Health tip of the day: Soak your nuts!

Soak your nuts!



Eat your nuts!

Get your mind out of the gutter! Nuts contain inhibitors that shield them in nature until growing conditions are perfect. The inhibitors, however, also keep your body from accessing the nutrients in nuts. Soaking nuts prior to eating them releases more of their vitamins, which allows those nutrients and health benefits to be more easily absorbed by your body. Become familiar with the process of soaking nuts to receive the greatest health benefits from them. Learn how to soak raw, or uncooked, nuts to release the enzyme inhibitors, break down gluten and reduce the amount of naturally occurring acids that prevent vitamin absorption by your body.

 

 

STEPS

 



1. Measure the amount of raw or uncooked nuts you wish to prepare.

2. Bring nuts to room temperature.

3. Rinse your nuts thoroughly with water.

4. Place your washed nuts in a bowl or jar.

5. Add water to the bowl. You will need 2 times the amount of water as you have nuts in the bowl.

6. Cover the bowl. Select a clean cloth and lay it over the bowl as a cover. This type of lid allows the contents of the bowl to breathe.
7. Soak nuts according to the density of the type of nut. The harder a nut is, the longer it will need to soak.

Soak almonds for 8 to 12 hours.

Soak cashews for 2 to 3 hours.

Soak flax seeds for 6 hours.

Soak garbanzo beans for 12 to 48 hours.

Soak walnuts for 4 hours.
8. Drain, rinse and replenish the water in the bowl. Every 3 to 4 hours, the water in the bowl should be refreshed. The water in the bowl contains all the enzymes, acids and byproducts you are trying to remove from the nuts by soaking them. Use a colander or screen over the opening to drain the water.

9. Store your raw, soaked nuts. If you are planning to use your nuts within a few days, set the bowl or jar of nuts in your refrigerator.

• To keep your nuts for a longer period of time, dry the nuts in single layers on low (under 115 degrees Fahrenheit or 46 degrees Celsius) in your dehydrator, and then store them in your refrigerator. Dehydrating the nuts returns their crispiness.