
Amaranth represented up to 80% of the caloric intake of the Aztecs before the Spanish conquest. Amaranth tastes somewhat like corn, but is somewhat less sweet. Others have described the taste as nutty, like bacon or wood, or slightly bitter. It is...
Barley has an ancient history, and was first cultivated in the Near East.
Rice builds ojas. Ojas is said to have the smell of burnt rice. Of rices, Basmati is the most sattvic and aromatic. Rice is nourishing and easy to digest giving more 'bang for the buck'. Rice offers more calories with less effort from digestive...
Brown rice has a superior nutritional profile than white rice but it more difficult to digest. Brown rice is made by removing the husk from harvested rice grain but the bran layer and the germ are kept intact. In white rice, the bran and germ are...
Buckwheat's hearty warmth hits the spot on any damp cloudy day in November. Enjoy as you snuggle up with your loved ones, or while listening to crackling logs in a wood burning stove. Smoky, nutty and earthy, buckwheat is slightly demulcent like...
Meso-Americans domesticated corn (also known as maize) in pre-historic times, and it spread through much of the Americas between 1700 and 1250 BCE. Traditionally corn, beans and squash formed the three sisters, widely cultivated by native American...
Most likely named after the texture of road grit, grits are simply a course grinding of corn. Corn flour is finely ground and corn meal somewhere in between.
Masa is spanish for dough, although masa usually refers to 'masa de maize', meaning corn dough. Masa is a dried flour prepared from processed hominy and wood ash. The wood ash contains slaked lime, which makes the nutrients in the corn more bio...
Millet is drier than other grains. It's astringency can help bind diarrhea. It is warmer than other grains, stimulating good digestion and agni. Due to astringency, millet may feel like sandpaper if the tissues of the digestive tract are irritated or...
The expression "Feeling your oats" testifies to the use of oats as a tonic for increased vigor. Oats calms the nervous system by nourishing and strengthening. It is useful for insomnia and anxiety. Oats have a slimy quality (they are demulcent)...
Anything you eat must be completely rehydrated in order to digest it. That means dry foods like corn could absorb too much fluids for deficiency, dehydrated Vata typs. Corn is also drying in the colon as it continues to absorb moisture, leading to...
This extremely nutritious pseudo-grain was originally cultivated on the high plains of the South American Andes Mountains. Although the wide variety of health benefits is just beginning to be studied and appreciated by modern western countries, the...
Many gluten free breads contain rice flour. Although rice flour rises in the oven, Vata take care! It is denser and drier than wheat.
Rye is hearty, heavy, mildly bitter and pungent. A great winter grain.
Seitan is made from the gluten of wheat washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves. The insoluble gluten remains behind. Seitan is an alternative to soybean-based meat substitutes.
Tapioca is actually made from tree resin. Like most resins tapioca is sticky.
There is a popular saying, "Wheat increases brawn, but rice increases brain." Wheat is dense nutrition, but it is difficult to digest. It pulls too much blood out of circulation and into the digestive tract. The loss of blood dulls the mind, and voila...
There is a popular saying, "Wheat increases brawn, but rice increases brain." Wheat is dense nutrition, but it is difficult to digest. It pulls too much blood out of circulation and into the digestive tract. The loss of blood dulls the mind, and voila...
Wild rice is four species of grain from the genus zizania.
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Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’