Eating nothing but rice and beans for 4 days - need help

[amcal]

My church is doing a wonderful series on putting things in perspective - putting our wealth as a nation, our individual wealth - into perspective in relation to the rest of the world.

So, we're being challenged to eat nothing but rice and beans starting tomorrow and ending with our Thanksgiving meal. The goal is perspective - to force ourselves to get just at tiny glimpse of how others in the world live every day.

I understand that in the big picture of life, this is a tiny, insignificant thing to do but, It's really spoken to me and my 7 year old wants to try to do it with me. So, since she's doing it is as well, I want to make sure she'll be ok nutritionally.

Also, a challenge in doing this is that t I physically do not handle rice well at all - even brown rice. It does a number on my blood sugar. Also, I've been low carbing for years so all that carbohydrate may be hard for me.

So, I'm trying to do the "spirit" of the challenge and was thinking that maybe quinoa and beans would be a better choice.

Any thoughts? Would another grain be better?

Also, I've never sprouted grains (do you sprout beans?). Can you sprout quinoa? Any advice on how to do this would be so very appreciated!

[cicada]

Some info on sprouting beans and grains:

Here's what the WAPF website says about soaking beans:

Soak legumes in plenty of water that has been brought to a simmer and poured over the beans; add about 1/4 cup of something acidic (lemon juice, vingear or whey) to black beans, lentils and fava beans but soak other types of beans (white beans, brown beans and dried peas) in plain water--preferably soft water or water with a pinch of baking soda added. You don't need to worry about having the optimal pH if your diet contains animal foods and if the soaking is followed by a long slow cooking. Use the table below to determine approximate soaking times. For beans that require a long soaking time, you may wish to drain, rinse and add more water at least once during the process.

After soaking, drain the beans and rinse well, then add to a pot with more water and bring to a simmer. If digestibility is a problem for you, kombu added to the pot should take care of any pesky oligosaccharides still lurking. Cook those beans gently until completely tender.

The following recipes will transform the humble legume into a delectable, body-and-soul-satisfying dish of epicurean proportion. And very much worthy of polite society.

and feelgoodeats.com says this about soaking grains:

Use 3 cups of filtered water for every cup of grain.
Soak for eight hours or overnight.
Drain soaked grains into a strainer over the sink and discard the soaking water.
Add the soaked grains to a large heavy skillet over medium heat, and stir until all of the water has evaporated, gently toasting the grain.
When cooking soaked grains, reduce cooking liquid by ¼ of a cup for each cup of soaked grains.

He also says, however that he doesn't soak quinoa because it sprouts quickly. I don't see what's wrong with eating sprouted quinoa...

[nicolelynn]

Sprouting legums probably increases their nutritional value even more. And quinoa is an excellent choice as it is higher in protein and lower on the glycemic index than brown rice.

All in all you will be fine if it is only 4 days. You may get slight blood sugar issues but no irreversible nutritional damage for your daughter.

This is an awesome idea by the way, it would give us lots of perspective...

[amcal]

Ok, so I have my beans soaking - since they're black beans, I added 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Going to try the quinoa next - thanks for your help!

[amcal]

Ok, I think I'm confused on the quinoa

I soak it overnight and then I drain it, rinse it and then cook it, is that correct? Or is it already soft and ready to eat after soaking overnight?

[motherbirth]

Originally Posted by amcal

Ok, I think I'm confused on the quinoa

I soak it overnight and then I drain it, rinse it and then cook it, is that correct? Or is it already soft and ready to eat after soaking overnight?

Yes, you should still cook it.

You can cook quinoa in hot water by soaking it too.

I soak quinoa, but only for an hour or so. It helps get the bitterness away.

[Koalamom]

I think only eating rice and beans isn't unhealthy at all. You would be missing greens which is very inmortant, so sprouting some food and eatig those raw is good. And can you have any fats, butter?
Switch the beans and grains up a bit and I thin you will do fine!

[phroggies]

The beans/corn combination is also traditional in a lot of cultures, and you can get hominy and masa harina (nixtamalized corn) pretty cheaply. Just a thought as a substitute for rice. . .

[greenmamapagan]

Originally Posted by phroggies

The beans/corn combination is also traditional in a lot of cultures, and you can get hominy and masa harina (nixtamalized corn) pretty cheaply. Just a thought as a substitute for rice. . .

Agreed. Corn (nixtamilised) and beans provide a fairly complete protein.
I like quinoa better than rice too, we recently made this with quinoa instead of rice & found it fairly TF

[Blueone]

I've made quinoa in a rice cooker before. It came out fine. Just remember if you do 2 cups add 3 cups of water. I've also made it in a large skillet with a lid. It came out really good that way!

[amcal]

Uggg, I'm really struggling. Did I do something wrong? Starchy carbs give me terrible heartburn. I was hoping soaking them would help but, it didn't. I was miserable all day yesterday. Is there anything I can do? I've got 2.5 more days.

[TopazBlueMama]

Try eating less, and chewing VERY well, or even blending or mashing it up before you eat it.

[FairyRae]

I'd let the quinoa sprout--I've read grains that are sprouted digest more similar to veggies, and easier than unsprouted grains.

Can you do *any* other foods? Any veggies, fats, bone broth, etc? Maybe some fat would help you digest? I would personally add some of all of these things for digestive benefits even if it's breaking the rules. And cultured foods too like sauerkraut to help you digest those heavy grains.

Good luck!

[amcal]

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

I ended up adding fat and cooking it in bone broth and it's really helped.

I'm shocked at how awful I feel eating all these carbs. Massive headache, fatigued - all around miserable. Hoping to make it through today.

[jplain]

Aw, I hope you feel better soon.

For someone on a SAD, that challenge probably wouldn't have caused much discomfort, aside from fiber issues from the beans. They're already high-carbers, so they're just switching carb types.

But as a low-carber, your body has adapted to a completely different diet. By eating rice and beans, instead of gaining perspective, you're probably focused more on how your metabolism has been thrown for a huge loop.

I think I'd have chosen to reduce my calories instead, with an emphasis on cheaper meals. Broth, chicken soup, cheaper veggies, etc. Maybe I'd have used intermittent fasting. But I wouldn't go from low-carb to high-carb for 4 straight days to make a statement. One day? Maybe.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by jplain

Aw, I hope you feel better soon.

For someone on a SAD, that challenge probably wouldn't have caused much discomfort, aside from fiber issues from the beans. They're already high-carbers, so they're just switching carb types.

But as a low-carber, your body has adapted to a completely different diet. By eating rice and beans, instead of gaining perspective, you're probably focused more on how your metabolism has been thrown for a huge loop.

I think I'd have chosen to reduce my calories instead, with an emphasis on cheaper meals. Broth, chicken soup, cheaper veggies, etc. Maybe I'd have used intermittent fasting. But I wouldn't go from low-carb to high-carb for 4 straight days to make a statement. One day? Maybe.

For lots of SAD folks, making the switch to eating a beans and rice based diet could be really healthy...at least they are real foods! But for someone who eats mainly a grain free, lower carb diet of whole foods, it must be really tough for you! After first going grain free for a couple of weeks, I ate a cup and a half of rice and felt terrible. (Then went back to grain free ) I can only imagine how you're feeling amcal!

You're almost done, but like jplain mentioned, I might try either IF or maybe even *just* eating the fat and broth, etc. until tomorrow.

Good luck!

[amcal]

Thank you guys!

I wish I had thought it through and I would have just done reduced calories. I think I'm just going to have broth the rest of the day. The carbs are just making me feel miserable.

I appreciate all the help and support!