I have noticed, of late, that going "gluten-free" has become more and more popular. I would like to suggest an alternative. I have a dear daughter-in-law who has been diagnosed with Celiac disease. That is a condition where the body cannot tolerate gluten, and it can do very bad and serious things to one's health. Something curious happened that she told me about. Ever since her diagnoses, which was about 2 years ago, she has struggled (understandably) to keep the gluten out of her diet, and when she does, it makes an immense difference to her. But from time to time, she would eat a piece of pizza from Papa John's and she said that for some reason THAT kind of pizza did not make her sick, whereas any other kind would. Now, back up several years. Her husband, my son, used to work for Papa John's and I remembered that he said they let their pizza crust dough ferment for long periods of time before they use it. Hmmmm... so that got me to thinking... In the last couple of years I have learned about the importance of soaking grains and nuts and seeds of all kinds before we eat them, and I've been doing that exclusively for a while now. I notice that if I do eat something that has not been properly soaked, it feels kind of like I've swallowed a rock, but if it has been soaked, it doesn't bother my tummy at all. And then I read, somewhere, that some people who are sensitive to gluten can eat gluten containing products if they have been soaked. One day, when my daughter-in-law was here, I offered her a muffin in which the flour had been soaked. She told me that if she just took a bite or two, she would know right away if it was going to bother her or not. She ate the whole thing, loved it, and it did NOTHING bad to her. We were stunned! Since then, from time to time, I have been making other things for her and with the same result.
I would venture to guess that the trouble with eating gluten might not be the gluten itself, but rather how it is prepared. I urge those of you who feel you must be gluten-free, to experiment with this and see what you think. There are so many important nutrients and benefits to eating whole grains.
Not all of MY recipes are soaked, as I've been writing this blog for quite a while now, but some of them are... like my most recent tortillas.
I encourage you to look at the recipes on www.gnowfglins.com . She has lots of soaked recipes on there! I am linking this post up to Simple Lives Thursdays on Wardeh's website, AND the Farmgirl and Farm Friend Friday Blog Hop!
That's really interesting, and good to know!
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law was found by a doctor NOT to have celiac disease but still doesn't tolerate breads. I am going to send him this link. I have suggested sourdoughs and soaked flours but he is still anxious, I hope your experience will help him.
ReplyDeleteUbermom, I do hope it helps him.
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting from Farm Friend Friday. My husband used to have a serious intolerance to wheat, although not a Celiac. We discovered if he ate probiotic yogurt every day he was able to eat wheat. So what you are saying about soaking and fermenting the grain makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteflowerweaver, that is very interesting! Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteI sprout all my flour first then dry it and grind it.... from what you know, doesn't this do the same thing? I have heard it is better than soaking but would like to know what others think. It is alot easier in my opinion since you don't have to plan ahead as much and it tastes better. Just want to find out which is better! I agree, in olden times, they always soaked and sprouted, we have lost this practice and pay the price along with our GMO crops and pesticides. Thanks for all your knowledge.
ReplyDeleteenlightenedhomemaker.blogspot.com
Shari, although I am not an expert, if there is one way that is "better" than the other, I would vote for the sprouted/dried method. I now use that kind of flour for finishing up my things, i.e. in making biscuits that have soaked, and need to be fixed up for baking. I had thought, just this week,that I would probably start sprouting/drying more of my grains and playing around with that. Do you, by any chance, know what the soaking does to the gluten? I cannot give an authoritative answer to your question, really. I wish I could. I wonder if this research has been done.
ReplyDeleteGluten is a protein which is what is hard to be broken down by many people and with a leaky gut, the protein is then absorbed instead of digested. That is what causes so many illnesses. When you soak and sprout, it helps to break down the protein so it doesn't affect you as much or at all. In days of old, it was always soaked or sprouted. I have been trying to find out a concrete answer as well on soaking versus sprouting and everything I have found points to sprouting and drying but not by much. I have done both but completely favor the sprouting/drying method. You keep the good texture and to me, it actually makes the grains lighter in taste and color. I haven't found anything that I can't make as well with sprouted flour than with regular flour. I just always have some ready and it takes very little time. Thanks for all your info! I love your blog....I am envious of your large garden and space!
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