The calendar may say that it’s still winter, but I have officially declared it spring…which makes me long for summer. We eat these oats mostly in the summer, but they are delicious all year long…for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are especially good when eaten in the late afternoon while resting from pitching, hauling and spreading wheelbarrow loads of decomposed goat hay all over the garden 😀
The addition of the whey and lemon juice neutralizes the phytic acid in the oats, making all the nutrients available for absorption by the body. Without this soaking (or several stomachs to process and ferment the seeds like goats and cows do) most of the nutrients remain bound up with the phytic acid, which is the seed’s protective barrier, storing up nutrients for the baby plant once it emerges. In order to fully utilize all the nutrition that the seed has to offer this barrier must first be neutralized.
Here are some good quotes about phytic acid and why you should neutralize it before consuming grains:
Basically, phytic acid exists in all seeds and/or cereal grains, legumes, and nuts. In cereals and legumes, phytic acid is found predominantly in the bran or outer covering and also in the germ. The more cereal grains, legumes, and nuts you eat, the more you will consume phytate (Lehrfeld, Jacob; Wu, Victor, J., Agric. Food Chem., 1991) which is a naturally occurring toxicant (Oberleas, D.; 1973).
Phytic acid can combine with magnesium, calcium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract, thus blocking their absorption. That means there is less nutritional uptake by your body. This is precisely why a diet that is very high in unprepared whole grains may lead to great mineral deficiencies and even bone loss. Calcium and zinc (Lonnerdal, Bo; Journal of Nutrition, 2000) are not absorbed as well in the presence of phytate.
And the recipe, my own creation…
Ingredients:
-2 1/4 cups regular rolled oats (preferably organic)
-4 organic apples, unpeeled and grated (Fuji apples are my favorite, if apples aren’t organic then peel first)
-Juice and zest of 2 large organic lemons (if not organic then omit zest)
-1/2 cup of whey
-1/2 cup of raisins (preferably organic)
- Mix all ingredients really well in a large bowl. Let sit in a warm place for 8 hours and then refrigerate. Don’t let ferment longer than 8 hours as it can get sour tasting pretty quickly, but refrigeration greatly slows the fermentation process.
- To serve, scoop out about 1/2 cup into a bowl and top with plain whole milk yogurt or raw milk. I love this best with our raw goat’s milk 🙂
Musings Of A Mountain Mama 