{"id":11495,"date":"2021-07-12T16:48:10","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T15:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/?p=11495"},"modified":"2023-03-01T10:07:38","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T10:07:38","slug":"do-you-need-to-soak-nuts-and-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/do-you-need-to-soak-nuts-and-seeds","title":{"rendered":"Do you need to soak nuts &#038; seeds?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you heard about \u2018activated\u2019 nuts? They\u2019re quickly becoming the latest snack trend, so let\u2019s dive into what it actually means and whether the science lives up to the hype.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Activation\u2019 is essentially talking about soaking raw nuts or seeds so they start the germination process (i.e. where plants start to grow and sprout).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s become a bit of a buzzword on supermarket shelves recently and you might see other products like \u2018activated\u2019 charcoal too &#8211; but that\u2019s a whole other topic!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Activated nuts and seeds have been celebrated as being easier to digest and making the nutrients, such as iron, fibre and healthy fats, easier to absorb.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #e60e64;\"><b>The potential benefits of \u2018activating\u2019<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reducing phytates<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main reason behind soaking in this way is the phytate content. Phytates can affect the absorption and reduce the bioavailability of several micronutrients, which is why it\u2019s often referred to as an \u2018anti-nutrient\u2019. Soaking certain phytate containing plants first can reduce the concentration of phytates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soaking has been shown to reduce phytate levels in legumes and grains &#8211; but when it comes to nuts and seeds, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0308814620303915?via%3Dihub\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020 study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> measuring almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts and walnuts suggests the difference is very minimal, if any at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also worth keeping in mind that phytate isn\u2019t inherently \u2018bad\u2019 for you. It actually has pretty impressive antioxidant powers, and has been linked to protection against kidney stones and cancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Increased availability of nutrients<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the study, while soaking almonds for 12 hours did increase calcium and iron, the difference was tiny. On the other hand, soaking walnuts for 12 hours actually decreased the calcium and zinc content (again, by a tiny amount). While soaked peanuts were found to contain slightly higher zinc levels, unsoaked peanuts contained more iron.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, it\u2019s not about being \u2018better\u2019 or \u2018worse\u2019 &#8211; as with everything in nutrition, it really does vary and depends on the specific circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #e60e64;\"><b>The potential downsides<\/b><\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Water-soluble vitamins: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is the potential for some of the vitamins that are dissolvable to leach into the water during soaking, which would be pretty counterproductive\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Salt: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the \u2018activation\u2019 process, salt is often added, which can increase overall salt intakes &#8211; one to watch for those with any high blood pressure concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Time and cost: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soaking can be pretty time-consuming and snack packs of activated versions can be quite a lot more expensive &#8211; so it\u2019s important not to be put off eating regular raw nuts too!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #e60e64;\"><b>The bottom line<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nut<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shell, soaking could increase the absorption of some nutrients, but the difference is super small &#8211; and pretty insignificant in the context of your whole diet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you love the texture and like to use soft, soaked nuts for recipes or nut butters, go ahead! I love using soaked cashews to make a creamy cashew sauce.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But unsoaked nuts and seeds are absolutely a great addition to your deliciously diverse diet with many important nutrients, especially as a quick and easy snack or extra sprinkle of fibre on your meals with no extra cost or effort.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you heard about \u2018activated\u2019 nuts? They\u2019re quickly becoming the latest snack trend, so let\u2019s dive into what it actually means and whether the science lives up to the hype. \u2018Activation\u2019 is essentially talking about soaking raw nuts or seeds so they start the germination process (i.e. where plants start to grow and sprout). It\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11497,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-or-nutrition","category-myth-busting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do you need to soak nuts &amp; seeds? | The Gut Health Doctor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you heard of \u2018activated\u2019 nuts? 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