When I sprout my quinoa and other grains, I just allow them to soak in water for about 2 days without rinsing them. The reason I do this is because the longer I allow them to soak, the more water they retain and the easier I find them to eat. But, I have been having a problem with digestion. I don't feel I am digesting these grains because they come out intact in my feces (sorry for the description). But anyways, Is this normal? If not, what can I do to resolve this problem?

Soaking them is not sprouting, it is just the beginning of sprouting, they need to get out of the water and then they will start to grow making them more digestible. Quinoa needs only two hours in water. One problem with quinoa is that some of seeds will not sprout and it is difficult to isolate them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2007 06:55PM by djatchi.

Prior to this, I have allowed the grain to soak for a couple hours. After this, I rinse and drain them 5-6 times. I find that they are even less digestible when I prepare them the way you are supposed to. Also, when I do let them soak in a little water for a couple days they do sprout to about 1/4 and inch (maybe a little small than this) and absorb all the water. What should I do?

They are difficult to chew because they are so small, one solution is to use them in smoothies and salad dressing with a high speed blender.

Do you need something special to sprout or just soak in water and leave it in a conatiner?

djatchi Wrote:
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> They are difficult to chew because they are so
> small, one solution is to use them in smoothies
> and salad dressing with a high speed blender.


Well, is there anyway to sprout these and have them be digestible? If so (as I assume there is), what am I doing wrong with using my method?

Here is my method:
I allow the grain to soak for a couple hours (drain them after). After this, I rinse and drain them 5-6 times.

Brendan,

I don't know if any grains are really digestible in the raw state. For myself, I really wanted grains at the beginning of my raw journey. But over time, as I ate more fruits and salads, the need for them went away.

Good luck in finding a solution that works for you.

Bryan ... I kind of look to you as the almanac of this forum, so one quick question, when you sprout quinoa does it still remain a protein or does it become a veg after sprouting and also I know Dr. Graham is not an advocate of grains, but what about buckwheat lettuce and Wheatgrass because I grow my own.
-Thank You


> Myspace: [www.myspace.com]
> Blog: [chefdemocha.blogspot.com]

Yum, durian! [photo in previous post, just in case that gets changed, and you're wondering] My mother-in-law (who is from the Philippines) shared some with us once, and I really had to restrain myself to keep from eating the whole thing all by myself!

I've tried sprouted grain all sorts of ways, and the most digestible for me is crackers. I think this is because thoroughly chewing the dry cracker allows me to mix in more of my saliva with the starch than would be possible with either a slippery whole sprout or a very pre-moistened smoothie.

I sprout the grain in the usual way (till the tail is about as long as the grain itself), then either grind them up in my Omega juicer with the blank cone in (like making banana ice cream) if they're soft enough, or else Vita-Mix them with some Rejuvelac. The ground up ones get made into patty-cakes (I dampen my fingers first) and dehydrated directly on the lattice-work racks, and the blendered ones go on the non-stick sheets as "pancakes."

I have run into a few problems, as well as a few successes:

1) I am somewhat gluten-sensitive, so that crosses WHEAT, RYE, and BARLEY off my list immediately.

2) Some (most?) OAT groats have been "heat stabilized" -- which is to say, pasteurized, which is to say cooked -- because otherwise they have a very short shelf life. If you hunt around, you can find naturally hulless oats, which are sometimes (usually?) sold raw, but I have found that either of my cracker-making processes gives them time to turn rancid and bitter (more so with the "pancake" method). So unless you have a kinder, gentler method, I'll cross them off too.

3. QUINOA makes a nice looking cracker by the patty-cake method (I have not tried "pancaking" them), but for some reason -- even though I've eaten tons of the stuff cooked, back when -- they make me queasy. I don't mean that I don't like the flavor (though I do find it a bit strange), I mean that my digestive tract isn't happy with it. Once I realized what was going through me so fast, I offered the rest to Hubby (who has a cast-iron stomach), and a few hours later he actually threw up.

4. Hulled MILLET will not sprout. Millet with the hulls still on makes a very fiber-rich cracker. Using the patty-cake method does not break up the hulls sufficiently to be fully chewable. Using the "pancake" method yields a *very* dry cracker that sucks all the moisture out of my mouth. I may try again some day -- maybe a few extra trips through the Omega.

5. CORN is also very fiber-rich, but if you run it through the Omega several times, it makes a fairly tasty cracker, although, like oats, they turn a bit bitter. Probably not a great idea, unless I can find a better method.

6. So far, my favorite is BUCKWHEAT (using the naked groats, not the seeds with the hulls still on). After sprouting, they're soft enough to turn into a nice dough after going through the Omega only once, and the flavor is bland but palatable. They mix well with other ingredients such as nuts and dried fruit for "party food."

7. I am also thinking of trying TEFF (if I can figure out how to sprout those teeny-tiny grains -- maybe use a nut-milk bag as a sprout bag?), though I kind of doubt I'll ever get around to it. And one retailer assures me that their SORGHUM grain will sprout -- I plan to get some and try it -- I really liked sorghum flour back in my gluten-free baking days.

just thought I'd give a mention to Rejuvelac since it seems on topic here. I've been thinking about it today, seems cool to be able to use the soak water since it's so nutritious. Here's a website:
[www.rejoiceinlife.com]

and apparently you can make it from other grains such as quinoa etc.

Buckwheat, lettuce, and wheatgrass are definitely not grains.

I think grains should have a limited part, if any, of the diet. They seem to be irritating to most people. Corn seems okay for some.

lisa m Wrote:
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> just thought I'd give a mention to Rejuvelac since
> it seems on topic here. I've been thinking about
> it today, seems cool to be able to use the soak
> water since it's so nutritious. Here's a
> website:
> [www.rejoiceinlife.com]
>
>
> and apparently you can make it from other grains
> such as quinoa etc.
>
>

Right, you can make Rejuvelac from just about any sprouted grain or pseudo-grain (e.g., quinoa). I've made it from wheat, rye, oats, and quinoa, and currently use millet. All taste roughly the same, but with slight nuances. At the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico, they even make Rejuvelac from cabbage!

However, there is a big difference between Rejuvelac and ordinary soak water. When making Rejuvelac, you first sprout the grain, discarding the soak water as when making any sprouts. The reason for this is that the soak water contains the enzyme inhibitors that had been in the grain. Getting rid of them is one major reason for soaking any seed, so it would make no sense to drink the initial soak water. The Rejuvelac is then made from already-sprouted grain, so it's not "soak water" in the same sense.

oh, thanks for clarifying that Carol. That website makes it look like you simply use the soak water.

I do not eat any sprouts. I cannot digest them and do not like them much (fortunately). I am very happy without them

You're welcome, Lisa. Making Rejuvelac is very easy. Here's how I do it: Fill a sprouting jar about 1/4 full of any dry grain and sprout it as you would sprout any other seed. When the "tail" is about as long as the grain, fill the jar with water, cover with a cloth to keep dust out, and let it sit at room temperature for about two days. (The bubbles you see during this time are a sign of progress!) Then drain the liquid into a clean jar (your first batch of Rejuvelac) and refill the jar with water. Let it sit for just one day, then drain off the second batch of Rejuvelac and refill the jar. After one more day, drain off the third batch of Rejuvelac and discard the grain. Rejuvelac should taste something like weak unsweetened lemonade or the whey from plain yogurt. (As with any cultured food, taste each batch to be sure nothing bad has been growing in there.) Stored in the refrigerator, Rejuvelac should keep at least five days. It's very good to use as the liquid in any type of smoothie.

Flipperjan, you might try blending your sprouts in a smoothie. If I eat sprouts in a salad, I get indigestion, but in a green smoothie, no problem.

Actually I don't want them.

Thanks for that info Carol I'll give it a shot. Shame you have to discard the grain afterwards though, is it no good for eating by then?

lisa,

The idea is that in soaking, the sprouted grain has given up all its beneficial enzymes to the water, which acts as a solvent. There's nothing left in the grain that's beneficial. It does rot pretty quickly after this, I've found.

ah, ok thanks

NOTE: Buckwheat sprouts, when they get rather grown, and buckwheat "lettuce", isn't good for you. I think I read that... on this forum?

If you are looking for a good protein source, rather than trying to sprout a grain, why not try chia seed and or hemp seed? they both have great protein/essential fatty acid profiles.

If you really want to eat quinoa, I think I'd actually cook it. I don't eat any right now, but if I did, it would probably be about a half cup (cooked), about twice a week at most. Since I'm otherwise 99% raw, that would reduce my "rawness" to about 85%, I guesstimate. I can live with that, if I thought it was necessary.

Right, eating a lot of buckwheat greens on a regular basis can cause one's skin to become acutely sensitive to the yellow-green part of the visible light spectrum, so that it will turn red and itchy when exposed to direct sunlight even through a window, and may tingle and/or remain somewhat numb for days afterward. Here's a good article: [www.gillesarbour.com] . Human consumption of buckwheat *greens* is so new that no one seems to know whether everyone is susceptible to this phenomenon, and if so how much of the greens is "too much." I had eaten about half a pound per day for a couple of weeks before the symptoms started, but I suspect that individual reactions would vary all over the place.

Buckwheat groats (the "grains" or seeds) are said to contain only a trace amount of the toxic substance, and they have indeed been eaten by humans for centuries with no evidence of this problem. But as you point out, at some point a sprouted buckwheat groat will become a green buckwheat plant, with the question being, when does it become toxic? The best guess (in the apparent absence of any actual studies) seems to be that it's OK till it starts to turn green -- but if you want to play it extra safe, you could sprout your buckwheat groats in a cupboard, so they're never exposed to light.

As for sprouted quinoa, I can't speak for anyone else, but even though it should be an excellent protein source, I was eating it primarily for the starch (a/k/a calories). I seem to have some sort of anomalous intolerance to it, but apparently a lot of people do eat and enjoy sprouted quinoa, often blended with fruit as a breakfast cereal.