In fact, organic boxed breakfast cereal is the most toxic of all! How can this be? It seems that everywhere you turn, a bowl of breakfast cereal is touted as a very healthy choice for your first meal of the day.
It’s not true, folks!
To make boxed breakfast cereal in the factory, the grains first have to be subjected to such intense pressure and heat that they actually liquify into a slurry. This slurry allows the grains to be quickly and easily shaped into the puffs, flakes, and other shapes that make each cereal distinct.
The manufacturing process used to make boxed cereal is called extrusion and it is so violent and denaturing that the proteins in the grains are actually rendered toxic and allergenic by the process. This is why organic boxed breakfast cereal is more toxic than nonorganic – because organic boxed cereal is whole grain and thereby has more protein in it! The more protein, the more toxic the boxed cereal.
Sugar and Dairy Free Cereal Recipe
What is a cold breakfast cereal lover to do? Boxed breakfast cereal is considered a staple food in our society. No worries for all you healthy home economists out there – just make your own! Here’s a recipe that my family loves and that I have shared for years as a Chapter Leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation. I hope your family enjoys it too!
For visual learners, check out the two videos plus recipe on how to make breakfast cereal.
This recipe for grain free breakfast cereal is a good option for Paleos.
Sugar and Dairy Free Cereal Recipe
Recipe for a homemade sugar and dairy free cereal that your family will enjoy that will nourish and digest much better than boxed brands from the store.
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour preferably freshly ground
- 3 cups filtered water
- 2 Tbl lemon juice
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup date syrup
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbl fresh cinnamon
Instructions
Mix well and soak the flour in the filtered water plus lemon juice on the kitchen counter (covered with a cloth and rubber band) for 24 hours.
Mix everything into a batter. Pour batter into (2) 9x13 pans coated with coconut oil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F/ 177 C or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Do NOT overbake else the cereal will turn out too hard.
Let cool and then crumble onto baking sheets and dehydrate at 200 F/ 93 C for about 24 hours.
Take out dried cereal off the top every few hours so as not to over dry as this can also make the cereal too hard.
Store in airtight container in the fridge.
Serve alone as a snack or in a bowl with milk of choice.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources and More Information
How to Adjust to the Taste of Soaked Oatmeal
Soaked Oatmeal Benefits Without the Soaking?
How to Make Oatmeal the RIGHT Way
Dirty Little Secrets of the Food Processing Industry
Sarah Pope has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. Her work is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.
Her work has been covered by major media including USA Today, ABC, NBC, and many others.
The ingredients are good but how is the cereal processed is the real question. Do you buy at a local healthfood store?
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I know you say "all", but take a look at Uncle Sam's. It is not a "formed" boxed cereal. When you look at it, it is seeds and oats.
I would love to hear you thoughts on it.
r
This cereal is awesome, we love it.
ok I can't eat wheat. what else can you use?
Joanne
too baa yaa i like wheat what does that mean?
Since the wheat flour is soaked overnight, the gluten is broken down as practiced by traditional societies. You might find that you can eat wheat prepared traditionally in this way. If not, try another type of flour that works for you. I haven't tried other flours, so cannot offer advice.
Can I use an oven to dehydrate this cereal? I do not have a dehydrator?
Hi Tracey, I actually use my oven to dry out the cereal. I set it as low as it will go. A dehydrator would work fine too.
Sarah, what about ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain cereal? I know the grains are sprouted and minimally processed, but i dont know the exact procedure they use. it seems to be okay b/c they aren't formed or squished into any shape, it's just crumbled grain…
B.R.I.L.L.I.A.N.T!!!!! love this. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Could I reduce the amount of sweetener in general? 1 c. of maple syrup seems like a LOT! I'm thinking about making this next week for quick and easy on-the-go snacks for my kids. Hmm….
Toxic proteins … the proteins in the cereal are completely denatured and rendered toxic by the processing. This is why whole grain cereal is more toxic than cheap cereal made with refined flour. Whole grain cereal is higher in protein.
Sarah, I dont have the extract. Does it make that big of a difference on the flavor?
I use a mix if vanilla and almond and it’s really good!
Yes it does make a difference. See if your healthfood store can order some.
One more question. If my flour is not freshly ground do I still need to soak it?
Sarah freshly grinds the flour so as to ensure the maximun ammount of nutrients are still in the finish product. The soaking is to break down antinutrients, such as phytic acid, and gluten, so as to make the grains much easier to digest. So, yes, you should absolutely soak your flour.
Dumb question here – do rolled oats fall into the bad/toxic category due to the processing?? thanks so much for all your great information. I’m still making small steps, but enjoying the journey. 🙂
kendra
I would love to read the studies on how proteins are affected by the extrusion process, and how those proteins affect our health. Could you point me to the studies please? Also, thanks for the recipe!
Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry on westonaprice.org is a great read on the subject.
How long does it take raw milk to sour for soaking? We were told it is good for drinking from 10-12 days or so.
It really depends on where you live, how fresh the milk is, and many other evironmental factors. For example, during the winter, when the milk stays very cold in the car all the way from pick-up to the refrigerator at home, it will take MUCH longer to clabber, and of course, the very opposite in the summer. Leaving the milk out on the counter for 1 to 2 days can speed up the process, but sometimes even THAT can take up to 3 days, even down here in hot, humid Florida.
Can this cereal be dried in a dehydrator instead of the oven ( a gas stove heats up the house really quickly and that is not so good in the summer)?.. if so for how long?
What about home made granola? Most are made from oats…would this type of cereal be considered toxic too?