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extruded whole grain cereals, rice cakes, baked granola, raw muesli and for the hickory nut, which they used for oils. To
other high-phytate foods should be strictly avoided. extract the oil they parched the nuts until they
cracked to pieces and then pounded them until
RICE they were as fine as coffee grounds. They were
Brown rice is high in phytates. One reference puts phytate content at then put into boiling water and boiled for an hour
1.6 percent of dry weight, another at 1250 mg per 100 grams dry weight or longer, until they cooked down to a kind of
(probably about 400 mg per 100 grams cooked rice). Soaking brown rice soup from which the oil was strained out through
will not effectively eliminate phytates because brown rice lacks the enzyme a cloth. The rest was thrown away. The oil could
phytase; it thus requires a starter. Nevertheless, even an eight-hour soak be used at once or poured into a vessel where it
will eliminate some of the phytic acid, reducing the amount in a serving would keep a long time.
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to something like 300 mg or less. By contrast, the Indians of California con-
The ideal preparation of rice would start with home-milling, to remove sumed acorn meal after a long period of soaking
a portion of the bran, and then would involve souring at a very warm and rinsing, then pounding and cooking. Nuts
temperature (90 degrees F) at least sixteen hours, preferably twenty-four and seeds in Central America were prepared by
hours. Using a starter would be ideal (see sidebar recipe). salt water soaking and dehydration in the sun,
For those with less time, purchase brown rice in air-tight packages. after which they were ground and cooked.
Soak rice for at least eight hours in hot water plus a little fresh whey, lemon
juice or vinegar. If you soak in a tightly closed mason jar, the rice will stay BEANS
warm as it generates heat. Drain, rinse and cook in broth and butter. All beans contain phytic acid and traditional
cultures usually subjected legumes to a long
NUTS preparation process. For example, according
In general, nuts contain levels of phytic acid equal to or higher than to one source, “Lima beans in Nigeria involve
those of grains. Therefore those consuming peanut butter, nut butters or several painstaking processes to be consumed as
nut flours, will take in phytate levels similar to those in unsoaked grains. a staple.” In central America, beans are made
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Unfortunately, we have very little information on phytate reduction into a sour porridge called chugo, which ferments
in nuts. Soaking for seven hours likely eliminates some phytate. Based on for several days.
the accumulation of evidence, soaking nuts for eighteen hours, dehydrating The best way of reducing phytates in beans
at very low temperatures—a warm oven—and then roasting or cooking is sprouting for several days, followed by cook-
the nuts would likely eliminate a large portion of phytates. ing. An eighteen-hour fermention of beans
Nut consumption becomes problematic in situations where people on without a starter at 95 degrees F resulted in 50
the GAPS diet and similar regimes are consuming lots of almonds and percent phytate reduction. Lentils fermented
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other nuts as a replacement for bread, potatoes and rice. The eighteen-hour for 96 hours at 108 degrees F resulted in 70-75
soaking is highly recommended in these circumstances. percent phytate destruction. Lentils soaked for
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It is best to avoid nut butters unless they have been made with soaked 12 hours, germinated 3-4 days and then soured
nuts—these are now available commercially. Likewise, it is best not to use will likely completely eliminate phytates.
nut flours—and also coconut flour—for cooking unless they have been Soaking beans at moderate temperatures,
soured by the soaking process. such as for 12 hours at 78 degrees F results in
It is instructive to look at Native American preparation techniques an 8-20 percent reduction in phytates.
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PREPARATION OF BROWN RICE

1. Soak brown rice in dechlorinated water for 24 hours at room temperature, without changing the water. Reserve 10
percent of the soaking liquid (which should keep for a long time in the fridge). Cook the rice in the remaining soaking
liquid and eat. This will break down about 50 percent of the phytic acid.
2. The next time you make brown rice, use the same procedure as above with a fresh batch of dechlorinated water, but
add the 10 percent soaking liquid from the last batch. This will break down about 65 percent percent of the phytic
acid in 24 hours.
3. Repeat the cycle of fresh water soaking with the previous 10 percent reserve. The process will gradually improve until
96 percent or more of the phytic acid is degraded at 24 hours. The authors found that it took four rounds to get to
96 percent.
Source: Stephan Guyenet http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-way-to-soak-brown-rice.html.

SPRING 2010 Wise Traditions 35