Soaking and Sprouting

 Have you noticed that more and more people are experiencing digestive issues, food sensitivities, auto-immune disease, leaky-gut, etc.?  There are a number of possible reasons why we have these issues today. The hybridization of wheat, the effects of industrialized food production, agricultural practices, pesticide use, antibiotics... these all may have contributed to us not being able to digest foods as easily as people did years ago.

Nutritious staples such as beans and grains are now being warned against by some experts due to their potential impact on the gut and digestive system or the presence of antinutrients that could interfere with nutrient absorption.  However, these foods can still be included in the diet with simple preparations.

Soaking & Sprouting Helps Protect the Gut!

Soaking and sprouting high lectin foods such as seeds, grains, nuts, and beans helps to remove lectins and decrease the incidence of gut issues.  What are lectins??? Lectins are proteins that can be found in plants. The lectins protect the plans from harms such as insects, molds, diseases and fungi.  In the human body, when consumed in large amounts, lectins have been found to bind to the intestinal wall and cause intestinal inflammation. Soaking and sprouting decreases the antinutrients and increases the nutrient availability and the digestibility of the foods.

Soaking

Soaking is real simple. You literally place the food in a jar or bowl, cover it with water, and let it soak for at least overnight. 

Use pure water.  I generally soak for 12 hours then rinse well. For beans, however, I soak them longer (24 - 72 hours) rinsing twice a day. 

Sprouting

After the soaking period as ended, simply rinse and drain and let sit on the counter. You will see little sprouts form typically in 1 - 2 days. Rinse and drain every morning and evening.

One way I use sprouted quinoa is to make quinoa rolls.

Ingredients

1/4 - 1/2 C water or as needed

2 C quinoa (sprouted and rinsed) measured before sprouting

1 C sweet potato

1 Tbs coconut sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cassava flour

1 C flaxseed ground

*Recipe from the Autoimmune Plant Based Cookbook meal plan by Mercy Ballard & Joyce Choe

Instructions

Blend the quinoa and water.  Add the sweet potato, coconut sugar, and salt and continue blending.

In a medium bowl mix cassava flour and ground flaxseed. Add the liquid mixture to the bowl and mix well. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Place the batter onto the baking tray and form into the shape of a dinner roll. This will be a fairly loose batter. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes, until lightly golden.