Nuts Question

[Randolyn]

My question is do you "have" to sprout almonds, sunflower seed etc. or can you just eat them raw. I just ask because I have just been eating the raw organic nuts and not sprouting them.

Thanks!

[Revvell]

Randolyn,

Hi and welcome.

If you go up the the lil banana and click on it, you shall find VOLUMES of information on this subject.

Enjoy! :)

Revvell

[rawpriestess]

Well, I don't know about sprouting them, although that is always good, but you do need to soak some nuts (seeds) to release the enzyme inhibitors so you can digest them.

almonds, hazelnuts (filberts), cashews sunflower seeds need to be soaked.

Almonds at least 12 hours, rinse
hazelnuts about 8 hours, rinse (although if you soak them for several days while rinsing ever 4 to 6 hours, they will become very sweet after about 3 days)
cashews about 30 minutes
sunflower seeds about 4 hours

do NOT soak, walnuts, macademia nuts, brazil nuts or pecans (there is no need, and you loose all the good oils)

You can soak pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, if you like, but only for about 15 minutes, again there is no need to soak these.

If you like your nuts/seeds crunchy, then dehydrate them back to crunchy, if you are using them in a recipe, you can leave them wet, if you want to make a pie crust, with some almonds and raisins, then you would want to dehydrate the almonds back to crisp, then food process them.


Hope this helps.

[annieH]

RP.... what about flax seeds ?? I have been soaking them for about 15 minutes before i use them... should i be soaking them longer?

I keep them on hand to make crackers and bread and i sometimes i like to do things last minute so long soaking before i use them is usually not an option.

[rawpriestess]

Flax seeds are an entirely different animal (per se')

Flax seeds soaked, turn musilagenous (means they become slimey) which is what you want them for in a recipe, especially crackers, the white slime makes all the ingrediants stick together and hold their shape.

If you use flax seed meal (gound up flax seeds) they act like a fine powdery glue, that mixes with the liquid in the recipe to hold things together,

They also work well as a breading to coat neatballs, or mock chicken crouquets, non-fish sticks etc. They stick to the outside of your pate' and make a wonderful breading and add alot of crunchiness and flavor to your food.

So, I soak my flax seeds but you don't drain, you just mix all the glump (that is a technical term LOL) together with your gooey flax seedy mess and spread it on a teflex sheet and dehydrate into crackers.

I love them, flax seed crackers are the only raw food my hubby detests.

he hates the taste, the texture and the slime. I kinda like it.

Hope this helps.

[annieH]

yeah... i know all that about the sticky stuff... thats why i use them but i was asking how long they needed to be soaked.
should i soak them for a long time or is the 15 minutes i soak them ok?
thats all i am asking.
i have been using them for a while becuse i do love the fact that they are natures binder and throw them into all my recipes that need to be dehydrated. i dont ever drain them.

i have been meaning to get some of your recipe books but i have not had time to order them.
and another thing.... i read some of your journal... did you really lose 30 pounds in 34 days?
i have not been that lucky.... i have a fair amount to lose and it comes of slowly....even though i am raw. ... maybe becuse i have been carrying it around for too many years. HA!
I do love to eat !

anyway...thanks for your help.

[rawpriestess]

Gosh, I just soak em for a few hours, until they suck up all the water,

I first learned to use 1 part flax seeds with 2 parts water.

When there is no water left, they are done, I think it's about a couple of hours, but I never paid that much attention.

Yes, I lost 30 pounds in 34 days,

I lost 10 pounds the first week, 5 pounds the next week, then another 15 pounds over the next couple of weeks.

I still have about 130 or more pounds to loose, so I think the more you have to loose the faster you loose it, but I could be wrong.

[annieH]

thanks RP ... i guess i need to soak them longer... i want to make sure that i get the nutritional value from them.
i love the fact that they have all that muscliage....it makes them essential for 'baking' HAHA!
this diet always amazes me...there is so much creativity with it. everyday i get up thinking what can i make today.
the challenge is to make things that are heavy on veg and lite on nuts.
i love nuts but too many make the meal too heavy.

anyway... you are an inspiration with your weight loss. i only get 2 pounds a week comming off me. i have a ways to go as well....but this is a great way to do it...no cravings and no denial of desert !
thank GOD its summer....now i need to go make me a peach pie!

[rawpriestess]

Ok, I have done some research on this,

You NEED to soak nuts, seeds etc to release the enzyme inhibitors, this has been established, and you ONLY need to sprout said nuts and seeds IF you want the full nutrient value from them.

After soaking for 15 mintues about 50% of MOST enzyme inhibitors are released, (so that is excellent news) however it takes aproximately 4 to 10 more hours (depending on the nut or seed) to release the balance of the enzyme inhibitors.

Then it takes about 2 to 3 days (for MOST) to sprout enough to have 700% more nutritional value that unsprouted.

So, there you go.

Now you know WHY you are suppoed to soak and sprout your nuts and seeds, and you can make an educated decision with your personal choices.

[autumn4596]

Say I soak them... Should I put them in a special container so it keeps the water? Are they only good for a certain amount of time?

Sorry I'm new to raw foods....

[Revvell]

"Them" meaning nuts in general or flax seeds?

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4899&highlight=soaking+nuts
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4677&highlight=soaking+nuts
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4602&highlight=soaking+nuts
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4026&highlight=soaking+nuts
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3755&highlight=soaking+nuts
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3561&highlight=soaking+nuts

Something here might assist. Have fun! :)

Revvell



Say I soak them... Should I put them in a special container so it keeps the water? Are they only good for a certain amount of time?

Sorry I'm new to raw foods....

[rawpriestess]

Hi,

About the container, I just put them in a tupperware bowl, I have lots of tupperware bowls all different colors, and each one I use for a specific thing, I don't know why, I suppose that way I don't have to use "thinking" energy for every little thing.

I have a large dark red mixing bowl that I use to soak flax seeds in, and I use 4 cups of flax seeds with 8 cups of water, which is a toal of 3 quarts, so the bowl must be a 4 quart -- or one gallon bowl, because there is some room at the top.

When I see this bowl in my kitchen, I know I am soaking flax seeds in it.

The same with all my other bowls, the colors tell me whats in them, as I personally don't want to take the time to look into each bowl to figure out if it needs more water, more soak time, less water, to be rinsed etc.

I start all my soaking at the same time, then go from there.

About the weight loss, so far.

YES, it was impressive to me too, and all of my friends, but I don't think it was as much fat (alas) as it was what ever made me bloated (yeast, grains, etc.)

I used to have a very flat tummy, even though I was very heavy, but then the last 2 years, I started getting a big tummy, I looked PG, so I assumed it was bloat, my tummy was hard-ish, and I was always tired, sounds like candida or some such thing, but I don't care for labels too much, so we'll just call it bloat.

Anyway, when I went raw, this went away, and a nice soft goddess belly emerged. (like I used to have)

So, SOME, of that weight was probably the candida, or whatever it was, and some was fat, I feel so much different now, and live so much different now.

I don't worry about how much I eat or how often I eat, I just eat.

Right now I have a bunch of fresh black greek olives in front of me and a beautiful big glass of orange juice that my darling hubby made for me, with a cup of his "latte", it is his newest concoction, for a warming drink for me, we are trying to get it perfect, and I must say it is close.

He makes all the food now, as I am busy writing almost all day long now. So, he is having fun with experimenting with foods.

I always think it's more fun to make food for someone you love than just for yourself.

That is when I am the most creative anyway.

Blessings,
Rawpriestess

[sweetgoddess]

BLESS Dragggon and Rawpriestess' goddess belly.
I'm heading to the mall to see if I can get my own kitchen Dragggon there ;)
(out with the kitchen witch, in with the kitchen dragggon)

[Sass]

Well, I don't know about sprouting them, although that is always good, but you do need to soak some nuts (seeds) to release the enzyme inhibitors so you can digest them.

almonds, hazelnuts (filberts), cashews sunflower seeds need to be soaked.

Almonds at least 12 hours, rinse
hazelnuts about 8 hours, rinse (although if you soak them for several days while rinsing ever 4 to 6 hours, they will become very sweet after about 3 days)
cashews about 30 minutes
sunflower seeds about 4 hours

do NOT soak, walnuts, macademia nuts, brazil nuts or pecans (there is no need, and you loose all the good oils)

Hope this helps.

Do NOT soak walnuts, Macadamias?? Alissas soaking chart in her book says to soak them, I went yesterday and bought some and started soaking them according to her chart...now I have lost the good oils?