Why Should I Soak My Nuts?

Published in

Meducated Org

3 min readNov 5, 2014

Nuts, seeds, legumes and grains are nutritious food staples that should be present in everyone’s diet. They are packed with with heart-friendly fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Sound too good to be true? Well, here is the catch: you must unlock their superpowers. How? Soaking.

But why?

The short answer: Because they have a defense mechanism that prevents us from digesting them properly, which in turn leads to other complications with our body’s metabolic and digestive processes.

The longish answer:

It’s not just nuts you should soak before you consume them — seeds, legumes, and grains fall into the same category (for the most part).

Let’s just call them Nuts & Co.

Nature is a mother, lest we forget. She protects and nurtures (among 20 billion other things). And so, Mother Nature gave Nuts & Co a defense mechanism that would help them survive until optimal growing conditions were present.

Their most effective defense mechanisms are enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid. Sound pretty bad ass, hey? (Note: don’t mess with Mother Nature!)

Enzyme inhibitors

a) Digestive enzymes are necessary to break down foods. If they are inhibited, then Nuts & Co cannot be digested properly. And when they are not digested properly, then we don’t gain access to their minerals, vitamins, fats, and protein. What’s the point of eating them then? Right.

b) Metabolic enzymes are a major component in the reproduction and replenishment of cells. They help run practically every biological process in the body. You don’t want to endorse anything that inhibits these metabolic enzymes, because they are involved in so many different processes.

In summary, enzyme inhibitors prevent digestive and metabolic enzymes from functioning properly.

Phytic Acid

Phytic acid, when not removed from Nuts & Co prior to consumption, can combine with calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc within the intestinal tract and then block their absorption.

Poor mineral absorption can, and does, lead to mineral deficiencies and bone loss.

How does soaking Nuts & Co help?

Soaking Nuts & Co is a sure way to remove phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Once the defense mechanism has been broken down, Nuts & Co will give you the nutrition they promise to deliver on their labels.

How do I soak Nuts & Co?

Soaking is easy, it just requires a little preparation. The night before consumption, put Nuts & Co in a bowl, cover with sufficient amounts of water, add a pinch of Himalayan or Sea Salt, cover with a paper or hand towel. (Note: use clean filtered water)

In the morning, pour Nuts & Co into a drainer, wash thoroughly, pad dry. Done.

You can store soaked nuts in the fridge for 24 hours. If you want them to keep longer, then dehydrate them. Ideally, you should use a dehydrator because the heat of conventional ovens will zap the nutrients right out of Nuts & Co. I have, however, used a domestic hack where I place Nuts & Co on a parchment paper lined sheet and placed it into a 170 Fahrenheit oven. The trick: stick a rolled up hand towel between the oven door so it stays slightly open. The airflow will decrease the temperature and protect Nuts & Co from overheating.