For years I had read about the health benefits of soaking/sprouting different grains–for some it’s to reduce phytates, for others its to increase their bio-availability and help reduce their impact on your glycemic load. It all made sense – but I rarely remembered to soak or sprout when preparing grains I would use when I made my own bread.
Then came THM–and knowing that I could still enjoy bread (one of my FAVORITE foods) if I just made sure that it was made from either sprouted grains or soured grains–I was on board. I still don’t seem to have time to really do it myself (though it is on my list of posts to share with you my whole wheat bread and cereal which I now make with sprouted wheat flour)–so for now I just look for those characteristics in breads that I buy. My favorites are from Trader Joes – and here in Utah we have a ‘local’ bread that is called “Jack Spratts” that is a sprouted wheat that is quite tasty.
A few years ago – on KBYU/BYU TV there was a chef – Chef Brad – who did a series about cooking with different grains and his show got me interested in adding more variety of grains to my diet. I have a Roku and his grains series is still available on the KBYU/BYU TV–a couple of seasons worth and in each episode he covers cooking with different whole grains and/or legumes–it’s a GREAT series.
Anyway – as I watched that – I started to compile a little page of info that detailed what makes each grain different, some tips about it, and how to prepare and/or cook the different grains – as he suggests that having some pre-cooked makes it so much easier to quickly add them to meals/snacks. Most commonly I do this with oatmeal (old fashioned or groats), the 5 rolled grain mix from Winco, brown rice, and quinoa–having it in my fridge or freezer already cooked makes it SO easy to quickly add to some yogurt, a salad, or mix into whatever I’m making to increase the healthy carbs in my meal/snack.
So – here is my 1 page comparison/info sheet on different grains: Grains Comparison and Info