GFY-N! Transitions - Week 7

Greetings from Me and My House,

This is week 7 of our 7 steps to a Good for You-Naturally! lifestyle of eating. I hope you have made some healthy transitions in your diet over the past several weeks. We will finish this series today by introducing cooked whole grains.

We've already talked about raw seeds, particularly in their sprouted form, and introduced that grains are seeds. This week we will add whole grains in their cooked form.

Most people are used to eating most of their grains in the form of flour in baked goods. Although I certainly won't debate against whole grain bread being delicious and Good for You, I primarily want to encourage you to begin adding whole grains in their intact form several times a week.

Oatmeal may be the only whole grain you are used to eating. Regular rolled oats are the whole grain, but flattened. Perhaps you are used to eating some other grains refined, such as white rice. Switching to brown rice is a Good for You choice. Other whole, intact grains that are good and can be served much the same as rice are: quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), amaranth, even whole wheat. Brown rice and oatmeal are easy enough to find in your local grocery store. The others may require going to a health food store.

We use a rice steamer or pressure pan to prepare our whole grains. You can read more about them here. Quinoa can be cooked in about 20 minutes, as opposed to brown rice 60 minutes, so it is a good choice when you are in a hurry. If you are really in a hurry, brown rice takes 18 minutes in the pressure pan, and quinoa only takes 1-2 minutes!

You can serve any whole grain as a pilaf, adding chopped onion, parsley, and other seasonings if desired. Some additions may be garlic, peas, shredded carrots, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or natural vegetable broth powder.

Begin adding cooked whole grains to your lifestyle of eating this week, in addition to the other changes you have made. I believe if you continue on this Good for You -Naturally! path you will see a change for the better in your health. God has provided us with such a great variety of great foods. Enjoy them, as He created them. And, "taste a see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8

For Me & My House,
At Jesus' feet,
Lisa