This will probably be no surprise to you, but I’m going against the grain again in this chapter.
Grains make up the major ingredients in breads, cereals, cakes, and a zillion other processed foods these days. Grains are a staple of the standard American diet due to the energy they convey in the form of carbohydrates.
Wheat, rye, and barley have been around ever since humankind shifted from a nomadic lifestyle to staying in one place and planting crops nearby. Somewhere along the line, ancient people discovered that grinding threshed grains into a powder (flour), adding a leavening agent such as yeast, and baking the dough in wood-fired ovens made delicious bread and added a foundational element to their diets. Bread is often used as a synonym for “food” in the Bible, and Jesus even called Himself the “bread of life” in John 6:35.
So how could Jesus compare Himself to bread if bread is considered unhealthy by many today?
Answer: because bread in Jesus’ time was vastly different from today’s commercially made breads, buns, muffins, and rolls, which use hybridized, chemical-laden, refined white flour as their main ingredient.
With the introduction of machinery during the Industrial Age, man found a way to take something healthy—our grains—and turn them into something totally unhealthy by stripping away the God-given vitamins, minerals, and fiber content during the refining process.
Every day, more than 200 million Americans consume food products made of refined, bleached, and unbleached wheat flour. They’ll have:
◼ a breakfast consisting of a bowl of sugar-coated cereal or make a quick stop for a Danish during the morning commute
◼ a mid-morning snack of perhaps a glazed donut or toasted bagel
◼ a lunch consisting of a turkey sandwich made from “enriched” white bread or a hamburger on a sesame seed bun
◼ a dinner consisting of pizza or some type of pasta dish
◼ a dessert of apple pie with a crust made from refined flour, or perhaps a pastry or cupcake
The list is endless. I’m not even including all the chips and crackers that people love to snack on before and after meals. Those are made from refined grains or starches as well.
Then there’s the issue of gluten, the sticky protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is presenting health challenges for millions of people these days. All you have to do is open a restaurant menu and find the section offering gluten-free options. To this growing customer base of people who suffer from gluten intolerance, the topic of grains has become a big deal in the last decade.
So if you’re thinking that I’m going to come down hard against grains, here’s where I go against the conventional wisdom. I’m actually in favor of consuming grains, as long as they are grown organically and are consumed in a soaked, sprouted, or fermented/sour leavened form. I’m especially fond of ancient non-gluten grains such as amaranth, millet, quinoa, and buckwheat, as well as sprouted nuts and seeds.
A big component of the Daniel Diet is seeds, which are a main ingredient in our EA Pulse blends. What I want all of us to do is eat the very best grains and seeds available. To accomplish that goal, I’ve come up with a hierarchy of grains that goes like this:
At the bottom of this totem pole are the grains common in the American diet—mainly wheat that’s been processed and refined into white bleached and unbleached flour and is used to make every processed food known to man.
Next up are whole grains, which are a step above processed grains but not much because the wheat and other cereal grains come from conventionally-treated soils where pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and chemical fertilizers are routinely used.
Organic whole grains are better than conventionally-grown whole grains for reasons you might surmise. In their natural state growing in organic soil, whole grains are the seed of the plant. A grain seed is made up of three key edible parts—the bran, the germ, and the endosperm—and is surrounded by a husk that protects the kernel from assault by sunlight, pests, water, and disease.
While the protective components of whole grains keep pests from destroying the seeds, they contain nutrient and enzyme inhibitors and thus can be difficult to digest and can even rob nutrients from the human body.
Sprouted or sour-leavened organic whole grains, flours, cereals, and pastas come next. Sprouting, also known as germination, is a time when a seed comes to life and the nutrient potential trapped within the seed is unleashed. Sprouting is a great way to increase the digestibility of whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes while maintaining their nutrient density.
When seeds are allowed to germinate or sprout, this increases the enzymatic activity and inactivates substances called enzyme inhibitors. Enzymes are essential for digestion, cellular energy, tissue and organ repair, and brain activity and should not be inhibited.
Enzymes, the driving forces behind virtually every biochemical reaction that occurs in the human body, are tiny proteins that help turn food into energy and unlock this energy for use in the body. Without enzymes, life would slow to a standstill because chemical reactions inside our bodies wouldn’t happen.
Sour-leavened is a term that refers to a process in which grains and seeds are mixed with a starter culture, and a “pre-digestion” process ensues that allows the nutrients to be more easily assimilated and absorbed by the body. Sour leavening uses a sourdough starter made from beneficial yeasts and bacteria, or it can come from wild yeasts in the air. You can find instructions for making your own sourdough culture or purchase yeast-free, whole grain sourdough bread from your health food store or grocery.
Coming in at Number 2 on the totem pole are non-gluten grains such as amaranth, millet, quinoa, and buckwheat. These non-gluten grains are personal favorites of mine, and I try to include one of them in my meals when I’m looking to add a healthy source of carbohydrates to my plate. These four grains are actually classified as seeds and contain a higher percentage of proteins and less starch than other grains. They are much less likely to cause allergies and are easily digested by many who cannot tolerate gluten-containing grains.
At the top of the totem pole are seeds, preferably sprouted or germinated seeds that will give you everything that grains provide—vitamin E, plenty of B vitamins, essential fatty acids, fiber, and more—and are free of gluten, higher in protein, and lower in carbs than grains. They also contain much less starch.
Sprouted seeds are rich in digestible energy, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, beneficial enzymes, and phytochemicals—necessary elements for a germinating plant to grow. Sprouting increases the content of plant enzymes, raises the quality of protein, gives us essential fatty acids, and provides for the chelation of minerals. Sprouting accomplishes a veritable pre-digestion of grains, which is great for our bodies.
Dr. Edward Howell, a leading physician and biochemist of the 20th century and author of Enzymes for Health and Longevity, stated that germination increases enzyme activity by as much as six times. Soaking the seeds allows proteases within to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors and to release the enzymes from bondage.
The process of germination not only increases vitamin C but also favorably alters the composition and nutritional profile of the seed. Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B2, B5, and B6. Meanwhile, carotene dramatically increases—sometimes eightfold.
Even more importantly, sprouting neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in all seeds such as phytic acid, a substance found in the bran of all grains, which blocks the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
These inhibitors can also neutralize our own precious enzymes in the digestive tract. Additionally, complex sugars responsible for intestinal gas are broken down during sprouting. Sprouting also inactivates aflatoxins, which are potent carcinogens found in grains, seeds, and legumes. Finally, numerous enzymes that help digestion are created and liberated during the germination process.
THE SEVEN SEEDS
I recommend consuming the following seven organic seeds in their sprouted, enzyme-activated form each and every day. They’re wonderful in recipes, trail mixes, cereals, nut and seed butters, cookies, crackers, bars, and, when in a powder form, great in smoothies.
Chia seeds are packed full of fiber and are high in healthy fats such as monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Indeed, chia’s fiber-rich seeds have the highest percentage of omega-3s of any plant, including flaxseeds. You’ll also find plenty of calcium, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, and antioxidants in chia seeds, which help support healthy blood sugar levels and cardiovascular health and provide fiber for satiety and healthy weight management.
Flaxseeds are an excellent source of soluble and insoluble fiber as well as omega-3 fatty acids. You’ll find eight vitamins, four macro-minerals, four trace minerals, and ten amino acids in flaxseeds.
Sesame seeds have been prized by ancient cultures because of their belief that they promote energy and longevity. Sesame seeds contain the antioxidants sesamin, sesamolin, and sesamol as well as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, B1, phosphorus, and fiber. The lignans in sesame seeds support healthy cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, and liver health. Women of ancient Babylon ate sesame seeds to promote youth and beauty, while Roman soldiers consumed sesame seeds for strength and energy.
Black sesame seeds have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine to address the underlying physical disturbances that lead to aging and premature gray hair. Black sesame seeds, which can be used as a flavoring agent in many dishes, support the health of the bowels and promote the health of the liver and kidneys.
Hemp seeds are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are also an excellent source of gamma linoleic acid (GLA) and contain the highest percentage of protein of any seed or grain. No other single plant source has the essential amino acids in such an easily digestible form.
Sunflower seeds, which promote healthy digestion and weight management, are packed with vitamins, including vitamin B1 and B5, vitamin E and folate, and provide important minerals such as copper, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorous. Sunflower seeds are nature’s gift from the beautiful sunflower and its rays of petals branching out from a bright yellow, seed-studded center.
There are folklore stories about Russian soldiers who were given around a cup of sunflower seeds each day as their food allotment, and they were able to live for days and weeks on nothing but sunflower seeds. In modern times, major league baseball players—especially those seeking to break a chewing tobacco habit—dig out handfuls of sunflower seeds from their back pockets, popping them into their mouths and spitting the shells into the breeze.
Pumpkin seeds are usually thrown away after carving a pumpkin, but these flat, green, and crunchy seeds are highly nutritious and flavorful. Pumpkin seeds are especially rich in omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids as well as beta-sitosterol, which supports the good HDL cholesterol in the blood. The consumption of these seeds support healthy prostate function in addition to providing carotenoids, iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and potassium.
So go against the grain and begin consuming any of these seeds in their sprouted form today.
INTRODUCING EA LIVE
EA Live from Beyond Organic is a revolutionary technique based on ancient wisdom.
Each organic nut and seed undergoes an exclusive enzymatic activation process utilizing structured, energized water and an ancient symbiotic culture to increase nutrition and digestibility and to decrease enzyme inhibitors and anti-nutrients. The delicate enzymes, vitamins, and minerals are preserved within each ingredient through our raw food air-drying system.
Enzyme-activated foods are rich in digestible energy, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, beneficial enzymes and phytochemicals. They increase plant enzyme content and protein quality while conveying essential fatty acids, chelation of minerals, and vitamin content. On the other hand, it also reduces anti-nutritional factors such as phytic acid.
Enzyme activation accomplishes a veritable pre-digestion of nuts and seeds. Phytic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and magnesium, is largely decomposed, while certain sugars are made more digestible.
At Beyond Organic, we have created a complete line of delicious and nutritious foods and snacks using our Sprouted Seven Seed Blend, including seasoned nuts and seeds, trail mixes, cereals, cookies, crackers, bars, and even a gluten-free, organic, sprouted baking mix for use in cooking, baking, and smoothies. The foods and snacks are designed to add easily digestible nutrients and beneficial fiber to your everyday diet.
Visit www.LiveBeyondOrganic.com for more information.