The ancient practice of "activating" nuts and oil seeds is back in fashion in Great Britain, making these foods richer in nutrients and easier to digest.
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Eating a handful of nuts, seeds, or other dried fruit every day is very beneficial. It is a veritable mine of proteins, fibers, minerals, vitamins, good fats, etc. Now, however, the latest trend in Britain wants these precious little foods to be "activated ", in such a way that enhance the nutrients making them more easily assimilated by the body and digestible even for those suffering from gastrointestinal disorders.
Indeed "Activation" is a very old practice already known by the Australian aborigines to make these foods lighter but at the same time richer in nutrients. It is simply a procedure that involves thesoaking nuts and seeds in brine e then a slow drying in the sun.
When nuts or seeds are immersed in water, the germination process is activated, which causes the amount of starch and fiber to decrease, while the amount of protein and vitamins increases. This is why the bioavailability of nutrients is greater and the food is more easily digested.
You can run the activation process at home with a few simple tools and ingredients. If you want to try your hand, follow these instructions (taken from Sally Fallon's book “Nourishing Traditions”).
1 - Dissolve the salt (see table for the quantity that varies from fruit to fruit) in water enough to cover the nuts or seeds you intend to activate.
2 - Immerse for the number of hours indicated in the table (this also varies).
3 - Drain and rinse nuts and / or seeds
4 - To dry using a dryer for about 12-24 hours or drying in the oven, setting it to the lowest possible temperature. Stir or stir occasionally for the desired drying time.
Result? A crunchy, delicious dried fruit completely bioavailable!
Contraindications:
The only real attention to be had is that of check origin and quality of food. Given that, for example, walnuts grown in tropical locations, they could be contaminated with potentially dangerous fungi and microbes. You must therefore be very careful about what you buy but also how to store dried fruit (it must be in cool, shady and dry places), and not to use it after the expiration date. If you want to activate the nuts, always use clean water and consume them as soon as possible. As Dr. Caroline Orfila, Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Leeds recalls, "The last serious E.coli accident in Europe [in Germany] occurred as a result of seeds germinated in contaminated water."
Read also:
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- Walnuts: 5 bizarre varieties that (maybe) you don't know
- Nuts part 1: walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds!
- Nuts, pistachios and dried fruit help fight extra pounds
