I'm going to add alot more to this thread but here's a start... below is an excerpt from the following link - it's an article entitled "Be Kind to Your Grains and Your Grains Will be Kind to You":

[www.westonaprice.org]

"Grains require careful preparation because they contain a number of antinutrients that can cause serious health problems. Phytic acid, for example, is an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound. It is mostly found in the bran or outer hull of seeds. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss...

Other antinutrients in whole grains include enzyme inhibitors which can inhibit digestion and put stress on the pancreas; irritating tannins; complex sugars which the body cannot break down; and gluten and related hard-to-digest proteins which may cause allergies, digestive disorders and even mental illness.

Most of these antinutrients are part of the seed's system of preservation—they prevent sprouting until the conditions are right. Plants need moisture, warmth, time and slight acidity in order to sprout. Proper preparation of grains is a kind and gentle process that imitates the process that occurs in nature. It involves soaking for a period in warm, acidulated water in the preparation of porridge, or long, slow sour dough fermentation in the making of bread. Such processes neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Vitamin content increases, particularly B vitamins. Tannins, complex sugars, gluten and other difficult-to-digest substances are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption....

So the well-meaning advice of many nutritionists, to consume whole grains as our ancestors did and not refined flours and polished rice, can be misleading and harmful in its consequences; for while our ancestors ate whole grains, they did not consume them as presented in our modern cookbooks in the form of quick-rise breads, granolas, bran preparations and other hastily prepared casseroles and concoctions. Our ancestors, and virtually all pre-industrialized peoples, soaked or fermented their grains before making them into porridge, breads, cakes and casseroles.... "

(to read the whole article click on the link above)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2008 04:39PM by sunshine79.

I soaked a bowl of spelt & oat groats in water with lemon juice overnight in the oven (the oven was off, but warm inside)... my initial feeling is that they may need additional fermentation in order to be perfect for consuming raw, so I'm going to try soaking them in raw kombucha... and, for experimental purposes, in kefir as well (the ancient way) for comparison.

In my readings I came upon a reference to sprouted flour, which I had never heard of before but this company makes it:

[www.creatingheaven.net]

I'm going to order some and see how it goes... I found alot of interesting information on grains in that website, as well.

Here's an excerpt from the website regarding spelt... and what happened to wheat:

"Spelt is an old genus of wheat. It used to be called the 'breadmaker’s wheat' and was prized, at one time, because it made the lightest loaves of bread available. Now, you have to understand that before the 1900’s, loaves of bread were like bricks! If you have ever tried an old-fashioned rye bread, you will know what used to be 'standard'. Once wheat began to be hybrid, everything changed. Other wheat varieties besides spelt came into favor because they were now higher in gluten and higher in starch and they could made light, fluffy loaves.
Spelt also had another drawback. Wheat seeds grow with a simple hull and chaff surrounding them to protect them. The hull and chaff are easy to separate and remove from the seed itself. Spelt, on the other hand, has a husk around each seed. It is difficult to remove the seed without some damage and it is much more difficult to separate the whole seeds from the husk, stems and broken pieces this separating process can produce. This extra processing and cleaning made spelt more expensive and so also added to its decline as a 'favorite'.
When people started changing the basic makeup of food, they usually had specific intentions in mind. With bread grains, these intentions were to make a light, white and fluffy product, to raise the gluten and starch levels. Lab anaylsis done on wheat in the 1900’s showed it be to about 50% starch molecules and 50% vegetable protein. By 2000, anaylsis’s showed average wheat to be 92% starch and only 8% protein! Unfortunately, these hybriding intentions didn’t include the maintaining of vitamin and mineral levels or take into consideration that changing the basic makeup of the food might interfere with a body’s ability to digest that food!
You may hear it said that 'Spelt is easier to digest than wheat'. One of the reasons that this may be true (for certain people) is that spelt maintains the old levels of gluten, starch and protein. Our slowly evolving bodies deal much better with food when it reflects natural chemical structures that we have dealt with for eons. New chemical structures are much harder for bodies to deal with."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2008 05:42PM by sunshine79.

Sunshine79.....Thanks for all your hard work putting these 'Grain' Threads together. From your information, I'm now seriously considering sprouting my Oats and Corn before consuming them. I'll be looking for a self-sprouting System. If anyone here is using one now, please 'chime' in......WY

Thanks for the information on grains. I was wondering about rolled oats. Are they o.k. to eat? What would be the draw backs on rolled oats?

pampam: Store-bought rolled oats are precooked, steamed actually. It's easy to make them yourself from raw oat groats though. I got this from [rawveg.info], which also has lots of other helpful info.

"Grain mills are available with two rollers that press the raw grains into flakes. The rolled grains soak very quickly, and have a nice texture. Just roll the grain, let it sit in a bowl with water until soft. Soaking times are shorter for rolled grains, as the rolling process softens the grain so that it soaks up water faster."

sunshine79: Great research...thanks!! From everything I've read (and know) the most important thing to remember is to rinse REALLY well, especially right before eating. As many times as you need to until the water's not cloudy anymore, which tells you that it's safe from enzyme inhibitors, etc.

I've been eating grains for years and find that simply soaking them in room temp water and leaving covered on the counter overnight produces wonderful results, with no ill digestive effects either. Had oat groats and raisins in flax milk today in fact. Haven't tried combining yet but your spelt and oats groats duo sounds yummy. Think I'll give it a go tomorow with kamut, which I adore.

~lanie

Lanie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Think I'll give it a go tomorow with kamut, which
> I adore.

I have some Kamut that I don't know how to use.
How do you prepare it? I originally bought it to grow, but the
germination percentage is about 50% as compared to 100% with
the Wheat I'm using.....WY

Lanie, that's a good tip - because actually I didn't rinse anything at all - maybe that's what the problem was.

WY: I use kamut two ways...

As cereal, soaked overnight, then rinsed really, really well before eating. It gets chewy and moist, especially if you soak it for two days. Makes a wonderful breakfast when combined with nut or seed milk and fruit...to me at least. If you let it soak more than one day though keep it in the frig. Super important to rinse until the water's not cloudy anymore before using. Gets all the "gunk" out.

For a nice side dish with salad or veggies I just sprout like you would any grain. Check out this site for easy to follow directions. [www.sproutpeople.com]. If it doesn't work probably just means the kamut's been sitting around too long or not been stored in a cool enough place.

Hope this helps!!

~lanie

sunshine79: I thought that's what it might be. Let me know if your stomach fares any better this way!!

~lanie

WY: Correction, I actually use the sprouted kamut IN salads, etc., or just eat by the handful as is. The soaked ones make a really good side dish as well as cereal. Olive oil drizzle, pinch of pink crystal salt, garlic, maybe some cayene...fresh chopped parsley (or any herb you like) and it's good to go. You can do this with wheat, rye...any grain that tastes good to you really.

~lanie

My experimentation, open to input:

One thing I had been missing ever since raw was oatmeal. After reading the threads on grains I thought what the heck I'll give it a shot!

Last night I had some steel cut oats (raw but not living) which I soaked all day, maybe 8 hours, and then blended in my tribest (low power) blender so it was still kinda chunky. Tasted EXCELLENT, felt great in my body. Elimination a bit slower than normal this morning, probably not something to do every day but still, FUN!

Today I soaked some whole oat groats for about 12 hours then blended them in the vitamix (high power) into a creamy mush. Hmm, it tastes OK but it's kind of like eating glue.

I'm not sure since I blended them differently, whether I liked the steel cut so much better because of what they are or just because I blended them less. More testing necessary. But I wonder if the steel cut are easier to digest because I think they are hulled?

Anyway I'm having fun with the experiments.

Love,
Uma

Oh that's helpful, Uma, I'm going to try steel cut oats, because it was the oat groats for me as well that seemed difficult to digest (although I have not yet had occasion to try them fermented & thoroughly rinsed)... but it does make sense that leaving the hull intact may not be the best way to eat raw grains.