Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
 Preventive Medicine

For almost 100 years Seventh-day Adventists have had the advantage of knowing that grains used for cereal or mush should have several hours of cooking. Ministry of Healing (1905) page 301, tells of this important health principle. Those who have accepted this principle as a way of life and cooked their grains a long time have, all unknown to them, received a benefit.

In 1968, Volkheimer reported finding starch granules in blood, urine, bile, and human milk after the subject had drunk a suspension of water and raw starch. In recent years the radiologists have discovered tiny lacunar scars present in the brains of all people over the age of 30. The source of these scars is obscure, but there are some who believe these scars to result from the intake of inadequately cooked starch.

In the Medical Hypothesis (1991) 35:85-87, in an article by B. J. Freedman of the Longman Group in the United Kingdom, the theory was again put forth that these scars may have a relationship to partly cooked granules of starch.

Clearly shown was the fact that incompletely hydrolyzed (cooked) starch could pass through the intestinal wall and enter into the general blood circulation. The starch granules remain somewhat intact during insufficient cooking. Like melting ice cubes they get smaller and smaller, but also like ice cubes, the smallest chunk can still cause you to slip and fall. So it is with starch chains. If they have not been cooked at boiling temperature long enough, portions remain partly intact. Some of these granules travel into and block the smallest arteries called arterioles, and the tiniest of all blood vessels, the capillaries.

In most organs the circulation lying nearby suffices for continued function. In the brain, however, neurons may be lost as blood vessels are plugged by intact starch granules. Over many decades the neuronal loss could be of importance to the individual, being sufficient to cause a reduction in thinking processes.

To test his hypothesis, Dr Freedman examined tissues with a polarizing microscope which clearly distinguishes starch granules from other objects.

In his article, he showed a mechanism for the process of taking in starch granules through the intestinal wall. He fed starch to rats and demonstrated the presence of starch granules between two villi in the small intestine, then between epithelial cells in the area just below the surface cells. The next photograph showed the starch granules in the layer lying just under the surface called the subepithelial layer. The final photograph showed intact starch granules actually inside a mesenteric vessel.

Other organs believed to be damaged besides the brain are the bones (such damage possibly resulting in osteoporosis), adrenals (possibly resulting in stress or fatigue), muscles, joints, and lymph nodes.

Almost 20 years ago we ran an experiment at Uchee Pines in which we boiled rolled oats, corn grits, whole grain rice, whole grain wheat, and cracked wheat. We tested each of these cooking grains at 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours, and 4 hours. The rolled oats showed complete hydrolysis of the starch (breaking down into fully digestible portions) in 90 minutes. The corn grits required 3 hours, and the other grains between two and three hours. Corn meal requires 45 to 60 minutes; quick oats 45 minutes; and instant oats 25 to 30 minutes; pasta 30 minutes. A pressure cooker helps to reduce cooking times a small amount, perhaps 10 minutes off each hour of cooking time.

So far as bread is concerned, it should be baked until it is nicely browned on all sides. Too slow baking causes the bread to dry out and be hard. Too rapid baking causes inadequate browning. Your own oven must be your guide. If browning is not good on all sides, the starches will not be adequately converted to sugars, and could cause the problems which have been postulated to occur because of inadequately cooked grains. Small loaves of bread are preferable since the browning reaction, as discussed below, is more complete.

A question commonly asked was about waffles, those breakfast specials made from whole grain flours or flakes and cooked for only 10-15 minutes! How can all the starch be hydrolyzed in such a short amount of time? To answer this question we must become kitchen chemists (Actually cooks always have been chemists unwittingly!).

There is a chemical reaction known as the Maillard Reaction. It is also called the browning reaction. When a grain is being heated in an oven or a griddle, at a certain point browning begins. This is not just a coloration, but a chemical process taking place in which the starch chains are being broken in a domino effect. It is a fast process resulting in the hydrolysis of starches. So when it comes to waffles, stay away from the pale, anemic ones and go for the ones which are golden brown. But, if you cook an item to the point of scorching, carcinogenic agents are formed so experimentation and a timer are indispensable.

Since amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat are not grains, but plant seeds, they need to be cooked only until they taste done. Their starches are not like those of grains.

Other starchy foods will also tell you when they have been adequately cooked. Many legumes and white potatoes just do not taste good if not cooked enough. Grains will not give you the same taste warning, thus the popularity of instant cereals.

Is the complete cooking of grains important to you? We are all made differently. One person is not as susceptible to damage from breaking one of the health laws as another person constructed differently might be, but none of us knows which health laws might be our weak points and thus result in serious injury to our health if transgressed.

One person may break down in the blood pressure department, another in the blood sugar area, another might end up with lupus or Alzheimer’s, and yet another with a heart attack, all from the same broken law. It behooves each of us to use care in all areas of counsel from our all wise and all loving Creator.

We can be confident in the love of our Creator as we see those things He has revealed to make our lives more healthy and happy.