Learn about gastrointestinal issues, bacteria, yeast, leaky gut and other digestive problems and how to fix them, along with understanding food allergies and food intolerances.
Oats aren’t consistently included nor excluded in the list of dangerous grains or cereals for those with gluten intolerance because their varieties contain different levels of toxicity. This grain does naturally contain a small amount of prolamin-type proteins, but gluten isn’t one of them. Also, not all prolamins are detrimental to those with this kind of food intolerance.
The more common cause of gluten getting into oats is contamination. Oats are usually planted, harvested and processed along with wheat or barley – grains that definitely contain gluten. This is what makes regular oats, i.e. not certified gluten-free, risky for individuals with the particular condition.
The Latin root of the Italian word “biscotti” means “twice baked”. This refers to the actual process of making this dessert. The dough is first baked as a whole loaf, and then sliced into smaller pieces which are baked again. The point was to make the biscotti crunchy and dry, and thus extend their storage period.
Back in the days of the Roman Empire, such twice-baked breads were practical for long journeys or combat rations for soldiers. Nowadays biscotti are simply enjoyed as dessert. Depending on the regional culture, it can be eaten along with an alcoholic beverage like fortified wine or a hot drink like coffee or tea.
Traditional recipes of biscotti only make use of flour, eggs, sugar, and almonds or pine nuts. Current preparations however may now include yeast, baking powder or fat such as butter, vegetable oil or milk. A quite popular present-day variation is coating or glazing biscotti with chocolate. It is the quality of the basic ingredients as well as those of the modern additional ingredients that give commercial biscotti products potential health risks.
Cookies have been around for quite some time. It’s said that this popular baked dessert was first concocted in the Middle East region around the 7th century. It was a period where sugar production was becoming common in that area. Eventually it spread across Europe and then to the Americas.
Given the long history of cookies, numerous styles of preparation have naturally developed. However certain basic ingredients have remained constant. These would be fat, sugar, flour and eggs. The crispy and crumbly texture that distinguishes cookies from other baked goods is due to the fat or shortening. In the current way of making cookies, this is usually butter, margarine, vegetable oil, or any combination of the three.
Soy nuts are a delectable snack food made from dried soy beans that have been soaked in water, drained, and then roasted or baked until dry and crunchy. The process is similar to what is commonly done on peanuts. Remember that peanuts aren’t true nuts but are actually legumes just like soy beans.
Soy nuts are a great source of protein and in fact contain all of the essential amino acids that our body needs. Unfortunately, inherent substances in soy beans make this food potentially risky for people with certain types of health conditions. It doesn’t help either that this is one of several cash crops that have been genetically modified.
Yogurt is generally perceived as healthy food. Compared to other dairy, yogurt is more often recommended in diet and health programs. It’s not just because this product is frequently promoted as such. There are real benefits that can be received from this type of fermented milk. Calcium, protein and various B vitamins are some of the nutrients often attributed to yogurt.
However, you have to make distinctions between the different types of yogurt. One that’s home-made and sourced from grass-fed cows or goats is entirely different from a sweetened and flavored commercial brand. Before casually accepting some food product as healthy, you need to consider the materials, how it’s processed, and if you have any health conditions that might preclude proper reception of its health benefits.
From white bread and other baked goods to commercial snack food such as cookies and chips, all these are made from regular wheat flour. It’s the one common ingredient in any of these products.
There are various types of wheat flour. The first broad classification is based on which parts of the wheat grain are milled. Thus there’s whole grain flour which has the bran and germ layer included, and then there’s regular flour which is just the endosperm or the starchy core of the grain.
Regular flour is then further divided into how much gluten it contains. Hard flour (made from hard wheat) is typically 12-14% gluten. Flour specifically used for baking bread is hard flour. Those categorized as soft or weak types have less gluten content and results in products with a crumbly texture. Flour used for cakes and cookies is soft flour.
Even if you set aside the extra sodium, sugar and artificial additives often used in any commercial wheat product, there are still risks that come from the way regular wheat is produced. Read on and learn the negative effects of any regular wheat products (and be sure to also check out recommended soak times for beans, grains, legumes, nuts and rice). Continue reading →
It’s said that about 86% of US corn is genetically modified. At least there’s still some non-GMO corn left available. There’s also some news that demand for conventional corn seeds is rising. So hopefully in the near future there’ll be safer options for corn.
Corn is an excellent staple food. Just ask the Native Americans who have been consuming it as such since prehistoric times. It is also one of the more flexible grain crops, able to grow in most types of climate. This is why corn was so easily spread into other parts of the world by the European explorers who first encountered it in the Americas.
While conventional corn varieties are safer than those that have been genetically modified, there are still a few health risks that need to be considered. Continue reading and learn the pros and cons of non-GMO corn (and be sure to also check out recommended soak times for beans, grains, legumes, nuts and rice). Continue reading →
When purchasing wheat products like pasta, bread or other types of baked goods, the healthy choice is to look for something made from whole grain. This basically means that the bran and germ layers of the wheat kernel were retained as the wheat was processed into flour. This is an important consideration because those layers contain a lot of the grain’s nutrients.
Now there’s another option besides whole grain – soaked and sprouted wheat. As discussed in the earlier article about quinoa, amaranth and millet, soaking whole grains and allowing them to sprout removes potentially harmful but naturally occurring substances and increases nutritional content.
Although germination may reduce some of the gluten in wheat it does not unfortunately clear out all of the substance. Read on and learn the pros and cons of soaked and sprouted wheat products (and be sure to also check out recommended soak times for beans, grains, legumes, nuts and rice).
Soaked and Sprouted Wheat Products Benefits:
In a simple comparison between 1 slice of sprouted bread and the same serving of white bread, the former contains slightly more proteins and almost twice as much dietary fiber:
White bread = 1.91 grams protein, 0.6 grams dietary fiber
Sprouted bread is made from flour that’s ground sprouted wheat. White bread on the other hand is usually made from flour that comes from just the wheat endosperm. There is actually little nutritional difference between whole wheat and sprouted wheat (as the latter is the germinated seed of the former) but there is a noticeable gap between whole grain wheat and regular wheat. Soaking and sprouting simply takes a few steps further in improving the quality of whole grain wheat.
The proportional increase in nutrients is due to the process of germination. A seed contains growth-inhibiting enzymes that keep it stable as a seed. With the right stimulus of moisture and temperature these growth inhibitors are unlocked and nutrients become more available.
It’s not just the proteins, the ratio of vitamins and minerals improve as well. Sprouting reduces some of the phytic acid in the grain. Since this substance binds with minerals, sprouted wheat has more bioavailable minerals.
Soaked and Sprouted Wheat Products Risks:
Gluten is another one of the potentially harmful substances that get broken down during germination. However this doesn’t mean that sprouted wheat and products made from it are gluten-free. There’s just less of it. This is probably the reason why some people with a small degree of gluten-sensitivity are able to tolerate moderate consumption of baked goods made from sprouted wheat flour. Nevertheless caution should be exercised and medical advice sought when deciding to include soaked and sprouted wheat products in your diet.
Soaked and Sprouted Wheat Products Practical Uses:
You can take any whole wheat baking recipe and substitute with sprouted wheat flour on a 1:1 ratio. Naturally there will be differences in texture and flavor. Bread made in this manner for example will be dense, chewy, and have a sweet nutty flavor.
Some suggest using sourdough starter instead of yeast and kneading the dough a little longer to get sprouted bread to rise in similar fashion to regular or whole wheat bread. Given its peculiar baking characteristics, such flour is said to be more suited to flatbreads and cookies. Essene bread is one traditional recipe that is specifically made from sprouted wheat.
A non-baking use of such flour is as a thickening agent in soups or sauces. One thing to note about sprouted wheat flour is that it can have more moisture than regular flour. This means you might need to use more to reach the appropriate amount of thickness.
In the next post, I’ll tell you the pros and cons of non-GMO corn in your quest to Become Superhuman.
In the meantime, if you care to jump ahead, here is a complete listing of the grains and legumes on Superhuman Food Pyramid:
Kamut is a brand name; the actual wheat is called khorasan. It’s a very old variety of wheat with origins speculated to reach as far back as Mesopotamian times. The kernels are twice the size of modern regular wheat. They’re also slightly bent or humpbacked in shape. Khorasan wheat has a distinctly sweet and nutty flavor.
Much of the nutritional advantages of this grain come from its being an ancient type of durum wheat. That means it has not undergone extensive breeding unlike modern regular wheat. More often than not the results of these modifications increased yield but lowered nutrition. Khorasan is in fact lower yielding compared to typical varieties of wheat. But it is hardier and can better withstand drought stress.
Sprouting is now a much recommended preparation for grains and legumes. The process of germination at the initial stages is able to reduce the amount of antinutrient substances inherent in these types of food and thus improve their nutritional profile. Sprouts have more of certain vitamins compared to seeds and the minerals become more bioavailable.
Soaking grains such as organic quinoa, amaranth or millet is a middle ground, a compromise between sprouting and cooking the grains unprepared. It is less effective in making the grains more nutritious and safer but at least you don’t have to plan your meal days ahead. Depending on the grain and other environmental factors, sprouting can take more than 24 hours. Then there’s the periodic draining and rinsing involved.
Soaked grains are still nutritious but they don’t have all the advantages of sprouts. Read on about the pros and cons of soaked organic quinoa, amaranth or millet (and be sure to also check out recommended soak times for beans, grains, legumes, nuts and rice).
