Rolled oats are Dr Esselstyn's favorite grain for breakfast. Easy to prepare: I microwave them for a few minutes in water or plant-based milk. But we can also eat them raw or soaked overnight.

Amaranth is one of my favorite grains! An amaranth-based sweet porridge reminds me of 'karah prasad' served in Gurudwaras (Sikh temples). With the introduction of dates, dried figs, dried peaches, raisins, bananas, blueberries and sweet cherries, we can make this porridge incredibly tasty like dessert.

Oatmeal is a popular breakfast! Cooking time reduces by soaking steel cut oats overnight. In the morning, we can boil steel cut oats in an open pot or in an Instant Pot.

Teff is a nutrition-rich pseudo-grain like amaranth, quinoa and kaniwa. Very flavorful! Rich in minerals like iron. I encourage all of my friends to try teff at least once.

Quinoa is a nutrition-rich pseudo-grain like amaranth, teff and kaniwa. It cooks easily and my stomach feels 'light' after eating quinoa. Black quinoa has more antioxidants than red quinoa which has more antioxidants than white quinoa.  

Buckwheat ('kuttu') is a pseudo-grain that cooks easily. In India, buckwheat is consumed after fasting; it feels 'light' on the stomach. Hulled buckwheat can also be eaten raw after overnight soaking!

Barley ('jau' in Hindi) is tasty. I've experimented with barley flakes, hulled barley and black barley (for sprouting).

Cracked wheat is called 'dalia' in Hindi. Dalia is popular in North India where I grew up. Easy to prepare: we may soak it overnight and boil it in the morning!

Kamut (khorasan wheat) is an ancient grain that's similar to wheatberries. Kamut sprouts easily, so I use it for raw breakfast preparations.

Einkorn is a flavorful but expensive 'ancient grain', not commonly found in grocery stores. It sprouts easily; I use it for raw breakfast preparations.  

Kaniwa is a nutrition-rich pseudo-grain just like amaranth, quinoa and teff. Cooks easily. Flavorful!

We have at least 7 types of millets available to us: finger millet ('ragi'), pearl millet ('bajra'), barnyard millet, little millet, proso millet, kodo millet and foxtail millet. All of these are available in Indian grocery stores.

Rye grains are sproutable! I use them for raw breakfast. Rye flakes are cooked easily by microwaving them for a few minutes in water.

Spelt is a tasty whole grain; it is a form of wheat. Spelt also sprouts easily, so I use it for raw breakfast recipes.

Wheatberries are basically wheat in their intact form. I tried sprouting them and they were chewy. Over time, I gravitated away from wheatberries for no explicable reason; I find other grains and pseudo-grains more interesting: amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, spelt, and so on. A good friend of mine buys rye and wheatberries for bread making. At his place, I was able to make fresh rolled wheatberries using a flaking machine :)

Sometimes, I mix two whole grains together to prepare sweet porridge in the morning. Sometimes, I buy mixed rolled grains from Trader Joe's; they have rye, barley, whole wheat and oats.