Phytic Acid!

That exclamation mark is to encourage the fascination that I have with this new found problem/solution.

I recently learned that many grains have naturally occurring enzyme inhibitors, which make them much harder to digest, which means you don't get the nutrients from them that you thought you were getting.

In addition to that, Phytic acid, or Phytate, is also a naturally occurring substance in grains, seeds, nuts and legumes. It binds to minerals and then carries them out of your body through your bowels (yum!). This could mean that you are absorbing very little of the nutrient content of those nutrient packed whole foods!

Fortunately, simply soaking the grains in water overnight dissolves the enzyme inhibitor, and putting a small amount (approx 2 Tbl. per dry cup ) of whey, kefir, or yogurt (or in a pinch, lemon juice) breaks down the phytic acid.

Phytase (the "ase" ending indicates an enzyme ) is the enzyme that breaks down phytic acid, so that you can actually absorb more of those minerals, (iron, calcium, magnesium etc.) from your grains and legumes. From what I understand, the water combined with the acid (whey, kefir, yogurt) is what helps the phytase do its job. I'm not sure why this wouldn't occur in your stomach, perhaps it does, but to a much lesser degree. Apparently (see Amanda Rose and her research below) tests have shown the lack of absorption of these important minerals.

And the worst part is (after I had just discovered how amazing steel cut oats were as opposed to instant) oatmeal retains its phytic acid even after you go through this extra step! I got a lot of great information from Amanda Rose, and she recommends mixing some freshly ground wheat berries into the oatmeal before you start soaking, because wheat has high amounts of phytase to break down the phytic acid. You can enroll in a free email "course" (from Amanda Rose) about phytic acid HERE! It's been interesting, she sends an email everyday (I'm on day 16, not sure how long it goes) with just a few points on a topic related to phytic acid and health or cooking. I've started a Word document to combine them all, because I don't do well with daily emails :)

One easy way to get whey is to strain some plain (organic!) yogurt through cheesecloth or muslin. Then you can use the strained yogurt to make a dip! We like to put garlic and basil in it 'round here.

Practical details: Leave the grains and water on the counter, or even in a warm place overnight covered with a plate, or clear plastic wrap, as the warmth seems to be essential to this process.
With the grains you don't have to throw out the water afterwards, as the phytic acid has been broken down so will not bind anymore. One exception might be quinoa, as you do need to rinse it to get rid of that natural bitter flavor...we rinsed ours before we soaked and after. It's not clear to me whether or not minerals are lost if you do end up throwing out the water. A bonus to this extra step is that cooking times will be MUCH shorter.

Most of the info I've just given applies to grains(which I eat the most, so I was most interested in), but could be a bit different for seeds, nuts and legumes. In addition to Amanda Rose, the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, by Sally Fallon talks about why and how we should soak these things as does one of the the blogs I have listed to the right The Nourishing Gourmet. It's a wonderful blog with lots of great cooking ideas, and she bases a lot of her cooking philosophy on Nourishing Traditions.