Chemical Laden Commercial Cereals

As I walk along the grocery store isle, my eyes glance at the rows and rows of colorful cardboard cartons – dancing pixies pouring fresh strawberries and milk into a bowl, a toucan hopping happily around colorful round cereal, a major sports star hurling himself at a finish line, a rabbit holding a bowl of choco-colored mix, and a tiger showing off his muscles. All of them designed to attract young children. Each one touting the words ‘whole grain’, ‘wholesome’, ‘all natural’, ‘heart healthy’, ‘builds strong bones’…..it gets wearisome to see all these claims.

I start glancing at the ingredient list on some of these boxes, and it is enough for my stomach to literally churn. “14 gms added sugar per serving”, “Disodium Phosphate”, “Niacinamide“, “Yellow 5”, “Yellow 6”, “Thiamin Mononitrate”, “Pyridoxine Hydrochloride”, “BHT/BHA added to packaging for freshness” the boxes say.

What on earth is BHT and BHA? What are all these unpronounceable ingredients?!

I come home and research. “BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are widely used by the food industry as preservatives, mainly to prevent oils in foods from oxidizing and becoming rancid…..Based on animal studies, the National Toxicology Program has concluded that BHA “is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” while BHT has been linked to an increased—or sometimes decreased—risk of cancer in animals. The consumer group the Center for Science in the Public Interest thus cites BHA as an additive to “avoid” and puts BHT in its “caution” column.” says a University of California, Berkley website.

Honest-to-Goodness Breakfast

Most of us can acknowledge that a majority of cereals are edible entertainment. Cereal consumption usually has little to do with nutrition and a lot to do with advertising, characters, images, and convenience.

I prefer to steer clear of such controversial ingredients, even if they are touted as ‘marginally safe’. Instead, I reach out to whole grains to provide me a satisfying kick-start to my winter mornings. Simple ingredients, whole grains, easy to make, freezes well, and tasty to boot!! I can live with that.

There are several advantages of making this cereal, besides the health stand-point:

• It is so much cheaper to make this cereal rather than buying boxed cereal. Go to the bulk section of your favorite store (I buy mine either in Sprouts or Whole Foods), and pick just enough quantity
• For less than the price of conventional boxed cereal, you can get organic whole grain cereal. No kidding!
• What a great hot breakfast to have on a cold, cold morning.
• You can Mix and Match any combination of whole grains and store it in an airtight container. When you want to cook it, it is already ready! Different kinds of brans, teff, barley, rye, bulgur, quinoa…..so many to get creative with.
• The cooked cereal stores well in the refrigerator for an entire week. What’s more – it can be frozen and thawed easily.

Get Creative!

You can use any whole grains of your choice. I have used only Millets, Oat Groats, Amaranth and Buckwheat because I am looking for a gluten-free option. There are several other grains and bran you can mix into yours – Oat Bran, Wheat Bran, Bulgur or Kasha Wheat, Teff (did you know teff is the smallest grain in the world?!) or even sorghum. I always like to soak and sprout my whole grains to reduce the phytic acid content. If you can plan ahead and have the time, do soak the grains in water (drain before using) for a couple of hours.

WHOLE OAT GROATS:

Organic Whole Oat Groats

Whole Groats are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endosperm. “Groat” is a term that comes from an old Scottish word describing an oat kernel with the hull removed. Organic Oat Groats have a hearty, chewy texture that is great for rustic pilafs, salads, stews, and hot cereal. For fresh organic oat flour, you can grind organic oat groats on your home mill. Bob’s Red Mill sells this and you can find them online or in your grocery store.

WHOLE BUCKWHEAT:

Organic Whole Buckwheat

Buckwheat provides a very high level of protein, second highest only to oats. You will find roasted buckwheat and unroasted varieties in stores. I have used the unroasted ones for this cereal, but the roasted variety has a nice crunch to it. If you decide to use the roasted, add it to the cooked cereal only for the later half of the cooking process, since the kernels are already roasted and don’t need much cooking time. Although it contains the word ‘wheat’, Buckwheat is a Gluten Free grain. Soba noodles…galettes (crepes) and blinis (blintz)… Kasha… Pancakes… When you stop and look around at some of the world’s most savory and satisfying foods, don’t be surprised to see buckwheat on the ingredient list.

WHOLE AMARANTH:

Organic Amaranth

Like buckwheat and quinoa, amaranth is an especially high-quality source of plant protein including two essential amino acids, lysine and methionine, which are generally low in grains. Amaranth is packed with iron and calcium, and its fiber content is triple that of wheat. Amaranth is completely gluten-free; what’s more, it is an especially digestible grain, making it a traditional food for people recovering from illness or transitioning from a fast or cleanse. Have you eaten amaranth leaves? They are yum too.

WHOLE MILLETS:

Organic Millets

To most people, millet is considered “bird food” because of its high prevalence in birdseed blends. Millet is actually a very nutritious whole grain perfect for human consumption that’s been kicking around for the last 10,000 years. These days, millet is making waves for being a nutritious, gluten free whole grain. It helps that millet tastes great and is easy to cook, as well. It’s one of my personal favorites, since it can be cooked as a stand alone grain, used in salads, soups, breads and mashed like potatoes. I cycle through several varieties of millets: pearl millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, finger millet, and foxtail millet. All have slightly different tastes and nutrition values.

Do You Love Hearty Breakfasts?

Check out a few of our favorites:

• Chia Seed Pudding
• Pesarattu – Green Mung Crepe
• Banana Avocado Smoothie
• The BEST Open-Faced Veggie Sandwich
• Vegetable Masala Omlette with Guacamole
• Vegetable Uthappam
• No Ferment Cabbage Onion Dosa
• Romaine Ginger Smoothie
• Veggie Poha Upma
• Zesty Carrot Garbonzo Usli
• Vegetable Rawa Idli
• Zucchini Banana Bread
• Soft Kefir-Quinoa-Rawa Idli

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Whole Grain Hot Cereal - A Healthy Start To The Day

Try this wholesome, made-at-home hot breakfast and enjoy the goodness and taste!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine International

Keyword Amaranth, Breakfast, Buckwheat, Cereal, Groats, Millet, Oat Bran, Oats, sorghum, steel cut oats, teff, Wheat Bran, whole grain

Special Diet Gluten Free, No Added Sugar, Nut Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 16 People

Calories 158kcal

Equipment

• Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven
• Kitchen Knife
• Bamboo Cutting Board

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Oats - Oat Groats or Steel Cut Oats
• 1 Cup Millets - Whole
• 1 Cup Amaranth - Whole
• 1 Cup Buckwheat - Whole
• 1/2 Cup Oat Bran - Optional
• 1/2 Cup Wheat Bran - Optional
• 1 Cup Teff - Optional
• 1 Cup Sorghum - Optional
• 3 Cardamom - Whole (Discard before eating)

Instructions

• Mix all the grains and brans and store in jar. You can use teff, sorghum, various varieties of millets, buckwheat, kasha, amaranth, wheat and oat bran as well.
  
• When ready to cook, take one quarter cup mixed whole grain per person, add 2 whole cardamons (optional, for taste) and cook with 1 cup water for about 10 minutes, stirring once in a while to make sure the cereal doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the vessel. Remember that cardamoms are only added for flavor- discard them after cooking so you don't chew them by accident.
  
• Top with dairy milk or DIY Almond Milk, our Uber Food Blend, saffron strands, fruits (try our Dehydrated Apples) and Fruity-Nutty Trail Mix and enjoy it hot!
  

Notes

Top with dairy milk or DIY Almond Milk, our Uber Food Blend, saffron strands, Dehydrated Apples and Fruity-Nutty Trail Mix and enjoy it hot!

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Whole Grain Hot Cereal - A Healthy Start To The Day

Amount per Serving

Calories

158

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

2

g

3

%

Cholesterol

 

0

mg

0

%

Sodium

 

2

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

190

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

31

g

10

%

Fiber

 

5

g

21

%

Sugar

 

0

g

0

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

0

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

0.8

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

20

mg

2

%

Iron

 

0.4

mg

2

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.