I first heard the term “ancient grains” a few months ago, probably on the packing of a product at the grocery store. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but then I started to see it appear elsewhere. My impression was simply that it’s clever marketing; grains are good, and it doesn’t really matter if they’re ancient or not. Plus, what does that even mean?
Then, suddenly, I fell for it. Twice.
This past weekend while social distancing my way through Whole Foods, I stopped by their bakery to pick up a loaf of bread. There were a lot of options, and I was facing analysis paralysis…until my eyes landing on the ancient grains loaf. “There’s the healthy option,” my brain said to my arm as I instinctively put it into my cart (joining a number of objectively unhealthy items, like brown butter cookies, oat milk ice cream, and a warm slice of cheese pizza).
The following day, I noticed that I had a bag of ancient grains quinoa, and I instantly entered a trance-like state. Thirty minutes later, I found myself putting the finishing touches on a sweet potato, tempeh, and quinoa dish.
I don’t know what’s going on, but the results so far have been as delicious as they are healthy, so I’m fine with it.
What’s your take on ancient grains?