why should you soak your nuts?

People who know me, know I am mostly veggie these days. It's a choice I made years ago and to be honest, I don't think on it much and sometimes assume its normal until someone asks about it. I'm not extremist in anyway but if I have a choice, I choose veggie.

I could post-rationalise why I became vegetarian. The truth is that I attended a vipassana meditation retreat, survived 10 days silently on yummy vegetables and came out without a craving for meat and a happier digestive system. I know its better for the environment and my body is happy which is enough for me, however, I did need to re-educate myself on food combining. Watching Food Inc helped me realise the value of voting with my wallet when it came to grocery shopping too (while making me feel quite concerned about the farming industry in the USA) .

Michelle & her delicious raw breakfast bars

One thing that I have been inspired to explore recently is raw food. I have a few friends who have been getting in to it and then getting crazy buzzy energy and are somewhat addicted to it. Well if its addictive then its certainly a good things to be hooked on in my world.

While visiting Spain with Mum, I decided to treat us both (and my lovely God mother and cousin) for an education on healthy raw food breakfasts with Michelle from Young Living Ning.

One of the interesting insights I learned was the importance of soaking nuts as they have high amounts of enzyme inhibitors. These enzymes are useful to seeds and nuts because it prevents them from sprouting prematurely but they can really strain the digestive system, which is why soaking your nuts in warm water will neutralize them, and also help encourage the production of beneficial enzymes. Take note.

These enzymes, in turn, increase many vitamins, especially B vitamins which are good for your brains. It also makes these nuts much easier to digest and the nutrients more easily absorbed.

Personally I struggle traveling on a raw food diet but I do try to do fasts and eat raw fruit and veggies as much as possible. I found this article on detoxes really useful for anyone considering a cleanse.

Anyway, the breakfasts were delectable as you can see and I took away some interesting insights and skills in making homemade nut milk. The biggest one for me was the value of soaking your nuts. Worth sharing I believe.

For recipes and more info, check out: Young Living Ning.