Just add water: how to eat nuts to get the most out of them?

Cashews, almonds, walnuts are a versatile snack for those who try to follow a healthy diet, as well as a tasty and nutritious addition to other dishes. Nuts contain the “right” fats, they help satiate and satisfy hunger between main meals. Although, like any, even the healthiest product, they should not be abused.

However, in order to extract the maximum nutrients from nuts, it is necessary to activate them before consumption. Nutriciologist, founder of a detox studio near Moscow, head of the Green me studio Tatiana Skirda told Sputnik radio in an interview.

Why do you need to activate nuts?

Nuts are a source of a large amount of vegetable protein and healthy fats. However, if you eat them straight out of the bag, in dry form, you will not get much benefit from it.

The fact is that any nuts contain phytic acid. Getting into the gastrointestinal tract, this substance prevents the assimilation of a number of useful trace elements: iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc. In general, notes nutriciologist, they are digested 30-40% worse. Because of which a deficiency of certain elements may develop later.

Tatiana: Vegetarians, for example, have low levels of iron, because they very often eat nuts just from a bag.

How to properly activate nuts?

As the expert said, to neutralize phytic acid and “launch” the useful properties of nuts can be done in three ways.

Temperature treatment. To destroy the acid, you need to heat the nut, for example, roast it. However, since it contains a lot of oils, this method is not very useful, notes the nutriciologist.

Fermentation. This option is less harmful than the previous one, but it is quite difficult to implement – it will require a special solution.

Soaking. This method is the easiest and, according to the expert, the most effective. All that will be needed is clean water and the nuts themselves. You need to pour them and leave them for 5-6 hours or, for example, overnight, and then thoroughly rinse. During this time, the phytic acid molecules will be destroyed, and the nuts will be activated.

Nutriciologist recommends soaking not only nuts, but all crops that are sprouted. This also includes legumes and grains – buckwheat, rice, beans, etc. However, it is important to remember that after activation, products must be stored in the refrigerator, otherwise they will quickly spoil.