Soaking Whole Grains

I had a great question from Christie posted on my other blog as I apparently had the comments on this blog a little more restricted that I had thought. I think I have fixed that. So this week's post will be based on the question. It's a good thing too otherwise it would be on the validation and calibration of semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaires. Just kidding, I don't think I could actually write a whole post on that. That is just what my week's article was on that I read for some continuing credits.

I will post Christie's question here again so I make sure I answer it:

"Do you know anything about soaking whole grains before baking them? I like to make my own granola and have found several sources that advise soaking the oats in whatever liquid the recipe calls for, plus an acid medium (vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk) before baking them. allegedly it breaks down the antinutrients and makes them more easily digestible. but it's kind of a pain because I have to start the process 24 hours in advance to allow adequate "soaking" time. just wondering if you recommend this or if it's worth the extra time. "


Okay, so I wasn't super familiar with the soaking of whole grains (I'm somewhat familiar with sprouting) but after doing some researching and brushing up on my phytic acid knowledge here is the low down.

So the "antinutrients" that Christie refers to in whole grains is mainly just phytic acid (side-note: Christie, I thought you were totally making up that word; turns out that it is an actual word http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinutrient. I was familiar with the concept just not that term).

Whole grains (as well as legumes, seeds and nuts) have phytic acid in them, which is how plants store phosphorus. Unfortunately, this phytic acid binds with some of the desirable minerals in whole grains (iron and zinc mostly, with calcium and magnesium being affected to a lesser extent). This binding makes these minerals nonabsorbable by our bodies.

Is this a problem? Only if you are concerned you are not getting enough of those minerals in other places in your diet. This is the case for those in developing countries who live on diets that are composed mostly of whole grains. It might be the case for those following vegetarian diets if they are counting on the whole grains, legumes, nuts or seeds to be the source of their iron and zinc.

Another thing to know about phytic acid is that it is not all bad. It appears to have some antioxidant and anticancer effects. It isn't fully understood either (you'll notice this a lot when you are in the nutrition world). You would think if it binds minerals that those who eat a lot of phytic acid wouldn't get the calcium they need and would have more cases of osteoporosis. But one study found just the opposite, that those who ate more phytate had less osteoporosis (1). Interesting, huh?

However, if you are concerned about phytic acid there are ways to reduce it in your foods. Just cooking the grains will decrease the amount some. Soaking them (especially if you use an acid medium) will reduce the levels even more and increase the amount your body absorbs. Also, if you make sure you get some foods with vitamin C in them at the same time this helps your body absorb iron and to some extent zinc in plant foods such as whole grains.

For more on how to soak whole grains, try this website: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html
For more on iron: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron/
For more on zinc: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002416.htm

My overall take on phytic acid is that you only need to be concerned about it if you are a pretty strict vegetarian (don't eat any meat or dairy*) and you aren't getting iron and zinc from other sources (i.e. a multivitamin).

Whether you want to get into soaking grains and sprouting legumes, I'll leave that up to you. If it was me I'd just make sure I got a good variety of food in a variety of preparations (some cooked, some raw, etc) and include fruits and vegetables with my whole grains to give me the acids to help my body absorb those minerals. I'd probably try some soaking on the occasion but not as an every day thing. But if it was me I wouldn't be a vegetarian, because I like eating me some meats - although I do try to follow the Word of Wisdom's counsel to keep that more to a rarity.

Doctrine & Covenants 89:12
"Yea, ^aflesh also of ^bbeasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used ^csparingly;"

Oh, also, as far as granola goes I don't think the whole soaking thing would work as it would make it all mushy, right? Soaking works for oatmeal or if you are cooking the oats in like a bread or something, as far as I understand. I can't imagine using soaked oats in my granola recipe but I could be wrong.

I'd like to apply that last statement to anything I say - because I know you are thinking I am always right (ha!), but just ask Ammón - I'm not. For instance I always get Encyclopedia Brown stories wrong, although my answers could totally work too. Ammón however, always seems to get them right, darn him.

*Post edit: I took eggs out here as they really aren't a good source of iron or zinc, I'm not sure why I included it in the first place. Also, just for your reference:


1 slice of whole wheat bread has 0.54 mg of zinc (this doesn't tell us how much your body might actually absorb considering the presence of phytic acid)
8 oz of low-fat vanilla yogurt has 1.88 mg of zinc
3 oz hamburger patty has about 5.5 mg of zinc

References:
1. Phytate and risk factors for osteoporosis. J Med Food. 2008 Dec;11(4):747-52. 
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acid
3. Roberta Duyff. Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. 2nd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2002 (p. 133).
4. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:1266-1282.

Welcome World & about Choline

Well, first off, this blog isn't going to be one of those in-depth ones with tons of information. I'll be frank here and tell you my goal with this blog is mostly selfish; I hope to encourage myself to stay on top of new nutrition information and keep my dietetics brain working as I keep moving forward as a stay-at-home mom. I am going to try to update here at least once a week but don't be offended if I miss here and there. It has taken me months to get to this first post.

However, I hope the information will be helpful in making nutrition research and headlines more understandable and more applicable to the every day mom. Being engrossed in motherhood and a young child, that will obviously be my focus. I also hope to have helpful links to those blogs and websites that put a lot more effort into these things. I simply don't have the time, I have too much playing to do with my toddler :)

Okay, on to the first topic: Choline. Ever heard of it? It's not a nutrient that you hear about a whole lot but it does play its own important role. Choline is a vitamin-like micronutrient. In our bodies it is found in cell membranes, involved with fat transport and helps with liver, brain and nerve (memory) functions. I have recently been seeing more of it in the news and research studies as it is a starting point for some of the processes in fetal development. More especially it seems to be important in the brain development of babies, even being a factor in neural tube defects. When moms don't get enough choline during pregnancy the risk of neural tube defects increases 2x.(1)

This is a concern because according to NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-04 data) research about 90% of US pregnant women eat less than the recommended amount of choline(2). The AI (Adequate Intake) being 426 mg/day and the average intake being 338 mg/day.  However, the increase in neural tube defects was noted at or below the level of 290 mg/day. There is also something you should know about when they say AI (Adequate Intake) versus RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances).

RDA's are much more scientifically sound whereas AI comes from observing how much of different nutrients the average healthy person gets. The reasoning is that if the person is healthy and that is how much they eat, then about that much is probably what is needed for most people to stay healthy. As you see, a much looser way of recommending things versus the RDA where they have research that shows them what the level is for optimal health.

Okay, blah, blah. On to the application. So in summary choline is important for normal baby development. Women may not be eating enough whilst pregnant and as breastfeeding moms. But we don't really know for sure because the recommended levels aren't really known. Also, as far as I can tell the average intake according NHANES is still above the level where they noticed the neural tube defect increase.

Here is my recommendation, make sure you are getting choline in your diet - especially if you are pregnant or nursing. Choline is not often in prenatal supplements. Maybe it will be more now as more information comes out about its importance, but it is something to check out. Here are some of the top food sources of choline(3):



For more food sources you can check here also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choline


References:
1. Shaw GM, Carmichael SL, Yang W, Selvin S, Schaffer DM. Periconceptional dietary intake of choline and betaine and neural tube defects in offspring. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;160:102-109.
2. Caudill MA. Pre- and Postnatal Health: Evidence of Increased Choline Needs. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:1198-1204.
3. Marcia Greenblum. Choline: The Unknown Essential Nutrient [Internet]. Version 3. Knol. 2008 Oct 2. Available from: http://knol.google.com/k/marcia-greenblum/choline-the-unknown-essential-nutrient/j40it7v2kg6/14.