You know that nuts and seeds are beneficial for health, and therefore you have included them in your diet. But every day new findings are being put forth by researchers and now you have come to know about the health benefits of pH balanced ketogenic diet and that ‘sprouted’ nuts and seeds are a great help to achieve those benefits. So, you might be wondering how to sprout nuts and seeds. Here we will discuss that.
How to Sprout Nuts and Seeds
So far, you might have sprouted grains and legumes. But as now you’ve minimized or eliminated the use of grains and legumes as a part of ketogenic nutritional therapy, you want to benefit from the process of germination through nuts and seeds which is a good idea.
Please note that it is essential to find nuts and seeds labeled “raw” that have not been treated to discard bacteria, mold, and toxins. If they have been treated, they’ve the least chance to germinate.
For sprouting nuts and seeds at home, you will need to follow a step of soaking and then sprouting. Remember that most nuts do not fully sprout and stop after the step of soaking. Also, the time for soaking will differ with the type of nut or seed.
Here are steps to sprout nuts like almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and seeds such as sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
Wash the nuts/seeds thoroughly with water.
Place the raw nuts or seeds in a bowl and add water at a level of a few inches. Cover the bowl with a paper or cloth towel and let the nuts/seeds soak. The soaking time and sprouting time for different nuts/seeds are:
Almond: 8 – 12 hours; germination time: 3 days
Cashews: 2 – 4 hours; germination time: no sprouting
Hazelnuts: 8 -12 hours; germination time: no sprouting
Brazil nuts: 8 hours; germination time: no sprouting
Sunflower seeds: 2 hours; germination time: 12 – 18 hours
Sesame seeds: 8 hours; germination time: 2 to 3 days
Flaxseeds: No need to soak (flaxseeds do not need soaking. To best assimilate the nutrients in them, you should grind them; or else, they will pass through your digestive tract undigested. You can grind them in a spice or coffee grinder and refrigerate the ground seeds in an airtight container for up to 60 days).
Pumpkin seeds: 8 hours; germination time: 3 days
After soaking, drain and rinse the nuts/seeds and replace the water once every 3 hours. Drain the water from the soaked nuts/seeds using a colander and transfer them to a shallow bowl.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to keep them moist.
Cover with a breathable lid to allow airflow. A piece of paper or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band also works well.
Let the nuts/seeds sprout.
Once the nuts/seeds sprout, you can transfer them to a breathable container and store them in the refrigerator, where they will last for 7 days. But after 7 days, they will start losing their nutritional value or grow mold.
Another alternative is to dehydrate them in a warm oven or dehydrator.
Oven Drying: 6-12 hours. 105-150 degrees F. Check every couple of hours and continue until dry and crisp.
Dehydrator: 6-12 hours. 105-150 degrees F. See manufacturer instructions.
You can even place them in the freezer.
Why Should You Sprout Nuts and Seeds?
The process of sprouting nuts and seeds starts creating a new baby plant. This does the following things:
Increases the potency of some micro and macronutrients, which in turn unlocks the nutritional value that was not accessible in the nuts’/seeds’ inert state
Eliminates the naturally occurring antinutrients like phytic acid that block the body’s ability to absorb some minerals like zinc, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium.
All nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that keep them in a resting state until they get the appropriate conditions to grow. Unfortunately, these enzyme inhibitors interfere with the human body’s digestive enzymes. Sprouting deactivates them.
Sprouting also produces certain enzymes that are immensely helpful for our digestive system.
So, you can see that sprouted nuts and seeds are so helpful in Ketogenic Nutritional Therapy. They minimize your carbohydrate intake, provide you a healthy dose of fatty acids, protein, and additional vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients, and help you to make your pH balanced keto diet super-successful by reducing weight and protecting you from cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and epilepsy. So, start sprouting nuts and seeds today and enjoy tasty health!
Are you ready for your personalized pH Balanced Ketogenic Diet therapy?
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