Re: Soaking Grains--why it is important!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the article, Patty. I saw it came from Nourishing

Traditions. I need to pull that out again! So I know you buy

McCann's but do you get the steel cut or the rolled? I do the rolled

since I eat it raw. Do you cook yours after you soak them in apple

cider? And what else do you put on them? Love, PH

>

> Eating whole grain foods has often been recommended as part of a

healthy diet. But are whole grains really healthy when eaten in

today's packaged products?Read on to find out the answer to this

question! (This is why I soak my oatmeal overnight.)

http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html Be Kind to

Your Grains

> ...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You The science of nutrition

seems to take a step backwards for every two steps it takes forward.

When the study of vitamins was in its infancy, researchers realized

that white flour lacked the nutrients that nature put into whole

grains. One of these researchers was Dr. Weston Price who noted in

his studies of isolated, so-called " primitive " peoples that when

white flour and other devitalized foods were introduced into these

communities, rampant tooth decay and disease of every sort soon

followed. But defenders of the new refining process argued that

phosphorus in whole grains was " too acid " and was the true cause of

bone loss and tooth decay. Warnings against the use of white flour

went largely ignored.

> Only in recent decades has Dr. Price been vindicated. Even

orthodox nutritionists now recognize that white flour is an empty

food, supplying calories for energy but none of the bodybuilding

materials that abound in the germ and the bran of whole grains. We've

take two important steps forward—but unfortunately another step

backward in that now whole grain and bran products are being promoted

as health foods without adequate appreciation of their dangers. These

show up not only as digestive problems, Crohn's disease and colitis,

but also as the mental disorders associated with celiac disease. One

school of thought claims that both refined and whole grains should be

avoided, arguing that they were absent from the Paleolithic diet and

citing the obvious association of grains with celiac disease and

studies linking grain consumption with heart disease.

> But many healthy societies consume products made from grains. In

fact, it can be argued that the cultivation of grains made

civilization possible and opened the door for mankind to live long

and comfortable lives. Problems occur when we are cruel to our grains—

when we fractionate them into bran, germ and naked starch; when we

mill them at high temperatures; when we extrude them to make crunchy

breakfast cereals; and when we consume them without careful

preparation.

> 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. The modern misguided practice of

consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon

transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and,

in the long term, many other adverse effects.

> 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.

> Animals that nourish themselves on primarily on grain and other

plant matter have as many as four stomachs. Their intestines are

longer, as is the entire digestion transit time. Man, on the other

hand, has but one stomach and a much shorter intestine compared to

herbivorous animals. These features of his anatomy allow him to pass

animal products before they putrefy in the gut but make him less well

adapted to a diet high in grains—unless, of course, he prepares them

properly. When grains are properly prepared through soaking,

sprouting or sour leavening, the friendly bacteria of the microscopic

world do some of our digesting for us in a container, just as these

same lactobacilli do their work in the first and second stomachs of

the herbivores.

> 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. A quick review of grain

recipes from around the world will prove our point: In India, rice

and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are

prepared as idli and dosas; in Africa the natives soak coarsely

ground corn overnight before adding it to soups and stews and they

ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge

called ogi; a similar dish made from oats was traditional among

> the Welsh; in some Oriental and Latin American countries rice

receives a long fermentation before it is prepared; Ethiopians make

their distinctive injera bread by fermenting a grain called teff for

several days; Mexican corn cakes, called pozol, are fermented for

several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves; before

the introduction of commercial brewers yeast, Europeans made slow-

rise breads from fermented starters; in America the pioneers were

famous for their sourdough breads, pancakes and biscuits; and

throughout Europe grains were soaked overnight, and for as long as

several days, in water or soured milk before they were cooked and

served as porridge or gruel. (Many of our senior citizens may

remember that in earlier times the instructions on the oatmeal box

called for an overnight soaking.)

> Bread can be the staff of life, but modern technology has turned

our bread—even our whole grain bread—into a poison. Grains are laced

with pesticides during the growing season and in storage; they are

milled at high temperatures so that their fatty acids turn rancid.

Rancidity increases when milled flours are stored for long periods of

time, particularly in open bins. The bran and germ are often removed

and sold separately, when Mother Nature intended that they be eaten

together with the carbohydrate portion; they're baked as quick rise

breads so that antinutrients remain; synthetic vitamins and an

unabsorbable form of iron added to white flour can cause numerous

imbalances; dough conditioners, stabilizers, preservatives and other

additives add insult to injury.

> Cruelty to grains in the making of breakfast cereals is intense.

Slurries of grain are forced through tiny holes at high temperatures

and pressures in giant extruders, a process that destroys nutrients

and turns the proteins in grains into veritable poisons. Westerners

pay a lot for expensive breakfast cereals that snap, crackle and pop,

including the rising toll of poor health.

> The final indignity to grains is that we treat them as loners,

largely ignorant of other dietary factors needed for the nutrients

they provide. Fat-soluble vitamins A and D found in animal fats like

butter, lard and cream help us absorb calcium, phosphorus, iron, B

vitamins and the many other vitamins that grains provide. Porridge

eaten with cream will do us a thousand times more good than cold

breakfast cereal consumed with skim milk; sourdough whole grain bread

with butter or whole cheese is a combination that contributes to

optimal health.

> Be kind to your grains. . . and your grains will deliver their

promise as the staff of life. Buy only organic whole grains and soak

them overnight to make porridge or casseroles; or grind them into

flour with a home grinder and make your own sour dough bread and

baked goods. For those who lack the time for breadmaking, kindly-made

whole grain breads are now available. Look for organic, stone ground,

sprouted or sour dough whole grain breads and enjoy them with butter

or cheese.

> From: Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges

Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon

with G. Enig, PhD.

> © 1999. .

> To order Nourishing Traditions, go to www.newtrendspublishing.com.

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the article, Patty. I saw it came from Nourishing

Traditions. I need to pull that out again! So I know you buy

McCann's but do you get the steel cut or the rolled? I do the rolled

since I eat it raw. Do you cook yours after you soak them in apple

cider? And what else do you put on them? Love, PH

>

> Eating whole grain foods has often been recommended as part of a

healthy diet. But are whole grains really healthy when eaten in

today's packaged products?Read on to find out the answer to this

question! (This is why I soak my oatmeal overnight.)

http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html Be Kind to

Your Grains

> ...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You The science of nutrition

seems to take a step backwards for every two steps it takes forward.

When the study of vitamins was in its infancy, researchers realized

that white flour lacked the nutrients that nature put into whole

grains. One of these researchers was Dr. Weston Price who noted in

his studies of isolated, so-called " primitive " peoples that when

white flour and other devitalized foods were introduced into these

communities, rampant tooth decay and disease of every sort soon

followed. But defenders of the new refining process argued that

phosphorus in whole grains was " too acid " and was the true cause of

bone loss and tooth decay. Warnings against the use of white flour

went largely ignored.

> Only in recent decades has Dr. Price been vindicated. Even

orthodox nutritionists now recognize that white flour is an empty

food, supplying calories for energy but none of the bodybuilding

materials that abound in the germ and the bran of whole grains. We've

take two important steps forward—but unfortunately another step

backward in that now whole grain and bran products are being promoted

as health foods without adequate appreciation of their dangers. These

show up not only as digestive problems, Crohn's disease and colitis,

but also as the mental disorders associated with celiac disease. One

school of thought claims that both refined and whole grains should be

avoided, arguing that they were absent from the Paleolithic diet and

citing the obvious association of grains with celiac disease and

studies linking grain consumption with heart disease.

> But many healthy societies consume products made from grains. In

fact, it can be argued that the cultivation of grains made

civilization possible and opened the door for mankind to live long

and comfortable lives. Problems occur when we are cruel to our grains—

when we fractionate them into bran, germ and naked starch; when we

mill them at high temperatures; when we extrude them to make crunchy

breakfast cereals; and when we consume them without careful

preparation.

> 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. The modern misguided practice of

consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon

transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and,

in the long term, many other adverse effects.

> 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.

> Animals that nourish themselves on primarily on grain and other

plant matter have as many as four stomachs. Their intestines are

longer, as is the entire digestion transit time. Man, on the other

hand, has but one stomach and a much shorter intestine compared to

herbivorous animals. These features of his anatomy allow him to pass

animal products before they putrefy in the gut but make him less well

adapted to a diet high in grains—unless, of course, he prepares them

properly. When grains are properly prepared through soaking,

sprouting or sour leavening, the friendly bacteria of the microscopic

world do some of our digesting for us in a container, just as these

same lactobacilli do their work in the first and second stomachs of

the herbivores.

> 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. A quick review of grain

recipes from around the world will prove our point: In India, rice

and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are

prepared as idli and dosas; in Africa the natives soak coarsely

ground corn overnight before adding it to soups and stews and they

ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge

called ogi; a similar dish made from oats was traditional among

> the Welsh; in some Oriental and Latin American countries rice

receives a long fermentation before it is prepared; Ethiopians make

their distinctive injera bread by fermenting a grain called teff for

several days; Mexican corn cakes, called pozol, are fermented for

several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves; before

the introduction of commercial brewers yeast, Europeans made slow-

rise breads from fermented starters; in America the pioneers were

famous for their sourdough breads, pancakes and biscuits; and

throughout Europe grains were soaked overnight, and for as long as

several days, in water or soured milk before they were cooked and

served as porridge or gruel. (Many of our senior citizens may

remember that in earlier times the instructions on the oatmeal box

called for an overnight soaking.)

> Bread can be the staff of life, but modern technology has turned

our bread—even our whole grain bread—into a poison. Grains are laced

with pesticides during the growing season and in storage; they are

milled at high temperatures so that their fatty acids turn rancid.

Rancidity increases when milled flours are stored for long periods of

time, particularly in open bins. The bran and germ are often removed

and sold separately, when Mother Nature intended that they be eaten

together with the carbohydrate portion; they're baked as quick rise

breads so that antinutrients remain; synthetic vitamins and an

unabsorbable form of iron added to white flour can cause numerous

imbalances; dough conditioners, stabilizers, preservatives and other

additives add insult to injury.

> Cruelty to grains in the making of breakfast cereals is intense.

Slurries of grain are forced through tiny holes at high temperatures

and pressures in giant extruders, a process that destroys nutrients

and turns the proteins in grains into veritable poisons. Westerners

pay a lot for expensive breakfast cereals that snap, crackle and pop,

including the rising toll of poor health.

> The final indignity to grains is that we treat them as loners,

largely ignorant of other dietary factors needed for the nutrients

they provide. Fat-soluble vitamins A and D found in animal fats like

butter, lard and cream help us absorb calcium, phosphorus, iron, B

vitamins and the many other vitamins that grains provide. Porridge

eaten with cream will do us a thousand times more good than cold

breakfast cereal consumed with skim milk; sourdough whole grain bread

with butter or whole cheese is a combination that contributes to

optimal health.

> Be kind to your grains. . . and your grains will deliver their

promise as the staff of life. Buy only organic whole grains and soak

them overnight to make porridge or casseroles; or grind them into

flour with a home grinder and make your own sour dough bread and

baked goods. For those who lack the time for breadmaking, kindly-made

whole grain breads are now available. Look for organic, stone ground,

sprouted or sour dough whole grain breads and enjoy them with butter

or cheese.

> From: Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges

Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon

with G. Enig, PhD.

> © 1999. .

> To order Nourishing Traditions, go to www.newtrendspublishing.com.

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

>

[Guest guest]

PH,

I get the steel cut, but rolled would be fine too. I just got the

steel cut because that was what was on the shelf.

I have not cooked the oats after soaking them. I just eat them plain

with the apple cider, and after soaking overnight, the grains are

soft. I have also mixed kefir or yogurt with them, and added

raisins, nuts, raw apple, cinnamon and maple syrup, honey or sucanat

to make a muesli. (I absolutely love fresh muesli! I had fresh muesli

once at the San Diego Marriott hotel and I was hooked!) You can add

other fruits as you desire, such as blueberries, raspberries, and

bananas.

Patty

> >

> > Eating whole grain foods has often been recommended as part of a

> healthy diet. But are whole grains really healthy when eaten in

> today's packaged products?Read on to find out the answer to this

> question! (This is why I soak my oatmeal overnight.)

> http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html Be Kind to

> Your Grains

> > ...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You The science of nutrition

> seems to take a step backwards for every two steps it takes

forward.

> When the study of vitamins was in its infancy, researchers realized

> that white flour lacked the nutrients that nature put into whole

> grains. One of these researchers was Dr. Weston Price who noted in

> his studies of isolated, so-called " primitive " peoples that when

> white flour and other devitalized foods were introduced into these

> communities, rampant tooth decay and disease of every sort soon

> followed. But defenders of the new refining process argued that

> phosphorus in whole grains was " too acid " and was the true cause of

> bone loss and tooth decay. Warnings against the use of white flour

> went largely ignored.

> > Only in recent decades has Dr. Price been vindicated. Even

> orthodox nutritionists now recognize that white flour is an empty

> food, supplying calories for energy but none of the bodybuilding

> materials that abound in the germ and the bran of whole grains.

We've

> take two important steps forward—but unfortunately another step

> backward in that now whole grain and bran products are being

promoted

> as health foods without adequate appreciation of their dangers.

These

> show up not only as digestive problems, Crohn's disease and

colitis,

> but also as the mental disorders associated with celiac disease.

One

> school of thought claims that both refined and whole grains should

be

> avoided, arguing that they were absent from the Paleolithic diet

and

> citing the obvious association of grains with celiac disease and

> studies linking grain consumption with heart disease.

> > But many healthy societies consume products made from grains.

In

> fact, it can be argued that the cultivation of grains made

> civilization possible and opened the door for mankind to live long

> and comfortable lives. Problems occur when we are cruel to our

grains—

> when we fractionate them into bran, germ and naked starch; when we

> mill them at high temperatures; when we extrude them to make

crunchy

> breakfast cereals; and when we consume them without careful

> preparation.

> > 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. The modern misguided practice

of

> consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon

> transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and,

> in the long term, many other adverse effects.

> > 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.

> > Animals that nourish themselves on primarily on grain and other

> plant matter have as many as four stomachs. Their intestines are

> longer, as is the entire digestion transit time. Man, on the other

> hand, has but one stomach and a much shorter intestine compared to

> herbivorous animals. These features of his anatomy allow him to

pass

> animal products before they putrefy in the gut but make him less

well

> adapted to a diet high in grains—unless, of course, he prepares

them

> properly. When grains are properly prepared through soaking,

> sprouting or sour leavening, the friendly bacteria of the

microscopic

> world do some of our digesting for us in a container, just as these

> same lactobacilli do their work in the first and second stomachs of

> the herbivores.

> > 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. A quick review of grain

> recipes from around the world will prove our point: In India, rice

> and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are

> prepared as idli and dosas; in Africa the natives soak coarsely

> ground corn overnight before adding it to soups and stews and they

> ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge

> called ogi; a similar dish made from oats was traditional among

> > the Welsh; in some Oriental and Latin American countries rice

> receives a long fermentation before it is prepared; Ethiopians make

> their distinctive injera bread by fermenting a grain called teff

for

> several days; Mexican corn cakes, called pozol, are fermented for

> several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves; before

> the introduction of commercial brewers yeast, Europeans made slow-

> rise breads from fermented starters; in America the pioneers were

> famous for their sourdough breads, pancakes and biscuits; and

> throughout Europe grains were soaked overnight, and for as long as

> several days, in water or soured milk before they were cooked and

> served as porridge or gruel. (Many of our senior citizens may

> remember that in earlier times the instructions on the oatmeal box

> called for an overnight soaking.)

> > Bread can be the staff of life, but modern technology has

turned

> our bread—even our whole grain bread—into a poison. Grains are

laced

> with pesticides during the growing season and in storage; they are

> milled at high temperatures so that their fatty acids turn rancid.

> Rancidity increases when milled flours are stored for long periods

of

> time, particularly in open bins. The bran and germ are often

removed

> and sold separately, when Mother Nature intended that they be eaten

> together with the carbohydrate portion; they're baked as quick rise

> breads so that antinutrients remain; synthetic vitamins and an

> unabsorbable form of iron added to white flour can cause numerous

> imbalances; dough conditioners, stabilizers, preservatives and

other

> additives add insult to injury.

> > Cruelty to grains in the making of breakfast cereals is

intense.

> Slurries of grain are forced through tiny holes at high

temperatures

> and pressures in giant extruders, a process that destroys nutrients

> and turns the proteins in grains into veritable poisons. Westerners

> pay a lot for expensive breakfast cereals that snap, crackle and

pop,

> including the rising toll of poor health.

> > The final indignity to grains is that we treat them as loners,

> largely ignorant of other dietary factors needed for the nutrients

> they provide. Fat-soluble vitamins A and D found in animal fats

like

> butter, lard and cream help us absorb calcium, phosphorus, iron, B

> vitamins and the many other vitamins that grains provide. Porridge

> eaten with cream will do us a thousand times more good than cold

> breakfast cereal consumed with skim milk; sourdough whole grain

bread

> with butter or whole cheese is a combination that contributes to

> optimal health.

> > Be kind to your grains. . . and your grains will deliver their

> promise as the staff of life. Buy only organic whole grains and

soak

> them overnight to make porridge or casseroles; or grind them into

> flour with a home grinder and make your own sour dough bread and

> baked goods. For those who lack the time for breadmaking, kindly-

made

> whole grain breads are now available. Look for organic, stone

ground,

> sprouted or sour dough whole grain breads and enjoy them with

butter

> or cheese.

> > From: Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges

> Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally

Fallon

> with G. Enig, PhD.

> > © 1999. .

> > To order Nourishing Traditions, go to www.newtrendspublishing.com.

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

PH,

I get the steel cut, but rolled would be fine too. I just got the

steel cut because that was what was on the shelf.

I have not cooked the oats after soaking them. I just eat them plain

with the apple cider, and after soaking overnight, the grains are

soft. I have also mixed kefir or yogurt with them, and added

raisins, nuts, raw apple, cinnamon and maple syrup, honey or sucanat

to make a muesli. (I absolutely love fresh muesli! I had fresh muesli

once at the San Diego Marriott hotel and I was hooked!) You can add

other fruits as you desire, such as blueberries, raspberries, and

bananas.

Patty

> >

> > Eating whole grain foods has often been recommended as part of a

> healthy diet. But are whole grains really healthy when eaten in

> today's packaged products?Read on to find out the answer to this

> question! (This is why I soak my oatmeal overnight.)

> http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html Be Kind to

> Your Grains

> > ...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You The science of nutrition

> seems to take a step backwards for every two steps it takes

forward.

> When the study of vitamins was in its infancy, researchers realized

> that white flour lacked the nutrients that nature put into whole

> grains. One of these researchers was Dr. Weston Price who noted in

> his studies of isolated, so-called " primitive " peoples that when

> white flour and other devitalized foods were introduced into these

> communities, rampant tooth decay and disease of every sort soon

> followed. But defenders of the new refining process argued that

> phosphorus in whole grains was " too acid " and was the true cause of

> bone loss and tooth decay. Warnings against the use of white flour

> went largely ignored.

> > Only in recent decades has Dr. Price been vindicated. Even

> orthodox nutritionists now recognize that white flour is an empty

> food, supplying calories for energy but none of the bodybuilding

> materials that abound in the germ and the bran of whole grains.

We've

> take two important steps forward—but unfortunately another step

> backward in that now whole grain and bran products are being

promoted

> as health foods without adequate appreciation of their dangers.

These

> show up not only as digestive problems, Crohn's disease and

colitis,

> but also as the mental disorders associated with celiac disease.

One

> school of thought claims that both refined and whole grains should

be

> avoided, arguing that they were absent from the Paleolithic diet

and

> citing the obvious association of grains with celiac disease and

> studies linking grain consumption with heart disease.

> > But many healthy societies consume products made from grains.

In

> fact, it can be argued that the cultivation of grains made

> civilization possible and opened the door for mankind to live long

> and comfortable lives. Problems occur when we are cruel to our

grains—

> when we fractionate them into bran, germ and naked starch; when we

> mill them at high temperatures; when we extrude them to make

crunchy

> breakfast cereals; and when we consume them without careful

> preparation.

> > 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. The modern misguided practice

of

> consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon

> transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and,

> in the long term, many other adverse effects.

> > 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.

> > Animals that nourish themselves on primarily on grain and other

> plant matter have as many as four stomachs. Their intestines are

> longer, as is the entire digestion transit time. Man, on the other

> hand, has but one stomach and a much shorter intestine compared to

> herbivorous animals. These features of his anatomy allow him to

pass

> animal products before they putrefy in the gut but make him less

well

> adapted to a diet high in grains—unless, of course, he prepares

them

> properly. When grains are properly prepared through soaking,

> sprouting or sour leavening, the friendly bacteria of the

microscopic

> world do some of our digesting for us in a container, just as these

> same lactobacilli do their work in the first and second stomachs of

> the herbivores.

> > 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. A quick review of grain

> recipes from around the world will prove our point: In India, rice

> and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are

> prepared as idli and dosas; in Africa the natives soak coarsely

> ground corn overnight before adding it to soups and stews and they

> ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge

> called ogi; a similar dish made from oats was traditional among

> > the Welsh; in some Oriental and Latin American countries rice

> receives a long fermentation before it is prepared; Ethiopians make

> their distinctive injera bread by fermenting a grain called teff

for

> several days; Mexican corn cakes, called pozol, are fermented for

> several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves; before

> the introduction of commercial brewers yeast, Europeans made slow-

> rise breads from fermented starters; in America the pioneers were

> famous for their sourdough breads, pancakes and biscuits; and

> throughout Europe grains were soaked overnight, and for as long as

> several days, in water or soured milk before they were cooked and

> served as porridge or gruel. (Many of our senior citizens may

> remember that in earlier times the instructions on the oatmeal box

> called for an overnight soaking.)

> > Bread can be the staff of life, but modern technology has

turned

> our bread—even our whole grain bread—into a poison. Grains are

laced

> with pesticides during the growing season and in storage; they are

> milled at high temperatures so that their fatty acids turn rancid.

> Rancidity increases when milled flours are stored for long periods

of

> time, particularly in open bins. The bran and germ are often

removed

> and sold separately, when Mother Nature intended that they be eaten

> together with the carbohydrate portion; they're baked as quick rise

> breads so that antinutrients remain; synthetic vitamins and an

> unabsorbable form of iron added to white flour can cause numerous

> imbalances; dough conditioners, stabilizers, preservatives and

other

> additives add insult to injury.

> > Cruelty to grains in the making of breakfast cereals is

intense.

> Slurries of grain are forced through tiny holes at high

temperatures

> and pressures in giant extruders, a process that destroys nutrients

> and turns the proteins in grains into veritable poisons. Westerners

> pay a lot for expensive breakfast cereals that snap, crackle and

pop,

> including the rising toll of poor health.

> > The final indignity to grains is that we treat them as loners,

> largely ignorant of other dietary factors needed for the nutrients

> they provide. Fat-soluble vitamins A and D found in animal fats

like

> butter, lard and cream help us absorb calcium, phosphorus, iron, B

> vitamins and the many other vitamins that grains provide. Porridge

> eaten with cream will do us a thousand times more good than cold

> breakfast cereal consumed with skim milk; sourdough whole grain

bread

> with butter or whole cheese is a combination that contributes to

> optimal health.

> > Be kind to your grains. . . and your grains will deliver their

> promise as the staff of life. Buy only organic whole grains and

soak

> them overnight to make porridge or casseroles; or grind them into

> flour with a home grinder and make your own sour dough bread and

> baked goods. For those who lack the time for breadmaking, kindly-

made

> whole grain breads are now available. Look for organic, stone

ground,

> sprouted or sour dough whole grain breads and enjoy them with

butter

> or cheese.

> > From: Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges

> Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally

Fallon

> with G. Enig, PhD.

> > © 1999. .

> > To order Nourishing Traditions, go to www.newtrendspublishing.com.

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

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