Why Soak your Oats?

Why Soak your Oats?

Why soak your Oats? Soaking your oats is actually the traditional way our grandmothers would have prepared oats.

Traditionally porridge was made preparing the oats the night before and allowing them to soak overnight. This assists the oats to break down so they are more digestible. Also encourages beneficial enzymes to come to life. And removes the phytic acid which inhibits absorption of other minerals, enabling you to easily digest your oats.

What is Phytic Acid

Phytic acid, or phytates, is the stored form of phosphorus found in seeds, nuts, legumes, and unprocessed whole grains, like oats.

I first discovered information about Phytic acid when I was introduced to the Western Price ‚ Nourishing Traditions. Phytic acid is found in grains, nuts, seeds and beans. The amount of phytate in grains, nuts, legumes and seeds is highly variable. The levels that researchers find when they analyze a specific food probably depends on growing conditions. Also the harvesting techniques, processing methods, testing methods and even the age of the food being tested.

The phytic acid will be much higher in foods grown using modern high-phosphate fertilizers than those grown in natural compost. Phytic acid is in the outer layer of all grains. If left, phytic acid combines with calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and iron in the intestines and inhibits their absorption. This is why you need to be careful if you are consuming a diet that is high in grains.

Why soak your oats?

The problem exists because we have lost touch with our ancestral heritage of food preparation. Too much of it can cause irritation and cause us to lack certain minerals. Because we are unable to absorb them due to the phytic blocking this process.

So the key is to ensure foods containing this acid are prepared properly to avoid this happening. This means soaking them to allow enzymes to help break down and neutralize the phytic acid.

We can use an acid to do this, this can be in the form of whey, kefir or yogurt. Or if you can't handle dairy then lemon or apple cider vinegar will do the same thing.

By soaking your oats you neutralize the phytic acid. This soaking allows the beneficial enzymes to work and increases the number of vitamins and minerals present that your body will absorb.

On the plus side, the process of rolling oats removes at least part of the bran, where a large portion of the phytic acid resides.

Learn more about HOW TO SOAK YOUR OATS here

Resource: http://www.westonaprice.org/ http://foreverfit.tv/

Somewhere along the way like most things in our busy 21st century we dropped that and decided we were all in too much of a hurry to prepare food properly.