ACTIVATION SEEDS

What is activation?… What for?… How do I activate the seeds?

The activation of whole grains, legumes, seeds and oily fruits is a very ancient practice, is known by pre-Columbian civilizations by Australian Aborigines, and it is still used, some raw food chefs consider it a “micro-cook” it helps us to monitor the intake of the anti-nutritional substances present in food, such as phytic acid, which despite having some good properties can inhibit the body the proper absorption of minerals and cause discomfort to the gastrointestinal system.

Cooking does not have a great effect on phytic acid and phytates that are very stable molecules, even heat.

With the activation facilitates also the softening of whole grains, cooking vegetables, and begin the process of the “sprouting”.

Activate

To activate foods such as whole grains, fruits and oil seeds and pulses, are immersed in water for a long soak, much of the phytic acid dissolves in the water and it will be eliminated.

To facilitate the neutralization of phytic acid may be added to the water:

• the salt that activates enzymes able to neutralize the anti-nutrients such as phytic acid
• or an acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar to prevent phytic acid to bind to minerals in preventing food to absorb them properly.

Whole cereals

Cereals are live foods and especially gluten-free cereal once ground quickly lose part of their organoleptic properties, moisture and flavor.

Not everyone have a mill in the house and not all food processors are able to grind cereals. The activated cereals and smoothies can be softened easily with the liquid ingredients of the recipes to prepare higher quality products than those prepared with packaged flours.

With the “activation or pregermination” of at least 2 hours, cooking times are reduced, the flavor improves and the nutritional power of the cereals is fully activated.

The smaller cereals such as amaranth, millet, quinoa and teff can be eaten after being activated by soaking but without cooking them, put them in a muesli or raw recipes.

Activation whole cereals

• Measure the volume of cereals to be activated with a cup.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Put the cereals in a glass bowl.
• Add clean water, abundantly covering the cereals, during the soak the seeds rehydrate increase in volume, the water that covers them must be at least twice the volume of cereals (1 cup cereal, at least 2 cups of water).
• Whole grains should be soaked for 8-12 hours, when they are used as ingredients for raw recipes or to prepare baked goods by replacing packaged flours.
• If you want to facilitate the solubilization of phytic acid can add water to soak the lemon juice or apple vinegar 1 teaspoon per 300 g of whole grains.
• Salt is not indicated in soaking of whole grains because it hardens them.
• Every four hours the water soaking the cereals must be replaced, drain, rinse them and put them in the bowl with clean water, and the same amount of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar that you have added to the beginning the soaking.
• At the end of the soaking, drain cereals and wash them.

Fruits and oilseeds

In fruits and oilseeds activated intensifies the flavor and soft texture and buttery and significantly reduced the astringent effect.

Some oily fruits (Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia and pine nuts) contain such a low dose of phytates that would be optional to activate the seeds, but the soaking also has the function of softening food. Fruit and soft oilseeds is chopped easily even without robot with particularly powerful kitchen, what it needs to prepare delicious raw recipes.

Activation fruits and oilseeds

• Measured the volume of the seeds to be activated with a cup.
• Rinse thoroughly
• Put the seeds in a bowl or glass jar.
• Add clean water, abundantly covering the seeds, during the soak the seeds rehydrate increase in volume, the water that covers them must be at least twice the volume of the seeds (seeds 1 cup, at least 2 cups of water).
• Cover the bowl with a clean cloth that allows perspiration.
• .If you want to facilitate the solubilization of phytic acid can add water to soak a small amount of salt or an acidic substance such as lemon or vinegar.
• The dose of salt is about 1 teaspoon per 150 g of oily fruits and 2 teaspoons of salt per 150 g of oil seeds.
• The dose of lemon or apple cider vinegar is 1 teaspoon per 300 g of fruit and oilseeds.
• Cover the bowl with a clean cloth that allows perspiration.
• Every 4 hours, soaking the seeds water must be replaced, drain, rinse them and put them in the bowl with clean water, and the same amount of salt or acidic substance that you have added to the beginning of the soaking
• .The soaking time is also related to the recipe type, the more you soften foods to blend smoother and silky is the result:

almonds	8 – 12 hours
Brazil nut	8 – 12 hours
cashew	4 – 8 hours
hazelnuts	8 hours
macadamia nuts	4 – 15 hours
nuts	8 hours
pecans	8 hours
Pine nuts	4 hours
pistachios	4 – 8 hours
pumpkin seeds	8 hours
sesame seeds	8 – 12 hours
sunflower seeds	8 – 12 hours

• At the end of the soaking, drain the seeds, wash them.
• If you must blend and use as an ingredient in a recipe they may be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a closed jar. If you want to enjoy them as a snack or longer storage, they should be dehydrated and reported back to the crunchy texture in a dryer at a temperature below 46 ° C.

Legumes

Soaking of pulses is crucial and it is essential to run it by following some simple steps.

Activation legumes

• Measure the volume of beans with a cup.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Put the beans in a glass bowl.
• Add clean water, thoroughly covering legumes because during soaking rehydrate, increase in volume, the water must be at least twice the volume of vegetables (1 cup of legumes, at least 2 cups of water)
• The minimum soaking time is 12 hours in warm or hot water acidified with lemon juice or vinegar.
• Salt is not indicated nell’ammollo legumes because hardens them, it should not be added even in the cooking water.
• The dose of lemon or apple cider vinegar is 1 teaspoon per 300 g of beans.
• At the end of the soaking, drain the vegetables, and wash them.
• In the cooking water add the seaweed kombu (1 or 2 cm for every 70 g of raw vegetables amounted to a portion) that has the ability to make the most tender and digestible legumes and enriches them with useful minerals, to after cooking the seaweed can be rinsed and re-used or eaten with legumes.