Guest guest Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 I guess this isn't specifically a veg issue, but why does one soak nuts? I've been very good at getting the junk out of our diets, but less successful with adding healthful things back in place. DD is tiny so I'm always trying to get calories in her. I thought adding nuts to our morning smoothie might be a good idea. I currently use nut butters, (peanut, cashew or almond) but I'm specifically trying to incorporate walnuts. Raw would be better, and I'm guessing those are the one that get soaked? Help! Thanks! Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 soaking raw nuts (and also grains and seeds) reduces enzyme inhibitors that can prevent uptake of certain nutrients (such as zinc and iron) and can make it difficult to digest the food. this explains the paradox of many people becoming zinc-deficient when they eat a lot of foods rich in zinc such as whole grains and seeds: they are not eliminating the enzyme inhibitors through soaking. when a nut or seed is in its dormant state in the winter, it is full of these enzyme inhibitors to prevent it from sprouting when it would not be able to survive. when the spring comes with its rains, the seed or nut sucks up the water and the enzyme inhibitors are washed away. then the seed or nut becomes essentially alive and is able to grow; it has its full potential of nutrients at that state to support its growth. this process is what you are replicating by soaking nuts, seeds and whole grains. chandelle On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 11:47 PM, Liz <evergnault wrote: > I guess this isn't specifically a veg issue, but why does one soak > nuts? I've been very good at getting the junk out of our diets, but > less successful with adding healthful things back in place. DD is > tiny so I'm always trying to get calories in her. I thought adding > nuts to our morning smoothie might be a good idea. I currently use > nut butters, (peanut, cashew or almond) but I'm specifically trying to > incorporate walnuts. Raw would be better, and I'm guessing those are > the one that get soaked? Help! Thanks! > Liz > > > -- " if voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal. " ~emma goldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Chandelle, Do you mean that we should soak grains and seeds like: rice, quinoa, dried corn before we cook? Could you please let me know , maybe, a list of grains and seeds that we should soak? Thanks for sharing your knowledge Hey friends, also thank you for the inputs about " sleepless toddler " Rebeca --- On Thu, 6/26/08, chandelle' <earthmother213 wrote: chandelle' <earthmother213 Re: Soaking nuts Thursday, June 26, 2008, 9:05 AM soaking raw nuts (and also grains and seeds) reduces enzyme inhibitors that can prevent uptake of certain nutrients (such as zinc and iron) and can make it difficult to digest the food. this explains the paradox of many people becoming zinc-deficient when they eat a lot of foods rich in zinc such as whole grains and seeds: they are not eliminating the enzyme inhibitors through soaking. when a nut or seed is in its dormant state in the winter, it is full of these enzyme inhibitors to prevent it from sprouting when it would not be able to survive. when the spring comes with its rains, the seed or nut sucks up the water and the enzyme inhibitors are washed away. then the seed or nut becomes essentially alive and is able to grow; it has its full potential of nutrients at that state to support its growth. this process is what you are replicating by soaking nuts, seeds and whole grains. chandelle On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 11:47 PM, Liz <evergnault > wrote: > I guess this isn't specifically a veg issue, but why does one soak > nuts? I've been very good at getting the junk out of our diets, but > less successful with adding healthful things back in place. DD is > tiny so I'm always trying to get calories in her. I thought adding > nuts to our morning smoothie might be a good idea. I currently use > nut butters, (peanut, cashew or almond) but I'm specifically trying to > incorporate walnuts. Raw would be better, and I'm guessing those are > the one that get soaked? Help! Thanks! > Liz > > > -- " if voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal. " ~emma goldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2008 Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 yes, all foods that contain a germ should be soaked. this includes all grains such as rice, quinoa, oats, dry corn, and so on, all seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower, and all nuts such as almonds and cashews. all of these foods are essentially seeds and benefit dramatically from soaking before use. " primitive " societies have almost always soaked and/or fermented their seeds because of ancient knowledge that this process would improve digestibility and release necessary nutrients. the best way to soak grains, nuts and seeds before use is to cover them with twice as much water the night before you intend to use them. drain them in the morning and rinse them very well (a mesh strainer works best). some grains such as buckwheat will produce a lot of slimy stuff so they need to be rinsed more. then place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. an even more effective way to break down enxyme inhibitors is to add a tablespoon or so of some acidic medium to the soak water, such as vinegar, yogurt, or lemon juice. soaking seeds (by which i mean all whole grains and nuts as well as what we usually refer to as seeds) also makes them cook a lot faster, if you choose to do so. this is also the starting point for sprouting. some nuts should be soaked for a shorter period of time because their high fat content causes them to go rancid very quickly. this includes macadamias (about 1 hour) and cashews (about 4 hours, though they can be soaked overnight if you wish). some people believe that almonds should be soaked for a longer period of time, about 24 hours, but i don't usually do it more than overnight, like if i'm making almond milk or something. the only seed i go out of my way not to soak is flax. flax is a mucilagenous seed and when it is soaked it swells up enormously and becomes very slippery and, for me, hard to use. but i do grind it every time i use it; i never use it whole. since smoothies were mentioned, i wanted to say that i often add cashews to smoothies when i'm making them for my kids. cashews are a very sweet, smooth nut that are the base for many raw dessert creams, puddings, ice creams and so on. i usually add about 1/3 cup to four servings of smoothie and it makes it like a thick creamy shake. yummy! and good fats for the kids. hope to help! chandelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2008 Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 i meant to say to cover your seeds with AT LEAST twice as much water; some seeds will suck up more water than others. chandelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2008 Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 Thank you so much for this wonderful info! When you say that grains cook faster, does that also mean with less water? Like brown rice or pearled barley, for instance? And since you mentioned sprouting... what to do with such sprouted things? DD's ped. in FL recommended it every time we went in, but I never tried it.... So, if I sprout chickpeas, then what? Can I still cook them and then make hummus? Thank you for sharing! Liz chandelle' <earthmother213 Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:01:36 PM Re: Soaking nuts yes, all foods that contain a germ should be soaked. this includes all grains such as rice, quinoa, oats, dry corn, and so on, all seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower, and all nuts such as almonds and cashews. all of these foods are essentially seeds and benefit dramatically from soaking before use. " primitive " societies have almost always soaked and/or fermented their seeds because of ancient knowledge that this process would improve digestibility and release necessary nutrients. the best way to soak grains, nuts and seeds before use is to cover them with twice as much water the night before you intend to use them. drain them in the morning and rinse them very well (a mesh strainer works best). some grains such as buckwheat will produce a lot of slimy stuff so they need to be rinsed more. then place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. an even more effective way to break down enxyme inhibitors is to add a tablespoon or so of some acidic medium to the soak water, such as vinegar, yogurt, or lemon juice. soaking seeds (by which i mean all whole grains and nuts as well as what we usually refer to as seeds) also makes them cook a lot faster, if you choose to do so. this is also the starting point for sprouting. some nuts should be soaked for a shorter period of time because their high fat content causes them to go rancid very quickly. this includes macadamias (about 1 hour) and cashews (about 4 hours, though they can be soaked overnight if you wish). some people believe that almonds should be soaked for a longer period of time, about 24 hours, but i don't usually do it more than overnight, like if i'm making almond milk or something. the only seed i go out of my way not to soak is flax. flax is a mucilagenous seed and when it is soaked it swells up enormously and becomes very slippery and, for me, hard to use. but i do grind it every time i use it; i never use it whole. since smoothies were mentioned, i wanted to say that i often add cashews to smoothies when i'm making them for my kids. cashews are a very sweet, smooth nut that are the base for many raw dessert creams, puddings, ice creams and so on. i usually add about 1/3 cup to four servings of smoothie and it makes it like a thick creamy shake. yummy! and good fats for the kids. hope to help! chandelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 I never found my grains taking any less time or water to cook - still use a 1:2 ratio for brown rice, and still takes about 50 minutes. How nice that the ped recommended sprouting. One of the benefits to eating sprouts is all the wonderful enzymes. If you cook them, then you kill all those enzymes. We use sprouted chick peas and add them to salads for crunch. I did try to make sprouted chickpea hummus, but really no one in the family cared for the taste of it. Mung Beans and lentils are also a good legume to sprout and add to salads. Susan , Liz Vergnault <evergnault wrote: > > Thank you so much for this wonderful info! When you say that grains cook faster, does that also mean with less water? Like brown rice or pearled barley, for instance? And since you mentioned sprouting... what to do with such sprouted things? DD's ped. in FL recommended it every time we went in, but I never tried it.... So, if I sprout chickpeas, then what? Can I still cook them and then make hummus? Thank you for sharing! > Liz > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 So sprouted cereal or breads aren't helpful? We love Food for Life sprouted bread and cereal, but it sounds like it isn't that helpful since it is cooked? Linda A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally-Conscious, and Fair Labor Products) http://triballife.net/ http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ My personal blog: http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ Susan <virgo.vegan Monday, June 30, 2008 8:02:36 AM Re: Soaking nuts I never found my grains taking any less time or water to cook - still use a 1:2 ratio for brown rice, and still takes about 50 minutes. How nice that the ped recommended sprouting. One of the benefits to eating sprouts is all the wonderful enzymes. If you cook them, then you kill all those enzymes. We use sprouted chick peas and add them to salads for crunch. I did try to make sprouted chickpea hummus, but really no one in the family cared for the taste of it. Mung Beans and lentils are also a good legume to sprout and add to salads. Susan @gro ups.com, Liz Vergnault <evergnault@ ...> wrote: > > Thank you so much for this wonderful info! When you say that grains cook faster, does that also mean with less water? Like brown rice or pearled barley, for instance? And since you mentioned sprouting... what to do with such sprouted things? DD's ped. in FL recommended it every time we went in, but I never tried it.... So, if I sprout chickpeas, then what? Can I still cook them and then make hummus? Thank you for sharing! > Liz > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Personally, I think sprouted breads/cereal are better for you than their baked flour counterpart, but the best way to get the benefit of sprouts is to eat them in their raw form. This is a pretty good site about sprouting - http://www.sproutpeople.com/grow/sprouting.html There are so many theories about what is best, you just have to decide what you think is best for your family. Susan , Linda Evans <veganlinda wrote: > > So sprouted cereal or breads aren't helpful? We love Food for Life sprouted bread and cereal, but it sounds like it isn't that helpful since it is cooked? > > Linda > A Marketplace for a Better World (Cruelty-free, Environmentally- Conscious, and Fair Labor Products) > http://triballife.net/ > http://triballifeinc.blogspot.com/ > My personal blog: > http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/ > > > > > Susan <virgo.vegan > > Monday, June 30, 2008 8:02:36 AM > Re: Soaking nuts > > > I never found my grains taking any less time or water to cook - still > use a 1:2 ratio for brown rice, and still takes about 50 minutes. > > How nice that the ped recommended sprouting. One of the benefits to > eating sprouts is all the wonderful enzymes. If you cook them, then > you kill all those enzymes. We use sprouted chick peas and add them > to salads for crunch. I did try to make sprouted chickpea hummus, but > really no one in the family cared for the taste of it. Mung Beans and > lentils are also a good legume to sprout and add to salads. > > Susan > @gro ups.com, Liz Vergnault <evergnault@ ...> > wrote: > > > > Thank you so much for this wonderful info! When you say that grains > cook faster, does that also mean with less water? Like brown rice or > pearled barley, for instance? And since you mentioned sprouting... > what to do with such sprouted things? DD's ped. in FL recommended it > every time we went in, but I never tried it.... So, if I sprout > chickpeas, then what? Can I still cook them and then make hummus? > Thank you for sharing! > > Liz > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 liz, i use just as much water and usually find that the cooking time is cut by about half. you can still cook with anything that is soaked and it will be easier to digest than unsoaked, but the real value in soaked and sprouted stuff is the high nutrient and enzyme content, most of which will be destroyed by cooking. in my opinion, it is still worth doing because of improved digestion and assimilation of other nutrients. linda, FFL does cook their products, but on their packages it says that they are cooked at " low temperatures. " i'm not sure what that means, but i'd consider that if you're going to eat grain products like pasta, tortillas and bread, sprouted and cooked at low temperatures is the way to go if you're not making the stuff yourself. my family tries to eat a high raw diet but i still enjoy FFL's sprouted corn tortillas and manna bread; i consider them a good alternative to the standard stuff and they are definitely great transition items. hope to help! chandelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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