack.

At chronic pancreatitis semolina in the ratio of milk and water 1:1 is used from 4 days from the start of the attack. It is permissible to add butter at the same time no earlier than 3 weeks from the onset of the disease.

During the period of remission and the absence of attacks, semolina for pancreatitis can be used on whole milk with the addition of sugar, butter or jam.

With gastritis

The benefits of semolina porridge for patients with gastritis are undeniable.

It has the following effect on the patient's body:

• enveloping effect on the stomach;
• cleansing action of toxins and toxins from the digestive organs;
• healing of microtraumas of the stomach and intestines;
• prevention of malignant degeneration of erosions and ulcers, especially for the elderly.

Semolina porridge for gastritis is prepared on water, with a minimum addition of salt and sugar. During the period of exacerbation, sugar and salt are not added to semolina at all.

For diabetes

Semolina porridge for diabetes (especially gestational) is not recommended for use. Let's figure out why and what harmful effects it has.

• Semolina porridge has a high glycemic index and forces you to quickly gain unwanted excess weight.
• Insulin when eating semolina is produced poorly, which contributes to high glucose levels.

Therefore, semolina is not a dish recommended for diabetics. Especially do not often use this dish for people with complications due to diabetes. If you use such porridge occasionally, in small doses, then it will not bring much harm to patients with diabetes.

Semolina porridge is not a favorite dish of modern nutritionists. On the contrary, everywhere you can find information about the harmfulness of this product. Let's figure out which harmful properties attributed to semolina porridge modern doctors.

Semolina porridge should not be used when:

• Celiac disease, due to the high content of gluten. This disease is hereditary and can be very severe, leading to thinning of the intestines and impaired absorption of many nutrients. May also present with allergies and stool disorders.
• In pediatrics, because of the ability to excrete calcium, leading to disturbances in the development of muscles and bones and the occurrence of rickets and spasmophilia.
• With frequent use in the elderly, it is fraught with the appearance of osteoporosis and obesity.
• With endocrine diseases (insulin-dependent diabetes, obesity).
• With diseases of the joints, gout.

What is the best way to eat semolina porridge?

Semolina porridge is usually boiled in water or milk, often with the addition of butter. The greatest benefit is porridge, which contains useful supplements(greens, berries, dried fruits), compensating for the high calorie content and low content of vitamin-mineral complexes with porridge.

Norms for eating semolina porridge

For children older than one and a half years, semolina can be used no more than twice a week.

Let's summarize the benefits of semolina porridge

So, semolina is not a favorite on the modern table. But you should not completely eliminate semolina from your diet. If it is used wisely, then semolina will help prevent diseases of the stomach and intestines (including cancer), cleanse the body of toxins, help with various catarrhs ​​of the gastrointestinal tract, and restore the mucous membrane of the digestive organs.

Therefore, do not completely forget about semolina, the favorite daily dish of many generations.

News that helps!

Considered the best morning meal, porridge is a nutritious and very valuable product for the human body. Its benefits for a child or an adult are the same. The portion of porridge eaten for breakfast is easily digested digestive system and energizes us for the whole day.

However, not everything is so simple when it comes to semolina, on which more than one generation of children has grown up. Modern pediatricians and nutritionists are actively discussing, questioning the benefits of semolina, which are obvious to all Soviet parents and grandparents, and even argue that this product should not be present in the diet of a small child.

Why is that? Can semolina really harm a growing body and is there any benefit to this cereal, let's figure it out together ...

What is semolina

Semolina is a secondary product of processing wheat into flour. Depending on the variety of cereal crops, there are three types of semolina, each of which has its own marking:

• groats T are made from durum varieties;
• groats M - from soft varieties;
• TM groats - from a mixture of durum (up to 20%) and soft wheat varieties.

For the preparation of cereals, the second type of semolina is mainly used, the white grains of which are quickly boiled soft, greatly increasing in volume.

• vitamins (E, PP, B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid);
• mineral components (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, chlorine)
• trace elements (iron, zinc, fluorine, chromium)
• vegetable proteins;
• starch.

The product contains a minimum amount of fiber, and in terms of the presence of vitamins and minerals, it significantly loses to other cereals. In many ways, it is this factor that explains the arguments of the opponents of semolina, who consider its use absolutely useless.

Product benefits

In fact this is not true. The benefit, of course, is present and it is this:

• Firstly, semolina is the only cereal that is digested in the lower intestine. Moving on gastrointestinal tract, it removes excess fat and clears it of accumulated mucus, after which it is absorbed into the intestinal wall. This property makes semolina especially necessary in the diet of people with diseases of the digestive system.
• Secondly, semolina has the ability to envelop a sick stomach, relieve spasms and soothe pain. It also helps to cope with the cracks that form in the intestines, while alleviating the condition of patients with gastritis, ulcers and other pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Indications for the introduction of semolina into the diet exist for violations of the kidneys. This is especially true for those to whom the doctor has prescribed a protein-free diet. In addition, it is believed that semolina porridge reduces the risk of developing tumor formations in the intestines and inhibits the process of demineralization of blood cells.
• The benefits of the product are also enormous during a serious illness or recovery period after an operation. Due to the low fiber content, semolina is perfectly absorbed by a weakened body and activates its internal forces.

A big plus of porridge cooked from semolina is that its preparation takes very little time, which means that all useful components are stored in it unchanged.

Harm of semolina

Having considered the beneficial properties of semolina, it is worth moving on to the arguments given by the opponents of this product.

The gliodin and phytin contained in semolina can quite severely disrupt the absorption of nutrients that enter the baby's stomach with food. A number of studies have shown that phosphorus-saturated phytin, reacting with calcium, binds its salts and prevents the latter from entering the body, thereby causing great harm to the child's fragile skeletal system. Calcium deficiency leads to rickets, reduced immunity and disorders of the central nervous system.

The large amount of gluten contained in semolina, a protein, intolerance to which exists in some adults and many children, also causes harm. Gluten, entering the body, in some cases causes allergies, disorders of the digestive processes and stool. In this regard, doctors recommend limiting the introduction of semolina into the diet of children under one year old, and after this age, give it about once a week, alternating with other cereals - oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, etc.

Starch, which is part of the product, is undesirable for consumption by young children and can be harmful in the presence of diseases of the respiratory system (chronic cough, asthma, etc.)

Semolina is not a high-calorie product, as many say, but it is usually prepared not with water, but with milk with the addition of butter, honey or sugar, which increases it by several times. energy value. It is quite obvious that the frequent use of semolina porridge can lead to a set of extra pounds.

In general, we can conclude that only people with gluten intolerance should be afraid of semolina. Everyone else should not exclude it once and for all from their diet. Her damage is not as terrible as it seems. The main thing is to adhere to the rules of moderation in everything and cook not only porridge from semolina, but also puddings, casseroles, add it to desserts and other dishes.

Video about the benefits and harms of semolina