Why Should We Soak Nuts and Seeds?

With grains today being so altered and all the side effects, complications and disease’s that we see that are stemming from them, it is essential to our healing gut to remove grains from the diet.  This means we will be including more nuts and seeds into our diets.  We will not only can eat the nuts and seeds plain we can use them for baking, making butters and nut milks.

Nuts and seeds contain smaller amounts of phytic acid than grains, and contain enzyme inhibitors.  While the enzyme inhibitors serve a purpose to preserve the seed until the ideal conditions are available for the nut or seed to sprout or grow, they can put a strain on our digestive system.  This is important to keep in mind when you already have a compromised digestive system and are trying to heal your gut.  It is also important to reduce the phytic acid that is present in nuts and seeds, because phytic acid has a strong binding affinity to important minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.  When a mineral binds to phytic acid it becomes insoluble and will not be able to be absorb in the intestines.  This can contribute to mineral deficiencies.

According to Nourishing Traditions; along with decreasing the strain on the gut soaking them actually increases their nutrition.

Ideally soaking should be done at room temperatures.