Friday, June 17, 2011

Gluten Sensitivity? Gluten Free or Grain Soaking & Sprouting


Amaranth, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Millet & Quinoa
These are the easiest grains to digest because they contain less phytates than other grains, and all but quinoa are free of gluten. Actually buckwheat is a grass and millet and quinoa are more seed-like than they are a grain.
These grains are soaked for 7-8 hours (a longer time is okay too), with enough warm non-chlorinated water to cover, to which 1 tablespoon of acidic medium has been added for every cup of grains, i.e. for every 1 cup of grains add 1 tablespoon of acidic medium. (Lemon juice, freshly squeezed or Eden Brown Rice Vinegar (has been tested to be mold free).
Quinoa needs to be rinsed well before soaking. After soaking the water is drained off and rinsed again, fresh water is then added for cooking.
Gluten Grains
Gluten is particularly difficult for human to digest. It is contained in grains such as barley, bulgar, durum, kamut, oats, rye, semolina, spelt, triticale, wheat, etc. Soaking gluten grains helps to partially break down hard-to-digest gluten, in addition to removing phytates and other unwanted enzymes, making them easier to digest and absorb.
Soak whole gluten grains for 24 hours, using 2 tablespoons of acidic medium for each cup of grain.
Sprouting, soaking and genuine sourdough leavening "pre-digests" grains, allowing the nutrients to be more easily assimilated and metabolized. This is an age-old approach practiced in most traditional cultures. Sprouting begins germination, which increases the enzymatic activity in foods and inactivates substances called enzyme inhibitors.
These enzyme inhibitors prevent the activation of the enzymes present in the food and, therefore, may hinder optimal digestion and absorption. Soaking neutralizes phytic acid, a component of plant fiber found in the bran and hulls of grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds that reduces mineral absorption. All of these benefits may explain why sprouted foods are less likely to produce allergic reactions in those who are sensitive.
Sprouting also causes a beneficial modification of various nutritional elements. According to research undertaken at the University of Minnesota, sprouting increases the total nutrient density of a food. For example, sprouted whole wheat was found to have 28 percent more thiamine (B1), 315 percent more riboflavin (B2), 66 percent more niacin (B3), 65 percent more pantothenic acid (B5), 111 percent more biotin, 278 percent more folic acid, and 300 percent more vitamin C than non-sprouted whole wheat. This phenomenon is not restricted to wheat. All grains undergo this type of quantitative and qualitative transformation. These studies also confirmed a significant increase in enzymes, which means the nutrients are easier to digest and absorb."
From "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats," by Sally Fallon with Mary Enig, Ph.D., Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF).