Our ancestors, namely the individuals who existed before processed foods, always soaked, sprouted or fermented their grains, legumes, seeds and nuts before consuming them. Why go through the hassle of that?
When soaking grains, seeks and the like in a acidic environment, the phytic acid levels become neutralized as well as certain enzymes inhibitors. Phytic acid resides naturally in the bran or hull of all grains, legumes, seeds and nuts and blocks the absorption of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Our modern culture has abandoned the practice of soaking and slow cooking and poor health and development are the result. Those with gluten sensitivities and other gut related problems are directly correlated with poorly prepared grains. A little extra time and thoughtfulness in soaking your grains can aid in your digestion and mineral and enzyme absorption.
Note: An acidic enviroment can be acheived by adding a Tablespoon or two of lemon juice, yogurt, kefir or whey to your soaking water.
For more on phytic acid
Hi,
Can you tell me more about how to soak grains? Can I grind the grains in a blender? Do I soak them AFTER they are ground or before? Do I just put them in a container of water overnight? In fridge or out? Do I need to soak steel-cut oatmeal? Currently, I use a blender to grind up steel-cut oatmeal into a powder and then just add boiling water to it, to make an instant oatmeal for my 18 month old son. Is that a proper technique, or am I losing key nutrients and/or making it hard for his body to absorb the good vitamins in it?
Also, you said to make the soak and acidic environment. Does that mean I have to add something like lemon juice to the water? What is whey?
Do I need to soak beans the same way?
Can ground nuts be used in the porridge as the “fat” or does it need to be oil or butter?
Also, when adding raw milk to the hot porridge, does the heat kill any of the good stuff in the raw milk?
I’m sorry I have so many questions!! I just want to give my son the best nutrition
THANK YOU!!!
You can soak grain before grinding it but if you want to use the grain for flour (and not some type of sprouted salad) then you must soak it and then dehydrate it, then grind it. It is easier to just grind your grain, soak it or let it rise several hours and then bake it. Allow it to soak at room temperature. Yes, steel cut oatmeal should also be soaked because oats contain phytates, enzymes that block mineral absorption in the body. It would be much healthier and easier for your child to eat oats that you grind the night before in your blender then soak them in water with a Tablespoon of yogurt, whey or lemon juice (something acidic) overnight and then cook this mixture up on the stove. The nice thing about soaking is that it “predigests” the grains so you may not even need to grind your oats finer….plain rolled oats cook up very fast if they’ve bee soaked several hours. Hope this all makes sense. Whey is a watery liquid that separates from the curds of milk. If you buy yogurt, scoop out a spoonful and put it back in the fridge for a day, you will notice a liquid rise to the top of the yogurt container and this is whey….you can use this or anything else that is acidic.
Yes, you can use ground nuts (again, even nuts need to be pre-soaked, as they are high in phytates too) for “fat” in your porridge. But I think the more fat (meaning butter) the better because it is the fat that keeps our bodies going the longest, the longest burning fuel.
Yes, very hot porridge will kill the enzymes in the raw milk. So maybe wait til it is a bit cool before adding raw milk. But do not fret too much because it is not the same as pasteurizing your milk…which really makes it difficult to digest. Some cultures only drink warm milk because it really is easier on your system. Hot milk and really cold milk aren’t really the best.
Hope this helps and feel free to keep asking questions, and I highly recommend Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook or searching her site for many helpful articles: http://www.westonaprice.org
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