the basics : soak your grains

one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do is soak the grains that you cook with. i love to do this because 1) it's so easy 2) it makes me feel good. it makes me feel good because i know that by soaking my grains for at least 12 hours before i cook them, i am releasing the phytic acid that makes grains so hard to digest. phytic acid is found in the bran of the grain. when phytic acid goes untreated it can combine with other vitamins and minerals in our gut and block their absorption.




it's nice to have some canning jars (i use 1/2 gallon wide mouth) so that there is plenty of room for the grain to expand. i use 2 cups grain, fill the jar with filtered water and 4 tbs raw apple cider vinegar. you want to use raw here because it contains the 'mother' which is the naturally occurring enzymes from the apples.





one note on picking out your grains: you don't always have to go 100% organic. i have found that Lundberg Farms sells 'eco-farmed' rice. this saves money but gets me pretty close to the unadulterated product.


once my grain has soaked, i usually rinse it with filtered water and plop it into my rice cooker. adding the recommended amount of water-to-rice 2:1. it is actually better if you cook it low & slow over the stove, which i do sometimes when i'm home all day. this allows the grain to slowly open up furthering the nutrient benefit of the grain. high heat will kill some of these nutrients.