Alissa
01-26-2005, 09:11 AM
I always get tons of emails asking thsi question so i thought i would place this answer that i wrote from another thread in a seperate post so you can all refer to it when needed:
IÂ’m getting this question a lot. Let me clarify.
Yes, soaking nuts, seeds, grains and legumes removes their natural enzyme inhibitors: phytates and oxalates.
Even though they are raw, sprouting greatly increases the nutritional value and makes them more digestible, because their protein is broken down into amino acids, their starches are changed into simple sugars and their fats are converted into soluble fatty acids.
Now, having said that... in some of the recipes the texture of the nuts depend on the outcome of the recipe. So if for instance on the date nut tort you soak the walnuts, the finished product may come out mushy.
Also, I wrote the book so that people could make easy recipes and know that they didnÂ’t have to soak, sprout, ferment and dehydrate every nut and seeds in every recipe and plan ahead a week before they could eat.
So, in recipes where it is imperative to soak, it will say, but otherwise it is up to you. I didnÂ’t want you to have to wait 3 days to make the no-bean falafel!
Also, I very often soak my almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and some others but there are many nuts now (as opposed to years 15 years ago when I first started eating this way) that I donÂ’t think benefit much from soaking such as walnuts, cashews, macadamia, etc... Since they really donÂ’t sprout. I used to think that soaking them still activated the nuts but the theory is still out on that one and there are many conflicting thoughts about it. So I would suggest doing what feels right for you on that issue.
As far as grains and beans (chick -pea, buckwheat, wheat, etc...) you must sprout these first in order to eat them.
Alissa
IÂ’m getting this question a lot. Let me clarify.
Yes, soaking nuts, seeds, grains and legumes removes their natural enzyme inhibitors: phytates and oxalates.
Even though they are raw, sprouting greatly increases the nutritional value and makes them more digestible, because their protein is broken down into amino acids, their starches are changed into simple sugars and their fats are converted into soluble fatty acids.
Now, having said that... in some of the recipes the texture of the nuts depend on the outcome of the recipe. So if for instance on the date nut tort you soak the walnuts, the finished product may come out mushy.
Also, I wrote the book so that people could make easy recipes and know that they didnÂ’t have to soak, sprout, ferment and dehydrate every nut and seeds in every recipe and plan ahead a week before they could eat.
So, in recipes where it is imperative to soak, it will say, but otherwise it is up to you. I didnÂ’t want you to have to wait 3 days to make the no-bean falafel!
Also, I very often soak my almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and some others but there are many nuts now (as opposed to years 15 years ago when I first started eating this way) that I donÂ’t think benefit much from soaking such as walnuts, cashews, macadamia, etc... Since they really donÂ’t sprout. I used to think that soaking them still activated the nuts but the theory is still out on that one and there are many conflicting thoughts about it. So I would suggest doing what feels right for you on that issue.
As far as grains and beans (chick -pea, buckwheat, wheat, etc...) you must sprout these first in order to eat them.
Alissa