For the Health of it! Sprouted Grains

The health benefits of wheat, rye, rice, quinoa and other grains are entirely dependent on how they are eaten. Refined, processed grains are stripped of most of their nutrients, as the bran and the germ of the grain are removed. When making white flour, most of the vitamins B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium, zinc, iron, and fiber are lost leaving you with a useless starchy food that has a host of negative health consequences.

Eating refined grains can directly contribute to obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Traditionally, all grains and seeds, including rice were SPROUTED. As much as 20x more nutrients are found in sprouted seeds compared to processed seeds.
Before the usage of commercial farm harvesters, grain naturally sprouted in the field before it was milled into flour. During the industrial revolution grain was quickly harvested unsprouted and moved to storage bins.

Sprouted foods are considered wonder foods. They rank as the most nutritious of all foods available.



Benefits of Sprouted Flour:
Easier to digest - sprouting breaks down the starches in grains to simple sugars so your body can digest them like a vegetable
Increased Vitamin C
Increased Vitamin B
Increased Carotene - sprouting increased the carotene up to eight times
Increased enzymes - enzymes are produced during sprouting
Reduction of anti-nutrients - Sprouting neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid which is present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.

Sprouted grains are significantly higher in protein, vitamins and enzymes. In fact, one of my favorite protein powders is Garden of Life because they use sprouted grains for the protein. Sprouted grains have low GI so they are digested more slowly by the body, keeping the blood sugar levels stable for longer, making people feel more satisfied. This leads to snacking less.

Those who have allergies or intolerances to wheat or grains in general may find that they have absolutely no negative health reactions to sprouted grains.

Organic sprouted grains or flour is available here. www.organicsproutedflour.net

Sprouted grains can be found in health food stores too. "Food For Life Ezekiel" has bread and cereals which are tasty. Making your own sprouted food is also an option. Read here for details.

Best Protein Powder

Since writing about my smoothie people have asked more questions about protein powder. Let me tell you why I like Sun Warrior, Kachava and Garden of Life brands.

Sun Warrior is SPROUTED brown rice protein. Sprouted being the key word. It means they take the rice plant before it sprouts so it's all nice and green and has all the nutrients intact and they harvest it for it's nutrients which is rich! It comes in original flavor and also chocolate and vanilla which the flavors are sweetened with stevia. Sun Warrior has some other products but I have only used the Classic Protein Powder. It is raw, NON-GMO and vegan as well! The cost is about $1 a scoop.



Garden of Life is collagen protein made from grass-fed cows.  Collagen is great for healing the gut, joint support and skincare.  It also includes probiotics for an extra boost to help your gut.   It is also about the same price as Sun Warrior.  I think as far as taste goes both brands are about the same in taste. A little chalky if you drink alone with water but blended tastes just fine.

Kachava is a pea protein that also has tons of superfoods.  Because of the superfoods this protein powder is the more expensive one but well worth it.  It also is the best tasting one.  Just add water to it and it tastes great!  To order here is a code for $15 off.  We also carry it in the office along with the Garden of Life.  If you are interested in either we can muscle test you for which one is best for your body.  

My Favorite Green Smoothie

Many times a week I tell patients to add in more green vegetables into their diet. Instead of them taking another supplement I rather them get what their body needs straight off their plate (or bowl)! Sometimes I tell them they need it because they are testing low in iron and kale and spinach are great for iron. Sometimes I tell them to eat more leafy greens for calcium. Kale, collard greens and bok choy are good for that. Sometimes patients need the chlorophyl to help purify the blood and any 'green' is good for that! Green leafy vegetables are also a good source of protein for my vegetarians/vegans. But what if you are bored with the salad or green juice or already eating 2 salads a day? How do you add in even more? My answer is with a green smoothie!



It's easy to prepare. I don't have to think about what to have for breakfast. I just pop it all into the blender and I am done. After years of making different ones this is the recipe I like the most. All ingredients are organic. The avocado makes it creamy and the cocoa makes it chocolatey. If you don't like the chocolate taste feel free to not add it. It tastes good without it too. For the health benefits of adding cocoa, read my blog. Feel free to be creative with it and make it your own!

1 1/2 cups green leafy veggies
1/4 cup organic wild blueberries (frozen from Trader Joe's)
half an avocado
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Tablespoon flax seed
1 1/2 cups water or nut milk
1 scoop protein powder (I love Kachava)