All this talk of phytic acid in foods has got me soaking - EVERYTHING - before we eat it. Even our nuts and seeds that we like to snack on throughout the day. As I've mentioned before, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds have high levels of anti-nutrients, substances that significantly reduces our absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. So, technically speaking, you would have to eat about 11 pieces of whole grain bread to get the amount of nutrients you could be getting out of one piece of bread that has been prepared properly to reduce the phytates. Wow, now unlike grains, nuts contain smaller amounts of phytic acid, but they have high amounts of nasty enzyme inhibitors. These enzymes are mother nature's way of preventing them from sprouting prematurely, but they make our digestive systems feel kind of gross. The good news though, is that soaking your nuts and seeds in warm salt water will neutralize these enzymes and make them much easier to digest. Woo hoo!
All it takes is a little thinking before go to bed. I like being prepared anyway, usually taking out whatever frozen meats and fishes I will be needing for the next day's meals. Your nighttime ritual will be even more fun now, adding grains and beans to the mix!
We love eating tamari seasoned trail mix around here, which I adapted to include soaking sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds overnight in water.
TAMARI TRAIL MIX
2 cups organic raw almonds
2 cups organic raw sunflower seeds
2 cups organic raw pumpkin seeds
11/2 Tbsp sea salt
water to cover
organic tamari
Method: Dissolve salt in water and pour over the nuts and seeds. Allow to soak for 12 hours (overnight), drain and rinse in a colander. Pour a little tamari over the seeds and nuts, stir, and then spread out onto a dehydrator tray and dry at low heat for about 8-10 hours, or until the seeds are try and crispy.
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Before I go, I just wanted to say that the Rhythm of the Home Spring Edition is LIVE today...
and you can find my submission here.
