Grain Free, Mostly Raw Pasta Salad

Growing up in an Italian family pasta was a staple in my diet, actually, grains in general were a huge part of my everyday life. Cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and either pasta for dinner, or it was a meat heavy dish with lots of bread passed around the table. Up until about five years ago I hadn't realized the connection between my sugar addiction and my bread consumption, but anytime I had a severe sugar craving and couldn't get my hands on some sweets I always turned to refined grains. The reason for this is because refined grains are what's known as simple carbohydrates, which are carbohydrates that are made up of just one or two sugar molecules. Simple carbohydrates, or simple sugars, are digested very quickly by the body, and raise our blood glucose level higher faster, which means they're high on the glycemic index. Refined grains have been shown to greatly increase our risk for developing Diabetes, and contributes to obesity. Due to processing, refined grains also lack much of their natural fiber, and fiber slows down the absorption of other nutrients, including carbohydrates. This is why simple carbohydrates like fruit don't raise our blood glucose the same way that other simple carbohydrates do, because fruits contain plenty of fiber to help balance the sugar. (This is also why it's best to eat fruits in their whole form, or blend them, as opposed to juicing them. Juicing fruits removes their natural fiber.)

In general, there doesn't seem to be a solid consensus on grains, even whole, unrefined grains. It is known that grains contain Phytic Acid, which is a mineral blocker that can prevent the absorption of calcium, iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium (magnesium is critical for both mind & body, read why here). However, there is evidence to suggest that traditionally, grains were consumed after sprouting, which is a process by which the grain, or seed, is provided moisture and begins to germinate. Sprouting lessens the amount of Phytic Acid present in grains, and allows minerals and nutrients to become more bioavailable, or more easily absorbed. Personally, I'm comfortable eating small amounts of whole, unrefined grains, but I do prefer sprouted, and have found that it does help with my digestion. So I keep grains in general to a minimum, but I don't completely eliminate them. 

Since I bought a spiralizer I've been making lots of delicious raw "spaghetti" from vegetables, mainly zucchini. But I still enjoy a nice hearty pasta dish, and I typically buy sprouted grain pasta, but I very recently found a new brand which I've been hearing rave reviews about. It's entirely grain free, and contains just one ingredient, organic red lentils. They also have an organic black bean variety.

Beans and lentils also contain Phytic Acid, so I do prefer them sprouted, but again, I follow my body as a cue and have found that I feel no negative affects from small amounts incorporated into my diet. In fact, I actually feel much better when I do. So here's my recipe for hearty pasta salad.

Hearty, Mostly Raw Pasta Salad

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

-1 medium Zucchini

-1 medium Cucumber

-1 small or medium Red Onion

-2 medium Bell Peppers

-1 large Tomato (though I ran out of tomatoes)

-8 ounces Pasta

-about 1 cup Italian dressing (you can find my recipe for Italian dressing here)

Method:

-Chop all of your veggies whichever way you prefer, and allow to marinate in Italian dressing for at least 20 minutes.

-Cook your pasta as directed, rinse with cold water to chill, and mix with your marinated vegetables. That's it!