Grinding Sesame Seeds/tahini

[123glldd]

So I've been wanting to add sesame seeds to my diet for their calcium. I know some people have a problem with sesame and I'm very jumpy about trying new foods right now so I was wondering if any of you knew if grinding up the sesame into tahini like paste makes it less likely to upset the stomach because it would possibly not be as hard to digest? Thoughts?

[Pegleg84]

Hi Wendy

Does sesame give you problems? If not, then whole grain is probably fine. If yes, then I suppose having it as a paste might make it easier to digest (I have similar problems with things like quinoa. I can't handle the whole grain but quinoa flour is fine).

I would buy some tahini (or even better, some hummus) first and see how that treats you before going through all the effort of grinding your own.

Good luck and hope it works out!

[123glldd]

Yeah I've never had a problem but i've been on a very limited diet since august and so i dunno if it will cause me problems now.. Many things that didn't use to..do now. I've thought about buying gluten free tahini..was just wondering thoughts on the subject. I mean sometimes i wonder if in order to get nutrients into me with how nervous i am i should just eat baby food for half my meals lol

[tarnalberry]

Baby food isn't necessarily any more nutritious. But I wanted to suggest, if you haven't already, to look into some meditation classes. I am NOT trying to say "all your food reactions are stress", but stress hormones have a very strong influence on the digestive system (they slow it down, at a molecular level) as well as generally increasing inflammation. So, learning how to reduce stress levels (as one would measure them diagnostically through blood tests, not simply through "I don't think I feel stressed" alone) may also help your symptoms as you continue to look for your problem foods.

[123glldd]

Yeah i didn't necessarily mean nutritious but....easier to digest maybe? lol I've thought about meditation stuff...tho right now i feel so sick most of the time lately I don't even wanna go out in the car to go to anything. Been listening to relaxation tapes etc to try and feel a little better though.

[tarnalberry]

Totally don't have to get into a car to work on relaxation. You just start by breathing. Two exercises you could do:

1) Count your breath. Sit or lie, comfortably, and count every inhale/exhale set. When you get to 10, start over at 1. If you lose your place, start over at 1. If you suddenly realized you stopped counting and were thinking about what you were going to eat next, start over at 1. Do this for 5 minutes at first, and work your way, a few minutes more at a time, up to 20 or 30.

2) Count the length of your breath. Sit or lie, comfortably. As you inhale, count (maybe every second, but the exact timing isn't important), and do the same as you exhale. So, many people may start with a 3-count (3-second) inhale and a 3-count (3-second) exhale. Watch that pattern for a while, and then start to lengthen the exhale, one count at a time, taking a few minutes every time you add one count to your exhale to repeat that pattern. Repeat up to three times (or whatever gets you to an exhale that is twice as long as an inhale). Any time that you feel short of breath or anxious from the breathing practice, stop counting, breath normally, and try again after a few minutes.

(The point of these is to keep a long breath and a long exhale, to reduce the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (flight-or-fight stress hormones) and increase the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation hormones).)