Semolina porridge - benefits and harms, beneficial properties

What is semolina

Semolina is a cereal made from wheat grains, it can be hard, soft and mixed, fine-grained. Semolina is used both in first courses (semolina dumplings, filling) and in second courses (cutlets, casserole, pancakes, meatballs). Semolina is also popular in sweet dishes; it is successfully used for preparing: mousse, manna, soufflé, pudding, etc.

Semolina porridge has the property of boiling quickly , so it is often fed to children; it is also excellent for dietary nutrition, especially in the postoperative period, in case of disturbances in the functioning of the stomach. Semolina contains: folic acid, dietary fiber, thiamine, starch, niacin and fiber, as well as phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium.

Unusual cereal

Semolina, or as it is more commonly called semolina, is ground, purified grains of wheat. Experts call this kind of grinding varietal - the average diameter of the grains is 0.25–0.75 mm. The marking on a package of semolina indicates what type of wheat it is made from. “M” – soft varieties, “T” – hard varieties, “TM” – a mixture of them. Modern nutritionists prefer durum wheat cereals.

In addition to traditional porridges, semolina is used in other desserts - pies, pancakes, souffles, puddings and mousses. It is from semolina that the famous Guryev porridge is made - a traditional Russian dish that appeared at the beginning of the 19th century. It is prepared according to a special recipe: the foam from the cream is topped with porridge boiled in milk, mixed with chopped nuts. The dish is finished in the oven until ready. This stunning national dessert is served garnished with dried fruits or sprinkled with jam.

Semolina is also used in savory first and second courses. Dumplings are made from it, added to casseroles or meatballs. You can sprinkle semolina into the minced meat; it will prevent the juice from leaking out and will make the cutlets fluffy and juicy.

The benefits of semolina porridge

This product causes a lot of controversy in the scientific community regarding the presence of beneficial properties. There is no need to eat this dish on special occasions. But more often semolina is beneficial. This is due to the chemical composition of this product.

Semolina contains magnesium and calcium in large quantities . These microelements in general combination form a kind of “protective barrier” for the body, which prevents harmful substances from affecting the heart. Thanks to moderate consumption of semolina, heart disease can be prevented.
Thanks to the presence of vitamin E in semolina, you can restore the body after a long illness. It is also recommended to eat liquid semolina porridge during the postoperative period if gastrointestinal surgery has been performed.
Semolina has a lot of iron . This microelement is needed by both adults and children to prevent anemia and anemia. The dish should be eaten by women during menstruation, since a lot of blood is lost during this period of time. Semolina, in turn, accelerates the formation of hemoglobin.
The presence of zinc ensures the proper functioning of the reproductive system in males and females. Also, all B vitamins are necessary for a person to strengthen the central nervous system.
As previously said, a dish cooked from semolina energizes a person from the very morning . In addition, cereal increases physical performance and significantly improves memory, so it is also important for schoolchildren to eat semolina porridge.
Semolina is rich in calcium . With frequent consumption of milk dishes, bone tissue is strengthened, the structure of hair, nails and teeth improves. Pregnant women need to eat semolina so that the baby’s skeleton is formed correctly.
People suffering from chronic kidney disease should eat semolina porridge every day. But it should be prepared exclusively on water, this is extremely important.
Semolina has the property of enveloping the walls of the stomach , due to which it relieves spasms and pain, removes mucus and various toxic substances from the body.
Porridge has an optimal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates . This makes it possible to use it in the diet menu. In this case, it is necessary to alternate cooking porridge with water and low-fat milk.

Can semolina porridge be harmful?

Unfortunately yes. In addition to its benefits, semolina porridge can cause certain harm to health. It turned out, for example, that it is extremely undesirable to administer semolina porridge to children under one year of age due to the high content of protein in it - gluten , which can provoke various allergic reactions and diarrhea in the child, after which anemia and exhaustion of the body can occur, including a slowdown in development. I would also like to note that despite the fact that gluten is present not only in wheat flour, but also in other cereals, some pediatricians believe that semolina porridge is practically useless for the child’s body, since there are a sufficient number of cereals richer in beneficial nutrients .

Semolina also contains a water-insoluble magnesium-calcium salt - phytin , which, when interacting with phosphorus present in the porridge, interferes with the absorption of pure calcium by the body's cells. As a result, chronic calcium deficiency may develop, which is especially dangerous for the child’s body and can lead to decreased immunity, deterioration of the nervous system and other undesirable consequences.

Can semolina cause harm?

Unfortunately, semolina can bring not only benefits, but also harm. There are some features of semolina that can cause a severe pathological process and side effects.

Semolina has a number of contraindications, which are inherent in every useful product. It is necessary to take into account that cereal contains a high ratio of carbohydrates, so you cannot feed a small child under one year old.
The child's stomach is not able to digest heavy carbohydrate compounds. Semolina is coated with gliadin, an enzyme that has a detrimental effect on intestinal lint.
Uncontrolled feeding of semolina to a child can lead to obesity.
Frequent consumption of porridge leads to a lack of calcium and iron in the body.
Due to the high gluten content in semolina, even a strong body can develop problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it is extremely important to monitor how much of this cereal is consumed per day.

...it's harmful for children

It was the high gluten content in semolina that prompted pediatricians to ask the question, “Is semolina porridge good for babies?” answer with a firm and decisive “no.” Porridge is contraindicated for feeding children under one year of age. She is completely unsuitable for first feeding. For these purposes, it is better to take rice or corn porridge.

Semolina is less rich in vitamins and minerals than other cereals. And gluten often causes allergies and negatively affects the walls of the baby’s digestive tract, damaging the villi of the small intestine. Semolina porridge for up to a year can cause constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.

Another danger of semolina for children is often indicated - the presence of phytin in it. This is an organophosphorus chemical compound with properties similar to vitamins. Excess phytin in the body leads to the fact that calcium is absorbed much worse. It also promotes the excretion of other useful minerals - zinc, iron, magnesium.

In fact, phytin is found in the shells of whole grains and after processing the refined grain into semolina, its concentration decreases significantly. Therefore, a plate or two a week of semolina porridge will not harm either adults or children over one year old.

You should not completely exclude semolina from the diet of an older child, especially if he loves this porridge. It will even be useful for schoolchildren to get enough energy in the morning. The main thing is that the child’s diet at any age is varied.

How to cook semolina porridge correctly

The beneficial properties of semolina directly depend on how it is prepared. First you need to choose the right cereal. As mentioned earlier, there are three types of semolina:

Durum grade (T);
Soft grade (M)
Mixed variety (MT).

It is better to buy cereals for porridge from soft varieties; the package will be marked as M. You can cook it with milk or just water, depending on who you prefer. But you need to know that milk porridge is high in calories. Porridge of moderate thickness should have the following ratio: 7 teaspoons of cereal per 200 ml of milk. To ensure that cooking porridge is not problematic, you need to follow a few rules:

It is better to cook porridge in an aluminum container. To prevent sticking, add a little water to the bottom of the pan. Then milk is poured in and brought to a boil.
Next, you can add sugar or honey.
The next step is adding salt (a pinch).
While the cereal is pouring out, it is necessary to continuously stir the milk.
The preservation of the beneficial properties of the porridge will depend on the cooking time. On average, the dish takes from seven to fifteen minutes to prepare, but no more.
The finished porridge must be removed from the heat and, if desired, added berries and fruits.

How to prepare healthy semolina porridge?

To prepare real semolina porridge, you need to heat the water to a temperature of about 90°C and sift the semolina through a sieve (so that it does not stick together), quickly pour it in, be sure to stir to avoid the formation of lumps. Salt and sugar are added in negligible quantities or not at all. It is better to add vanilla or cinnamon to the porridge to give it a specific taste. This option is considered the most healthy and dietary. Semolina porridge can also be cooked in milk and flavored with butter, honey, condensed milk or jam. This option is for those who are not worried about their weight and prefer more nutritious meals. Using semolina from different varieties of wheat, you can also prepare casseroles, pancakes, dumplings, souffles, puddings, etc.

Rules of use

With milk or water?

Semolina is cooked in water, milk, and a mixture of these two liquids (in different proportions).

Porridge with milk has a high calorie content, so it will be useful for people recovering from illness or surgery, athletes and those who engage in heavy physical labor.
Porridge with water will be more beneficial for people who want to lose weight or suffer from milk intolerance.

For everyone else, it is better to cook semolina in water with the addition of milk (the classic proportion of liquids is 1:1).

In the morning or at night?

Semolina porridge takes a long time to digest, forcing the stomach to work all night. Therefore, it is more advisable to use it in the first half of the day.

After breakfast or lunch, you need to spend the calories received, otherwise they will be deposited in fatty tissue. Therefore, nutritionists do not recommend eating semolina porridge before bed.

How often can you eat

It is not recommended to eat this dish often: 2-3 times a week is enough. After all, a person needs to receive vitamins and microelements contained in other products. Therefore, you should strive to diversify your diet.

Why do you want semolina porridge?

Sometimes a person feels the need for semolina porridge. Why? Semolina contains a lot of potassium, and also helps the body during serious physical and mental stress, restoring strength and energy.

Delicious recipes

The most popular option for consuming cereals is porridge, which is cooked very quickly using a water or milk base. The dish cannot be overcooked, otherwise it will simply evaporate. If you decide to diversify your diet with semolina, then you should resort to the following simple recipes:

Cooking porridge. For one part of cereal, usually take ten parts of water or milk. The liquid is brought to a boil and they begin to pour in the semolina itself in a thin stream, vigorously stirring the contents of the pan. They usually cook for fifteen minutes. The finished porridge can be varied with honey, dried fruits, nuts, berries and cinnamon. But it goes very poorly with dates, legumes and potatoes.
Semolina dumplings. Take 900 g of semolina and mix with two eggs, salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, dilute with water to the desired consistency. Spoon into soup. They cook a little longer than regular dumplings.
Pancakes. Good children's breakfast. Mix half a glass of sugar with cold eggs, add a glass of kefir and add semolina to the desired consistency. You can add a little baking powder, flour and vanilla. Then the dough is left for ten minutes to soak and proceed to frying the pancakes themselves, placing the dough in a frying pan using a tablespoon.
Casserole. First, boil the thick porridge. Two eggs are mixed with three tablespoons of sugar and beaten until fluffy, mixed with porridge, butter, vanillin, and salt are added to taste. The resulting dough is placed in a mold coated with oil and the surface is leveled. Cook at 180 degrees until the top of the semolina casserole becomes golden brown. In this case, the dish should thicken.

In general, as with any other product, the beneficial properties of semolina porridge are ambiguous: the product can be equally beneficial and harmful to health. Before introducing it into your diet, you must carefully read all the contraindications and it is advisable to consult a doctor. In the case of a children's diet, porridge is administered in small portions, carefully observing the body's reaction to the new product.