Delving into Traditional Eating for the first time inevitably uncovers the fact that modern methods for preparing grains and legumes can be extremely damaging to health over the long term particularly if numerous servings of these foods are consumed on a daily basis as recommended by conventional dietitians and nutritionists.
Even if you take the time and care to make your own bread at home with freshly ground grain, if you do not follow the centuries-old traditions for eliminating anti-nutrients and maximizing the nutrition in the grain prior to baking, you could, in fact, be doing yourself and your family more harm than good.
In the video below which I filmed as part of a Beginner Video Series for the Weston A. Price Foundation, I show you the basics for soaking grains and legumes so that you can enjoy these wonderful foods in your home and experience health benefits from doing so rather than health depletion.
Following these guidelines makes food more digestible and more nutritious as vitamins and minerals become more bioavailable.
As a huge bonus, preparing grains properly results in more satisfaction per bite. This translates into easier portion control which makes eating less and losing weight more attainable.
For a complete transcript of this video which is translatable into any language, click here.
Soaking Grains and Legumes Video How-To
This lesson describes the very important traditional practice of soaking legumes and grains. Note that in the past few years, the use of chickpea cooking water, called aquafaba, has become popular in vegan circles.
Note that while legumes are a traditional food, using the cooking water as an egg replacement is not. In fact, it is quite dangerous to gut health as it is loaded with anti-nutrients.
So enjoy your legumes and grains, but be sure to toss the soaking and cooking water!
More Information on Soaking
These articles contain more information on soaking once you get the hang of grains:
- How to soak raw nuts
- Soaking raw seeds
- How to soak beans before cooking
- Soaked lentils
- Does white rice need soaking?
A few months ago there was someone who had something on Monday Madness about not using dairy products to soak grains because it actually can block the phytic acids from being released (I know I probably botched how she stated it, but I think that was the overall idea). I don’t entirely understand all of this yet, but I am wondering about your thoughts on this. It kinda slowed me from pursuing any of this. I would love to know what you’ve heard about this. Thanks for all you do Sarah, you are a blessing! ~Jen
Hi Jen, from what I understand from Rami Nagel (author of Cure Tooth Decay) his research suggests using more water as it seems to break down the phytates better. This is why water plus acidic medium works better than yogurt or kefir.
Hi Sarah,
Great video. I was wondering about your use of brown rice. In the past, I think you had said that you served basmatti for the protien content and digestability and didn’t bother with brown because even with soaking it was too difficult to digest. Have you found information otherwise? Also, for smaller legumes like mung beans and lentils, do you think it’s possible for them to require a shorter minimum soak time?
Thank you so much for all you do here!
Kelly
Hi Kelly, I used brown rice in the video but I myself don’t use brown rice as we find it too fibrous and hard to digest in our family. I use white basmati instead (soaked just like the brown rice though).
Hello. Thamk you for your blog! It is wonderful to have so much info I’ve read about for many years all in one place. In my macrobiotic reading, it instructed that pan-toasting the brown rice right before cooking helps to reduce phytic acid also. Surely the soaking method reduce the phytic acid more, but what about soaking, drying, then pan-toasting?
Thanks again,
Hello Sarah,
I appreciate the video. I was hoping you would cover how to do corn. Is there an easier way then what is in Nourishing Traditions?
Terri
Corn needs to be soaked, fermented or sprouted just like any other grain. The way NT covers it is what I do. I do make popcorn occasionally which of course is not prepared properly, but when eaten only on occasion that is fine for most people unless you are very sensitive to corn.
Hello Sarah,
Thank you for your posts, I read them every week. Most everytime I see a posting about oats, it typically refers to the rolled variety; could you elaborate if rolled or whole( “steel cut”) are more preferable for health? I also wanted to know if you can soak whole/cut oats the same way as you mention for rolled oats, to gain better digestibility?
Thanks
Dan
Yes it can. 🙂 Unless you have a dairy allergy in which case it would be better to use lemon juice or cider vinegar.
Oh another question Sarah,
Since we are on the subject of grains, what do you think of William Davis’s Book ” Wheat Belly”? He was on Kelly kitchen Kop site and He says all the wheat (even spelt” “now” is bad and different from traditional wheat. According to him, we should never eat wheat. After looking at his book the other day at the bookstore, I decided not to buy it. In my opinion, he says all carbs should be strictly eliminated for weight loss and health reasons (diabetes). i would love to know your opinion on this subject because I truly trust you. Thanks!
I understand where William Davis is coming from, but all 5 of my family eat wheat and spelt – properly prepared and in moderation and suffer no ill effects from it. I think many folks are having trouble with modern hybridized wheat because their gut is so messed up from all the other junk they are eating. You will have to determine what works for you by observing how you react to it even when properly prepared. If you have no trouble from it, then eat it and enjoy in moderation. I don’t believe being militant is a good approach to anything as rarely is any issue black or white.
So true. I learn’t this the hard way. There is not one ‘food rule’ for everyone. A diet might look good on paper – but it’s the way it affects our individual physiology that’s the key.
If you find grains and legumes to be absolutely necessary (I don’t) at least prepare them properly! Here’s how:
http://t.co/nvfPNE5E
Thanx!!
Sarah,
Can you please tell us what bread that was..I tried making true sourdough again yesterday and it was so hard, I dont think my chickens can eat it.LOL
I had a bad experience making sourdough bread too, then I discovered to use only one cup of the dough!And found recipes on the web too.
Great video. I made oatmeal yesterday and had leftovers today with my daughter for breakfast, and it’s so much more filling when the oats are soaked. I find that the oatmeal keeps me full longer than it does when it’s unsoaked. Plus, I don’t feel tired and stuffed like I do with regular unsoaked oatmeal. I don’t have any apple cider vinegar, but I wouldn’t use that in my oatmeal anyway because I’d be worried that it would taste funny with vinegar in it. I read online that dry beans can be soaked with a a couple of tsps of salt, but it had nothing to do with reducing phytic acid. It just stated how it would help the beans to get soft without being mushy.
I’ve actually read in a few cookbooks that soaking and/or cooking beans with salt actually makes the skins tough. I soak and/or cook mine with a piece of kombu (a sea vegetable) that’s supposed to help with digestibility and mineral absorption.
Andrea, I have always soaked my beans with salt. In fact I aggressively salt the water my beans soak in – to the point where the water tastes like seawater. I also soak my beans for 2 days and change the water twice. I have yet to experience tough beans. however, when I cook them, I cook them in UNSALTED water and cook them at the simmer for 2 to 3 hours to ensure a nice buttery texture without them tasting overcooked. The advantage to soaking them in salted water is that come out perfectly seasoned without salting the cooking water.