Renée Elliott - Super Grains, Nuts & Seeds

This message in this book is if youre eating grains, it is better to eat them whole and best to eat them soaked. If youre not eating many nuts and seeds, its good to eat more of them, better to eat them raw and best to eat them soaked. And it always makes sense to choose organic when you can. Instead of covering all grains, nuts and seeds, the focus here is best in class plus information on how to prepare and eat these nourishing ingredients.

Having studied health and nutrition since 1982, I have concluded that many of the illnesses that plague us today, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease in all of its forms, are the result of poor eating habits. Most of what I do fits my mission: To promote health in the community. I have been on that mission publicly since 1995, but privately its motivated me for a great deal longer, probably even through my childhood and education. I opened Planet Organic in November 1995 as an antidote to conventional supermarkets: to provide the best-quality food and give people the choice of health.

Fast-forward to June 2006, when I made a new friend named Allison. As an American transplanted to London, she was already a shopper at Planet Organic. Alison, said, I stand there staring at barley on the Planet Organic shelf. I know I should eat it, but Im not sure what is the best way to cook it.

Eating well is so unavoidably important. My progress on this path has taken time and thoughtfulness. A major turning point for me came when I was pregnant and read in a pregnancy book to make every mouthful count. The book advised me to have one little treat a week like a wholegrain carrot muffin and one big treat a month like a honking piece of cake. That made so much sense to me that I concluded that every mouthful should always count.

I have a passion for eating foods whole. The more you take off, take out and process food, the less nutritionally valuable it is. I dont believe in calorie counting or portion pondering. I do believe in buying the best ingredients and eating as wide a range of foods as possible.

Eat whole grains whenever you can and avoid white-sugar and white-flour products like pasta, bread and biscuits.

Soak nuts and seeds, eat raw and eat nuts with their skins on.

Soak grains before cooking (see ).

Eat some foods raw, eat some cooked. Soak some. Ferment some. Balance whole grains with protein, vegetables and oil/fat.

Organic food is grown and processed without the use of agricultural chemicals and artificial additives. Chemical residues used in farming concentrate in the outer husks of food, so choosing organic is particularly important when eating wholegrains, nuts and seeds. No other food has higher amounts of beneficial minerals, vitamins and amino acids than organic food and, beacuse it is farmed responsibly, we can eat healthily and live in balance with our environment.

This book is not meant to be an encyclopaedia of all grains, nuts and seeds. Instead, I have chosen foods that are best for you and highlighted the main nutritional benefit of each one. Soaking grains, nuts and seeds is an old tradition that has been coming back into new thinking. There is still research to be done and that research may change some of the details of the processes involved. What I have set out in this book is considered best practice at time of printing.

Foods in their whole state are nutritionally superior. But when it comes to grains, nuts and seeds, they are best for you after soaking. And even better if you sprout them. Nuts and seeds are best eaten raw.

Grains, nuts and seeds all have two things in common that make it hard for us to digest them and access the full spectrum of nutrition that they offer. Firstly, they have phytic acid in their outer husk which binds with calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc in our large intestine, meaning we dont absorb them. And secondly, they contain enzyme inhibitors to prevent sprouting at the wrong time, which can neutralize important enzymes in our digestive tract. To neutralize both of these, you need to soak grains, nuts and seeds.

The basic principle is that you soak grains in acidulated water water mixed with either yogurt, kefir or lemon juice (if you are dairy-free) so that enzymes, lactobacilli and other beneficial organisms can do their job. For soaking grains, see .

Soak nuts and seeds in salted water and then store in the fridge for a few days, or crisp in a low oven or dehydrator to store for longer. For soaking nuts, see .

The soaking process also activates the little powerhouse inside of each grain, nut or seed, so soaking achieves the following:

neutralizes phytic acid

neutralizes enzyme inhibitors

increases helpful enzymes

increases vitamins, particularly B vitamins

Further research into this principle may uncover different techniques in the future, but for now, this seems to be best practice. Its not something to stress about though if there isnt time. It is a smart goal and eating better is a journey.

Sprouting grains, nuts and seeds takes them a step further. To sprout any grain, nut or seed follow the same process of soaking, rinsing and growing. The only variable is the amount of time it takes for some foods to sprout. Sprouting jars are excellent for this, but you can use a regular jar with a colander for draining.

put about one-third grain, nut or seed in a Mason-size jar

fill to the top with filtered water

soak overnight

the next morning, pour off the water

fill the jar again, pour off the water and drain in a colander

rinse at least twice a day more if you are able

sprouts will be ready in 14 days

Rinse the sprouts thoroughly and let them drain in a colander until they are fairly dry. Then store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is not necessary (and is difficult) to sprout linseed, which becomes too mucilaginous to rinse. Nuts will sprout, except for pecans and walnuts, which should be soaked as on . Grains will sprout, except for oats, because they have been removed from their outer hull. Sprouted grains are best if lightly steamed.

neutralizes phytic acid

neutralizes enzyme inhibitors

increases helpful enzymes

increases vitamins, particularly B2, B5, B6 and beta-carotene

increases vitamin C

breaks down complex sugars in beans and legumes that cause wind

Cereal grains and pseudocereals are the major source of carbohydrate for most people. Cereals, grown for their edible starchy seeds for eating or milling into flour, are part of the grass family. Pseudocereals are grown and used for the same purpose, but are not part of the grass family. Cereal grains include corn, barley, millet, oats, rice, sorghum, rye, spelt, teff, wild rice, wheat and others. Pseudocereals include amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa.