Some effective ways to reduce anti-nutrients in plant based sources such as nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, grains, and lentils are soaking, sprouting, and fermenting. These 3 methods have been used consistently and successfully for generations on generations, even before we had the science to prove its necessity.

Humans originally began soaking, sprouting, and fermenting because it made these plant foods more palatable, and easier to cook. We now know that these techniques hold the added benefit of breaking down and discarding up to 95% of anti-nutrients found in these plant foods, making them easier on digestion.

What does that mean for us, practically? Less flatulence, less general stomach discomfort, and less whole, undigested grains in our poo later, as well as vastly better overall nutrient absorption or bioavailability, and in the case of fermenting, added nutritional value, to name a few.

Remember, nutrition facts on a label do not translate directly to nutritional value gained.

It’s crucial to learn soaking and sprouting techniques for each of these foods, especially on a plant based diet. Fermentation will be a huge nourishment bonus, especially in this day and age of antibiotics and medications for every ailment. I will be posting about general guidelines for each of these techniques, along with easy to read charts on specific soak + sprout times for nourishing plant foods.

Grains, beans, legumes [we’ll get to nuts & seeds later]— which ones should you eat and how do you prepare them for ultimate bioavailability?

There’s really no simple answer to this. All three of these foods are a relatively new addition to our diet [think less than 10,000 years], and all of them are fillers; meaning that they are meant to plump you up to survive a long winter, not meant to be eaten in mass on the daily. Possibly another reason why so much of the American population (70%!!) is overweight.

The good news is, as with anything edible, these grains still contain phytonutrients that can help us thrive, but the catch is—they are only bioavailable with proper preparation. Also, most grains do precious little by way of nourishing our bodies and make worlds of difference in harming them.

Here’s a short list of the grains, beans, and legumes I keep on hand, and think are worth consuming [infrequently and properly prepared].

Grains: Quinoa, sorghum, millet, wild black rice, white basmati rice

Beans: Black beans, Kidney beans

Legumes: Split red lentils

It’s a short list, I’m aware. But it’s a damn good one. I’ll go into each of these foods and proper preparation below—let’s start with quinoa.

Most of us know you’re supposed to rinse quinoa before you cook it, that’s a good start. But did you know that quinoa with its lectin content can be just as bad for you as corn, and possibly worse?

There is a way around this, soaking, fermenting, AND cooking your quinoa fully breaks down [up to 95%] the lectin content in quinoa rendering it’s profile of complete protein [all 9 essential amino acids], fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E, and various antioxidants, bioavailable to you.

Notice I said “and,” the bioavailability of these nutrients are highly impacted by the lectin content and protective coating of this pseudo-grain, and only with the combination of all 3 preparation methods is this a viable, nourishing food.

First step, rinse. Place quinoa in a sieve, or tiny mesh colander, rinse under running warm water. Then place in a glass bowl or jar of warm water with a splash of lemon juice, ACV [apple cider vinegar], or really any natural acid for 12-24 hours at room temp, rinse and repeat every 8 to 12 hours, to rinse off the bitter saponins.

The acid in the ACV or lemon juice should be enough to start the fermentation process, but it’s best to do a second ferment at 24 hours rinse the quinoa really well in a sieve, you’ll even notice it may have begun to sprout at this point, just a tiny bit. Add the rinsed quinoa back into a clean bowl with a scoop of yogurt, ACV, or lemon juice and leave for another 12 hours, then cook with less than half the ‘normal amount’ of broth for 10-12 minutes and voilà bioavailable quinoa. I like to start with a half cup and add more liquid as needed.

It may sound daunting, but it very worth it, and the actual amount of time you spend tending to the quinoa is minimally more than you would have originally spent. Most weeks we just leave a bowl of quinoa soaking and fermenting on the counter all the time, so that it’s always ready to eat when we are.

The soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and cooking process is very similar for each item listed above. Essentially, the process is the same, but the times and ratios are different. So from here I am simply going to write the name, soak time, rinse time, and ratio of liquid for cooking. 

Sorghum: soak 12-24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid

Millet: soak 12-24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid

Wild Black Rice: soak 24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid, refrigerate 12 hours, then reheat, this transforms it into a resistant starch

White Basmati Rice: soak 24 hours, cook with 1/2 cup or less liquid, refrigerate 12 hours, then reheat, this transforms it into a resistant starch

Black Beans: soak up to 12 hours, cook covered in water, ideally in a pressure cooker, for at least 10-12 minutes

Kidney Beans: soak 12-24 hours, cook covered in water, ideally in a pressure cooker for at least 10-12 minutes

Split Red Lentils: soak 12-24 hours, cook covered in water, ideally in a pressure cooker for at least 3 minutes

Each of these should be soaked in filtered water with some sort of naturally acidic agent, [vinegar, lemon juice, plain yogurt], thoroughly rinsed every 6-8 hours, and then covered again in filtered water with natural acidity. Rinse well before cooking, and if you would like to ferment, after the second rinse you may replace acidic water base and leave out for another 12-24 hours before draining, rinsing again, and cooking. The acidity should help the fermenting process begin in the first few hours. 

In my current understanding sprouting is more for nuts and seeds, so I will do a separate post on those later.

Hot Tip: Anyone who has known me in the last couple years knows that I’m obsessed with my Instant Pot. It’s the single greatest kitchen gadget I’ve ever owned, even above my VitaMix and my food processor, though I also adore those little buddies. The Instant Pot though takes the gold, especially for this last minute ‘planner,’ It can cook a 12 hour pot roast in 55 minutes, and new research has found that cooking your grains, legumes, and beans in a pressure cooker can remove most of the lectins found in these foods especially after proper preparation techniques have been used, rendering them nourishing and safe to eat! Plus it fully cooks beans and legumes in under 10 minutes!

Resources:

1. Anti-nutrients: http://jairjp.com/NOVEMBER%202014/09%20PARUL%20REVIEW.pdf

2. Grain Based Inflammation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705319/

3. Millet: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=53

4. Soaking Chart: https://gapsaustralia.com.au/recipe/gaps-nut-and-seed-soaking-chart/

5. Sorghum: https://www.medicaldaily.com/heres-what-you-need-know-about-gut-health-443884

6. Sprouted Grains: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sprouted-grains-nutritious-regular-whole-grains-2017110612692