Soaking Nuts

Many nuts come with enzyme inhibitors. Until they are soaked out, these enzyme inhibitors prevent the enzymes within the nut from activating. This ensures that the nut does not waste its time germinating until the ground is moist enough to sustain life.

As soon as a decent rain falls and soaks the enzyme inhibitors out of the nut, the enzymes are activated and the sprouting begins.

This is a great mechanism for plants but not so good for you, if you want to obtain maximum nutrients from your nuts. The process of soaking your nuts before eating them is known as activating them. Activated nuts can release up to 200 times more nutrients than non-soaked nuts. So. if you wish to get as much nutrition as possible from your nuts, soak them prior to consuming them.

Once soaked they will go off a lot faster, so keep them refrigerated and use within a day or so. If you want to put some hydrogen peroxide in the soaking water that might also kill any nasties on their surface.

Do not use the water the nuts soaked in and rinse the nuts after soaking.

To ensure you gain the maximum possible nutrition from my top bars I soak the nuts then dehydrate them before crushing them and adding them to the mix.

From: http://wss.nourishingconnections.org/Education/Purpose%20of%20Soaking.pdf

and

http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html

Seed or Nut	Soaking Time
Alfalfa	12
Flax	8
Pepitas	12
Sesame	12
Sunflower	8
Almonds	12
Brazils	not necessary
Cashews	3
Hazelnuts	12
Macadamias	not necessary
Pecans	8
Pine nuts	not necessary
Pistachios	not necessary
Walnuts	8