I feel religiously I need to eat some sprouted grains in my diet because to me: "Wheat is the staff of life for man."

I want to take advantage of wheat, yet still remain a raw foodist. I was thinking a good source would be Ezikiel bread and the like.

I know the science and all says not to eat grains, but I feel religiously compelled to do so and will not feel "whole" unless it is included.

Let me know if you got ideas.

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

I sprout buckwheat and then dehydrate it to make cereal. I also eat steel cut oat. I soak them overnight and eat them like oatmeal.

there was no Ezikiel bread in the garden of life

if ya wanna get theologically technical

id stick with the sprouted wheatgrass if yer so compelled

my darling baboo, he tried the ezikiel bread .. and it sat like a hard lump in his gut for what he felt was nearly 2 days he felt like crap

you of course may have different reaction to it.. he swore off it never again lol

i think once your through however long your transitioning period will be you will find your cravings for bread will diminish hehe iff you need it now to get through the transitioning for whatever reason be it physical , psycological or religious then just do what yer compelled to do



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2007 02:04AM by Jgunn.

hi amy,, like you i had severe bread cravings ( mainly ezekial) when i first went raw,, its now been 1 month since i went 100% raw and i am soo glad for it,, my cravings are completely gone, now if i ever feel like sprouted grains ill eat a sprout mix of lentil, adzuki, and green peas,, about the wheat in the bible, im positive that the :wheat" we eat today in america, is not the same wheat that is mentioned in the bible,, im pretty sure that modern wheat has been tampered with,, ill try and find information for you on this,, i believe the wheat they ate in the bible was spelt or kamut,,ill get back with you on this
good luck ! :]

Thanks i would appreciate any info you could dig up. =) I want to eat healthy, but I also want to follow the bible so I am a bit torn on the wheat issue.

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

[www.mwnaturalfoods.coop]


Despite their relatively recent debut in natural foods cuisine, spelt and kamut are hardly new: There are references to spelt in the Bible, and kamut has been found in early Egyptian tombs. Both grains, cousins to wheat, were first cultivated approximately 9,000 years ago in the Middle East. The survival of these oldsters is fortunate because they possess unique characteristics appealing to today’s healthful gourmets and sustainable growers alike.

To put spelt and kamut in context, it helps to understand a bit about wheat. The multitude of wheat varieties fall into three general categories. “Hard” wheat contains a high proportion of gluten proteins, which form an elastic network capable of stretching as carbon dioxide gas expands in rising bread dough. “Durum” wheat is especially high in gluten and makes the least starchy, most toothsome pasta. Lower-gluten “soft” wheat is particularly suitable for quick breads and pastries. Wheat also is classified by color—white or red—and by growing season—winter or spring. Hard red spring wheat produces some of the highest rising breads. Modern cultivated wheat was developed through extensive crossbreeding designed to improve its crop yield and pest resistance, but this process sometimes compromised flavor and nutrition. Neither spelt nor kamut has been subjected to hybridization or genetic alteration, and retain its original taste and nutritional profile.

Spelt
Known as “farro” in Italy and “dinkel” in Germany and Switzerland, spelt has long been a favorite in the European Alps region. Alpine immigrants first brought this grain to the United States, where it never achieved the same popularity as easier-to-harvest, higher-yielding wheat. Unlike wheat and kamut, spelt does not easily shed its hard outer hull during threshing. Once considered disadvantageous for marketability, this tough covering is now viewed in a more positive light as a preserver of nutrients and freshness and protector from soil pathogens, pollutants, and pests, obviating the need for agrichemicals.

Russet-colored spelt kernels closely resemble hard, red spring wheat berries in size and shape and have a mild, nutty flavor, a bit sweeter than that of wheat. While wheat is a highly nutritious food, containing protein, B vitamins, vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and important trace minerals, spelt is even more so with up to 25 percent more protein and more B vitamins and fiber. In addition, spelt’s greater water solubility makes it particularly easy on the digestive system.

Kamut
Kamut reached the United States by a rather serendipitous route. In the 1940s, a young American serviceman in Europe was gifted a handful of unusually large wheat kernels supposedly found in King Tut’s tomb. He sent them home to be sown on his family’s Montana wheat farm, and the resulting harvest, dubbed “King Tut’s Wheat,” was exhibited at county fairs. Forty-
some years later, organic grower Bob Quinn researched the novelty grain and determined that, though not a viable survivor from King Tut’s time, it likely was a traditional wheat variety rescued prior to agricultural advances in Egypt. He revived production of this heirloom and trademarked it kamut, meaning “wheat”
in ancient Egyptian.

Individual kamut grains are amber-hued and two to three times the length of wheat and spelt. Like durum wheat, kamut is exceptionally high in protein, possessing up to 40 percent more than modern wheat. It also contains more minerals and fat, which contributes richness to its flavor and make it a particularly high-energy grain. Kamut, too, is easily digestible.

Spelt and kamut have been marketed as possible alternatives for wheat-sensitive individuals. And, many who have difficulty with wheat apparently do seem to better tolerate these wheat variants. However, both are clearly related to wheat, and anyone with a definite wheat allergy should be cautious and not consume them.

Spelt and kamut are available as whole grain and flour. You may also find them in flake form. Spelt and kamut pastas, cereals, breads, crackers and various baking mixes are other increasingly familiar packaged products

[blpublications.com]

Bread has been a dietary staple since the early days of the Bible. When the Israelites had no food in the desert, God provided them with manna. Unfortunately, since then, man has totally corrupted BREAD from they way God originally intended. Note the following pertinent scriptures and how they relate to the way GOD wants us to eat.

Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is]
upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree
yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

(Whole foods fill you up and satisfy you - processed foods you can eat and eat and still crave more!) When fiber is removed foods are much less filling and we tend to eat more - which means more calories and more weight!

After the flood, God preserved all clean animals (as most vegetation was destroyed in the food) for us to eat and said, Gen. 9:3-4 Every living thing that lives shall be meat for you, even as the green herb have I given you all things - but the flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

Living foods are perishable. The foods that God gave us to eat are all perishable - even if you cook them and refrigerate them, they have a relatively short shelf life.

I have a problem with Low-carb / No-grain diets
Many popular “diets” today recommend elimination or restriction of grains and grain products usually for the purpose of losing weight.. For long term health... this is NOT God’s plan. Actually, I am not a FAN of “diets” in general as unless it is a DIET that is something you can live off of, after you go off the diet, your health problems - excess weight, etc. will return.God intended BREAD (made primarily of grains) to be a staple in our diet.

Exodus 16:15
And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

Ezekiel 4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and fitches (spelt), and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according]to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. This was the only food he ate for over a year.

The problem with bread today....

1. Grains the way God made them are highly nutritious. Processing strips the nutritional value down to nothing... 90 and even 100% of some nutrients is lost. When grown in well-nourished, fertile soil, whole wheat is rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamin E and B complex, many minerals, including calcium and iron, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein. Proper growing and milling methods are necessary to preserve these nutrients and prevent rancidity. Unfortunately, due to contemporary farming and processing of modern wheat, the end result is so far from the original that many people have become intolerant or even allergic to this once-nourishing grain. These indiscretions include depletion of the soil through the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals, high-heat milling, refining and improper preparation, such as extrusion.

2. The chemicals added are carcinogenic and lower our resistance to other diseases. Although all these chemicals are approved for use and considered safe, we are wise to reduce their exposure as much as possible. Besides contributing to the overall toxic load in our bodies, these chemicals increase our susceptibility to neurotoxic diseases as well as to conditions like cancer.

3. Many of these pesticides function as xeno-estrogens, foreign estrogen that can reap havoc with our hormone balance and may be a contributing factor to a number of health conditions. For example, researchers speculate these estrogen-mimicking chemicals are one of the contributing factors to boys and girls entering puberty at earlier and earlier ages. They have also been linked to infertility, abnormalities and hormone-related cancers including fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer and endometriosis.

4. Farmers apply hormone-like substances or “plant growth regulators” (such as Cycocel) that affect wheat characteristics, such as time of germination and strength of stalk. These hormones are either “natural,” that is, extracted from other plants, or synthetic. There is substantial evidence about the dangers of increasing our intake of these hormone-like substances.

5. Chemicals Used in Storage. Chemical offenses don’t stop after the growing process. The long storage of grains makes them vulnerable to a number of critters. Before commercial grain is even stored, the collection bins are sprayed with insecticide, inside and out. More chemicals are added while the bin is filled. These so-called “protectants” are then added to the upper surface of the grain as well as four inches deep into the grain to protect against damage from moths and other insects entering from the top of the bin. The list of various chemicals used includes chlorpyrifos-methyl, diatomaceous earth, bacillus thuringiensis, cy-fluthrin, malathion and pyrethrins.
Often, grains are fumigated to “maintain a toxic concentration of gas long enough to kill the target pest population.” The toxic chemicals penetrate the entire storage facility as well as the grains being treated. Two of the fumigants used include methyl bromide and phosphine-producing materials, such as magnesium phosphide or aluminum phosphide.

6. High Heat is a serious problem that results from the artificial drying of damp grain at high temperatures. Overheating kills all enzymatic activity, causes denaturing of the protein and can also partially cook the protein, ruining the flour’s baking properties and nutritional value.

7. Milling and Processing. A grain kernel is comprised of three layers: the bran, the germ and the endosperm. The bran is the outside layer where most of the fiber exists. The germ is the inside layer where many nutrients and essential fatty acids are found. The endosperm is the starchy middle layer. The high nutrient density associated with grains exists only when these three are intact. The term whole grain refers to the grain before it has been milled into flour. It was not until the late nineteenth century that white bread, biscuits, and cakes made from white flour and sugars became mainstays in the diets of industrialized nations, and these products were only made possible with the invention of high-speed milling machines. The unmistakable consequences of these dietary changes not only resulted in tooth decay, but problems with fertility, mental health and disease progression.

Flour was originally produced by grinding grains between large stones. The final product, 100 percent stone-ground whole-wheat flour, contained everything that was in the grain, including the germ, fiber, starch and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Without refrigeration or chemical preservatives, fresh stone-ground flour spoils quickly. After wheat has been ground, natural wheat-germ oil becomes rancid so refrigeration of whole grain breads and flours is necessary.

For mass-production, the industry uses high-speed, steel roller mills that eject the germ and the bran. Much of this “waste product” (the most nutritious part of the grain) is eliminated. The resulting white flour contains only a fraction of the nutrients of the original grain. Even whole wheat flour is compromised during the modern milling process. High-speed mills reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and this heat destroys vital nutrients and creates rancidity in the bran and the germ. Vitamin E in the germ is destroyed--a real tragedy because whole wheat used to be our most readily available source of vitamin E.

8. Diabetes, heart disease, elevated triglycerides, cholesterol and obesity.. are just a few of the health problems associated with our high intake of refined grain products. The conversion of the complex carbohydrates natural found in whole grains to simple carbohydrates, lacking fiber, proper minerals and essential fatty acids needed for the body to metabolize these carbohydrates correctly.


9. Literally dozens of dough conditioners and preservatives go into modern bread, as well as toxic ingredients like partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (containing transfatty acids which are also carconogenic). The extrusion process, used to make cold breakfast cereals and puffed grains, adds insult to injury with high temperatures and high pressures that create additional toxic components and further destroy nutrients--even the synthetic vitamins that are added to replace the ones destroyed by refinement and milling.

10. People have become accustomed to the mass-produced, gooey, devitalized, and nutritionally deficient breads and baked goods and have little to no idea of how real bread should taste. Chemical preservatives allow bread to be shipped long distances and to remain on the shelf for many days without spoiling and without refrigeration.

______________________________________________

What to Eat Instead:

This is the recipe that God gave Ezekiel for him to eat for over a year. This was his only food.

Ezekiel Bread
Yield: 3 loaves

5 1/4 Cups flour (made by milling the following into fine flour):

2 1/2 cups Hard Red Wheat
1 1/2 cups Spelt or Rye
1/2 cup Barley
1/4 cup Millet
1/4 cup Lentils
2 Tbsp Great Northern Beans
2 Tbsp Red Kidney Beans
2 Tbsp Pinto Beans

Measure into a large bowl:

4 cups warm water
1 cup honey or molasses
1/2 cup oil (Note: I use about 1/4 cup olive oil because I also add ground flax seeds to my flour which adds some fat. Also note: most mills will not grind flax seeds so you need to do them separately in a blender or coffee grinder.)
2 Tbsp yeast (I use heaping Tablespoons)
Mix and set aside for 5 minutes until frothy.

Add to the yeast 2 tsp salt and all the flour

Mix with a strong wooden spoon until stretchy and elastic - about 7 minutes.

This is a batter bread that will not form a smooth ball. Pour into 3 greased bread pans in even amounts.
Place pans in oven on lowest heat to rise (120 degrees). Allow to rise to within 1/2 inch of tops of pans and NO MORE or it will overflow and trash your oven. Mine takes about 15-20 minutes.

Once risen, WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR, turn the heat up to 350. If you open the door, the cool air will cause the bread to fall. Bake at 350, about 25-30 minutes until nicely browned on top - remember, this is a cake-like bread and will not be like regular yeast breads - you may have to experiment with cooking times. Butter tops once out of the oven. Enjoy!
Eze 4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and fitches (spelt), and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof,
______________________________________________



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2007 02:26AM by Jgunn.

i still say yer better off with the raw wheatgrass sprouts lol

i like 2 eat as the bible says 2, but i like 2 eat how they ate in the garden of eaden "before mans fall"
here is some info:
[www.healthyeatingclub.com]

[www.growseed.org]

but you can see on the second website that they also ate meats and cheese,, but this is wat god gave them permission 2 eat after they had fallen bc they couldnt uphold the laws,, thats wat i think,,

I eat clover and alfalfa sprouts from time to time. And I like mung bean sprouts and sunflower sprouts occasionally. However, I don't feel they are necessary for my good health. I just enjoy them.

I really appreciate you posting all that information. I read all of it. =)

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

I like to eat sprouted wheat. I soak it over night, and then rinse and drain it until the little sprouts are maybe about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long (2 to 3 days from starting to soak). Then I eat the sprouted wheat whole with a salad - not much, just a small amount. I have it about once a week. It's very satisfying (unlike cooked grains).

I find it very good and easy to digest if I eat it whole without mashing it up. I used to occasionally eat it mashed up and formed into a flat bread, then sundried (following the Essene recipe), but that's harder to digest.

Amy,

Just my opinion:

I think the bible was written in the language of the day, with metaphors for the culture of then to understand easily. I think the culture was already eating cooked bread. I honestly do not think God really cares what we eat or don't eat, I think He cares more about our souls. Of course, He would like that we respect and take care of our bodies and the earth he gave us, to the best of our knowledge.

So many people say to me, "I am going to eat the Mediterranean diet because that is what Jesus ate and it is biblical. Plus it is said, wheat is the staff of life"

Well, I am thinking Jesus ate what he ate (probably lots of grains, beans, produce, olives and fish?) not because it was the "right" diet but because that was simply what the culture he was in was eating. It's not like the people back then were all super healthy, were they? After all, Jesus healed so many! Think of all the lepers walking around back then, and the couple of people Jesus raised from the dead after they died (young, apparently!) of disease!

And notice he could have made physical healing his main ministry on earth, but he did not. His concern, again, is our hearts and souls. The handful of instances of miraculous healing I see in the Bible, usually have a point to them made by Jesus.

As for people in the Old Testament - well, after the Fall/Flood, the whole geography of the earth had probably changed a lot. The Israelites lived in dessert land where fresh produce was probably not as abundant as it may have been before the flood.

I will never tell anyone it's WRONG to eat bread, grains, fish, meat, etc. Because I don't think it is, at all. But I personally choose to abstain from them because when I do I see a big leap in my health. Do I think God is more worried about me excluding wheat from my diet, or that I try to be the best person I can be while I'm on earth? What about (the increasing numbers of) people with gluten allergies, who have to stay away from most grains? Are they sinning?

I hope this helps, I have thought soooo much about this subject and these are just my personal conclusions. I just never can understand why people make a big deal of including certain things in their diet (like wheat/bread, fish, dairy) because that was the "biblical" diet, when they (not you) think it's perfectly biblical, apparently, to eat tons of chemically processed, artificial "foods" that were in no way found in those times - white sugar, trans fats, white flour, etc. It just doesn't gel with me personally.

Best,
Sarah

Sarah
[goingbananasblog.com]

What we eat won't save our souls. We are saved by Gods grace & by loving Him. The Bible does say to take care of the temple of God. We are the temples of God. 1 Corinthians 6:19

I could never eat the bread recipe above. It is loaded with gluten, and I'm very allergic to even sprouted gluten.

Plus, it is cooked at way to high of a temperature. If I eat cooked food, it is baked a long time at low temps.

Any temperature higher than 250 degrees produces acrylamides, a cancer causing suspect. The recipe above is baked at 350 degrees, and any baking bread at 320 degrees produces acrylamide content reaching over a level between 2,600g to 5,200g per kg compared to normal levels of 600g to 900g (on a parts per billion scale).

[www.newstarget.com]

I buy Food for Life sprouted organic corn tortillias. They bake all their breads at 250 degrees ( I called the company), so very few if any acrylamides. They soak & sprout there corn & grains. I'm about 90-95% raw, and I only eat healthy cooked foods.


Also, grains must be soaked in warm water & lemon or something for a few days and rinsed a lot, to remove the nutrient inhibitors.

FUZZYSOX, here is a link to help with your depression, if you choose to eat sprouted lentils, azuki beans, and other legumes or beans.

[www.rebuild-from-depression.com]

i'm with Rawrrr, even the smallest grain of sprouted wheat in my wheatgrass will make me swell like a painful balloon...

we're very spiritual and my husband has a hard time with all the bread and bible references since his wife cannot even take communion since it's all gluten. but he's also come to see that it's not the bread, the wheat, that makes the body thrive. wine makes a man's heart glad, oil makes his face shine, and bread, well, it's just a staple of the culture.

so we do mung bean sprouts, and then alfalfa sprouts, but not really grains. they're just too dangerous for me.

peace-

once in a while i sprout some quinoa or wild rice and add a little to salads.
they are actually seeds, not grains, they don't have gluten and they seem to digest well for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2007 08:35PM by purenkind.

Its probably OK to include sprouted grains in your diet if you think they are proper foods and will bring you closer to your god or spirtual community. But probably not so ok if you are using your religion or idea of an 'ideal program' to justify keeping something in your diet you don't want to give up for emotional/comfort reasons. That for me would be rather non-spiritual. Just a general point, not in comment to anyone.

Its also widely accepted that ALL humans have problems with gluten, sure you can 'live' off of it, but you can use that to justify anything. Old Pal Ezekiel just proves you can live mostly on your spirt alone, even if your body is blocked with goo! Many people don't have such an easy time with that. so ditching the grains makes things a bit easier in that respect.