Should You Soak Your Nuts?

No funny jokes about the headline, please.

Nut soaking is serious stuff and I won’t tolerate any funny business.

*smirk*

Alright, alright. Let’s get down to business.

Nut Soaking and Digestion

Like grains and legumes, nuts and seeds contain anti-nutrients such as lectins and phytates that can impair digestion. One way to reduce the amount in these foods is to soak them in water, thereby improving digestion.

But I think the main reason that soaked nuts and seeds are easier to digest is simpler than this. When you set nuts/seeds in water for a few hours, they soak up some of this water, thereby becoming more water-rich.

The same thing happens if you soak sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, or any dried food in water. The food will become less dry, softer, and easier to digest simply because the water content has been raised.

You can achieve the same end by simply blending the dry nuts/seeds with water-rich foods (like cucumber and tomato to make a savory salad dressing, for instance). That’s what I do when I eat nuts and I have no problem digesting them whether they are soaked or not.

Nut Soaking and Bioavailability

Because phytic acid hinders the absorption of iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium when it binds to these minerals—and because soaking reduces the amount of phytic acid present in nuts and seeds—it makes sense that soaking also improves the bioavailability of these nutrients.

In other words, you potentially absorb more nutrients from dried nuts that have been soaked then from dried nuts that haven’t been soaked.

What About Sprouting?

Sprouting may further improve the bioavailability of certain nutrients beyond soaking, but I honestly have no idea to what degree.

Personally, I don’t think sprouting is worth the effort and here’s why…

The Big Picture

Generally, the people so fervent about soaking/sprouting nuts and seeds are those who consume these foods in abundance. I am not one of those people and you shouldn’t be either.

When we’re talking about nuts and seeds, the ideal amount we’re looking at is around 1-2 ounces per day. That’s about 1-2 small handfuls.

And because the amount of nuts and seeds consumed is so small (or at least it should be), soaking/sprouting really shouldn’t make that big of a difference. As long as you’re eating enough fruit and greens, you should get plenty of the nutrients you need without nuts and seeds.

One exception is selenium, which is found in abundance in brazil nuts. Even still, this selenium has a very high absorption rate (over 90%) regardless of soaking.

So if you prefer soaking nuts and seeds, go for it. It definitely won’t do any harm and will likely improve digestion and bioavailability of certain nutrients to some degree.

But if you’re worried about becoming nutrient deficient if you don’t soak, stop worrying. Instead, focus on getting the nutrients you need from fresh fruits and vegetables.

Go raw and be fit,
Swayze

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