Should I soak nuts and dates?

by jay reaser
(Laurel, De USA)

Q Should I soak nuts, dates and the like for smoothies?

A Yes, it’s always best to soak any dried fruit before you consume it because if you don’t it will rehydrate with water taken from your body, which can lead to your dehydration. Use the soak water in your smoothie.

As for nuts, they should be soaked as well to inactivate enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors allow nuts to be stored for long periods without spoilage. When the nuts are soaked it’s like the spring rains in nature that bring life back to the nut (seed that it is) so that it may sprout and grow a great tree.

Nuts are much tastier and easier on the digestive system after soaking. If nuts are eaten in their dry (dormant) state then our own digestive enzymes must do the work that nature should be doing. One reason health fails in so many eating a primarily cooked food diet is because sufficient digestive enzymes required to digest such foods cannot be made by our bodies long term. The soak water from nuts should be discarded and the nuts rinsed quickly before eating.