Cookbook: Mother Grains
Devoted to the whole grain or no? Let’s review what fiber brings to your body.
Fodder for the beneficial microbiome - feeding ruffage to these priceless microbes allows them to flourish, supporting your immune system (with short chain fatty acids), mental health (gut makes 90% of the serotonin in your body).
Whole grain fibers contain the majority of vitamins and minerals (the micronutrients), which carry additional health essentials, on top of the starch and protein in a grain. When the husk and hull are removed to polish rice to white, in refinement of wheat, barley, any grain, healthful bioactive compounds are removed. Where do they go? Into the dustbin of a grain mill? Or re-sold to you in the form of fortified nutritional products and commerical supplements to offer additoinal nutrition, the same nutrients that were depleted on the first sale to you when you purchase and eat refined.
Eating whole grains is also less destructive to the environment than animal proteins - to eat in the plant-based style, a foundation of whole grains + legumes + nuts/seeds is required.
Golden fields of grain
Some find the texture, taste and culinary performance of whole grains to be lacking compared to the refined counterparts. This can be ameliorated with proper technique and choosing a recipe or setting that best fits the composition of each grain. Perhaps you are tired already of quinoa? I am, and have found relief and culinary excitement with amaranth, buckwheat, barley and teff. These grains offer dense nutrition (including elusive minerals such as calcium which is hard to obtain outside of dairy), the fiber for your gut health to flourish, and pleasant appeal when prepared according to their design.
This cookbook provides the essential information to cook whole grains in the method where each will flourish at it’s best, with inspiration in refreshing recipes and ethnobotany background to deepen your understanding, trust and appreciation of these healthful edibles. Happen to live in the Los Angeles area? Definitely visit this cookbook writer & chef’s restaurant/bakery/market Friends and Family, in the Los Felize/Hollywood neighborhood for a slice of buckwheat banana bread, spelt blueberry muffim, whole wheat crossaint or other deliciousness.