A few weeks back I got some tests back saying my immune antibodies have chilled out and are back to normal after three years of being off-the-scale-crazy. My body is no longer eating itself…and is slowly repairing!
The doctor was impressed. How did I do it? It was a bunch of things, most of which I’ve documented on this blog…but if I had to narrow it down to One. Main. Factor. It would be:
I cut out gluten.
I’m going to post on this again soon. But for now, some tips on how to cook other grains…and a guide to which are gluten-free. Feel free to print out and magnetise to your fridge.
|
Water |
Cooking Time |
Contains Gluten? |
| Common grains: | |||
| Brown rice |
2 cups |
45-60 minutes |
no |
| Buckwheat (aka kasha)* |
2 cups |
20-30 minutes |
no |
| Oats (whole groats) |
3 cups |
75-90 minutes |
questionable due to content, contact, or contamination |
| Oatmeal (rolled oats) |
2 cups |
20-30 minutes |
questionable due to content, contact, or contamination |
| Alternative grains: | |||
| Amaranth |
3 cups |
30 minutes |
no |
| Barley (pearled) |
2-3 cups |
60 minutes |
yes |
| Barley (hulled) |
2-3 cups |
90 minutes |
yes |
| Bulgur (cracked wheat) |
2 cups |
20 minutes |
yes |
| Cornmeal (aka polenta) |
3 cups |
20 minutes |
no |
| Couscous** |
1 cup |
5 minutes |
yes |
| Kamut |
3 cups |
90 minutes |
yes |
| Millet |
2 cups |
30 minutes |
no |
| Quinoa |
2 cups |
15-20 minutes |
no |
| Rye berries |
3 cups |
2 hours |
yes |
| Spelt |
3 cups |
2 hours |
yes |
| Wheat berries |
3 cups |
60 minutes |
yes |
| Wild rice |
4 cups |
60 minutes |
no |
Some little extra tricks:
*ALWAYS rinse quinoa before cooking. Here’s why.
* ALWAYS soak brown rice before cooking. Here’s why. Other grains can be soaked, too, to assist digestion.
* I add a pinch of sea salt to grains to help the cooking process, with the exception of kamut, amaranth and spelt (salt interferes with their cooking time).
* I cook grains in bulk and freeze in zip-lock bags in individual portions. They can be heated in a minute, or added to soups etc. (One little thing…if you do this…always wash and reuse the zip-lock bags. Even if you just do it for me so I don’t have to fear I’m encouraging the use of disposable bags).
* Roasting the grains before cooking them makes them more alkaline (an alkaline diet is far more healthful; cancer and autoimmune disease simply can’t exist in an alkaline system). I just toss them around dry (no oil) in a pan for a bit before adding to water. It gives them a lovely toasty flavour, too.
*If you like grains separated (not mushy) – boil the water before adding the grains. But don’t add buckweat to cold water – it won’t cook properly.
* Me, I prefer, mushier, more porridge-like textures , so I boil the grain and liquid together.
* My favourite porridge right now is millet and brown rice… crunchy and mushy all at once!
**Technically not a grain, but a small pasta product made from wheat and does not require soaking.
Feel free to add some extra tips!
Hooray Sarah..wonderful news…
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Congrats. Your posts are always genius.
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Awesome post! I’m obsessed with buckwheat porridge these days. I also have some millet in my pantry that I need to cook up. I’ve really been enjoying your blog
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by sarah wilson, Foodies Online. Foodies Online said: #Foodies Tuesday eats: a guide to grains (and my good news!) http://ow.ly/19Kwc3 [...]
Hi Sarah!
Great post as usual. Im a reformed celiac (it is possible, kinesiology is a godsend for training the body to stop attacking it’s own cells!) That said, I try not to eat it as soooo much research now is coming up with new and bad things that gluten can do to us.
In my research I uncovered a little gem of information about gliadin – it is a protein in oats that is nearly identical to the gluten protein in wheat, and some people who are sensitive to gluten can be sensitive to this too. So, even specially prepared gluten-free oats (grown in non-gluten-contaminated fields, etc) can still cause problems for some. Something like 25 percent of celiacs are also allergic to gliadin, although it could be more – research is sadly lacking in this department.
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Hi Sarah,
I know you’re usually pretty good about crediting your photos, so just thought I’d let you know the photo of the spoons comes from here:
http://3191.visualblogging.com/archives/11518_1443007713/341676
Congrats on getting your immune system to chill out!
Cheers
Lex
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Sarah, your posts always inspire me — and this one is no different. Going through a time-poor phase right now but have every intention of experimenting with all these grains when I can. xx
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Well done on taking the lead with your health and making changes that have turned your bodies inner workings around.
If more patients were like you there would be tuns of happy, healthy human beings; patients and practitioners alike!
My tips (especially relevant with small fussy eaters) sneak wholesome grains into everything. I put hulled millet/oats into cupcakes, and muffins.
I don’t love mooshy rice, I feel like all the nutrients have been stewed out of it. I cook rice until its 3/4 ready, turn off the heat and put the lid on and walk away for at least 20 minutes. By the time I’m ready to eat it, its perfect.
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November 3rd, 2010 at 3:28 pm
nice one.
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Thanks for the info re soaking brown rice!
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That’s amazing I’m very happy that you’ve started your healing process…It’s amazing how much cutting out gluten makes a difference. I did the same thing several months ago and you notice it almost instantly, but it can stay in your system for over 2 weeks, so when giving it a chance, give it a month, before you say that it doesn’t make a difference to you….
Other tips…Don’t overcomplicate things…don’t mix your grains with meat or fish…don’t overcook the veg that you’re going to eat with your grains…Soaking like Sarah said makes a huge difference, it also works really well for legumes (let them soak longer than whatever is on the package)…and to help with digestion eat a small or big salad beforehand, the enzymes will help you digest the grains better.
Look some stuff up about soaking and sprouting…you might be able to eat some grains after all…That’s all I can come up with for now…Love, Jules
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Hi Sarah! I’ve been wondering when you’d tackle the gluten issue, ever since I read this post by Tim Ferris. It brings up loads of other questions I have about grains, especially quinoa and others that are supposedly gluten-free. What are your thoughts on this (extremely long) article?
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/09/19/paleo-diet-solution/
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November 3rd, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Hey Nat, yep have read this..,. there are elements of truth in it. If you go by the blood type diet theories (which are v simliar to the paleo), some of us (ie A types) are suited to grains. O types tend to struggle.
All in moderation!!!
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Hi Sarah! Do you have any recommendations for any gluten free breads in Australia? After being diagnosed as a Celiac a few years ago i have really struggled finding anything that does not resemble a brick. I really, really, really miss a good loaf of bread. I would be happy to make my own but haven’t found any good recipes yet…
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February 17th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
You might like “raw” (dehydrated) “breads” like these: http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=112
I love them!
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[...] week’s ‘Tuesday Eats: a guide to grains’ yielded some great comments on grains and [...]
Sarah!
Tried Quinoa for the first time last night. So fricken delicious. I have been that annoying pretentious person telling everyone they are pronouncing it wrong. HA!
I roasted sweet potato, capsicum, and butternut pumpkin and mixed it with the quinoa and it was one big warm, sticky, delicious mess. I’m going to try all your recipes.
Much Love,
Wheat’s straying girlfriend.
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[...] read Sarah Wilson post on grains (the ones you can and can’t eat) by clicking here [...]
[...] they too contain poisons in their outer layers. I’ve written about this before – soaking and sprouting legumes does help. Nora’s take is that legumes are mostly starch and only a little protein, so why [...]
Nice blog!!
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