Friday, October 4, 2013

Oh how I Love my Grains!

Benefits of Sprouting Grains

Grains,  beans, seeds and nuts  contain an array of vitamins, minerals and fiber.   As good as these foods are for you, whole grains are also a source of antinutrients. 


 Antinutrients are substances that actually prevent your body from fully absorbing the nutrients whole grains contain.
 

Grains do their best work for you with tender, long and thoughtful cooking.  Grains need to be treated first to release their full array of nutrients to your body.  Soaking, sprouting and souring accomplish this beautifully.  

 Wheat, spelt, oats and barley work well for sprouting.  If you want to sprout oats, purchase untreated oat groats intended specifically for sprouting.

In using sprouted grains for flour, begin dehydrating the grains shortly after the root tip appears.


Sprouted grains should also be dried at a low temperature in a dehydrator. 18-24 hours.


Once dry grind them to a fine flour,  and store it in the freezer until ready to use.


The Benefits of Sprouted Flour:

  • Easier to Digest – Sprouting breaks down the starches in grains into simple sugars so your body can digest them like a vegetable (like a tomato, not a potato).
  • Increased Vitamin C – Sprouting produces vitamin C.
  • Increased Vitamin B – Sprouting increases the vitamin B content (B2, B5, and B6).
  • Increased Carotene – Sprouting increases the carotene up to eight times.
  • Increased Enzymes are actually produced during sprouting.
  • Reduction of Anti-nutrients – Sprouting neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which is a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.
Shelf-Life for sprouted flours: 6 months in pantry, 10 months in refrigerator, 14 months in freezer.

Thank you organicsproutedflour.net for the benefits.