Do you remember when whole grains were considered healthy? You’d walk into a really good bakery or step up to the wholesome breads booth at your local farmers market and say, “I’ll take the seven grain loaf.” And it would feel warm in the bag under your arm and you’d take it home and slice it up, slather it with butter or jam, take a bite …
and DELIGHT
in all the little seeds that got caught between your teeth. You might even have felt a little righteous because after all, YOU were eating WHOLE grain bread while others were purchasing less stellar varieties at the local grocery store.
I miss those days.
Lately, I’m finding it difficult to convince my clients that ‘grains be good’. They are caught in a web of media madness and faulty nutritional belief systems that complicate the grain story. Some are throwing out grains altogether. Others are eating quinoa only … because it’s a seed. It’s safe. And frankly, they confess, they’re getting a little tired of quinoa. (Me, too.)
I have a deep desire to see ancient grains make a flourishing comeback.
That’s why I invited Maria Speck to come tell us about her latest book, Simply Ancient Grains. I interviewed her a few years back when she published Ancient Grains for Modern Meals and that book remains one of my all time favorites. Her recipes are so very vibrant and so flavorful I feel like I’m eating slivers of sunlight whenever I prepare them.
Disclaimer: I know that there are cases where a gluten sensitivity keeps you from enjoying certain grains. Maria will talk about that, too, and the many gluten-free grains you CAN enjoy.
Please join us for a lively discussion on what it means to incorporate the stunning flavors and lively textures of whole grains into a healthy diet. It’s free. And, if you can’t make the ‘live’ call, I’ll send you the recording the very next day.
Tuesday afternoon, September 8
3:30 PM (EST)
Maria Speck is a food journalist and the author of the multiple award-winning cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. She has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur, Gastronomica and the Vegetarian Times. Maria was raised in Greece and Germany, two cultures with centuries-old grain traditions that have inspired her passion and are the foundation of her cooking. She lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband (chief recipe taster) who she describes as “the best eater I’ve ever met.”
You can follow Maria in all the usual places:
website
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23 thoughts on “Grains Be GOOD!”
Sue Ann –
Thank you so much for shining a light on the “media madness and faulty nutritional belief systems that complicate” and ruin (in my humble opinion) the joy of eating. I know food fundamentalism isn’t new, but holy cow, it seems so out of hand these days. Orthorexia and nutritionism are rampant – I wonder if people even know that they’ve fallen into a rabbit hole when they valence glorious food. Again, thank you for not only shining a light, but also for being a shining light. Really looking forward to hearing your conversation with Maria Speck – I’m sure it will be tasty!
Thank YOU, Lisa, for reading and responding to my blog posts and for bringing joy to the table. xxoo
thanks for bringing this forward Sue Ann… I’m looking forward to hearing the recording (can’t be on live, sadly).
xoxo
Let me know if you have any questions you’d like me to include in the interview, Teresa, and thanks for chiming in here. xxoo
Hi Sue Ann – I so enjoyed listening to your previous conversation with Maria when I was participating in the Luscious Legacy Project! Looking forward to this one – I’ll try my best to make it live.
That would be so wonderful, Melissa! I’d love to have some ‘live’ action on this call. xxoo
I can’t agree with you more about clients being so fearful of grains – scared and confused about food in general! There is something so important in the memories you hold with food, it is part of who you are. Looking forward to looking through Maria Speck’s cookbook!
You’ll love it, Heather. So much lusciousness in that book, BOTH books. I hope you can make the call. She’s truly a delight! xxoo
My daughter has a friend who is gluten sensitive…or at least she believes she is! Gluten-free is big business for the product manufacturers and specialty restaurants that have hopped on that bandwagon. I personally still enjoy grains and know that they are very nutritious. I like to diversify my diet and eat a wide variety of foods.
Me too, Lori. I think there are legitimate cases where a gluten sensitivity needs to be addressed. I worry when big business tries to convince EVERYone that gluten-free ‘products’ (as in processed food) is healthier than something like whole grains. This conversation will be rich. I hope you’ll join us.
“They are caught in a web of media madness and faulty nutritional belief systems . . .”
this statement saddens (and frightens) me. i see women in my practice who heal from anorexia or bulimia only to go on to other obsessive forms of eating (based on faulty nutritional beliefs). they end up missing the entire beautiful point of food and eating – to nourish and sustain our bodies, our lives.
thank you for addressing this, sue ann.
Oh yes, April, me too. Thank you for shining a light on the nourishing aspects of food. Italian roots, yes? Full circle. xxoo
I love grains, good rustic organic grains. I too have a gluten sensitivity however, I do well with some grains sprouted in breads. I love this post, so nourishing to read.
Thank you, Dana. I’m hoping you’ll share with me that gorgeous rustic loaf you made upon your return from your family visit this summer. xxoo
Love you for bringing this up! It´s really sad that we get to be fearful of food.
I hope I can be live with you on the call! xxoo
Hope to ‘see’ you on the call, Carina. I know you would love so many of the recipes from this book. xxoo
Sue Ann, you get a resounding, all caps, YES YES YES from me. I’d been down a dozen food/diet-related rabbit holes for so long before finally realizing that food shouldn’t be assigned a moral value and yes, grains were GOOD. I worry about so many people who are educated only in as much as the media tells them; they are missing out on so much! And sure, there are legitimate exceptions where people cannot eat certain foods, but everyone else needs to get out there and ENJOY.
I love that, Laura, “… before finally realizing that food shouldn’t be assigned a moral value and yes, grains were GOOD.” We live in a fear-based culture, unfortunately. Here’s to more pleasure and less pain. xxoo
So good to hear common sense talked about food. I love grains, and smiled when you mentioned little seeds getting caught between the teeth! Such a pleasure to eat food like that! I love seeds, grains and nuts, think I was a budgie in a past life! X
Me, too, Penny, me too! xxoo
“I feel like I’m eating slivers of sunlight whenever I prepare them.” I love eating sunlight.
I have never stopped eating grains. 🙂
I am one of those people who takes meals whenever someone is in crisis…or overly happy. I love with food. My friend recently had a baby, and lost her mother. I took over soup and bread. Bread my mother used to bake.
I lost my mother when my children were young and raised them without a mother. But I baked her bread and smelled her essence every time I did. I eat bread heartily and frequently. Slathered in butter. 🙂
I’d love to be on your call, but I’m in a meeting. I’ll gladly take the recording.
Growing up in Norway, it was ALL about the healthy, brown bread. Amusingly, as an adult I developed a gluten intolerance (not an allergy), and I have found that the whiter the bread, the weaker the gluten. And yet I still feel a pang of guilt every time I choose white, haha! 😉
That’s so interesting, Neens. I have found the opposite to be true. Just goes to show how unique our bodies are and how important it is to listen closely for the signs. 😉