Bulgur benefits and Side effect and healthy recipe

What is Bulgur?

Bulgur (bulgur or burghul) is a wheat product. It is available in various forms like cleaned, soaked, pre-cooked, coarse or fine dried cracked, nutty in flavor, and processed. Bulgur benefits are more than whole or cracked wheat because of its very fast cooking time, rice-like product, low cost, long shelf life, taste, and high nutritional and economic values (3).

It is mostly produced from Triticum durum variety but also prepared from oats, corn, triticale, barley, rye, and soybean (1).

Mainly originated in Middle East countries as early as 1000 BC. Chinese consumed bulgur as early as 2800 BC. But nowadays it is a very famous industrially processed, delicious wheat product in many countries (2).

Nutritional value of Bulgur

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), bulgur is a processed wholesome food rich in protein, vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, and other components are as follows (4).

Bulgur benefits

1. Nutrient-rich

Bulgur benefits are due to the wheat contains bioactive components like dietary fiber, resistant starch, phenols, and antioxidants. Therefore, bulgur is a healthy choice representing as a cereal-based product (5).

2. Improves digestion

The high fiber of Bulgur is good for the stomach. It helps in improving digestion and increase stool bulk and prevents constipation (6).

3. Healthy heart

Bulgur wheat is high in dietary fiber, nutrients, folate, and bound antioxidants thus consumption of bulgur is cholesterol-free and reduces the risk for coronary heart disease (7).

4. Prevents diabetes

It is a food with a low glycemic index, prebiotic effect, and control blood sugar level compare to complex carbohydrates further reduces the risk of type-II diabetes (8).

5. Weight loss

Bulgur wheat protected against weight gain because of the high content of magnesium and dietary fiber which control appetite by delayed carbohydrate absorption, inducing satiety, and reducing postprandial glucose concentrations (9).

6. Protects from cancer

Bulgur wheat contains a high amount of antioxidants, fiber, and folate which inhibit cancer cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis thus reduce the risk of various cancers, including the colorectal, gastric, digestive tract, pancreatic, endometrial, and oral cancers (10).

Side effect bulgur

Bulgur is a processed wheat product. Therefore the person who is allergic to wheat or having gluten intolerance should avoid eating wheat bulgur (11).

However, this problem can be minimizing by soy or other kinds of bulgur used instead of wheat-based bulgur.

Healthy recipe of bulgur

1. Bulgur salad

Soak bulgur for 15 mins in order to make it soft and chewy. Then stem it for 30 min for the absorption of excess water. Then add finely chopped vegetables, onion, cucumber, tomato and salt, pepper, and lemon as per taste and serve it.

2. Bulgur Pilaf

Sauté medium chopped onion, ginger and garlic paste in olive oil.  Add tomato and presoaked bulgur and mix well and add coriander leaves and cook for a few minutes. Drain excess water from the bulgur and cook for a few mins. and ready to serve it.

Is bulgur healthier than rice?

Bulgur is rich in protein and also low in calories. Despite its high nutritional quality it is found to be an unacceptable replacement for rice by the researcher because of its dark, ‘greasy’ color and distinctive flavor (12). Moreover, rice or brown rice widely available in conventional supermarkets while bulgur may be available only at ethnic, health food, or other specialty stores, or through the Internet or mail order (13).

Edited By Dr.Asha Jyoti Bharati