During my acupuncture education I was taught by a Tibetan acupuncturist who specialized in Cancer that it is absolutely necessary to soak all grains, nuts, and seeds overnight before eating. This seems like an inconvenient process, but once you start doing it you will appreciate the benefits.
These food products are in a dormant, dried state. They come alive when soaked, literally. It is the same as soaking any seed and seeing it sprout. Life is there! You will think that you will just be cooking the life out of it again in the case of grains, but I will tell you why it is still important to soak your grains overnight.
Enzymes! The natural enzymes present in the grains will release when soaked. These enzymes were created not only to assist in the new life growing from the seed, but to also assist in the specific digestion of that grain in our digestive tract. Even when cooked, the release of this enzyme assists to break down of the grain it came from. Allowing the natural enzyme in the grain to come alive will let your body take a break from having to produce some enzymes of it`s own in order to digest the grain. My Tibetan teacher taught us that not having the natural enzymes in these foods caused so many different and not quite right enzymes to be produced in the stomach, and he felt it was one of the causes of Cancer. He stated that all ancient, traditional peoples knew this by instinct and practiced soaking always. We have lost the practice in the modern world, and suffer the health consequences.
I was amazed to find this out, began the practice, and have not looked back. I actually prefer the texture and taste of soaked nuts. They become more like a vegetable in aliveness and crunch. If you prefer them dried and toasted, you can do that after soaking them. The grains are easier to chew, and have a better, smoother flavor.
Cultivating a practice and a taste for soaked grains, nuts and seeds is essential to your healthy eating practices. You will definitely notice the difference, and ejoy the digestion benefits. It allows the elderly to enjoy eating these foods longer into their lives without digestive problems. It allows the younger to ease the burden of digestion, make it as efficient as possible, and gives us more alive energy from the foods.
Now, when I eat any of these foods without soaking, out at a restaurant or at an unaware friend’s home, I notice the taste difference, get gas immediately, experience some brain fog, and can feel my own system bogged and slowed down with the excessive job I have asked it to accomplish.
So, jump on board! Give it a try. I know you will find the difference enjoyable and adopt this new habit. The unsoaked foods are always available and you can choose to have them whenever you like. Let yourself try something new that is really good for you.