So I just came across the following article about the antioxidant content in grains. I currently am not eating grains, but I still found it very interesting.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n14939633/
The part I found particularly interesting was this
"In vegetables and fruits, antioxidants mostly occur in the free, soluble form. But we discovered that the majority of antioxidants found in whole grains occur in the bound form," said Dr. Liu. "And previously, researchers examined whole grains with the same process used to measure antioxidants in vegetables and fruits. As a result, the amount and activity of antioxidants in whole grains has been vastly underestimated for years."
It just got me thinking that if the antioxidants in grains require gut bacteria to be released than perhaps grains that are soaked in yogurt, kefir, whey etc. which contain bacteria are providing a person with more antioxidants than unsoaked grains. Could this be more evidence that soaking grains is beneficial? Perhaps there is more benefit to soaking grains than just neutralizing the phytic acid. Also if gut bacteria is essential for unlocking the antioxidants in grain, wouldn't that also suggest that since most people don't actually have healthy gut bacteria (antibiotic use, toxins etc.), then it can be assumed that most people aren't getting the antioxidant content out of the grains they are consuming. Especially since most people don't soak their grains. Any thoughts?
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_n14939633/
The part I found particularly interesting was this
"In vegetables and fruits, antioxidants mostly occur in the free, soluble form. But we discovered that the majority of antioxidants found in whole grains occur in the bound form," said Dr. Liu. "And previously, researchers examined whole grains with the same process used to measure antioxidants in vegetables and fruits. As a result, the amount and activity of antioxidants in whole grains has been vastly underestimated for years."
It just got me thinking that if the antioxidants in grains require gut bacteria to be released than perhaps grains that are soaked in yogurt, kefir, whey etc. which contain bacteria are providing a person with more antioxidants than unsoaked grains. Could this be more evidence that soaking grains is beneficial? Perhaps there is more benefit to soaking grains than just neutralizing the phytic acid. Also if gut bacteria is essential for unlocking the antioxidants in grain, wouldn't that also suggest that since most people don't actually have healthy gut bacteria (antibiotic use, toxins etc.), then it can be assumed that most people aren't getting the antioxidant content out of the grains they are consuming. Especially since most people don't soak their grains. Any thoughts?
