Great Grains
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)
All the way back at the beginning Adonai told us to make and eat bread. We have come up with some wonderful varieties of bread, from heavy and dark rye breads to light and sweet desert breads. There are many different types of grain to chose from; wheat, barley, rye, spelt, corn and sorghum just to name a few.
Dr. Weston Price, in his quest for the source of healthy teeth and gums, discovered many traditional diets that produced strong, healthy children and every single one of them contained bread in some form. Each culture had a favorite way to prepare their grains, but all diets contained some sort of bread. Tradition has it that one of the first things that the Adam learned from the angels was how to make bread.
Bread has been called the staff of life. Or, at least, it is supposed to be, but for some people it has become poison. Why is that? Well, that depends on whom you ask. Just like with any other subject, there are multiple theories and each one has some truth within. Elmer M. Cranton, M.D. wrote an article entitled Modern Bread, The Broken Staff Of Life in which he states:
Modern technology has transformed bread, once the staff of life, into a mere broken reed, contributing to widespread vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This has occurred in Western industrialized countries where few people go hungry? Bread is used here as just one example of similar processes that degrades our food supply on its way from the farm to the consumer.
To get the conveniences of high-tech food processing, mass-production, mass-marketing, long shelf life, uniformity of final product, even coloration, and soft texture, we create nutritional deficiencies. The food processing industry deceptively markets its products as more convenient versions of what grandmother once did in her kitchen. That is far from the truth!
Most of today's mass-produced foods are seriously depleted of nutrients and are highly chemicalized with additives. Processed foods today are not just more sophisticated and more convenient versions of the foods eaten by our ancestors. A wide spectrum of essential nutrients has been removed in the manufacturing process. The basic molecular structure of what remains is also degraded and nutritionally inferior.
Our SAD diets and fast food lifestyles have caused a major change in our food supply. Small farms are being replaced with huge, mega-farms, the land itself is not being properly maintained using natural fertilizer nor is the land being allowed to rest. Add in the modification of the grain itself by the seed companies, who are creating grains that are not as nutritious as the grains our Creator made, and are “pesticide ready”, and we can easily see big problems up ahead. In our desire to have soft, cheap bread we have created a food that isn’t really a food in the respect that it doesn’t contain the nutrients our bodies need.
Grain that is ground between two stones, as is traditionally done, contains all of the elements of the grain. When the same grain is ground in a high-speed steel roller mill, it is unable to grind the germ and the bran properly and thus it is ejected. Whatever is ejected, which includes some of the most nutritious parts of the grain, is then given to cattle in feedlots instead of the green grasses they are supposed to eat. Even the flour that is left behind is robbed of additional nutrients due to the extremely high temperatures in the steel roller milling. This is all done in such a way as to optimize profits. This is also causing malnutrition in both humans and animals.
The reason our store-bought bread is so light and fluffy is because it lacks nutrients. The grain itself is cultivated to be lighter to produce lighter flour, but the lighter the flour, the less nutrients it contains. For example, wheat grown in the beginning of the twentieth century was 50% starch and 50% protein. By the year 2000 that had changed dramatically, with some strains containing a mere 8% protein and a whopping 92% starch. Commercial bakeries add more yeast and more sugar to their bread causing more air pockets to form in less time, causing the bread to rise faster and be baked sooner. This does not allow the bread to properly ferment, a necessary step in proper preparation of grains.
Another change made is the harvest and storage of our grains. Traditionally grains were cut and left in the field for a time before being brought into the storage facilities. Often the grains would begin to break down due to moisture (dew) and heat (sunlight) and begin to sprout, either while still in the field or while in the granary. Modern farming techniques prevent the grains from germinating during harvest and storage. Modern milling techniques have destroyed many of the nutrients that our bodies need, and the long-term storage of flour allows additional nutrients to dissipate.
These changes in the preparation of our grains have caused damage to our bodies. Many doctors and scientists like Dr. Weston Price spoke out against the use of white flour, stating that it lacked the nutrition needed for strong healthy people noting that whenever white flour was introduced to a new culture, rampant tooth decay and sickness soon followed. These warnings went unheeded and many people began to use white flour almost exclusively. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for the rest of us to discover the truth about white bread, causing us to desire a return to whole grains. Sally Fallon, president of the Weston Price Foundation and author of the book Nourishing Traditions writes:
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.
Careful preparation of grains is the key that we have been missing. And, once again, it all goes back to our Creator. When He made grains, He had two purposes planned. Grains provide food for our bodies, but they also need to be part of the plant’s reproductive system. So, God had to make a way for this food to survive digestion so that it may be planted.
If a horse goes into a wheat field and begins to eat, most of the plant will be digested while the seed passes through, deposited in the horse manure (excellent fertilizer!) and on its way to fulfilling its mission of becoming a wheat plant. If a cow goes into that same field and eats, she not only digests the plant, but the seed as well. Why is that? Cows have four stomachs. This allows them to break through the seeds natural defense system and access the nutrients within.
Humans, like horses, only have one stomach. This is why seeds tend to pass right through us and are wonderful fibrous material to help keep our bowels moving properly, but we don’t glean any nutrients from them. We need to grind the seeds in order to access the goodness within, using the flour to make bread. Although we have cracked the self-defenses of the grain, we have not yet eliminated them.
All seeds contain something called Phytic acid that will bond with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. If this acid is not broken down, it can cause damage to our intestines. Enzyme inhibitors are also found in whole grains. These prevent our bodies from producing the enzymes needed to properly digest the grain, allowing it to pass through. These put undue stress on the pancreas, causing further problems. Lastly, grain seeds contain aflatoxins, which are potent carcinogens from funguses associated with grains.
An example of these aflatoxins is the one made by a parasitic fungus of rye called Ergot. Ergot is the source of LSD, and apparently played quite a large role in the Salem Witch Hunt. Occasionally, when conditions are just right, a field of rye will become contaminated with large amounts of ergot. When the bread made from this rye is consumed, it causes violent convulsions as well as hallucinations. Researchers have discovered that this is what happened in the village of Salem that caused the girls to behave so strangely. The records indicate the very same symptoms of what we now know to be ergot poisoning. At the time this was unknown, so they simply blamed the only thing they could: witchcraft.
We now have a much better understanding of these things than our ancestors did. We now know not to consume rye that has too much ergot. What if it only contains a small amount? If the rye only contains small amounts of ergot, the simple processes of germination and fermentation are enough to break down these toxins. This is what happens within cows (although in large amounts, like those found in Salem, the animals are sickened as well) as their stomachs work to break down their food.
These self-defense mechanisms need to be broken down if we want to glean all of the nutrients available from the grain without damaging our system in the process. Properly processed, whole grains are very good for us, but without the proper processing they can cause damage to our system. This is what we see happening at alarming rates. Our intestinal tract can only handle so much before it begins to show wear and tear and begins to break down due to lack of nutrients. It is believed that this is a cause of many intestinal disorders, like irritable bowl syndrome.
The germination process breaks down these self defense mechanisms, allowing the seed to grow into a plant. Once the grain becomes the seed, the phytic acid and the enzyme inhibitors are neutralized, allowing for digestion. If the process is halted just as it has begun, and the grain dried properly (not allowing for any mold or fungus to grow), we can then grind it and use the flour to make our bread. This is called sprouted grain bread.
Sprouted grains contain more vitamin C than standard grains, preventing scurvy, and increase the content of vitamins B2, B5, and B6, while increasing the carotenes up to eightfold. Besides breaking down the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors found in grain, sprouting also helps to break down the complex sugars that our bodies cannot and produces numerous enzymes that aid in the digestion of the grain.
The starch found in grains can be hard for our bodies to digest without the proper enzymes. In fact, most people are what are called “starch intolerant,” and the additional starch in today’s grains are making it even more difficult for us to process the bread we eat. Remember, this will be simply turned into sugar in our bodies, not really providing us with nutrients at all, while causing damage to our digestive system.
Grains also contain a protein called Gluten that can be hard for our bodies to digest without the proper enzymes. There are some, however, who are unable to digest gluten regardless of the enzymes present. These people are gluten-intolerant. It is often hard to differentiate between the two because there are so many similarities. Tonya C. Johnson, who is the mother of a celiac child, has her own baking company that only uses sprouted flour in their products. Here is her story (from www.creatingheaven.net):
"When my son was a year old, he was diagnosed with celiac disease. He was falling off the growth charts …and had horrific eczema…a skin condition, dermatitis herpitiformis, that accompanies celiac disease. ALL the gluten-free food protocols failed…my son continued to waste and have skin as hard as asphalt…. he either threw up or his skin became tight, rougher and untouchable...it would even crack and bleed.
“I suspected
starchy grains prominent in most gluten-free foods. I was on a mad hunt to find
starch-free easy-to-digest foods when I came across Summers Sprouted Flour.
Immediately I bought 10# and began to make foods for my ailing, thin son.
Within a month of changing this one food in his diet, I am happy to report my
son is a healthy child who maintains a handsome weight for his tall frame. All
vomiting episodes stopped and his skin is as soft as butter.
“ I am 100% convinced that the
Summers Sprouted Flour helped him to turn the corner from what was really a
major sensitivity to the STARCH in grains and not the GLUTEN!"
How many people might be suffering needlessly due to the improper preparation of our bread? It is not always easy to find a good source of quality bread so the best thing to do is to make it for ourselves. When we learn to properly prepare grains, through soaking, sprouting and sour leavening (fermentation), we will rediscover the reason why it is called the staff of life.
Almost any grain can be sprouted; wheat, barley, dried beans, radish seeds, chia, chickpeas and almonds as well as pumpkin and sunflower seeds are quite good once they’ve been sprouted. In fact, unsprouted chickpeas can cause quite a bit of gas in most people. Most people see the word Chia and think, “Chia Pets!” but chia has a very long history in the Americas. Known as Indian Running Food, the Aztec messengers would carry a bag of chia with them to sustain them on their journey because the chia gave them a boost of energy that many of us could use today. They are very similar to flax seeds, containing many of the same nutrients.
Flax seeds are difficult to sprout due to their size and the fact that they can’t be rinsed properly. Oat, once they have been separated from the outer hull, are also difficult to sprout, as are any seeds that have been irradiated and are used as spices. Nuts that have been removed from the shell, like pecans and walnuts, will not sprout, but otherwise simply soak the nuts in warm salt water overnight to neutralize the sprout inhibitors.
One grain that should not be sprouted is, surprisingly enough, alfalfa. Alfalfa sprouts inhibit the immune system and contribute to inflammatory illnesses such as arthritis and lupus. Alfalfa also contains a certain amino acid, called canavanine, which is toxic. This acid is not neutralized until the plant is growing. We also need to remember that although sprouting is good, over-consumption of raw sprouted grains can be detrimental as there are irritating substances in sprouts that are neutralized through cooking and baking.
Allowing grains, in the form of flour, to ferment through sourdough leavening allows the good bacteria, called lactobacilli, to pre-digest our food. This in turn will help our bodies to absorb more nutrients and replenish the lactobacilli culture in our guts. The reason why cattle can digest these grains so well is due to the fact that they have lactobacilli in their first and second stomachs. We don’t, so we must allow the lactobacilli to work outside of our bodies. When we soak the flour it develops a sour taste; when we soak the grains there is almost a sweet flavor to our bread. Grain will double in bulk when soaked, turning 1 cup of dry grains into 2 cups of sprouted grains, but will shrink again during the drying process.
On the back of just about every loaf of bread in this country is something called the Food Guide Pyramid. According to this chart, each of us should consume six to eleven servings of bread a day, more than any other type of food. For some people this is fine, but for others, this diet would make them sick. For people who have issues with gluten, like those who have Celiac, this diet would put them in the hospital. We cannot expect every one to thrive on the same diet because we are not all the same. We must listen to our body’s reaction to food to find what is best for us.
Mucus is God’s allergy alarm. If you eat something and within the first twenty minutes discover that you’ve developed postnasal drip or that your nose has started to run, take a look at what you’ve just eaten. There is a very good chance that you may be allergic to one or more ingredients. If you seem to be extremely tired after eating a sandwich, try using sprouted grain bread and see if that makes a difference. Try making waffles from flour soaked overnight and see if your family isn’t fuller faster. You may never buy boxed waffles again.
We need to add some variety back into our diets and grains are a great place to start. There are many different types of wheat; some are better for breads while others are superb for making pastries. Oats, while still used often for oatmeal and oatmeal cookies, were often mixed with barley, buckwheat and flax seed for a hearty morning meal. The oats we use today, in their handy flavor packets, are a far cry from the oatmeal great-grandma used to make.
Breakfast doesn’t look at all like it did 150 years ago. Back then people got up early and did chores before breakfast. By the time that steaming bowl of porridge hit the table, with the smell of maple syrup or maybe homemade applesauce wafting up through the window, little Joey had built up such an appetite milking the cows that he wouldn’t dream of turning up his nose at such a wonderful breakfast. What he would turn his nose up at are some of the “foods” we modern Americans have for breakfast… when we take the time to have breakfast.
We hear the word porridge and we see visions of the orphan boy, Oliver, daring to ask for more gruel. Our hearts go out to him, but only because he was expected to eat such slop… not like today when we have so many cold cereals to chose from. If we were able to bring Oliver to life and show him our breakfast, with Pop Tarts and Foot Loops and instant breakfast drinks, he would feel sorry for us. His breakfast was much more nutritious than ours, containing whole grains, in their natural form, soaked and fermented overnight and cooked slow to preserve all the nutrients. Who is the poor boy now?
Oats, rye, barley and wheat are all true grains and contain high amounts of gluten. Buckwheat, rice and millet are not technically grains so they contain no gluten and can be used by those who are gluten-intolerant. They also contain lower amounts of phytates than grains, but still should be soaked for at least two hours to neutralize what is there. Buckwheat, which is actually the seed of an herb, contains nitrilosides, which are known to prevent cancer.
Wheat is the most heavily produced grain (besides corn), but there are many varieties of wheat. There is hard red and hard white winter wheat, spring, whit and soft wheat as well as durum wheat, just to name a few. Spelt, an ancient variety of wheat, is now making a comeback due to the fact that it is more easily digested than some of the more modern varieties. St. Hildegard, a medieval sage, believed spelt to be better for the sick and weak than other grains, apparently because the gluten in spelt breaks down easily when fermented, as often it was for sourdough bread.
Kamut, used in early Egypt, is also making a comeback and has become very popular among those who are looking for alternatives to the standard wheat bread. Teff is another type of grain from northern Africa that has been traditionally used but is rare in the western world. South Americans in the Andes have something called Quinoa, which it technically not a grain but is used as such. It is actually the fruit of the Chenopodium family and must be soaked to neutralize the anti-nutrients, and it forms the staple of the diet of these Native Americans.
It is well known that beans and legumes need to be soaked before they can be used as food, yet we seem to have forgotten the same for grains. Beans, legumes and grains are all seeds and must be treated as such in order for them to be properly digested and utilized by our bodies. We have not been doing this and now we are paying the price through our poor health. We are overweight and undernourished and getting sicker by the day, and it doesn’t have to be this way.
If we treat our grains with respect, they will provide a wealth of nutrients to our systems. If we continue to treat them poorly, they will become poison to our systems. Which will it be? Will we continue to believe that store-bought, factory-made is better for our health than anything we could make at home, like the advertising executives would like us to believe, or will we allow the evidence of hundreds, or even thousands of years of healthy children eating only homemade breads and porridges to speak to us? As I said in the beginning, the proof is in the pudding.