The Dinner Diva: Sprouted grains

Dinner Diva column by Leanne Ely

There’s a lot of talk these days about gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease, a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients, has become more common in recent years.

And while gluten sensitivity is one thing, celiac is quite another. Grains that are sprouted can often be tolerated by gluten sensitive folks, while those with celiac just need to stay clear, unless of course, they have the go-ahead from their doctors.

The main difference between a sprouted grain and a non-sprouted grain is the digestibility. Sprouted grains are much easier on the body to digest versus a regular grain that is not sprouted. Sprouting a grain produces vitamin C, increases beta-carotene and vitamin B content and helps the body to absorb calcium, zinc, iron, copper and magnesium. And while our bodies view whole grains as starches, they view sprouted grains as vegetables and have an easier time digesting them and getting more out of them, nutrient-wise, too.

So next time you’re perusing the bread aisle and wondering which bread to pick up, you might want to consider Food for Life’s bread. The Ezekiel bread is made exclusively with sprouted grains, and toasted, it tasted phenomenally rich. The added benefit to eating a sprouted grain bread is helpful if you’re trying to lose weight. Why? Well, you know that the more veggies you eat the better and the less starchy stuff you eat, the less you’re going to end up wearing it! Your body sees that sprouted wheat bread as veggies, yay!

Here’s a simple recipe for my favorite way to have an Ezekiel bread sandwich:

Grilled Basil Tomato Cheese Sandwiches
Serves 1
- 2 slices Ezekiel bread
- 1 teaspoon whipped unsalted butter
- 1 ounce low-fat Provolone cheese, grated
- 2 slices tomato
- 4 leaves fresh basil

Butter one side each of the bread. In a skillet, heat pan over medium-high heat. Place the slices butter side down. Carefully place cheese evenly on both pieces of bread, careful not to get it in the hot pan.

As cheese starts to melt, place tomato and basil on one side of the bread, now squish together, cut on a diagonal and devour … yum!

For more help putting dinner on your table, check out Leanne’s website, www.SavingDinner.com, or her Saving Dinner book series (Ballantine) and her New York Times bestselling book Body Clutter (Fireside). Copyright 2008 Leanne Ely. Used by permission in this publication.