Activated Nuts

I have just recently discovered that it is important to soak your nuts before you eat them –  which sparked my curiosity as I eat nuts pretty much every day. You will always find an array of organic nuts in my pantry and you’ll most likely find a wrapped foil pack of nuts in my handbag as they’re my favourite snack on the run. I’m a nut for nuts!

So I wanted to learn more about the idea of “activated nuts”, the difference and nutritional benefits for you compared with organic or regular nuts and what makes them so special. Here are the answers I found to my questions; shared for you.

What are activated nuts?
An activated nut is a nut that has been soaked and sprouted to release its enzyme inhibitors.

Why should nuts be activated?
All nuts (and this includes seeds too) have an enzyme inhibitor that keeps them from sprouting into a tree, bush or plant that they carry inside of them.  Once they are planted in the ground and given some water, the enzyme inhibitor is destroyed and the nut/seed can begin to sprout.

So, when you eat a lot of nuts and/or seeds, you can end up with a lot of that enzyme inhibitor in your digestive tract and that just slows everything down. It can actually result in digestive distress in much the same way gluten does. Constipation, stomach cramps and bloating are examples of some issues people have eating raw, unactivated nuts.

The more enzymes you eat, the less of your own body’s enzymes are required to break down food…which keeps you younger, longer too.

How are nuts activated?
The activation process requires nuts to be soaked in water for a period of 12-24 hours depending on the nut variety. This deactivates the enzyme inhibitors and brings the nut to life. Once the nuts have been soaked, they are then dehydrated at low temperatures (40 degrees) over a 24-hour period. Dehydrated nuts have a similar flavour and texture to roasted nuts, however are much more nutrient dense and taste much fresher. Activating nuts makes the nutrients more digestible and easier to assimilate, they also taste delicious!

Where can you find them?
You can find activated nuts in health food stores across Australia. Give them a try, they are surprisingly tastier than usual raw nuts, in particular I found the walnuts to have less bitterness and were almost creamier in taste. They can be a little more expensive than non-activated nuts, but the great news is you can activate them yourself at home. Try this recipe below:

Activated Almonds
Time: 12-24 hrs soaking + up to 24 hrs drying
Ingredients:
2 cups raw almonds* (not roasted or salted)
enough water to cover the almonds in a dish
sea salt or garlic salt or tamari (optional)

*You can use other nuts, too! Try brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, hazelnuts, pistachios

1. Soak the almonds in the water for 12 hrs. If you’re using other hard nuts (like hazelnuts or brazil nuts) 12 hrs will also work. If you’re using soft nuts, like cashews or pistachios – shorten soaking to 4-6 hrs.
2. Rinse the nuts under running water, and if you want to add flavour – now is the time to do it. Just shake a couple of tsp of whichever flavour you want over the wet (rinsed) almonds, and stir to combine well.
3. To ‘roast’ the almonds, without damaging all those nutrients you’ve activated. Dry out the nuts on low heat – either in a dehydrator or on the lowest temperature your oven will do (mine is 40C). This will take anywhere from 6-24 hrs, depending on the temperature you’re using. The nuts will be done when they feel (and taste) dry.
4. Use your activated-dried almonds as you normally would use roasted almonds. They last really well in an airtight container. And they can be ground into almond meal too!