Why soaking your nuts is best

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When I started the Nutritional Therapy program at Nutritional Therapy Association, one of the first food concepts I had to wrap my head around was the practice of soaking nuts before consuming them to break down the enzyme inhibitors. Who knew you had to soak your nuts?  So, I’ve dived into the realm of nut soaking.

Here are a few benefits to soaking nuts

  • To remove or reduce phytic acid.
  • To neutralize the enzyme inhibitors.
  • To encourage the production of beneficial enzymes.
  • To make digestion easier.
  • To make the proteins more readily available for absorption.
  • To prevent mineral deficiencies and bone loss.

I’ve been reading, “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon.  She has a great section on why to soak your nuts, and how to do it.  Just soaking the nuts isn’t the entire process.  The next step is to dehydrate them for about 12 to 24 hours either in a dehydrator or a warm oven.  This process continues to break down the phytic acid.

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I dehydrated these almonds for about 12 hours, stirring occasionally, on the lowest temperature my oven allowed me to 170 degrees.

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You don’t have to dehydrate your soaked nuts, my husband actually likes his almonds just soaked and not dehydrated.  It’s up to your taste buds.  My favorite nut to soak and dehydrate is walnuts.  They dehydrate into these yummy somewhat buttery flavored nutty goodness!

Here’s a recipe to try:

Almonds

4 C. Raw Almonds

1 T. sea salt

Filtered water (enough to cover almonds)

Mix almonds, sea salt and filtered water in a bowl and leave on kitchen counter for approx. 7 hours or overnight. Drain water with colander.  Spread on baking sheet and place in warm oven (lowest temp. setting for your oven 150-170 degrees) for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally, until completely dry. Store in an air tight container.

You can repeat with any of your favorite nuts! Walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, cashews (cashews are not as easy, don’t soak longer then 6 hours, and dehydrate at 200 degrees for 12-24hours)  They can become slimy and have weird taste if soaked and dehydrated too long.

Hope you enjoy and please experiment with adding spices after you soak and before you dehydrate. Just think your gut will love you for helping it digest these wonderful little snacks.

Throw them in a to go container for quick fuel on the go, or add them to your yogurts, salads and main dishes, the possibilities are endless!

Yours in health,

Rachel