Does anyone make the effort to soak almonds (anywhere between 12 and 24 hours) before eating them? I've read that some people really have a problem with the phytic acid in almonds, and soaking them (then drying them in an oven or food dehydrator) takes care of most of this problem. Does anyone do this?

I've tried it, but I didn't feel like a made a difference to me. I'm digesting them better, now that I'm doing SPUDDD (Super-Paleo UP DAY, Down Day), but I'm digesting everything better.

Anyway, I can't imagine that soaking can actually neutralize that much phytic acid because most of it will be locked away inside the almond. Soaking in water isn't going to penetrate the dense meat, IMHO. It seems it would only work on the outside.

Love it!

I do this sometimes. I'm not sure how much it helps health-wise, but they do taste better. I first learned about this from the book Nourishing Traditions, which I highly recommend.

I found this article on the Weston A. Price Foundation website:

Living with Phytic Acid

Here is an excerpt specifically about nuts:



Interesting to think about - especially as concerns using almond flour/meal to bake with (which I do). After reading this article I think the impression I get is that soaking and drying become more important the more you will eat of the food (whether it be nuts, legumes, etc.). I would be less likely to soak beans since I eat them rarely and only in small amounts, but more likely to soak nuts/seeds since I eat them more.

That said, I think this article has an assumption that a person is eating a lot of grains, which also have high phytic content....which would make it even more important to soak legumes and nuts. Again, the less phytic containing foods you are eating the less important to soak them. But that's just my assumption based on my reading/understanding.

I thinks it's funny that the author mentions preferring the taste and smell of roasted nuts....exactly what I said in my previous post!

It seems like soaking, drying, roasting almond flour might be more beneficial than just whole almonds, since there's more of the nut to soak.

That seems logical, but that would get messy and hard to do. I think that the longer you soaked the nut the better. I checked Nourishing Traditions book and the suggestion is to soak legumes longer than nuts (higher phytic content in legumes?) and the soaking time for all nuts is the same. Dried legumes are harder than nuts, even almonds, though.

And maybe soaking in salted water helps to permeate the nut? I don't know. Just find it interesting. Nourishing Traditions does talk about an indigenous group that ground nuts into a flour and then soaked and roasted the flour. Sounds like too much trouble....

I'm just thinking that the soaking/roasting could only help and not hurt.

I wouldn't think it'd be that hard. Soak for 24 hours. Dry it out in the oven.

I was soaking almonds and other nuts for a while, and then drying them in the dehydrator. I actually prefer them that way, and I do think it helped make them more easily digested, and it stopped the itchy mouth and throat we often get with nuts. But unfortunately, I found it hard to keep up with it, because we go through food so quickly around here.

When you soak a nut overnight, it simulates rainy conditions, which signals the nut that it's time to grow into a nut tree. The nut deactivates its trypsin (protein digestion enzyme) inhibitors, and gets ready to start digesting itself as it grows. So, a night of soaking gives you access to all the nut's protein.

But nuts, even almonds, are high in inflammatory omega-6 fats (relevant post is in the middle of the page). Even 1/4 C of almonds will give you 5 times the average person's omega-6 needs.

I mostly eat walnuts now and the occasional macademian. I have never had a roasted walnut, what would it taste like? And how long would you soak and at what temperature?

I have always done that for my dried beans though. Just because I buy dried beans because they have less sodium and are cheaper. I soak overnight, and then boil and throw in the crockpot to slow cook has always worked well. I usually add some nutritious veggies and maybe some kind of meat as well. I don't really eat though because of the higher carb count just something I do sometimes for the family to stretch our food budget.

IMHO, roasted nuts taste infinitely superior to raw. They are sweeter and crisper.

Add 1-2 Tbls. salt per 4 cups nuts, cover with water and stir. Let sit over night. Roast in 150 degree oven for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally.

I have done a quick roasting version in a pan with butter or coconut oil. They're pretty tasty, but not as tasty as slow roasting them.

You can use your roasted nuts to make flavored nuts as well.