Re: Questions about whole grains!

Dear Trakar,

To digest whole grains you need to have a very strong digestive system. A weak fire can only handle twigs, logs would extinguish it altogether. A weak AGNI (digestive fire) can not handle complex whole grains for the same reason. Even cows cannot handle them, for which reason they become so bloated when grain-fed. Birds, too have difficulties digesting them. So they have to keep seeds and grains in their goitre until fully fermented (pre-digested). The fermentation destroys the antibodies that whole grains have in their husk, part of the plant's natural immune system. But since our digestive process doesn't normally begin with fermentation, our body needs to get ris of these toxic antibodies in another way. They act as antigens in the body, which requires a strong immune response to eliminate them. So they end up in the colon undigested, but now these high fibre foods get attacked and broken down by bacteria in the colon. The byproduct of this process are toxic gases and irritating, which make you feel unwell.

Unless you are a strong Vata type, it is better that you don't eat brown rice, for example. White Bhasmati rice is an excellent choice. Wholewheat cous-cous is fine, though, because the husk is already removed. Whole wheat bread made from finely ground whole wheat flour is fine. Many problems with wheat bread arise from not baking it properly (a matter of three days of preparation, which involves fermenting the dow and thereby neutralizing the antibodies). This gives rise to "gluten allergies."

Low texture bulgur wheat is fine, too, if cooked well. So is millet, buckwheat, cream of buckwheat, cornmeal polenta and, of course oatmeal. BUt try to avoid heavy texture oatmeal, impssible to digest. Use the quick oats that you can buy in bulk form in health stores. It can be soaked in boiled water or lightly cooked, with oatmilk or almond milk, some unsalted butter, seasalt and xylitol, stevia or date sugar.

Best wishes,
Andreas Tweet