FOR NUTS/SEEDS:
Now you’ll need to set up their sprouting environment. Popular options include Mason jars with muslin and a rubber band. To ensure that the sprouts continue to be well-drained, you can tilt it at an angle (dish racks work well for this). And that is the key here, ‘well-drained’. We simply use a colander with a thin cotton kitchen towel or piece of muslin draped over it as our option. Once the majority of the water has drained, start with the sink and then transfer to a plate.
Sunflower seeds, like the majority of grains, seeds, and nuts, are naturally protected by phytic acid and an enzyme inhibitor until they are in an ideal growing environment. You guessed it: moisture is the essential component of this ideal environment. The problem is that phytic acid and these natural enzyme inhibitors prevent our bodies from properly digesting and absorbing the nutrients from the seed. The good news is that they can be quickly eliminated by soaking (and then giving them a thorough rinse). In addition, the sunflower seed begins to germinate after 12 to 24 hours of soaking, despite being invisible to the naked eye. This germination awakens the seed’s nutrients and improves its digestibility. Therefore, theoretically, you could stop now and still reap many of the benefits you seek from full sprouting. If you decide this is sufficient, you can freeze the soaked seeds for up to six months or keep them in your refrigerator for up to four days. It will be a little bit different if you want to continue and fully sprout the grains (meaning the seedling growth is the same length as the seed), but you will still be converting the starches into simple sugars and the protein into amino acids as well as adding more vitamins and enzymes to your sunflower seeds. Sounds like a good deal!.
DON’T try to ‘store’ them at all for sprouting. They don’t need light, but they do need good ventilation. Just leave them on the kitchen counter if you can. If you live in a very warm climate or during high summer, you might need to rinse them more frequently than every 12 hours (morning and evening). Both the rinsing and the draining are crucial because they will ultimately result in a fresher sprout.
When your sunflower seed sprouts are approximately half a centimeter long (the general rule is that your sprouts should be the same length as the seed you are sprouting), they are ready. This will take one to two days. Growing past this point will create microgreens. It’s entirely up to personal taste and preference when to harvest, but don’t rinse them again. They taste better dry. If kept in a glass jar, sprouts will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.
Despite the frequent reports of people “sprouting” their grains or seeds, this hearsay leaves out a lot of important information. Soaking the seed or grain is always the first step in sprouting. In actuality, you should do this with all of your nuts, seeds, and grains. Yes, you read correctly. Soak them for between one and twenty-four hours before consuming them raw or cooked. Visit our blog, “Why Sprout,” for more information.
Do nuts and seeds have to be soaked before eating?AdvertisementAdvertisement
We only need to look at nature and how the natural processes of growth and reproduction function in order to fully comprehend the idea, justification, and benefit of soaking nuts and seeds. A seed is necessary for a new plant to sprout and start growing, and water is necessary for that seed to sprout and start growing into a new plant. Because mature seeds are dry and dormant, they can withstand a variety of conditions and endure for a long time before the ideal conditions are met for sprouting and growth. Water is necessary for the seed to emerge from its dormant state and start the growing process. A seed swells and changes in biochemistry when it absorbs water. Let’s use this natural process to understand how it affects the nutrition, health, and food we eat.
First, we must comprehend that all nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes are biological seeds with the capacity to develop new plants. You’ll see that they all have the same traits of being hard and dry. Natural processes are keeping them in a dormant stage, which for us means that their nutritional needs are being restrained. As a result, they are not as ideal as they would be in an activated form after soaking. Although you can still eat them and they still contain nutrients, there are a few disadvantages.
Because of the phytic acid content, dormant, unsoaked nuts and seeds can be more difficult for us to digest, and there have been worries that this could lead to increased nutritional deficiencies. Due to its potential to bind with specific minerals and render them inaccessible to us, phytic acid is regarded as a food inhibitor or anti-nutrient. Phytates, such as phytic acid, are found in seeds because they serve as a source of energy for sprouting seeds. The stored phytates are broken down by phytase enzymes that are activated by soaking and sprouting. Despite this worry, it’s critical to stress that we shouldn’t believe the alarmist claims made about phytates because they also offer us advantages like anticancer activity and protection against bone loss. As with everything else, it is crucial to maintain perspective and avoid seeing things from a single point of view.
There have also been theories that claim that dried, unsoaked nuts and seeds are harder on our pancreas and our enzyme processes. Soaking aids in this by lowering enzyme inhibitors and enhancing the nutrients’ bioavailability. As a result, our ability to digest nuts and seeds is improved, and our digestive system and its organs are less stressed. In the long run, we can gain from better health and nutrition as a result.
Therefore, whenever possible, it is a good idea to soak most, if not all, of the nuts and seeds we consume. In order to soak nuts and seeds, they must be in their raw form, and neither roasted nor pasteurized. Cooking processes that use high or prolonged heat can also reduce phytates, and make some foods safer or easier to digest, but they also come at the price of denaturing nutrients, damaging their healthy fats, and lead to the formation of a harmful substance called acrylamide. And once pasteurized or roasted, nuts and seeds cannot be properly soaked, if at all.
The most common way to soak nuts and seeds is to simply submerge the desired quantity in lots of water for the predetermined amount of time.
The length of soaking time is determined by simple and direct observation of changes in the seed’s appearance and texture rather than any strict rules. In general, soaking nuts and seeds for some time is preferable to not soaking them at all, even if the time is short. Compared to hard nuts like almonds and less oily nuts like pistachios, soft nuts like cashews and more oily nuts like walnuts require less time to soak. For the sake of simplicity, you can soak any nut or seed for up to 12 hours, or even as little as 2 hours to reap some benefits. Simply make sure to change the water at least once every 12 hours if you are soaking for a prolonged period of time (more than 12 hours), and thoroughly rinse the nuts or seeds before re-soaking them in fresh water. When you’re ready to eat it or incorporate it into a meal after soaking any nuts or seeds, make sure to give them a thorough rinse.
For the most popular nuts and seeds, consider the following general soaking time recommendations:
While soaking all or most of your nuts and seeds is a good idea, there are some exceptions that are either not ideal for soaking or do not require much, if any, soaking.