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YouTubeSweet corn and oats may eaten raw! Both are excellent choices
Sweet corn: Sweet corn is soft and delicious when eaten raw. We also get frozen sweet corn — simply wash it in water for some time, then eat raw! I find it convenient to keep frozen sweet corn around — when short of time, I'm able to sprinkle some frozen sweet corn into a soup or salad preparation, or as a snack. We could mix frozen sweet corn with some frozen ready-to-eat edamame beans (these are not raw; they are typically blanched (soaked in hot water before packaging)), a couple of broken walnuts, and (optionally) some lemon & spices! Such a preparation is super simple to prepare and nutritious! It can last for several hours outside the fridge and could serve as a 'snack'.
Corn in USA could be genetically modified, so many people prefer organic (which, by definition, has no GMO). Also, corn or raw corn may be difficult to digest for some people, so we may have to experiment to figure out if raw corn goes well with our body.
Actually, is sweet corn a grain or a fruit or a vegetable? USDA article: Is corn a grain or a vegetable? explains:
In other words, (mature) hard corn is a grain but (fresh) soft corn is a starchy vegetable :) I didn't know that until I chanced upon this USDA article in 2021! From nutrition standpoint, both are starch rich food sources, as Dr McDougall would point out. In my mind, I continue to visualize both types of corn — mature or fresh — as grains :)
Teff: An ancient grain from Africa with a fair bit of protein, iron and calcium! Online articles suggest that we may eat it raw! Is that really true? I have never tried that myself. Apparently, some people add it to their morning smoothie, others sprinkle some teff onto salads for a crunchy flavor. Can we simply eat teff after overnight soaking?
Oats can also be eaten raw (!) See the video below by Jane Esselstyn.
Jane and Ann Esselstyn show how to prepare raw rolled oats: by mixing them with fruits, berries and seeds. Ann Esselstyn's raw rolled oats + grapes recipe actually made it to the cover page of their cookbook: The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook (288 pages, 2014) by Jane & Ann Esselstyn.
A nice video with 2 points: (a) Don't eat raw oats in their dry form; moisten them with something like plant-absed milk or grapes or … (b) Soaking of grains, beans, nuts and seeds helps us reduce phytic acid (phytates). Such reduction is helpful in increasing mineral absorption (of zinc and iron, for example).
Oats, teff and buckwheat may be consumed after soaking alone. No need to sprout.
Oats: See recipes for Overnight Rolled Oats and Overnight Steel Cut; Oats. The idea is to soak rolled oats or steel cut oats overnight in water or plant-based milk. By morning, they are ready to eat! We may introduce additives like berries, fruits, nuts, seeds and dates either at night or in the morning.
Buckwheat: See Raw Buckwheat Porridge. The idea is to soak buckwheat overnight. Alternately, we may soak buckwheat for only 15 minutes, then rinse and keep wet grains in a jar. By morning, raw (soaked) buckwheat is ready to eat!
Roasted Buckwheat (non raw): We can also soak roasted buckwheat (also known as 'kasha') overnight. Search for overnight kasha recipe or overnight buckwheat recipe. Raw foodists don't like 'kasha' (roasted buckwheat) because these grains have been roasted (heated to high temperatures) before they were packaged.
Teff: overnight teff recipe (Google Search). But I've never eaten teff raw. I always soak it and boil it.
Wild rice can also be eaten after soaking for a few days. See raw wild rice recipes. Also see Blooming Wild Rice: How To for a special technique.
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