Lectins, soaking + storing nuts and seeds properly

When storing nuts and seeds - they should be kept in the freezer (not fridge) and definitely not outside. If you want to snack you can still take out a handful and they defrost in a few minutes, although it would always be better so soak nuts and seeds before you eat them.

Time required to soak depends on how oily the nuts are - eg almonds/pistachios/hazelnuts should be soaked for around 8/9 hours compared to Brazil nuts/pecans/walnuts are oilier and swell up quickly so only around 3/ hours. The shortest soaking time is for cashews/macadamias/pine nuts which have the highest fat content and so only require around 2 hours.

Nuts, seeds, legumes and starchy carbs (eg rice or potatoes) contain something called lectins which a chemical these foods make to protect themselves. These chemicals set off an immune reaction in our bodies (this is especially important for anyone with an auto immune condition e.g. IBD). By soaking them you help remove the lectins.

For legumes and rice, after you soak them you want to rinse them a few times (until the water runs clear) which also helps this process (you are removing the outer shell which again, protects these things from getting eaten by birds etc as they grow).

When you’re boiling these things you see the scum come up at the top of the water, remove this as you cook (you’ll see if you soak them before you get less of this).

For more info on Nuts and Seeds, click here!

For more on grains, click here!

For more on beans and legumes, click here!