Easily digestible grains

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dovima on August 21, 2012 at 2:09am

     It seems to be a very individual experience.  Oats leave me feeling lethargic.  I won't even bother going into the gluten grains!  I do great with wild rice; too bad it's so expensive.  I seem to do well with buckwheat.  And millet but I do it with caution because it's a goitergen food  and I have thyroid issues.  I'm so jealous of everyone who does so great with rice.  I feel irritable the next morning, which is an inflammation response.  Quinoa gives me an awful stomach ache from the saponin.  

       My first choice in cooked carbs is hard winter squash like butter nut squash.

Permalink Reply by punchxyka on August 21, 2012 at 11:37pm

I also have problems with thyroid. I am waiting now for check up. Until then I have to deal with my slow digestion and depression. -_- 

Pure oats should be gluten free. 

Permalink Reply by banana - boy on August 21, 2012 at 2:12am

good topic..lately i think they all do better in soups cuz they are all so dry and that dryness makes hard to digest but to your question i am not sure which ones are best maybe a soupy rice? smooth sailing i think : )

Permalink Reply by PK on August 21, 2012 at 4:46am

Most grains are not easily digestible in part because of their high oxalate content, although they do contain other irritating substances like purines.  

Immediate symptoms of high oxalate consumption include burning mouth and throat during consumption, digestive upsets including sour stomach, stomach pains, diarrhea, blood in stools, constipation, bloating, gas in its various forms including burping, belching, flatulence, and flatus, breathing and asthma symptoms, acne and skin eruptions, arthritis flare ups, kidney stones and kidney problems, urinary pain and or problems, irritation of the genitalia, body odor, and slowed digestion which makes it difficult to eat enough calories during the day.

Long term symptoms and diseases related to high oxalate consumption include kidney stones and kidney disease, urinary problems, breathing and asthma problems, digestive system irritation and or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), prevention of calcium absorption and assimilation with risk of osteopenia (bone softening), osteoporosis, and jaw, oral, and dental problems, iron deficiency anemia, and other systemic problems such as calcification of tissues and arteries also known as hardening of the arteries and or arteriosclerosis which can lead to heart problems and cerebrovascular accidents and strokes.  Systemic circulation of calcium oxalate crystals can also cause them to be deposited in the visceral organs, bones, cartilage, and synovial fluid of joints resulting in pain, swelling, and arthritis.

Oxalate Health Impact

Also, grains can contribute to bloating in is various forms:

Abdominal Bloating

Having said that, for emergency basises, some members including myself do better with steamed rice with no oil or salt or spices.  

Fruit may not digest well with grains, so if one has to eat them, eat fruit during the day, and then in the evening, eat a large green lettuce salad, and then finish off with the slower digesting grains.

Peace, PK

Permalink Reply by punchxyka on August 21, 2012 at 11:03pm

White or brown rice?

My digestion can't handle any fruit, I am doing MUCH better with grains.

Permalink Reply by PK on August 22, 2012 at 1:42am

White basmati rice.  It can be found in many Asian stores.  

Peace, PK

Permalink Reply by Tony on August 21, 2012 at 4:50am

For me, quinoa seems to digest quicker than brown rice... But I do soak the quinoa a lot longer than the brown rice. I usually soak the brown rice for a couple hours and quinoa gets soaked over night (12ish hours).

Permalink Reply by Diane L on October 27, 2012 at 2:30am

I find wild rice and amaranth easy to digest.  They aren't grains, they are seeds, but they fill me up in a similar way that brown rice does.

Permalink Reply by RawGreenAmber on November 2, 2012 at 7:19am

If I soak my rice (long-grian brown) for about 6 hours before cooking it, I have found it quite easily digestible. 

Permalink Reply by banana - boy on November 2, 2012 at 8:00am

agree  soaking rice really makes a huge difference   these foods need water so ya got to soak em ,  if not i like cooking a little longer to really soften and soak up as much water possible ..

-doug

Permalink Reply by Diane L on November 3, 2012 at 10:21am

Yes, I often use more water in cooking rice, wild rice and amaranth so I can cook them longer. I may wind up using twice as much water as the normal amount, if not more.  I think this definitely makes them more digestible.  I also often eat them as a mono meal and I think that helps too.

Permalink Reply by Dominic Schumerth on November 18, 2012 at 12:47pm

I like millet and buckwheat the best, but similar things like amaranth, quinoa, and rice digest well too.  I soak all grains for about 8 hours and cooking them in plenty of water makes for easy digestion.