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How Healthy Are Whole Grains?

In an effort to improve public health many nutritionists and government agencies are recommending people increase their intake on whole grains. However, this recommendation may actually be doing more harm then good. Simply consuming whole grain without first processing them using traditional techniques such as sprouting or fermenting, can lead to a host of negative effects on our health and wellbeing. Since neolithic times, and perhaps even earlier, humans have been consuming grains. The grains our ancestors ate were always consumed in their whole, naturally occurring, nutrient rich form. However, they were also always either sprouted, soaked or fermented. Actually, without modern harvesting and storage techniques, it is nearly impossible to prevent grain from fermenting.

While it is easy to observe that using these traditional techniques makes the grains much easier to digest, modern science has also found that there are other important reasons to soak or ferment the grains you eat. Phytic acid (known as inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), or phytate when in its salt form) is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially within the hulls of nuts, seeds, and grains . Phosphorus in this form is not bioavailable to non-ruminant animals because they lack the digestive enzyme phytase required to separate phosphorus from the phytate molecule.

Phytic acid binds to important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc in the intestines and prevents its absorption in the body and can therefore contribute to mineral deficiencies and deficiency diseases such as bone loss (as in osteoporosis). This is particularly a problem for children and the elderly or any one whose intake of essential nutrients is less then ideal (that means most of us).

Tree nuts, seeds, beans, and grains also contain enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors are nature's way of preventing premature germination of the seed. Enzymes within the grain or seed are kept dormant until such time as the seed has landed in a hospitable environment, such as moist, warm and slightly acidic soil. Then the enzyme inhibitors are inactivated so that the seed can begin to germinate. If we consume grains with their enzyme inhibitors intact, those enzyme inhibitors will also inhibit our own digestive enzymes from working properly, resulting in gastro-intestinal troubles and extra stress on the pancreas. We can mirror the natural process of inactivating the enzyme inhibitors on our kitchen counter by soaking seed in warm, slightly acidic water for several hours, or in the case of foods like bread and pancakes, by allowing the dough a long and slow fermentation in the form of a traditional sourdough fermentation.

When grains are properly prepared, their nutrient content increases and our bodies are better able to absorb more of those additional nutrients. To increase the absorption of vitamins such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins even further we should enjoy our grains with fat soluble vitamins such as A and D. Vitamins A and D are found in animal fats such as butter, lard and cream which, as luck would have it, make nice accompaniments to grains (oatmeal porridge with cream for example, sourdough bread with butter and cheese).

A little planning makes soaking or fermenting grains easy. Grains that are to be cooked whole such as wheat berries, rice, quinoa or buckwheat (kashi) should be soaked at least overnight in warm, slightly acidic water. Put the grains in a bowl and cover with warm water and then add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice, yogurt, kefir, or whey to the bowl to make it acidic. You can put it in your oven with just the oven light on to maintain a warm temperature. The next morning rinse off the grains and cook as desired. This same method should be used for beans and raw nuts. Nuts can be dried after soaking in a dehydrator or low oven. Grains soaked for breakfast with yogurt or kefir need not to be rinsed. After soaking, grains may also be dried and then ground for making bread or pastries, in which case slow fermentation as in sourdough is no longer necessary.

For those of us who like short cuts, sprouted grain breads as well as traditional sourdough breads are widely available (look for breads that say “no yeast” or “traditional sourdough”) and even sprouted grain flours are becoming more common. If your health food store doesn't carry them yet they should be able to order them for you.