Getting Soaking for Digestion

For some, this may be old news, but for others, this may be a reintroduction to a part of the pyramid that they have been avoiding.  Much of the information given about whole grains fails to address the issue of digestion.  If you have made the switch from white to wheat you may be experiencing discomfort from poor digestion.  But this process is for the healthy digestive tract as well!

Whole grains contain phytic acid in the bran of the grain. Phytic acid combines with key minerals, especially calcium, mangesium, copper, iron, and zinc and prevents their absorption in the intestinal tract.

Soaking, fermenting or sprouting the grain before cooking or baking will neutralize the phytic acid, releasing these nutrients for absorption.  This can be especially helpful for those who suffer gluten intolerance.

Are you ready to start soaking?! Let's start with your hot cereals and bread/muffin preparation. The first step is to soak the whole grain flour in an acid medium such as buttermilk, plain yogurt, or other cultured milk, or in water with whey, lemon juice or vinegar added, 1 TB per cup water. Neutralizing a large portion of the phytic acid starts in as little as 7 hours of soaking, but you can just prep the night before and let it sit overnight for best results. You can soak for up to 24 hours. This is done on the countertop, covering the bowl, not the refrigerator. This works great with steel cut oats and old fashioned oatmeal(best soaked for 24 hours) and it makes them nice and creamy for preparing hot porridge. Just measure and prep as usual.

Brown rice, buckwheat, and millet are more easily digested so they may take less soaking, several hours. Put it on the counter in the morning and it will be ready to use for dinner.

Additional Tips

The soaking process will greatly soften the grain resulting in baked goods that are lighter in texture, closer to the texture of white flour. The longer the soaking, the less necessary is baking powder. Baking soda, alone, will give enough rise.

Recipes requiring a blender such as baked goods and pancakes should also include the soaking process, preferably using buttermilk, but you can substitute an equal amount of water with whey, lemon juice or vinegar, 1 TB per cup, as an alternative. You can make buttermilk by adding 1T of vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill with whole milk (raw if you can get it!) to the 1C line.

Give it a try and report your results, Bon Appetite!

For more information on what you can soak, sprout and ferment and their nutritional benefit, check out Sally Fallon's, Nourishing Traditions cookbook.