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Giving up boxed breakfast cereal from the store is without a doubt one of the hardest tasks to accomplish after adopting a Traditional Diet. I was the Boxed Breakfast Cereal Queen before opting to get off the processed food train 2 decades ago. I would eat organic cereal morning, noon, and night, sometimes even a bowl before bed.
Can you believe I actually thought this practice was good for me?
Unfortunately, I learned that my boxed breakfast cereal habit, even though it was organic cereal, was far from healthy.
The problem is not with the ingredients themselves, which are simple and seem “whole” enough in the case of organic cereal. The unhealthy aspect of boxed cereal is due to the violent processing required to manufacture it.
Why Make Your Own Corn Flakes?
This factory driven process, called extrusion, applies so much heat and pressure to the cereal grains that they actually liquefy. This slurry allows the grains to be quickly and easily shaped into the puffs, flakes, and other shapes that make each cereal distinct.
According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, the manufacturing process used to make boxed cereal is so violent and denaturing that the proteins in the grains are actually rendered toxic and allergenic as a result. This is why whole grain boxed breakfast cereal is shockingly even more toxic than cheap boxed cereals made with white flour — because whole grains are higher in protein. The more protein, the more toxic the boxed cereal.
What’s a traditional eating family to do?
The good news is that unhealthy versions of processed foods like boxed breakfast cereal can usually be replicated at home using simple preparation techniques which do not denature the food or add toxins like what happens in a factory.
Boxed breakfast cereal is no exception. It is very possible to make tasty and healthy cold breakfast cereal yourself. I’ve posted articles and videos in the past about how to do this. Here are a few of the most popular:
- spelt homemade cold breakfast cereal recipe
- rice crispies recipe
- gluten free homemade breakfast cereal
- grain free homemade cold breakfast cereal
In the recipe below, I add another gluten free cereal recipe on how to make corn flakes!
Wait a Minute! Is Corn Healthy?
Some of you may be thinking – corn? No way. How is corn healthy?
Corn really does have a bad rap these days, doesn’t it?
The fact is that corn is a traditional food, particularly in my area of the country. The Indian tribes native to Florida ate a soaked corn gruel as a primary staple food. It sustained them well. They remained strong and vital on their native diet and were able to withstand battle after battle with the United States army and were never defeated. In 1957, the federal government officially recognized the sovereign rights of the Seminole tribe of Florida.
Corn Isn’t the Problem: GMOs are!
So corn itself is not the problem. What is unhealthy is genetically modified corn or corn that is violently processed. This creates frankenfoods like high fructose corn syrup and other additives included in supermarket foods. Worse, processed foods containing GMO corn contain residue of gut destroying glyphosate, known by consumers as Roundup.
Once you realize that corn is fine to eat when properly and traditionally prepared (unless you have an allergy to it) and that it is processed and genetically modified corn that is the real problem, you are free to enjoy this delicious traditional food!
How to Make Corn Flakes Cereal
Corn flakes cereal, in particular, is so yummy. It was always one of my favorites in my boxed breakfast cereal eating days.
In a burst of crazy and wild experimenting one afternoon, I came up with this recipe for homemade corn flakes cereal. My kids went nuts and so did I!
These healthy corn flakes taste just like the boxed corn flakes from the store, but this version is actually healthy and very filling!
What is also amazing about this healthy corn flakes cereal recipe is that it is so filling and satisfying. Just the small bowl you see in the picture above is plenty enough for breakfast or a snack. This compares with the several much larger bowls of processed corn flakes that don’t seem to fill you up that well and you are hungry again a short time later. Such is the overeating that occurs when one eats processed foods devoid of nutrients.
I hope you enjoy this corn flakes recipe as much as my family!
Homemade Corn Flakes
Easy recipe for homemade corn flakes that is sprouted, easy to digest, and loaded with nutrition.
Instructions
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In a large skillet, warm enough avocado oil so that it is about an inch deep. Heat to 300-325F, being careful not to let the temperature rise above 425F as this is the smokepoint of avocado oil. Free radicals begin to form in the oil if you exceed the smokepoint.
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Check the temperature using a digital food thermometer or just keep the tortillas to a light sizzle as they are frying and you will know that you are in the safe temperature range.
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Place several tortillas at a time into the heated oil. Fry until light brown. This will happen very fast - only a minute or so!
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Remove fried tortillas from the oil with stainless steel tongs and place on plates covered with an unbleached white towel. Very lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
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Continue the process until all 24 tortillas are fried.
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When the tortillas are cool to the touch on the towel lined plates, break each of them up into small, bite sized pieces.
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Serve homemade corn flakes immediately in a bowl with whole grassfed milk and a bit of whole sweetener or fruit. Store the remaining corn flakes cereal in a half gallon glass mason jar as shown in the picture or some other airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Be sure to use organic corn tortillas. Nonorganic corn is usually genetically modified (GMO).
If you wish to use nonsprouted corn tortillas, that is fine, but corn tortillas made with sprouted corn flour are much more nutritious.
This sounds great but isn’t this the same thing as corn chips? This is how my husband makes homemade tortilla chips.
I’m wondering the same thing! I will try them though as either way they should be very tasty. 🙂
Sounds good to me. Do you soak or sprout corn for corn meal?
A member of my church plans to help me plant some heirloom corn and I intend to use it to make corn meal. I have some seed of this corn and will share with him for his help.
I used to mix some wheat germ in my burgers to keep them from shrinking and more moist and I wonder if that’s a good idea, since it came from wheat. I used it in meat loafs, too.
Does wheat germ need soaking?
Sarah, what do you think about sprouted cereal like Ezekiel Sprouted Cereal for those of us who work full time outside the home and do not have time to make cereal homemade? I make homemade crackers, stock, condiments, & soak and dehydrate nuts on the weekends, but cereal is just not on the top of my list. So I am curious what your thoughts are on respected brands (Ezekiel) sprouted cereals. I buy their bread as well. I know it is not as good as homemade, but if you only eat it 2 times a week, would it be ok in your opinion? Thanks for your help.
What can I do with all the leftover coconut oil?
Save it to use again…?
I used to be the cereal queen also! I have really missed it, so i will definitely be trying these!
In my quest for cereals again, I’ve considered purchasing a flaker/roller to turn soaked and sprouted grains into flaked cereal. I really don’t know anything about these other than looking at them at sites that sell them. Have any of you used one? Would this work for making healthier flaked cereals?
I too have missed my organic cold cereal. After I read about extrusion and its detrimental effects, there was no going back. I am eager to try this recipe!
Thanks!
Sarah, I’ve been wondering for awhile about the Ezekial brand sprouted cereals. Do they go through the same debating process in their production of flakes?
Aari, I’m curious about Ezekial cereals too. Are there any store-bought brands that aren’t processed?
Aari and Alison,
I was worried about this and contacted the company to ask. They told me that the cereal is made with the same process as their bread, including sprouting the ingredients. I referenced the WPF article about the high heat processing making the cereal unhealthy and they assured me that their cereal was made more slowly using low heat to process the cereal. They did not tell me the exact temperatue, but they did state that it was done with low heat and that this didn’t denature the ingredients like the conventional method.
This doesn’t make the cereal safe according to Ramiel Nagel’s requirements, but he could be wrong and it could also be used as a less destructive treat if you do believe his method. I don’t want to go into too much about Ramiel, but he states that phytic acid in coconut doesn’t hurt the body, but phytic acid from wheat or other grains do. This part does not have scientific trials or testing referenced in his book and I would certainly like to see a little more study before I would conclude one phytic acid bad the other good. We can measure the effect on blood sugar and sprouting the grains removes any spike in blood pressure thus making it much healthier than non sprouted (sprouting also removes inflamation damage).
Sorry I got a little off topic, but if you are worried about Ezekiel then write the company and reference the article to see what they say. I personally like the cereal, but some don’t.
Take Care
You could do the same thing with sprouted wheat tortillas and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar while they are still hot.
Sounds simple and good. As a kid I used to put left over popcorn in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar and pour milk over it and eat as a cereal. It is very delicious and satisfies that crunchy cereal craving.