From a PROfessional...

Soaking & Sprouting, Simplified

Boost the Nutritional Value and Ease Digestion of your Grains, Legumes, Nuts, and Seeds!

By Scott Chaneski

It is not always cheap to eat healthy, and in our world of nutrient-deprived soil our essential nutrients often come at a premium.  So why not get the most nutrients possible out of your healthy food purchases?  Here-in lies the essential argument for Soaking and Sprouting many of your popular grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds!

The simple art of soaking and sprouting is a two-step process: 

First, you take the dry product and soak it in water (often adding an acidic medium such as Apple Cider Vinegar or Salt).  This process often take 8-12 hours, and unless you would like to sit and watch your beans soak, it really only takes a quick thought of some planning and about one minute of execution.

By doing this process yourself it is an incredibly cheap way to get lots of nutrition, satiation, and meal variety…all for a few dollars or less!

You can certainly purchase Sprouted Quinoa, Beans, Lentils, etc in the grocery store. But making them on your own is about 90% cheaper...and can be safer, too.

The reason for Soaking is to help remove the Phytic Acid and Enzyme Inhibitors (aka ‘Anti-Nutrients’).  And why do we need to worry about doing this?  Well, all nuts and seeds in nature have a coating of Phytic Acid.  This is nature’s way of protecting a seed before it starts to germinate.  So if a bird per se eats the seed, the hard-to-digest Phytic Acid makes the bird regret that decision.  And although animals will evolve to know what things they can eat to make them feel energized, versus what makes them ‘toot’ all the way to nature’s restroom, us humans on the other hand tend to often take a different approach.  For some reason we like to repeat the sequence of: eat now, pay for it later…and let’s try again tomorrow.  So if you are a person that often experiences some gastric distress or discomfort when eating grains, legumes, nuts, and/or seeds, then Soaking may be a great consideration as part of your Nutrition Plan.  

We have all heard ‘You are what you Eat’, and although there is strong truth to that, I prefer to preach the deeper truth of ‘You are what you Digest’.  By Soaking your healthy nutrient-packed products you are removing (or at least greatly maiming) the ‘gate-keepers’ of Phytic Acid and Enzyme Inhibitors so that your body is better equipped to absorb all the vitamins and minerals that you have shelled out money for.  And if you tend to eat lots of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, the build-up of Phytic Acid can actually interfere with your body’s absorption of calcium and iron, causing your body to pull these minerals away from your bones and teeth.  The presence of Phytic Acid in your digestive system can also hinder your ability to break down starch and protein.  Those that have food sensitivities, malnutrition and deficiencies, leaky-gut, and/or digestive disorders may benefit from incorporating Soaking into their meal-prep routine.  Also, since 80% of the immune system resides on the gut wall, and 99% of serotonin is produced in the gut, those that are looking to recover from autoimmune conditions and/or depression should explore the benefits of Soaking to improve their gut health.

If you wish to further enhance the nutrient profile of these foods then you can explore the second step of this simple process: Sprouting.  Let’s not forget that these seeds have the potential to turn into plants or even trees!  By Sprouting in a controlled environment we allow our investment to bring us more nourishment as it grows just one small step closer to its natural fate.  It is possible to increase the vitamin content of certain seeds by 20 times or more just by taking them through the Sprouting process.  Also, Sprouting increases the enzyme content by as much as 100 times, enabling your body to absorb even more vitamins and minerals from the seed and from other foods you are digesting too.  Sprouting will also give a boost to the fiber content, essential fatty acids, and protein bioavailability of the seed.

Once you have completed the Soaking process for 8-12 hours, you can either harvest your food, or take it to the second step of Sprouting:

Sprouting requires you to allow the rinsed seeds/nuts to sit for 1-3 days, depending on the specific food, so that they can begin to germinate.  A small tail will often appear to show you that the nutrients are multiplying, reminding you that your food is alive!

Sprouted Lentils after 8-hours of Soaking, then Sprouted for 2 days.

Rinsing your sprouts every 8-12 hours will be imperative to ensuring that you are growing a clean product…and not a science experiment.

In PART II of this article I will break down exactly what to do for the best and safest at-home Soaking and Sprouting.  You will also get access to my process and recipes for my Sprouted Lentil and Black Bean Soup, Sprouted Hummus, and more!  And most importantly, with your Individualized Nutrition Plan you will learn exactly which foods you should be incorporating and which specific nutrient boosts will be key for PROducing Your Results!

I encourage you not to ‘take the time’, but rather to ‘take the initiative’ to explore Soaking and Sprouting as part of your mindful meal-prep routine.  It can be a great way to enhance your nutrition, improve your digestion, and build your gut health.  And please always keep in mind: 

“A Happy Gut = Happy Health”