I’ve mentioned on this blog that I soak my grains before eat them. I thought I’d write about why I soak them and how I soak them.
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Why you should soak your grains

I discussed this briefly in my post about the Paelo diet, but I thought it would be worth going over again.

I’m sure that you’ve heard before–probably when you were quite young–that you shouldn’t eat an apple seed because they’re poisonous. Most of us instinctively know that eating the seeds of fruit is not such a good idea. You probably don’t eat them for practical reasons because they’re hard and annoying, and when you accidental bite down on them they have a bitter, unpleasant taste. The seeds are like that because they don’t want to be eaten. It they are hard and taste bad animals will just swallow them whole when they’re eating. The seeds are covered in a protective coating so they can safely pass through the digestive system. They come out the end intact along with a nice bit of fertilizer so they can plant themselves in the ground and grow. So that’s the story of a seed and how fruit plants protect their young.

What is a grain? A grain is a seed just like the pit in a fruit is. Wouldn’t it make sense that plants that produce grain have similar methods to keep their young safe?

Grains contain chemicals called antinutrients. The antinutrient, phytic acid, binds to zinc, calcium, magnesium, copper and iron blocking their absorption into your intestinal tract. Enzyme inhibitors in grains stress the pancreas and inhibit digestion. You can think of it as the plant saying, “You can eat my babies, but I’m going to make sure your unhealthy because of it.”

Some animals have evolved digestive systems that can break down these antinutrients and enzyme inhibitors so they have no effect on them. They have long intestinal systems and multiple stomachs. We humans haven’t done that so we have to break down these bad things before we put the grains in our bodies.

Soaking and Sprouting

Using methods like soaking and sprouting to prepare your grains and legumes breaks down the antinutrients in them so your body can easily digest them. If you look at traditional cultures’ methods of preparing grains and legumes you’ll find a long tradition of soaking, fermenting and sprouting. The fermenting process in making sourdough breads helped make the gluten in the wheat more easily digestible. In many Asian country rice is soaked before it’s cooked.

I’ve only started soaking my grains this year so I’m not old hat at it like some other people are, but here’s what I do.

My family eats rice more than any other grain. I always cook with brown rice. I soak my rice for a few hours before I cook it. Usually I squeeze a lemon into the water, about 1 tablespoon per every cup of water. Then I soak the rice for a few hours. I rinse it well before cooking it. I might change the way I soak my rice. While doing research for this post I came across this article. So I may started soaking my rice for longer.

Beans and legumes should be soaked overnight. First rinse the beans well. Then soak. Just like I do for the rice, I add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of water. Rinse the beans before cooking. The acid in the lemon juice helps break down the antinutrients. You can use vinegar, kefir whey or ferment buttermilk instead of lemon juice in any of these soaking instructions.

Recently, I’ve started eating oatmeal or porridge for breakfast. Oats should be soaked for 24 hours before you cook them. I add equal parts oats and water to a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice. Then I let it soak until the next day. In the morning I add the same amount of milk as oats to a pan and heat it slowly. Then I dump in my soaked oats. Stir it up and cook for a few minutes. You can use water instead of milk.

I haven’t started baking yet so I can’t give instructions on that. Once I start I’ll keep you posted. If you want to find out more about soaking your grains check out the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Photo by Jonathan Gill
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