4 key steps to perfect grains

To understand why we need to prepare grains correctly, we must understand how the human digestive system works and compare it to the digestive systems of plant-eating animals.

We can divide plant-eating animals into two groups based on where they digest their food:

1. Ruminants, like cows and sheep, mainly digest food in their multi-chambered stomach called the rumen. This stomach is full of bacteria that can fully break down plant fibers. Ruminants also have very long intestines.

2. Other animals ferment food in the back of their digestive system, specifically in the large intestine. This type of fermentation doesn't break down plant fibers as well as the first group. It also absorbs fewer micronutrients. This happens because the small intestine absorbs most and comes before the large intestine. Even so, some plant-eaters in this group have tricks to get all the nutrients they need from plants.

First, these animals eat a lot. They spend most of their day eating whenever they can. Second, many of these animals pass food through their system twice. They give them a second chance if they don't digest the plants well the first time. They do this by sending their first droppings back to the small intestine. Rabbits, guinea pigs, and capybaras do this. These animals aren't stupid - they have their ways to digest tough plants well.

Lastly, these animals have special features in the back of their intestines. Plant-eaters that ferment food in the back have a well-developed cecum or large intestine, often both.

The cecum of a horse and rabbit is circled in red. A horse's large intestine is 6-7 meters long, while a rabbit's is 1.5 meters. In plant-eaters, the large intestine is much longer than the animal's height. This is because the large and cecum intestines are crucial for digesting plants.

The human large intestine is about 1.5 meters long (relatively short compared to our height). Humans have limited ability to digest plant food. Our digestive health and gut bacteria also play a big role.

Because humans have intelligence and various skills, we can ferment food before eating it. We do this with grains and many other plants.

Properly preparing grains aims to create an easily digestible food that gives your body the most benefits.

There are four main ways to improve how well we can digest grains:

1. Heat treatment

2. Soaking

3. Sprouting

4. Fermentation

(We can also count grinding grain to make it easier to digest, but I won't list it separately because we can grind grain by chewing it in our mouths. However, remember that swallowing grain without chewing makes it much harder to digest.)

1. Heat treatment: Even if you've prepared the grains using the methods below, boiling, frying, or stewing is necessary. We don't recommend eating raw grains (like sprouted buckwheat or chickpeas), as they are very hard for the human digestive system to process.

2. Soaking: It involves putting grains in water for several hours to several days. Soaking activates enzymes in whole grains in a warm, moist environment. This partly breaks down anti-nutrients and makes nutrients more available. Enzymes only exist in raw grains, so it makes sense to soak them. How well soaking works depends on the water temperature (warm water is best, not cold or boiling, which would destroy the enzymes), how long you soak (longer is more effective), and the type of grain. The amount of phytase (an enzyme that breaks down anti-nutrients) depends on the grain itself and how fresh the cereal or flour is (the more time has passed since the whole grain was ground, the fewer enzymes remain). Some grains, like buckwheat and rye, naturally have a lot of phytase. Other grains, like oats, have many anti-nutrients and little phytase. We need to consider these details when preparing grains.

3. Sprouting: This also activates enzymes and releases nutrients as sprouts appear. You can only sprout raw grains. Sprouts appear in warm, moist conditions after 2-3 days (the grain isn't sitting in water but is kept "wet" and rinsed regularly).

4. Fermentation: Lacto-fermentation happens when lactic acid bacteria act on sugar and starch. Bacteria are the most effective at "digesting" plants, including grains. This makes your digestive system's job much easier and delivers a product ready for absorption to your small intestine. You need lactic acid bacteria, time, and warm, moist conditions for fermentation.

What to do with grains:

When preparing grains, you can either sprout them and then cook them (for example, use ready-made flour from sprouted wheat for your dishes, or sprout and cook chickpeas), or combine sprouting with fermentation (for example, ferment dough made from ready-made sprouted wheat flour).

About simply soaking in water:

1. It's not very effective with all types of grains because it depends on the amount of enzymes in the grain.

2. There's a risk that bad bacteria will grow in warm, moist conditions, causing an unpleasant smell, and the grain in the water will rot.

To avoid this, always add a source of lactic acid bacteria to the water when soaking. This will make soaking more effective through fermentation and prevent bad bacteria from growing. Fermentation also reduces the amount of mycotoxins often found in grains.

How to ferment grains:

1. For whole grains/cereals/flakes, cover with water (preferably warm), add lactic acid bacteria, and leave at room temperature (not in the refrigerator). Soak for at least 8 hours for most grains, ideally 12-24 hours or longer. Then drain the water, rinse the grain if possible (to eliminate extra sourness in taste), and cook according to your recipe. Sources of lactic acid bacteria can be 1 tablespoon of milk whey or any fermented milk product, brine from pickled vegetables, unpasteurized vinegar, a small amount of sourdough starter, or probiotics.

2. You can also ferment dough by adding lactic acid bacteria (mixing with sourdough starter/milk whey/brine, etc.) and leaving it in a warm place for at least 8 hours (preferably 12-24 hours or longer). This method can be used for both liquid batters, like pancakes and thick dough. The whey used for fermentation must be "live," not heated or pasteurized.

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Warm regards,
Kos and Helen.