Cereal Grain: A Vehicle for Improved Healthy Living

Abstract

The increasing population of the world, emergence, and prominence of diseases coupled with side effects of drugs has led to the search of non-toxic, healthy foods products. Cereal grains are a stable food consumed by a large population of the world, containing an array of nutritional and bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber, protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, β-glucan, lignans, phytosterol, phenolics among others. These compounds proffer beyond basic nutritional needs as they also provide health benefits on consumption such asantioxidants, antidiabetics, antihypertension, antihyperlipidemic/anti-cholesterol, antimicrobial and anticancer with no side effects. Cereal grains canbe processed into divers of food products, singly or as multigrain food products in other to increases the bioavailability of its nutrients or bioactive compounds. Its by-products can further be used to enriched human diets or serve as animal feeds. Hence, this review addresses the needs for more processing, value additions and consumption of cereal grain as a vehicle to improved healthy livings.