Soaking & Sprouting
When I first started to really consider what it was to truly nourish my body I started to learn all sorts of weird and wonderful new tricks in the kitchen. Some of them were just fun, but some of them were, and very much remain, a foundational part of how I ensure myself and my family get the most from our food. Soaking and sprouting are two such things.
Why?
Any raw seeds, nuts or beans can be sprouted. This process first starts with soaking, and sometimes it stops there. I will explain more about this below. Why do we do this though? Sprouting ‘wakes up’ the seed for germination, as would happen in nature. The things that we soak and sprout are often the part of the plant that is released in order to create a new version of itself (think simply of a seed as an example). It has to have protection to stop it from going bad before it can grow into a new life, and this most often happens in the moist and warm conditions of Spring. When the conditions are right the seed can let go of its protective elements and allow itself to surrender and, in turn, grow. The elements that protect it also make it less easy for us to digest, and yet we have lost this wisdom and so eat it in this state mostly in today’s world. Soaking and sprouting re-creates ‘Spring’, and therefore increases the nutrient density of the ‘food’ (sprouting leads to higher levels of amino acids, minerals and vitamins), making the nutrients more bioavailable and promoting optimal digestion.
Sprouting to eat raw
Looking at simple sprouting alone, producing sprouts to eat on top of, or on the side of, your meals, it makes sense to do it all throughout the year, because of how nutrient dense they are. However, in the winter, and in times of shortages in general (which we may have coming up in early 2021), sprouting is a good option, where you may have less access to an abundance of fresh vegetables. It is also a very cheap and space effective way to ‘grow your own’.
To sprout, soak your nuts, seeds, grains or beans in a bowl of filtered water for around 12 hours. Then drain and place into a sprouting jar (I use this one), and rinse 2-3 times a day with fresh filtered water. You make sure they never dry out through this process, but also it keeps the sprouts clean and fresh. Keep this process up until they have sprouted. Depending on what you are sprouting, they will take different amounts of time. They don’t need to be huge sprouts to have the nutrients in. It is the process of them sprouting itself that releases the nutrients, and breaks down the elements we don’t want, as opposed to there needing to be a huge sprout tail.
Brown or green lentils are very easy to sprout. Broccoli seeds are SUPER nutritious, way more than the vegetable itself, and again very easy to sprout. We also like aduki and mung beans sprouted - the children gobble them down. Earlier this year we sprouted sunflower seeds in a little tray of compost on the window sill until they grew (very) tiny little sunflower plants. We then chopped off the tops and ate them in salads. It was fun to watch the little sunflower ‘field’ grow and then harvest them. So easy to do too. You just scatter them on top of the compost, place a moist kitchen towel on top for 2 days or so (keeping it moist the whole time), then remove the kitchen towel once you see little sprouts forming, and keep the compost moist as you watch them grow. Cut when they are about 2-3 cm tall.
Sprouting to cook
Beans are a wonderful way to add high-quality, plant-based protein to your diet. They are high in iron, B vitamins and fibre, and are versatile enough that you may never tire of them. However, some people have difficulty digesting beans and legumes. They may develop gas, intestinal problems, irritability, or unclear thinking. Soaking overnight is necessary in order for the beans to be ready to cook, but if you then put them to sprout as detailed above, until there is a small tail, and then cook them, you will likely improve your ability to digest them.
Here are a few other ways to prepare and eat legumes that may help alleviate most problems:
Experiment with your ability to digest different beans. Smaller beans like aduki, lentils, and mung beans. Pinto, kidney, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, butter and black beans are harder to digest. Soybeans are the most difficult beans to digest, and this is why, amongst other reasons, I choose to mainly only consume fermented soy products, as fermenting really helps improve digestibility.
Play with combinations, ingredients and seasonings. Legumes combine best with green or non- starchy vegetables and seaweeds.
Season with unrefined sea salt, miso or tamari near the end of cooking. If salt is added at the beginning, the beans will not cook completely. Salt is a digestive aid when used correctly.
Adding fennel or cumin near the end of cooking helps prevent gas.
Adding kombu or kelp seaweed to the beans helps improve flavor and digestion, adds minerals and nutrients, and speeds up the cooking process.
Pour a little apple cider vinegar, brown rice vinegar or white wine vinegar into the water in the last stages of cooking. This softens the beans and breaks down protein chains and indigestible compounds.
Take enzymes with your meal. Digestive enzymes reduce when you get into your 30s - taking a supplement really helps for many people.
Sprouting to dehydrate!
Top tip: if I am sprouting a large amount of anything, in order to dehydrate it to keep, I actually sprout them in an IKEA sieve, which has handles that hold it over the sink. I regularly gently mix them up whilst pouring filtered water on them, again 2-3 times a day, and then when they have sprouted I put them onto the dehydrator trays and dry them out at 40C in order to then store them to keep.
One of my FAVOURITE things to sprout and dehydrate is buckwheat. Buckwheat is actually the seed of a plant, and not related in any way to wheat; it contains zero gluten. I soak and sprout a kilo at once. I place it in a big bowl overnight with fresh, filtered water and then in the morning I rinse really well in my IKEA sieve. When buckwheat is soaked it becomes very slimy, so it is really important to give it a really good rinse before leaving in the sieve to sprout. I usually drain it and then fill the bowl with filtered water again, and keep draining it off until the water runs clear instead of slimy. You then leave it in your IKEA sieve over the sink, rinsing and gently mixing as I stated in the instructions above. Then when it is ready (you only need small tails as this means they are super nutritious but still retain the buckwheat flavour, instead of sprouty flavour) you get to dehydrate it and create the most wonderful, super healthy ‘crispies’. I use them then in homemade granola, as a topping for chia seed pudding, but my favourite way to use them is in raw chocolate slab, along with activated (see below) pumpkin seeds and chopped unsulphured apricots!
I also sprout sunflower seeds (not to full green growth as above, but just in the IKEA sieve to get small sprouts) and then dehydrate to keep. I then use them mainly blended with nutritional yeast and sea salt for healthy plant based ‘parmesan’. I do the same with pumpkin seeds but they don’t easily grow a tail, so I do them more for the process of activating, as I describe in the next section. I also use these for the cheesy crumbly topping described above, but equally I love to dry fry them quickly with a little tamari - they taste like Twiglets!
Activating
I mentioned above that sometimes I just stop at soaking, and don’t see through the process to full on sprouts. Just initiating the process is often enough to make the seeds, nuts, beans and grains more bioavailable. If you have ever heard of activated nuts for example, this is what this is referring to.
Grains I know often surprise people that there is a need to soak them. Beans and lentils are more obvious, because it is clear they need rehydrating in order to cook them. However, soaking grains is important and something I always do. Most grains (e.g. brown rice and oats), and pseudo grains (e.g. quinoa, buckwheat, millet), contain varying amounts of phytic acid. Phytic acid binds with minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc, and so if we don't reduce the phytic acid in the grains, then we end up losing these essential minerals from our body. And the last thing we want is to become deficient in minerals, when we are working to increase the goodness going in. Phytase is the enzyme that neutralises phytic acid (also called phytates). We produce some phytase ourselves, and indeed those with very robust digestive systems (sadly very rare in today's age) seem to produce more of it. Some grains contain high amounts of phytase, making it much easier to neutralise the phytic acid in them, while others are a lot lower.
There are several ways to help activate this important enzyme in your grains. The main ways are by soaking them in warm temperatures in an acidic environment (with a splash of apple cider vinegar), and furthermore you can sprout them (as detailed below). I tend to just stick to soaking them for 12-24 hours in warm water with apple cider vinegar. If you seem to struggle to digest them though then you may need to consider sprouting them and eating them raw, or then going on to cook them. Traditionally our ancestors always soaked their grains, and even went on to ferment them, to improve their digestibility - sadly we have lost this old wisdom and instead just pour them out of the packet and cook.
Quinoa is something people have been eating more and more over the last decade or so, but many people struggle to digest it comfortably - this often comes down to preparation. Quinoa contains something called saponin which is poisonous, and can cause havoc on our digestive systems. My husband Josh struggles to digest it, but when I soak it for a day in acid (again either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice), then rinse it, then soak it again in the same way for another day, and then cook it really well, then he is fine. You may wonder why bother? Well quinoa is a complete protein so it is a great grain to have as part of a varied diet, among other benefits. It is not essential though, so if you do find it doesn't suit you then you are better off not eating it - as with all foods, listen to your body!
With oats you can soak them overnight before making porridge, or just enjoy them raw pre-soaked the night before. We love them this way mixed also with chia seeds: overnight oats with chia and cacao is Savannah’s favourite breakfast. I tend to soak them with homemade almond milk and then add a little sweetener in the morning and some fresh fruit.
Speaking of almond milk, soaking nuts is also important for digestibility. We make our own almond milk, getting through at least 1 litre a day in smoothies, cacao, porridge and in my baking. Super simple to make: soak one cup of raw almonds in a bowl of filtered water overnight, then in the morning rinse and blend with 4.5 cups of filtered water. Strain through a nut milk bag or muslin cloth. Done! We also consume small amounts of nuts in our foods, especially pecans and cashews. In order to have them to hand, in their activated form, making them more bioavailable for our bodies, I buy 1 kilo bags and then soak them overnight. I then dehydrate them and store them in an airtight container.
So now you know…
Don’t let this overwhelm you. I remember when I first learning about all of this it made me feel completely overwhelmed. However, as I learnt that this is the way humans used to prepare these foods, and many cultures around the world still do, I felt called to try it, and as with everything it was easier than I had made it out to be in my head. In fact it is crazy easy! It just involves a bit more forethought. With time though it becomes habit, and connecting to your food in this way, understanding the natural processes and how aligning with them actually means these foods serve our bodies better, is so empowering. So get soaking and sprouting! I look forward to hearing how you get on. Either comment below when you have had a go, or tag me on Insta here. I can’t wait to see your bowls of water with everything soaking away and jars and sieves full of sprout tails. Enjoy!
