You may have heard of teff, an ancient grain that is gaining popularity. Well, it turns out that I am one of the few blogging dietitians to write about teff! (Which by the way, I did WAY BACK in 2013! Read my original article here: What is Teff? Info and Recipes for this Whole Grain!)
I received an email a few weeks ago from Anahad O’Conner, a NY Times journalist. At first I thought it was a scam email because I get a lot of unsolicited requests. I did a quick search and figured out he was legit!
We actually talked for a little while about Teff, although most of it did not get into the times article. I learned from Anahad that while I usually end up with the dark red/brown teff when I purchase from my grocer, or amazon (yes, I buy it in bulk!!), I can actually get a white version. I think many of my clients would be more open to trying a white grain than a dark colored one.
To me, teff tastes a lot like cream of wheat which makes me very happy. Prior to discovering teff on my grocery store shelf, I had tried to find a good whole grain alternative to cream of wheat with no success.
My 5 year old really does love it! Someone asked her a few weeks ago what her favorite meal was. She said “I’d probably say teff.” Of course, that person had no idea what teff was. Imagine being educated by a 5 year old!
Anyway, here’s the article:
Is Teff the New Super Grain?
As my friend texted me a congrats on the quote, she said:
You’ve always been ahead of The Times!
HA!! So clever. 🙂
My favorite comment came from Michael, a friend of Jeff, who inspired me to start this blog and lit a fire in my passion for helping cancer survivors optimize well-being. I have written about Jeff’s impact on my life before (read my recent tribute at the end of this article). Michael is someone Jeff talked about frequently, and enjoyed hiking with. Here is a picture of them after hiking Mt. Adams, in Washington State.
Michael lives out in Oregon, and sent me a personal message today that he is a NY Times online subscriber and was reading the article and saw my quote.
He commented “congrats on the NY Times mention — that’s fantastic Julie. Jeff would be proud and elated.”
This makes my heart happy and my soul smile. And maybe a few tears shed. <3
– Julie
