FOODS FOR LIFE GUIDEBOOK
Common Sense Guide
to Whole Foods

Cooking with Whole Grains Handbook

Excerpts from my book:

Processed grains have some of their nutrients, especially fiber, removed. Whole grains consist of the outer layer of the grain, the inner part of the grain, or Endosperm or bran, and the sprout. The outer layer of a grain contains B vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The inner part of a grain, or Endosperm, contains carbohydrates and proteins. The sprout that forms a new plant, called the "germ" in whole grains, holds the nutrients to form a new plant, rich in B vitamins, minerals and proteins.

Nutrition experts classify fiber as either insoluble or soluble in water. Insoluble fiber is called roughage. Researchers believe that roughage keeps the intestinal tract clean, lowering the risk of disease. Making simple dietary changes to increase the fiber and nutritional content of your diet is easy when you replace refined, white flours with an endless menu of whole grain choices. Grain flavors can change their guise as quickly as a writer changes scripts for actors. Cook whole grains one way and they are as creamy and as smooth as Clark Gable. Cook them another way for hot and spicy Jack Nicolson flavors.

To cook most grains, use two parts water to one part grain. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot tightly, then reduce the temperature very low and cook for about 40 minutes without lifting the lid. This formula works for soft grains including barley, bulgur, cracked wheat and rice.

Amaranth:
A cereal-like herb, this tiny seed was an important food source in the ancient Aztec culture. It is so nutritionally rich that it once was named one of the world's most promising foods by the National Academy of Sciences. It is creamy beige in color and has a wild, woodsy flavor. The texture of cooked grain is similar to cornmeal mush. Amaranth is gluten free. It's also high in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and fiber, as well as the essential amino acids lysine and methionine, often are lacking in grains.

Amaranth flour can be substituted for up to one-fourth the whole wheat flour in baked goods. Cooked amaranth may be eaten as a hot cereal, combined with other grains or added to bread, muffin and pancake batters. The grain becomes translucent as it cooks. To prepare, add 1 cup amaranth to 2 & 1/2 cups of boiling water. Cook for 20 minutes. Add salt to taste after cooking. Yields 2 cups.

"This is a book written from the soul...it has a wholeness to it that other works, written from isolated viewpoints and abstract thinking, seem to be lacking. This is a book that belongs in the kitchen or library of anyone who cares about food, the health values it holds for making the body well again, or the best ways in which it should be prepared."
John Heinerman, Ph.D., author of 55 books on food therapy, and general nutrition

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