Grains & Nuts -healthiest Preparation

For months now, I’ve written not only about the importance of whole grains, getting some alternative grains in your diet, and even about why you should limit your grains, but I’ve also covered the fact that we should all be trying to eat more properly prepared grains.

Properly prepared grains include sourdough breads (which I haven’t experimented with much yet) or grains that have been “soaked” (which I’ll talk about below), fermented, or sprouted.

Many of you are probably like I was, and have no idea what I’m even talking about, or have never heard of this traditional and more nutritious way to include grains into your diet. Traditional cultures have used proper preparation techniques for their grain, nuts and seeds for centuries. In Nourishing Traditions it says that some grains were sprouted just from the way it was weathered in the field before threshing.

I’ve explained the “HOW” in various recipes here at my blog (links below), but I haven’t yet gone into detail yet about WHY this is important.

photo by mer_m

Here are some great sites that have saved me some work:

Read a quote from this site: “Grains and beans all contain an acid, myoinositol-hexa, or phytic acid. Phytic acid blocks the absorption of calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. A diet high in unfermented whole grains can lead to mineral deficiencies and bone loss. Although this appears to contradict all that we have learned about whole grains, it really only means that it has taken decades of research for us to get back to eating the way our great-great grandparents knew how to eat. We now understand that their process of fermenting grains and beans before eating them neutralized phytic acid. It also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and breaks down gluten, sugars, and other difficult to digest elements in grains and beans. And these nutritional benefits don’t apply exclusively to humans. Herbivores often have as many as four stomachs, as well as an extremely long intestinal tract, allowing fermentation to take place within their bodies after they have eaten.”
Jordan Rubin gives a good explanation – his bottom line: “Soaking and sprouting your grains, beans, or seeds prior to use is simple and the nutritional benefits are worth it.”
Part 1 from Nourishing Gourmet – be sure to check out the comments here – they will answer a LOT of common questions.
Part 2 from Nourishing Gourmet – she clarifies some things in this post, and the comments at this one are helpful, too.
More about healthier grains from Sue Gregg, including how long various grains should soak (oats take up to 24 hours), and also info here on the benefit of some phytates in our diets. An important note: “Just because you’ve switched from white flour to whole grains, doesn’t mean you are getting all the nutritional value.”
One more, a more detailed article on properly preparing grains.

A few more random notes:

When it comes to using flour in recipes, it is my understanding that the process of soaking is only necessary when using whole grains, as the phytates are found in the bran, which is taken out of white flour. (This also takes out the other most nutritious parts of whole grains, too, though.) If I am mistaken, someone please correct me!
I’ve read many reports about people with gluten or wheat allergies who have no problems digesting soaked grains or alternative grains besides wheat.
***In certain recipes I have not had good luck using soaked grains – recipes such as cookies and muffins. So for these I’ve begun making sprouted grain flour to have on hand

photo by OSD

Overwhelmed?

If all this seems to you like one more thing to add to an already busy life, or an already busy kitchen where you make plenty of homemade foods, then just take a deep breath and implement more when you can. (Check out these Rookie Tips, too, and remember, you’re not the only one who feels overwhelmed at times.)

If you have begun using soaked grains in your recipes, let us know how it’s going, and how difficult was it for you to start implementing this? For me it has been a very slow process, because early on it seemed like everything I tried tasted too sour or it flopped all together. With practice, and some trial & error, it has gotten easier, and I’ll keep sharing as I learn more.

Let me know how it goes as you get started with this concept, too!

RECIPES USING SOAKED GRAINS AND MORE INFORMATION:

What’s the big deal about using whole grains anyway?

My original Pancake/waffle recipe using soaked grains

Blender batter waffles/pancakes using 100% soaked whole grains, they’re so good!

My homemade bread recipe, easy and SO soft…

Organic soaked oatmeal

Homemade oatmeal bars/granola recipe

Healthy Bread Choices – Rookie Tip

Many more topics and recipes along the right in the sidebar

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My whole family likes to snack on nuts. Thankfully they are good for us (read about why this is true below), and this recipe from Nourishing Traditions is an easy way to make them even more nutritious.

Crispy Nuts

Mix together in a glass bowl:

4 cups pecans, almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts or even pumpkin seeds (I do pecans, almonds & peanuts most often) – NOTE: you can also use cashews, but only soak those for 6 hours.
1 T. sea salt
Enough water to cover

Stir and leave on the counter overnight, at least 7 hours. Drain well in a colander and spread onto a buttered cookie sheet (4 cups are just right for one cookie sheet). Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 150* for 24 hours, depending on how crispy you like them. I keep them in the freezer (freezer baggie) and they are good for months. These are great to have on hand for a quick healthy snack, for school lunches, or for recipes.

NOTE: Unfortunately my oven only goes down to 170*, so I was told in this case the phytic acid is still broken down, but any enzymes will be cooked off (so in that case, I may as well bake them at a bit higher temp for less time in the oven to save energy). If you have an oven that goes down to 150* or a dehydrator, that’s much better, but soaked nuts are still MUCH preferred to unsoaked. As a matter of fact, if I eat regular nuts now (I ate them by mistake recently), I get a terrible stomach ache.

photo by macinate

Why are these healthier than just eating a handful of any old nuts?

Nuts contain phytic acid, which binds with minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.) and prevents them from being absorbed by our bodies. The same is true for all grains, here’s more information on soaking, sprouting or fermenting whole grains to make them more nutritious. Nuts also contain something called enzyme inhibitors – read more about that at Kimi’s post.

An example of a great snack would be nuts and cheese – you would be getting healthy fats, good protein, and all the calcium in the cheese can be absorbed and used by your body. (Note: raw cheese would be even better – then the healthy enzymes and all the nutrients in the cheese are still intact!)

NOTE: my sister in law loves eating raw almonds for the high vitamin E content. I did some checking to see if this recipe would destroy the vitamin E. Looks like vitamin E is fairly heat stable! It is destroyed with higher heat (frying, deep frying, etc.), but can withstand lower levels of heat well.