How and Why You Should Soak Nuts

Have you ever soaked nuts before eating them? Why would you consider soaking nuts? Soaked nuts do not even sound very appealing. But soaking nuts before eating them is beneficial. 

Benefits of Soaking Nuts

There are three reasons soaking nuts is beneficial. Here are three reasons you should consider this: 

1. Reduce Mold

The first reason is a four-letter word: mold. Yes, that’s right. Most nuts have mold on them. You may not be able to taste or see it, but they’re kept in storage bins for weeks or months and accumulate mold, which produces toxins called mycotoxins. Soaking nuts helps reduce and eliminate mold from the nuts. 

2. Eliminate Pesticide Residue

If the nuts are not organic, they are sprayed with pesticides and fumigated with chemicals. Soaking the nuts helps reduce and eliminate pesticide residue. 

3. Easier to Digest

Soaking nuts makes them more digestible, and the nutrients become more bioavailable as soaking helps reduce phytic acid, lectins, and oxalates. Those are all compounds that block nutrient absorption and can also aggravate gut issues and affect your health in other negative ways.

How to Properly Soak Nuts

The other day, I soaked some nuts and poured off the water and could tell they had been affected by mold. Over a couple of days, I had moldy almonds and pecans. If you’re not soaking nuts, you’re eating mold and mycotoxins. I have seen water become disgusting in as little as four hours. 

To minimize your exposure to toxins, ensure you’re soaking nuts before eating them. It’s simple to do: 

1. Take the nuts and pour them into a bowl or a mason jar. You can do this with seeds as well. 
2. Pour filtered water at least 1/2 inch over the top of the nuts. 
3. Add a tablespoon of salt for every quart of water, stir it in the water to dissolve, and set it on the counter for 12 to 24 hours. 
4. After the nuts have soaked, pour off the contaminated water. 
5. Rinse the nuts or seeds with fresh water. You can pour fresh water back in, put it in the refrigerator, and use the prepared nuts for recipes or snacks.
6.  Remove the amount you’re going to eat daily, pour fresh water over them, and put it back in the refrigerator. You can do that for about five days.

Soaked Nuts Recipes 

If you have more questions about how to remove mold from nuts, I have a great resource for you. There are many recipes in my book, The FreeDiet®: How to heal your gut and Thyroid and free yourself from pain, fatigue, fogginess, and fat. My wife, Dawn, has plenty of recipes using soaked and low mold nuts for various dressings and desserts. On page 32, there are detailed instructions on how to soak and dehydrate nuts properly. 

How to Roast or Dehydrate Nuts

Aside from using them in recipes, you can also dehydrate or roast them. Place them in the oven at 200 degrees for 2-4 hours. If you want them to roast faster, you can do it at a higher temperature. I like to use lower temperatures. 

You want to sprinkle plenty of salt all over the nuts first. If you prefer, you can also use a dehydrator: spread it out on the sheet, add plenty of salt, and put it in the dehydrator. I prefer using a temperature of 120 degrees for 24 to 48 hours. You can use a higher temperature if you want them done faster. You can use cinnamon, stevia, or monk fruit to sweeten the nuts, making it a great dessert snack.

Those are the best options for consuming nuts. They taste great and are a lot healthier for you. Give it a try!

Contact Us Today

Here at the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, we work with patients using our functional medicine approach. To schedule an appointment with me, Dr. Tom Rofrano, please call my office. We look forward to hearing from you!