Here at the Free From Kitchen, we think it’s important to optimize our ingredients for digestion if at all possible. That’s why we “activate” our nuts like walnuts, pecans and almonds.
Ingredients like grains, seeds and nuts contain enzyme inhibitors, also known as anti-nutrients, for humans. These enzyme inhibitors do exactly that – they inhibit our ability to digest certain nutrients important for health.
Soaking and dehydrating seeds and nuts mimics the germination process and deactivates the enzyme inhibitors meant to protect the seed from sprouting too early. The soaking process tells the seed or nut to start sprouting, releasing the anti-nutrients and making it easier to digest in the human body. Soaked and dried seeds and nuts are also called “activated” because of the activation of the enzymes for digestion.
Dehydrating the nuts returns them to their crispy state and allows them to be stored for a period of time again. With certain nuts like walnuts and pecans, you might also notice that the flavor is mild and sweet with no bitter taste at all. This process does not make nuts safe for those with sensitives or allergies. It simply makes nutrients more bioavailable.
If you’d like to read more about why we support soaking and drying of grains, seeds and nuts here is a great article about the process.