Want to eat nuts, seeds & grains?? Sprout or soak them first!!

YES!!

I want to eat nuts, seeds & grains!!

Many people find they cannot tolerate grains, seeds, nuts and legumes, or products such as breads, cakes or bean dishes made from them. Do you suffer from indigestion, flatulence, heaviness and other maladies after eating them?

Virtually all dry grains, seeds and legumes contain enzyme inhibitors, which keep them dormant until they are soaked and start to sprout. They also contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Both the enzyme inhibitors and the phytic acid make dry grains, seeds and legumes virtually indigestible. Phytic acid also reacts with many essential minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc, and stops their absorption in your intestines. A diet high in grains that have not been sprouted or soaked can lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. Breads and other products made from flour that has not been risen or soaked for at least seven hours have a similar effect. Most commercial breads, pastries, biscuits etc are made from un-soaked flour

Soaking neutralises the enzyme inhibitors present in dry grains, seeds and legumes, and starts the production of numerous beneficial enzymes. As they soak, the enzymes, Lactobacilli and other helpful organisms break down and neutralise the phytic acid. As little as seven hours soaking in water removes most of the phytic acid. Soaking, fermenting and sprouting also breaks down gluten and other difficult-to-digest proteins into simpler components that are more easily absorbed

Commercially baked bread made from milled dry grains and fast acting yeast is prepared and baked in less than a few hours. No Lactobacilli are involved, only one strain of yeast is used, and the conditions are not suitable for neutralising enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid. These breads are hard to digest

Sprouts are a living, enzyme-rich food, natural and low in calories. Their vitamin A content will usually double, various B group vitamins will be 5 - 10 times higher, and vitamin C will increase by a similar order. Their protein content becomes easily digestible, and rich new nutrients such as enzymes and phytochemicals are created. They contain significant amounts of bio-available calcium, iron and zinc


When a dormant seed sprouts, its starch is converted into simple sugars, and long chain proteins are split into smaller, easily digestible molecules. Sprouted beans and seeds are like a pre-digested food, one of the most enzyme-rich and nutritious foods known. This info is from:         http://www.growyouthful.com/recipes/sprouts.php
Visit there to learn about what to sprout too. 

This is an excerpt from Dr. Fuhrman’s book "Eat For Health".

If you are significantly overweight and want to maximize your weight loss, you should limit your intake of seeds, nuts and avocados to one (small) serving a day since they are calorie-rich. However, you should not exclude these healthy, high-fat foods completely from your diet. It may seem illogical to include such high fat foods in your diet (since fat is 9 calories a gram compared with 4 calories a gram for carbohydrates and protein) however epidemiological studies show an inverse relationship between seed and nut consumption and body weight. Interestingly, these studies show including some seeds and nuts in your diet actually aids in appetite suppression and weight loss. Well-controlled trials that looked to see if eating nuts and seeds resulted in weight gain, found the opposite—eating raw nuts and seeds promoted weight loss, not weight gain because seeds and nuts are rich in minerals and fiber and have a low glycemic index, they are favorable foods to include in a diet designed for diabetics and even the obese. Researchers noted that people eating one ounce of nuts five times a week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 27 percent.

I love nuts & seeds and know I need to be
soaking/sprouting them before I eat them.

I rate high in small intestine irritation in our

Nutritional Therapist functional evaluation so I

need to watch what I eat and also need to

CHEW, CHEW, CHEW!

Did you know that

CARBOHYDRATES

begin digestion in your mouth??

If you do not chew well enough, and long enough

so the enzymes contained in your saliva

can begin to break down the carbs, you are depriving yourself

of proper digestion and assimilation.

Your body will NOT get the nutrients it needs!

SO...

CHEW!!

***

Let me know how your soaking/sprouting

experiences go and if you have discovered any

good tips to share!

Blessings~Sue