Beans, nuts, grains, and legumes are all seeds. Yeah. You know how I learned this? My 3 year old asked me if a pistachio is a seed. 🤯 I’d never thought much about it. It IS a seed. The part of the pistachio plant that will enable new pistachio plants to form. The DNA is stored here. All the information needed to grow an entirely new plant of the same kind. Pretty amazing, huh?
Being such a vital part of the plant (we’re going to refer to them all as seeds now, maybe), seeds are designed to protect that critical information. They are protected by compounds that make the seed resilient and able to preserve the information within them. Protected from wind, weather, physical contact, etc. They don’t wear down easily. By design. This is precisely why grains, seeds, etc are more difficult to digest. It’s a challenge for even our digestive systems to fully break down. Lectins, phytic acid, and other compounds are known as “anti-nutrients” and the first time I heard that I thought it was malarkey. ‘How can a plant be an anti nutrient?,’ I scoffed. To myself. It’s by design. Those are protective elements that do not break down until germination and sprouting. Once the seed has broken those elements down, it’s able to release its information and grow anew.
💧 By soaking grains, antinutrients are reduced or eliminated. This makes the seed easier to digest. Less damage done. Less gassy! More nutrients absorbed.
🌱 By sprouting the seed before consuming, you reduce or eliminate the hard to process compounds further. Many who struggle with grains find they tolerate them much better when traditionally prepared like this. Sprouted grains are higher in fiber. Higher in protein. Lower in carbohydrates.Higher in vitamins and minerals. Much more gentle on the digestive system.
Soaking and sprouting processes saved in highlights and in the comments. See my Instagram post for a little graphic I made and a sprouting chart for various grains.
🎶 Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you sprout, the less you toot.🎶