Soaking

[Kathleen]

Are you supposed to soak everything, every kind of nut (including pine nuts), and raisins? Some recipes specify "soaked" and others don't - should I just assume that everything should be soaked? Thanks, Kath

[DotfromOz]

Well, anyway, that's what most of the books I've read say on the theory that nuts are difficult to digest and soaking removes the enzyme inhibitors that make them so.

Me, I've never had a problem digesting nuts and think that the soaked ones I've eaten so far (a few times...not often) were icky-yukkola. Tasted like baby food to me, slippery and slimy.

My motto is, "If it works, do it. If not, trash it or tinker with it until it does work for ya."

[DotfromOz]

The recipe I was trying said to soak them overnight. I rinsed and all that before using, but I still thought the nuts were yukky compared with the flavor of the same ones without soaking. These were really good pecans. Maybe I just soaked them too long?

[just_jo]

hey, ladies.... may I ask for your wisdom as we are talking "soaking and sprouting"???

Does the grain or legume actually have to be sprouted to be considered "live food" or can I just soak it and eat it sproutless?

[RawTruth]

Hi People -- may I humbly suggest that you read the soaking portion of Alissa's book? She's quite specific about it -- as is Rhio in her book.

Nuts need to be soaked in order for them to be live food. Even though they are raw, the enzymes are not alive like the enzymes are in lettuce, oranges, etc. Soaking activates the enzymes. Then the nutrients can be used by the body just like other live food. That is what is meant by being more "easy to digest." It's not whether they give you a stomach ache or gas -- it's that your body is not having to use its limited enzymes to try to break down the nut and get some nutrition from it like it has to do when it's not soaked. The same is true for almost all seeds. Some nuts will sprout, some won't, though all seeds will. Sprouting just a teensy bit (till there's a little tail) is always best since the nut/seed becomes even more nutrient-dense as it sprouts.

If you plan to eat them out of hand and don't like that they have a softer texture after soaking, just pop them in the dehydrator (at less than 110 degrees, of course) overnight and they'll get crunchy again.

That said, I would never soak pecans since they lose their wonderful flavor. I just use them like gold -- which is almost what they cost!

[just_jo]

thanks for the reply,

but I am wondering about grains and legumes.
Would it be the same as it is for nuts?