Digestive Friendly Nuts
Why are not all nuts actually digestive-friendly nuts? When it comes to digestion, it all comes down to the properties in our food, how complex they are for our stomach to break down, and which enzymes our bodies need to be able to digest and absorb the nutrients. The more complex, the harder it is for our stomachs. By preparing beans (FULL POST HERE) and nuts in a certain way we allow our digestive tract an easier time breaking them down and absorbing their amazing nutrient-rich properties.
WHY ARE THEY NOT NATURALLY DIGESTIVE-FRIENDLY NUTS?
Nuts contain phytic acid which is a protective acid so that animals can replant nuts and seeds in nature. The phytic acid protects the nuts and seeds in the digestive tract so that when the animals excrete them, they essentially are planting. Weird and cool at the same time. Therefore, when we digest nuts and seeds, the phytic acid is still present so our digestive tract is trying to break them down to absorb their nutrients but cannot without a certain enzyme called phytase that we as humans don’t produce naturally.
HOW DO YOU MAKE NUTS/SEEDS DIGESTIVE-FRIENDLY?
Similar to the beans, it has to do with soaking and cooking so that the process breaks down the phytic acid and our body doesn’t need to have the aid of the phytase enzyme to break them down and absorb the nutrients. The soaking time is about 8 hours and the baking time in an oven is about 12 hours. You can speed up this process by using a dehydrator as well, I haven’t tested out the timing of this yet so stay tuned. I will let them soak starting in the morning, then I will start the baking process at 6 pm so that they can bake overnight and I can pull them out of the oven at 6 am when I wake up the next morning.
1.Soak your nuts.
First, you have to soak your nuts. Pour your nuts into a large bowl and cover with water. The water should be about 3 inches above the surface level of nuts. Cover and let sit on your countertop for about 8 hours.
2. Rinse your nuts.
DO NOT SKIP! This is so important to be sure your nuts are digestive-friendly. Drain off the water from the soaking process and rinse your nuts in a colander. This is removing some of the nutrient properties that upset your stomach.
3. Bake your nuts.
Preheat your oven to 170F. Spread out your nuts on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and let bake for 12 hours. I typically start soaking my nuts in the morning, and place them in the oven at 6 pm so that when I wake up at 6 am I pull them out of the oven. You can eat them this way, add to granola, top a salad, make nut flours, etc.
