I have a theory, and I may be thrown under a moving bus for this, so hang on. As a society, we focus too much on eating grains. At Nature’s Emporium we have constant requests for how to heal stomach problems – like colitis, Crohn’s, Celiac disease, IBS – as well as inflammatory diseases – like arthritis, asthma, cancer. Everybody wants to know about Gluten-Free Diets.

 Here’s my theory: the solution is not to find out about which grains are Gluten-Free, but to change the focus from a grain-centered diet, to a vegetable and fruit-centered diet. Yes, we do need the complex carbohydrates that grains offer our diet. As a result, learning about which grains are gluten-free is important, and I’ll list them below for you in a minute. But when we start telling ourselves and the people around us that we are “on a Gluten-Free Diet” we’re out of focus!

From my quick research online, and my own knowledge and experience, there are 9 gluten-free grains:

• Rice – white, wild or brown (white rice has been milled – that is the husk, bran and germ have been removed. Since these are where most of the nutrients in a grain are found, white rice has little nutritional value. There’s lots more information about rice on the Lundberg  site, as well as the Livestrong  site.)
• Millet
• Quinoa – white and brown (or red)
• Corn (though it’s really a vegetable)
• Teff
• Amaranth
• Buckwheat – includes Kasha which is roasted Buckwheat
• Montina – otherwise known as Indian rice grass
• Sorghum

• Oats – It had been thought that the actual grain contains no gluten, but is often processed with gluten-containing grains and picks up residual gluten. However, recent research has indicated that a protein naturally found in oats (avenin) possessed peptide sequences closely resembling wheat gluten and caused mucosal inflammation in significant numbers of celiac disease sufferers. (Source: Arentz-Hansen, Helene; Burkhard Fleckenstein; Øyvind Molberg; Helge Scott; Frits Koning; Günther Jung; Peter Roepstorff; Knut E. A. Lundin; Ludvig M. Sollid (2004-10-19). “The Molecular Basis for Oat Intolerance in Patients with Coeliac Disease”. PLoS Medicine (PLoS Medicine) 1 (1): e1. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010001. PMC 523824. PMID 15526039. https://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0010001. Retrieved 2006-07-22. )

I had a great weekend escape last weekend with 5 friends from high school. While it was wonderful to talk about when we were in high school and catch up on who’s doing what, what I found to be the most powerful was how we are going through similar things together.

Because I love food, everyone had lots of questions about food and healing, food and cancer, food and psychology. It made me realize that everyone is starting to be more knowledgeable about how food affects our bodies and how society’s search for easy, fast food, is actually starting to hurt us – not only from a physical stand point, but also from a family and community place.

I’m thinking of doing another month-long experiment. Each day I’ll write about what I’m making for supper. That way not only do I become accountable, but also it makes me really walk my talk. And you’ll be able to recognize that I have the same challenges as most of you.

I have a teenage son who won’t eat vegetables (but will eat fruit and so he has a Greens + supplement with every meal), a husband who is so busy with work that we sometimes aren’t able to eat together (and he often forgets to eat), and a daughter who is always watching her weight and so juggles what food is put in front of her. Me, I prefer to eat vegetables, but will enjoy white meat and fish. Oh, and cheese. I LUV cheese!

Tonight we’re having a Thai Basil Turkey dish, with saffron rice (white basmati rice), and stir fried vegetables. No doubt my son will pick out all of the vegetables and green things – but I’ll get over it!

I found the recipe idea in the Longo’s magazine on the inside front cover ad for Maple Leaf chicken. I’m using free-range turkey from the butcher instead.

1 turkey breast (boneless, skinless) – I’ve got 2 small turkey scallopini
1 tbsp olive oil
6 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 red chilli peppers, deseeded & chopped – I’m using chilli sauce
1/2 cup finely-chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce (or oyster sauce)
Saute turkey (cut into bite-sized pieces) in olive oil (with a little vegetable stock) for 3-4 minutes until no longer pink
Add onions, garlic and peppers. Cook until onions are softened. Add basil and hoisin sauce, cook for 2-3 minutes (I’m also marinating the turkey right now in hoisin mixed with veggie stock).
Serve with rice and stir-fried vegetables (I’m doing bean sprouts, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, red pepper and red onion).

I look forward to your comments. Let me know what you’re cooking for dinner – it may help me decide what’s on for Thursday dinner!