One of the things I want to do this year is to get back to eating in a NT (Nourishing Tradition) style more regularly. It is this “template” that makes the most sense to me, and is the way my body prefers to be nourished. I already have incorporated raw dairy, fermented foods, healthy fats (pastured lard, tallow, olive oil, raw or pasture butter), and pastured meats into my diet, as well as adhering to the practice of preparing my grains properly – by soaking, souring, or sprouting them.
One missing link from all is this properly preparing nuts by soaking them in a salt water solution, then dehydrating them to increase digestibility. I must admit – I didn’t always think this was necessary. But now I think differently, thanks to the positive feedback from my digestive system – for me, it makes a big difference!
When I eat raw nuts (not roasted), I sometimes wouldn’t feel all that well in the belly. Kind of a sour stomach and feeling a bit nauseated. In short, I wasn’t able to digest them very well. Gassiness would sometimes ensue (TMI, but oh well). This was probably my digestive tract reacting to the enzyme inhibitors present in the nuts. Enzymes help start the digestive process, so anything that blocks that process puts a strain on the digestive system.
Soaking the nuts in salted water deactivates those enzyme inhibitors, and thus makes it easier for our bodies to digest them. According to Nourishing Traditions, “All enzymes are deactivated at a wet-heat temperature of 118 degrees F and a dry-heat temperature of about 150 degrees.”
The way I go about soaking nuts is pretty simple. I take 4 cups of whatever nuts I have, and put them in a glass jar – mine is about a half gallon in size. I add fine sea salt – with walnuts I use 2 teaspoons and with pepitas I use 2 tablespoons; other nuts ask for 1 tablespoon. I then fill it up with water, put the lid on, and shake the contents so that the salt dissolves. I let it sit there for 8-10 hours.
After they’ve soaked, I drain the water and rinse off the nuts. Then I put them in my dehydrator, and set it to 150. You can set it lower, but it will take longer for things to dry out. I find that with both the walnuts and pepitas at 150 they dehydrate fully overnight.
You’ll want to make sure the nuts are fully dehydrated, because if they aren’t and they sit out they can mold, and that’s no good.
Be sure to use a mesh screen when dehydrating the pepitas, as they can slip through the grates in your dehydrator shelves. With walnuts or almonds, that is not an issue because they are bigger pieces.
If for some reason you do not have a dehydrator, the nuts can be dehydrated in the oven. It helps to use a cookie sheet that has substantial edges, in order to contain the nuts. Turn your oven as low as possible – if you can get it down to 150, that would be ideal.
I’m always impressed with how much the nuts expand while soaking. The walnuts especially get huge!
And if you are concerned that the nuts might be salty after soaking in salt water, there is nothing to worry about. I did not detect any saltiness with the walnuts, and only a minuscule amount of salt with the pepitas. They could easily be used in either a sweet or savory dish. They are fantastic eaten alone, too – lovely crisp texture and no stomach upset (for me, at least).
2012: year of the soaked nuts!
Thank you for this helpful information! I do not have a dehydrator and so will be using my oven’s proofing temperature, which is 170 degrees. Do you know how long this might take?
Beth, that’s a little warmer than I chose, but if all you have is an oven, I say give it a try!