More on eating RAW - soaking grains & nuts
As human beings we thrive on patterns. These patterns are
great when we need to be on time for work or appointments, but tend to get us
nutritionally stuck when we continue to eat the same old things. A raw foods
diet doesn’t have to be “all or nothing”. I have had great success in making a
couple of simple changes that make sense for me.
The first change I made was implementing “Green Smoothies” 2
to 3 days a week for breakfast. If I were still hungry I would also eat the raw
sunflower and pumpkin seed cereal (see recipe below). For lunch I would have a
raw salad and then dinner would be cooked. For me a slow introduction to eating
raw works. I paid attention to signs and symptom changes in my body and
adjusted the raw eating accordingly.
Soaking Grains & Nuts
The second change I made was soaking grains and nuts. There
is a good section on soaking grains on the website; http://www.naturalnews.com/025648.html
and also on
http://www.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/healthy-whole-grains.html.
Grains and nuts contain enzyme inhibitors. Grains also
contain phytic acid. Enzyme inhibitors prevent proper digestion to take place. Phytic
acid, which is in the bran of the grain binds phosphorous and blocks absorption
of some nutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Soaking grains breaks
down enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid so they are no longer harmful. As grains
soak their vitamin content increase especially the B vitamins. Soaking nuts
also breaks down enzyme inhibitors activating their full nutritional benefits
and aiding in better digestion.
This is one cold cereal you need not worry about wilting
before finishing.
Raw Sunflower Cereal
1/8 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked
1/8 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked
1/8 cup raw buckwheat groats or oat flakes, soaked
pinch of stevia or sweetener of choice
1 Tbsp. oat bran, soaked (optional)
1 Tbsp. coconut
cover with nut milk of choice
In a small bowl, combine seeds, groats, sweetener, oat bran,
and coconut. Cover with nut milk. Chew slowly and enjoy.
I have tried several different versions of the above raw
cereal. I’ve used soaked spelt berries, instead of the groats, eliminated the oat
bran and added soaked oat flakes. Also adding a heaping teaspoon of raw nut
butter or/ and raw nuts will increase the protein. The addition of your
favorite fruit is also an option.
There is an excellent chart for soaking grains and nuts in
the Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine Book
by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. I soak my pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, thick oat
meal, buckwheat groats, and oat bran at least overnight. I drain the water off
in the morning. I dehydrate the seeds at 116˚ to dry them or they can be spread
out on a cutting board and left to air dry.
by Zeba Due