Soaking and activating Nuts & Seeds
How to activate nuts and seeds to ensure you’re getting the most out of your food without the tummy upset
The why, how, and for whom of soaking and activating nuts and seeds
As a naturopath in Sydney, where everyone is busy, and super short on time, I can get a fair amount of push back on this particular recommendation. “I barely have time to meal prep! You want me to leave bowls of nuts soaking for hours on end?”🙄
So I wanted to create this post to arm you with the information so that you can make the best choice for you, and decide if this is something to consider.
Why do you need to activate nuts and seeds?
Just as you have an immune system that protects you against invading bugs, so do plants. In particular, we eat the reproductive parts of plants that have their unique chemistry.
When you consume nuts, seeds, and legumes, this protective chemistry in the plants, including phytic acid, does several things in your gut.
It inhibits your digestion in certain particular enzymes that are useful for the digestive process itself being compromised. This can result in an insufficient breakdown of food and then bloating and discomfort for hours after eating or other digestive complaints like constipation/diarrhea.
It can also stop your body from binding to and absorbing certain minerals that are essential for health, like magnesium, zinc, iron, chromium, and others.
If you ingest nuts and seeds in high amounts that aren’t activated, you can have mineral deficiencies. I’ve commonly seen this in plant-based and vegan clients and others who have a high nut, seed, and legume intake in their daily diet.
Do I really need to activate my nuts and seeds?
If you’re having a tiny 6-8 almonds with your porridge in the morning and not a whole lot else in terms of nuts, seeds, and legumes, in addition, if your digestion is good and regular with no other low-grade inflammation, then peace! So go ahead enjoy your hassle-free handful of nuts.
You probably won’t want to bother yourself with this process.
If, however, you’re consuming nuts, seeds, and legumes regularly throughout the day, I’m speaking to my vegetarian and plant based friends out there… you really want to consider this as an essential part of the process to ensure you’re accessing all the essential nutrients.
I also very commonly recommend activation if you have a history of digestive issues, or conditions linked to poor digestive function, including eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, mood disorders, anxiety, depression.
If you have a compromised gut you need to support better digestion and absorption of your food, this becomes an essential step in your meal prep process. To find out more about some causes of poor gut function check out this post.
So if you’re saying “that’s me!” 🙋🏼♀️ Keep reading for the how too.
How does activating nuts and seeds work?
The seeds of plants start growing when the rain comes, when their cell walls are soaked with water, sprouting beings, and with this process, the protective chemicals break down.
So to activate your nuts and seeds, we soak them in salty water. We then follow up with dehydrating them to end up crispy and dry and can be stored for some time.
You can also then use them in so many different ways:
for milling into flours for cooking and baking
for making nut and seed butters
snacks
You can even use the undried versions of nuts after soaking them overnight, using them in your porridge, etc.
You can purchase activated nuts and seeds; however, they tend to be more expensive, and if you’re consuming them in larger quantities, you’ll want to buy them organic and in bulk, dehydrating them yourself to save the money. I buy my nuts from the nut grocer. You can check them out for yourself.
How to soak and activate nuts and seeds?
Step 1: Place nuts or seeds in a large bowl
Step 2: Add one cup of filtered, slightly warm, or room temperature water for every one cup of nuts.
Step 3: Add salt according to the ratios in the table below. Stir in the salt until it’s dissolved.
Step 4: Leave the nuts to soak in a warm place for the required time, as specified in the table below.
Step 5: Once the time is up, rinse them thoroughly, drain and use them wet in smoothies, etc. or move onto the next step of dehydrating.
Properly dehydrating nuts and seeds…
You can do this in your oven or a dehydrator!
This is often the part where things can get a little tricky. Several things to keep in mind…
If you want to store your nuts and seeds, you must dehydrate them to the point where they’re properly dried and crisp! This can take anywhere from 12-24 hours but depends entirely on what you’re using to dry.
If you don’t, you can very quickly end up with moldy nuts that are the perfect breeding place for other nasties.
So when you’re starting, if you’re concerned about how dry is dry enough, save a little handful of nuts from BEFORE you begin soaking. Put those aside. When you’re testing your dried nuts from the oven, compare them to the ones from out of the packet. They should feel similar in texture.
Unless you want roasted nuts, you must dehydrate at the right temperature to not end up with a completely different flavor. So dry them at 50-65 degrees Celcius.
Dehydrating is a slow process that can require you to check in now and then. . So please keep that in mind before you get going. When writing this article, Sydney was in lockdown, but usually, I would ensure that I had plenty of time at home where I could keep the oven on and be near.
I recently invested in a dehydrator, allowing me to set the timer and temp and forget. I went years and years without this, so it’s by no means essential that you rush out and buy one.
Additional helpful info on nuts and seeds
Once your nuts and seeds are dry and crisp, you want to pull them out and leave them to cool approximately 20 mins and then store them in an airtight container at room temp.
If you live somewhere damp and warm, you may want to consider storing them in airtight bags in the freezer as they will keep longer.
Please keep in mind that nuts and seeds go rancid fairly quickly once milled, so avoid milling your almonds into flour and then leaving it for months on end in the cupboard. I’ll write a future article on the storage and self-life of nuts and seeds, but for now, mill only how much you need each time.
Macadamias are unique in that they tend to be very low in phytic acid, so you can generally get away without activating.
Blanched almonds don’t need to be soaked and dehydrated because the skins have been removed and with it some of the chemicals we want to avoid. So how do I blanch my almonds, you say?
Blanching Almonds
Pour boiling water over your almonds and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Rub off the almond skins.
It might be a good idea to print out the table and stick it to the inside of your cupboard at home until you remember the amounts. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask.
Future posts coming on the soaking of beans and grains you might want to subscribe to the newsletter for more info on that.
If you’d like more specific info on how to ensure you’re nourishing your body through the right foods and meal prep please fill out the form below and I’ll get back to you soon. K💕