Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
Organic Ghee from Grass-Fed CowsHow to Make Nuts, Seeds, Beans and Whole Grains a Bit Safer
Did you know that the nutrients in nuts, seeds, beans (legumes) and whole grains are not easy for humans to digest and get nutrients from unless the foods are properly prepared in specific ways first?
Traditionally, these foods are prepared in specific ways to improve their digestibility. Now, with the help of science, we can understand how and why.
This has not been the focus of the food industry. For the most part, the food industry churns things out as quickly as possible with little regard of how food is actually processed by the body.
Want technical information about the various problems with improperly prepared/processed nuts, seeds, beans and whole grains? Please see: Plants Bite Back
To learn how and why to prepare these foods in specific ways, I recommend Nourishing Traditions
The information in the sidebars of this book alone make it a worthwhile buy.
And this is great, for FREE you can download the chapter devoted to healthy snacks. It includes directions about how to prepare nuts properly. Get the free Snack chapter here: Snacks
Yes, there are some gluten grain based recipes in that chapter, but the majority of the recipes are gluten free.
Based on what I’ve learned in my health and nutrition research over the past 15 years, the consumption of most nuts and seeds should be minimal and only IF they aren’t rancid and they’re properly prepared as outlined in the book, unless you are allergic in which case you shouldn’t eat them at all.
As for beans and grains, I encourage everyone to be very cautious, whether they have overt digestive problems or not (also, please see my alert below about gluten grains below). Potatoes and tubers are better tolerated than grains, overall. See my post: Potatoes
Whether you agree or not about the healthfulness of grains and beans compared to other whole foods, if you’re going to eat them at all, you should improve the digestibility and reduce some of the problematic compounds with the methods outlined in Nourishing Traditions. Also, Nourishing Traditions has PLENTY of nutritious recipes to choose from, not just recipes for grain based dishes, plus health and historical information that you’ll probably find interesting and potentially life changing.
!Alert! There is no solid evidence that the methods discussed in the book will make gluten grains safe to eat if you are Celiac or gluten intolerant. Sometimes that is claimed, but even if you lessen digestive distress, gluten foods can do ‘silent’ damage internally and/or affect people in other ways.
Interested in creating your own fermented foods, like yogurt and pickles? Wild Fermentation is great:
