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All About Soaking Grains: Questions and Answers

Soaking Grains Questions and Answers - Everything you wanted to know about traditional ways to prepare whole grains.

Whole grains are a hot topic. Are they really healthy? Or could they do more harm than good? Turns out it all depends how you prepare them. Soaking grains may be an unfamiliar practice to many, but it is actually the traditional way to prepare them. How do you do it? And why should you? Good questions!

As with everything we do at Kitchen Stewardship®, we’ll help you figure out practical, research-based answers in a bite-sized way!

Why Are Whole Grains Unhealthy?

Grains are seeds, meant to pass through the system relatively undigested with anti-nutrients built in to make them difficult to digest. Seeds also contain compounds that stop the active enzyme activity of germination, which hinder active enzyme activity in your digestive system. Read more…

Do Whole Grains Cause Cavities?

Are Oats Healthier Than Wheat?

Oats may be considered an everyday superfood. They are very high in manganese, a good source of selenium, tryptophan, phosphorus, Vitamin B1, magnesium, fiber, and protein. Read more…

Why Should You Soak Grains?

Enzyme inhibitors, found in whole grains, interfere with normal digestion. They stop the enzymes from doing their jobs properly and stress out the pancreas. Soaking, sprouting, or sourdough may reduce these anti-nutrients and make whole grains more digestible! Read more…

Why Does Soaking Make Grains Healthier?

Soaking the grains begins germination, rendering the enzyme inhibitors unnecessary. They are neutralized so that the seed can sprout, making everything more accessible to our bodies. Read more…

How do You Soak Grains?

To soak grain, mix the whole grains with whatever liquid is called for in the recipe, along with the sweetener and fat, replace 1 Tbs per cup of liquid with an acidic medium, allow to rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours. Read more…

Is Soaking Grains Traditional?

The Scriptures are full of references to grains. Clearly being solely meat eaters was not in the original perfect plan. Grains have staked their place as a traditional food and meant for our consumption. Read more…

What is Phytic Acid?

Phytic acid is both an antioxidant and an anti-nutrient. It is a hexaphosphoinositol and a powerful chelator. This could be positive, toxin-reducing, and cancer-fighting, or negative, prohibiting your system from absorbing minerals. Read more…

What are Phytates?

Phytates are the bonds holding phytic acid, the “salt of the phytic acid,” which can be broken in the gut with stomach acid, via germination, or under the enzyme phytase. Read more…

What is Phytase?

Phytase is an enzyme that separates the phytates and phytic acid from one another, thus releasing phosphorus and other minerals trapped in that bond. Read more…

Does Soaking Grains Remove Gluten?

The fermentation process of sourdough begins to break down the gluten protein, enough so that some with gluten sensitivities can consume it, but not so much that it can’t give bread a nice rise. Soaking overnight may have a similar effect! Read more…

Is Soaking or Sprouting Grains Healthier?

Sprouting grains cuts the carbs. Sprouting also increases Vitamins C and A immensely. Soaking grains neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and may reduce phytic acid’s effect on bonded minerals. Read more…

How Do You Sprout Whole Grains?

Soak grains in water for about 12 hours. Put a net bag over the open mouth of the jar. Drain the water. Rinse. Set the jar partly upside down. Every 12 hours rinse the grains. Read more…

How do You Make Sprouted Flour?

After sprouting the whole grains, dry them in a dehydrator. Once they are completely dry you can grind them into flour and use immediately or store it for later. Read more…

What is the Best Way to Store Grains?

Whole grains don’t need special storage. To keep insects and critters away, it’s wise to store in plastic buckets. It is recommend to store whole grain flours in the freezer. Read more…

What is The Healthiest Whole Grain Bread?

Because sourdough leavening works much slower than commercial yeast, the bread dough ends up sitting around longer. The lactic acid creates an ideal pH for phytase activity, which decreases phytates by 62%. Sourdough is a much more traditional preparation of whole grains and likely more digestible. Read more…

How Do You Make Sourdough?

A sourdough starter is simply a mixture of flour and water wherein natural yeast or natural leavening from your air consumes the starch and creates gas, giving your bread an opportunity to rise. Read more…

Do you include traditionally prepared whole grains in your diet? What have you found works best for your family?

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