I’ve been feeling a bit down lately and lacking some daily zip and zing.
It’s nothing to be concerned about and not really caused by any particular event but more of a cyclic occurrence I’ve had to become aware of over the years. I push it away, try not to dwell or wallow, but the pressure of my thoughts is still there. The signs these moments are coming always seem to surprise me somehow too and I soon find myself not sleeping well and committing the same dietary sins – not eating breakfast every morning, not drinking enough water, relying on coffee for a boost. I also start to become quite self-deprecating and joke about how I’m feeling, all the while not being totally sure if I’m trying to attract or deflect attention. Now that’s a confronting statement for me to type out.
Using food as medicine is one of my passions though, and boosting my diet is ultimately the greatest tool I have in overcoming these depressive periods. In addition to getting those glasses of water into me; replacing coffee with dandelion tea, kombucha and chlorophyll and listening to my body for it’s sleep needs; adding healthy “brain foods” into my diet really helps to get my mood balanced again fast. Of course there is more to conquering depression than this, I use other strategies too, but eating certain foods can certainly help bust stress, depression and anxiety.
This raw, sprouted breakfast bowl has been one of my favourite porridges for a while and has the great bonus is that it boosts my brain health too. The sprouted buckwheat is rich in brain-loving lecithin and has the ability to reduce and stabilise blood glucose levels. Then there’s also the combination of pear and ginger that helps to boost serotonin and dopamine production. It’s a big bowl of happy and for the non-raw, non-vegan eaters out there you can also warm it up on the stove and add some honey and greek yoghurt on top. These additions provide you with depression-fighting kaempferol and quercetain and some neurotransmitter-boosting calcium respectively.
Make sure you don’t just pigeon-hole this breakfast for low mood days though. With a high fibre and protein content it’s a great choice for making your bellies happy and the zingy flavour will delight your tastebuds.
- ½ cup raw buckwheat kernels
- filtered or spring water
- 1 medium green pear, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 inch knob of ginger, grated
- Place buckwheat kernels in a bowl or sprouting jar, cover with water and soak overnight.
- In the morning, drain and rinse soaked buckwheat kernels and continue on with recipe OR rinse and drain twice a day, for two days to sprout buckwheat.
- To make porridge, combine rinsed buckwheat, chopped pear and grated ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture is of a porridge-like consistency - as chunky or smooth as your prefer.
- Transfer into two bowls and top with any mixture of nuts, seeds or chopped fruit.
Linked to: Time to Sparkle, Recipe Sharing Mondays, Natural Living Monday, Meat Free Monday, The Gathering Spot, Fat Tuesday, Tuesday Greens, Traditional Tuesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Tasteful Tuesday, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Well Fed Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday, Fresh Foods Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Real Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Chef’s Day Off, Wheat Free Wednesday, Healthy 2Day Wednesdays, Raw Food Thursdays, Full Plate Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursdays, Gluten Free Fridays.
Comments 25
This looks very good. I love warm breakfasts like this!
Linda
Author
Me too Linda, thanks for the comment! I love that I can eat this raw and enjoy the warming effect of the ginger, or heat it up on the stove when I’m craving some breakfast comfort food.
Oh, Alison. I’m already in love with this recipe. I think I’m in need of that brain-loving lecithin as well! Where do you find your buckwheat groats? I buy Bob’s Red Mill on Amazon because Whole Foods doesn’t carry it. Do you have a better supplier?
Thanks for being so transparent with us. See you tomorrow at RFT?
Author
Thanks for the comment Heather, it’s hard to be upfront about it. It’s one of those posts when you press “publish” while hiding behind one hand and grimacing a little! Now that it’s all put there in the blogosphere you will see me at RFT for sure tomorrow 🙂
As for the buckwheat question, I’m lucky that I manage a large health food store and have a few brands to choose from. The Bob’s Red Mill is a fantastic choice, I find they are free of the gritty bits I’ve found in other packets. I’m a big fan of that brand in general actually and buy a lot of their flours. The Eden Organic brand is fabulous too I you can find it.
So my Amazon shipment of Buckwheat Groats just arrived today, so I will be making this breakfast this weekend! I’m sharing this at Raw Foods Thursdays tomorrow. Thanks again for such wonderful recipes. I think I want to live at your blog. 🙂
Author
How exciting! I hope you enjoy the porridge and all the amazing recipes you try out your groats with 🙂
Thanks again for the feature and the lovely comment, it’s always a pleasure hearing from you and participating in the linkup!
As always, I love your posts, the super helpful nutritional info you give with each recipe, and in this case in particular, your beautiful vulnerability. I’ve struggled with seasons of deep depression since I was 19 (so for 15 years now), so my heart resonates with what you wrote here! Thank you, Ally! And I loooooove your buckwheat recipes! (Just made a raw buckwheat and chia seed porridge this morning from ohsheglows.) Can’t wait to try this one!!!
Author
Thanks for the comment Colleen! It’s felt really good to open up about depression a bit, it’s something I’ve experienced about 15 years myself now (since I was about 15) and it’s comforting to know I’m not alone even though I wish noone else in the world had to experience those moments. Thank you for your openness, it means a lot to me!
I’m also glad you love buckwheat recipes, as it’s one of my favourite ingredients! You simply must link me the ohsheglows buckwheat + chia seed porridge. I adore her recipes 😀
Stopping in from the Cultured Plate hop. Thanks for sharing this!
Author
Thank you for having me over at the Cultured Plate hop and thanks for the comment Martine!
I’m very happy to discover this page. I want to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely loved every part of it and I have you saved as a favorite to check out new things on your website. I hope you don’t mind, I bookmarked Raw Pear & Ginger Buckwheat Porridge | Om Nom Ally .com at Pinterest so my friends can learn from it also. May I also reveal a tip. Investing in real estate is actually a incredible investment! In case you own a business, own a house, talk with a realtor today. If you are near Newport Beach CA, give me a call! Have a great day.
Author
It’s my pleasure Whitney. Thanks for the pin, always feel free to share the Om Nom Ally love around as I love meeting new readers! Thanks for the real estate advice also, while it’s not pertinent to me currently, I’m sure a lot of readers would find the information quite useful. Unfortunately I’m in Australia, so a bit too far away to give you a call atm, but one day you never know 🙂
This looks awesome and I love that it’s sprouted! Thanks so much for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, I’ve pinned it.
Author
Thanks for the comment, the pin and for hosting Waste Not Want Not Wednesday Danielle!
Hi Alison,
A great post and a wonderful recipe that we would really enjoy! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again soon!
Miz Helen
Author
Thanks for the comment Miz Helen as well as for hosting over at Full Plate Thursday! I look forward to connecting with you next week 🙂
We love your pictures and recipes, they are mouth watering. Would love for you to share them with us at foodieportal.com. We are new but at foodieportal.com we are not photography snobs, we are just foodies.
Author
Thanks for the comment guys! Will check out the website, sounds like a great foodie community 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Our bodies clearly talk to us, and I (for sure) need to listen better. I certainly do feel better when I eat better. This dish looks like it would warm your soul and keep you feeling full! So very excited with all the entries this week! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Author
I completely agree Cindy, sometimes the hardest thing though is making sure we listen to our bodies when they talk to us. It takes time for the hard work to pay off I think.
Thanks for having me over at Gluten Free Fridays and thanks for sharing the love. See you at next week’s party!
Greetings from Portugal (Europe)! This porridge is one of the best things I’ve tried lately. It is super easy, nutritious, delicious and I just cannot get enough of it!! Thank you for sharing it with all of us. I hope I can find more of these. 🙂
Author
I’m so glad you loved it Vera! I’m hoping to make some variations and other yummy things soon. I’ve been a bit pressed for time lately for recipe development, but am brimming with delicious ideas! Thanks for the comment 😀
I’m just starting to try a few “raw” recipes and I’m so in love with this one. The first time I made it I over-processed the grouts and they ended up feeling like sand-paper dust in my mouth. Even with the texture issue I finished them because the combination of pear and ginger is really sublime against the nutty buckwheat. Needless to say I’ve since learned how to correct the texture issue and have these a couple times a week. =) Thanks for sharing a such great recipe.
Wanted to add: The first time I made these (when I had the perceived texture issue) I used an unpeeled Bosc pear which may have attributed to the gritty feel. I’ve now use D’Anjou or something similar. Anyway, just wanted to clarify that they were my issues, not the recipes!! xo
Author
I know what you mean about texture issues with food – I can’t stand the texture of eggplant – ICK!
Glad the change of pear helped to make the dish yummier, I’m a Packham girl myself and don’t really love any other pears as much. Godo point about over processing the buckwheat groats too, I might update the recipe to mention what can happen if we get too blender happy 🙂 Thanks for the comment and the feedback Nichole!