Soaking Nuts, Seeds, Grains and Legumes.

Soak your nuts, seeds, grains and legumes to improve digestibility! I've talked about this several times on my blog before, but here's a quick review. Soaking these items starts the sprouting process and reduces phytic acids, neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and encourages beneficial enzymes. Phytates bind to certain minerals in our intestinal tract and block our absorption of these minerals. Generally speaking all nuts and seeds can be soaked 6 hours to, preferably, overnight in a solution of sea salt and warm water. A small amount of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar can also be added to the mix. Rice and other grains can be prepared the same way. Whey can also be added to the solution to ferment the seeds, nuts or grain which can then be dehydrated for future use. Soaking nuts and seeds also increases, in my opinion, they're tastiness! To keep things simple I always keep a jar of random soaked nuts and seeds, for quick use. I don't dehydrate mine, I simply drain them well, pat them dry and keep them in the fridge to use with a few days for smoothies, salads, stir-fries etc...I tend to keep my consumption of grains to a minimal, however when I cook grains, I soak them overnight. It may take a little organization, although it's worth it to get the most nutrition out of your food.