I must admit that when the email from Amanda Rose from Rebuild from Depression landed in my inbox about the latest on soaking grains I was perplexed. Upset even. How could this BE? Sally Fallon herself has preached about the need to soak your grains in an acid medium to break down phytic acid. Phytic acid is basically an anti-nutrient and it is mostly found in grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. Nuts have a slightly different make-up than grains and don’t contain a ton of phytic acid but they do contain and enzyme inhibitor that prevents absorption of nutrients so they can benefit from a soak as well (I use a brine solution-4 cups nuts with enough warm water to cover and about 2 tbls. sea salt).
See the deal is that phytic acid is something (a compound) that is attached directly to the bran in your food. The bran is the place that contains (is bound to) all the good things in your food-the reason to eat whole grains, beans,etc. in the first place. I’m talking about the calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. So the bran is attached to all the good stuff and the phytic acid is attached to the bran. The phytic acid sort of holds the good stuff hostage so to speak. If you don’t break it down by either in fermenting (the best option-think sourdough), through soaking the grains, or sprouting (also a very good option) then you might as well not even bother with the whole grains, etc. in my opinion. How do we know all of this? Well it’s been a long road in the world of food science and this topic has been studied over the past several decades. One can get pretty geeked (ME!) out about this topic and if you are a research junkie as I am you should really consider downloading “The Phytic Acid White Paper” for about $15. ( This is where most of the above information is from) It’s worth it and Amanda Roses’ tireless research really comes to life in her real life approach to preparing foods and the reduction of phytic acid and other enzyme inhibitors. She also offers an e-course that goes with it for folks who would like even more information and ways to apply it in their cooking.
Now having said all of that about WHY phytic acid should be avoided the question is HOW do we easily remove it from our foods? The old word is that you can soak your grains in an acid solution such as buttermilk, yogurt, and dairy kefir. Well recent research says that calcium can actually INHIBIT the breakdown process and that you should just use warm water instead. You can still use water with vinegar or lemon juice and I would imagine that water kefir and komucha are ok but I’m not sure how they would fair in many recipes. So, for now I will stick with soaking my grains in plain warm filtered water. Better yet still is sourdough! I have been putting off creating a starter but after reading this research and knowing that there are TONS of recipes out there using a sourdough starter I realized that my excuses were over. HOWEVER I am NOT doing it old school with just water and flour as I simply don’t have the patience that it takes to wait for it to be ready. I ran across a cool recipe on Coooking Traditional Foods that says you simply combine equal parts whole grain flour with apple juice water kefir. So, we shall see how that goes I am very hopeful about it.
If you do plan on soaking your grains then ditch the kefir and use slightly more warm water than flour and let it soak the usual amount of time which is 7-24 hours. 12 hours is a pretty good bet, especially for your morning breakfast routine. Simply combine warm water with your oats and a touch of flour the night before, put the lid on to keep it as warm as possible and cook it in the morning. Keep in mind that cooking time is cut in half by soaking your grains so your morning oatmeal routine is even faster when you take the time to soak them the night before.It’s also important to point out that freshly ground flour takes a little less time to break down the phytic acid in addition to its superior flavor, texture, and nutritional value; so you can stick closer to 5-7 hours at the least when the flour is fresh.
As for beans-just give them a good long soak as you usually would taking care to start with very warm filtered water. 18 hours is the recommended soak time for most beans. A good tip is to soak a lot of beans, partially cook them and then pop about half of them in the freezer so you can grab them anytime for a quick bean dinner.
Confused yet? Perplexed? I hope not. All of this phytic acid stuff can seem a bit overwhelming at first and I will admit that it took me a while to really get it in my head and apply it. I was certainly surprised to find out that my kefir soaked grains may not be as beneficial as I thought but I won’t let that stop me from doing the best I can for my family’s health-I hope you don’t either! Just take a deep breath and jump in-slowly is usually the best approach as it’s more likely to stick. I suggest jumping right in with sourdough, but that’s just my style. 
UPDATE:
As I said in this post I have gotten the research from “The White Paper” written by Amanda Rose which I highly recommend. I have not read the scientific articles that she has listed in her works cited page myself but I trust the research that she has done on this topic. I am literally quoting from her paper the works cited that she used in writing this paper to give readers a better idea on the truth in this whole phytic acid issue.
Works Cited
Ahmad S. and D.K. Pathak, 2000. Nutritional changes in soybean during germination. Journal of Food Science and Technology, India 37 (6): 665-666.
Babu, S. 1976. Effect of germination on folic acid content of Bengalgram and ragi. Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics 13 (5): 139-141.
Bæch, S.B., M. Hansen, K. Bukhave, M. Jensen, S. S. Sørensen, L. Kristensen, P. P. Purslow, L. H. Skibsted and B. Sandström, 2003. Nonheme-iron absorption from a phytate-rich meal is increased by the addition of small amounts of pork meat. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 77(1): 173-179.
Bohn, T., L. Davidsson, T. Walczyk, and R. Hurrell. 2004. Phytic acid added to white wheat bread inhibits fractional apparent magnesium absorption in humans. Journal of Clinical Nutrition 79(3): 418-23.
Czerniejewski, C.P., C.W. Shank, W.G. Bechtel, and W.B. Bradley. 1964. The minerals of wheat, flour and bread. Cereal Chemistry 41(2): 65-72. Egli, I., L. Davidsson, M.A. Juillierat, D. Barclay, and R. Hurrell. 2003. Phytic Acid Degradation in Complementary Foods Using Phytase Naturally Occurring
in Whole Grain Cereals. Journal of Food Science 68(5): 1855-9.
Egli, I., L. Davidsson, and C. Zeder. 2004. Dephitinization of Complementary Foods Based on wheat and soy increased zinc, but not copper, apparent absorption in adults. Journal of Nutrition 134(5): 1077-80.
Egounlety M and OC Aworth. 2003. Effect of soaking, dehulling, cooking and fermentation with Rhizopus oligosporus on the oligosaccharides, trypsin inhibitor, phytic acid and tannins of soybean (Glycine max Merr.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) and groundbean (Macrotyloma geocarpa Harms).
Journal of Food Engineering 56 (2/3): 249-254.
Engelmann, Mads D. M, Lena Davidsson, Brittmarie Sandstrom, Thomas Walczyk, Richard F. Hurrell, and Kim Michaelsen, 1998. The Influence of Meat on Nonheme Iron Absorption in Infants. Pediatric Research 43(6): 768-773.
Fallon, Sally, 1999. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically
Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. New Trends Publishing.
Hallberg et al., 1991. Calcium: Effects of Different Amounts on Nonheme and Heme-Iron Absorption in Humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53:112-119.
Harland BF and D. Oberleas. 1987. Phytate in Foods. World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 52:235-59.
Hurrell, R.F., M. B. Reddy, M.-A Juillerat and J. D. Cook, 2003. Degradation of phytic acid in cereal porridges improves iron absorption by human subjects.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77( 5): 1213-1219. Ibrahim S.S., R.A. Habiba, A.A. Shatta, H.E. Embaby, 2002. Effect of soaking, germination, cooking and fermentation on antinutritional factors in cowpeas. Nahrung 46 (2): 92-95.
Katz, S.E., 2003. Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. (Chelsea Green, White River Jct., VT).
Lönnerdal, B. 2000. Dietary Factors Influencing Zinc Absorption. Journal of Nutrition. 130: 1378S-1383S.
Lopez, H. W.; Krespine, V.; Guy, C.; Messager, A.; Demigne, and C.; Remesy. 2001. Prolonged fermentation of whole wheat sourdough reduces phytate level and increases soluble magnesium. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 49:2657-2662.
Mellanby, Edward, Sir. 1950. A Story of Nutritional Research. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.
Morck et al., 1983. Inhibition of Food Iron Absorption by Coffee. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 37:416-420.
Oberleas D. and B.F. Harland. 1981. Phytate content of foods: effect on dietary zinc bioavailability. Journal of American Dietetic Association 79(4):433-6.
Raci Ekinci, 2005. The effect of fermentation and drying on the water-soluble vitamin content of tarhana, a traditional Turkish cereal food. Food Chemistry 90(1-2) 127-132.
Reddy, N.R., M.D. Pierson, S.K. Sathe, D.K. Salunkhe, 1989. Phytates in Cereals and Legumes, Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
Turk, M. and A.S. Sandberg, 1991. “Phytate Degradation During Breadmaking: Effect Of Phytase Addition.” Journal of Cereal Science 15(3): 281-294.
This post is shared at Real Food Wed. 6/1 at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Simple Lives Thursday #46, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop 5/30, Living Well Blog Hop #1 , Fight Back Fridays 6/3, and Monday Mania 6/6
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This seems like great news to me in regards to soaked oatmeal as far as I’m concerned. I’ve tried soaking oats yogurt or apple cider vinegar but my kids don’t like it and neither do I. What is the purpose of putting a little bit of flour in with the oats/warm water mixture?
Thanks!
Yes oats are much better tasting without the acid medium. We just has them for breakfast yesterday as a mater of a fact. I can’t exactly remember the reason for adding the flour (in super detail) but basically it helps to expedite the process. I will look it up though and get back to you just as soon as I have time- I love facts and research!
Sarah — You don’t really “have” to add fresh flour. This is just a trick for increasing the level of the phytase enzyme in the recipe. If you needed to be extra diligent, this would be a really good option. We have a varied diet here and so I just tend to soak in warm water.
Amanda-thank you so much for taking the time to pop in and respond to these questions! I think it’s a bit intimidating anytime we have to switch gears with how we have been preparing food so a little hand holding is appreciated!
It would depend on your sensitivity to whole grains. My kids do not tolerate regular whole grains of any type. If I forget to add the flour to the oats when I’m soaking them, I might as well not bother because it won’t reduce the phytic acid enough — they’ll still react. Oats are very low in phytase, so even a long soak won’t reduce the phytic acid much. The fresh flour boosts the phytase to reduce it further. We absolutely require it (guess how I found that out?), but some may not. Still, given the purpose of soaking is to reduce the phytic acid…consider doing it.
Is there a good substitute for wheat flour for this? I’m gluten intolerant, so I bought some gluten free oats, but haven’t used them yet because everyone says to include wheat flour in the soaking process. Is brown rice flour a good enough substitute?
Rye flour is a good option but unfortunately I am just not that well versed with gluten free. You could omit it all together though and just give it a longer soak time making sure that the temperature is warm.
Why does the water need to be warm? Does it hurt for it to be cool or cold water?
Thank you!
Amanda Rose says that it should be warm to start with. What I’ve started doing is heating it up in my tea pot and then just putting in the amount called for in the recipe. She says to use a bit more water than flour/grain. So say you have 2 cups of flour you should use about 2 1/2 cups of very warm water. To keep it warm you can either just put a lid on in or she says that she will sometimes put the pot or bowl in her oven with the light on. I think that if you start with the very warm water and put the lid on then it should be sufficient. Of course starting with freshly ground flour is always optimal as well.
As for the the need for the water to be warm, it just helps to break down the phytic acid more completely and quickly.
Well I guess I don\’t have to spend the weekend fgirunig this one out!
Ruth — A warmer temperature helps activate the enzymes in the grains that break down phytic acid. For breakfast cereals, I put some water in a kettle and let it get a bit hot and then add it to the cereal to soak overnight. I actually soak it in the pan I’m cooking it in and pop it on the stove in the morning.
Amanda
Hi Jennie. This is all very fascinating, though slightly depressing! I find you from your link at “RFW” and since you seem like a research nerd (no offence, I am one too), I look forward to reading your blog more. I can’t wait to read your sourdough experiences.
Shannon- your comment literally made me laugh out loud! I AM a research nerd, sometimes it’s hard to keep it all straight! The timing is perfect too because I am geeking out like crazy over my 3 different sourdough starters I am growing so I can compare them; (they are all quickie starter recipes but no commercial yeast) and all but one are ready to go!
This is interesting information about soaking grains and phytic acid…Thanks for linking up to the Living Well Blog Hop.
Thank you very much for posting this on the Living Well Blog Hop. Hopefully the information will make its way to lots of people through that. I will freely admit to being a complete neophyte on all of this, but I’d never thought to soak beans, for instance, in anything but water, so it’s interesting to hear that some have thought otherwise…and that good ol’ water may be the ticket after all. :^)
Thank you! I hope the information gets spread around quickly as well. It’s amazing how simple things are, we tend to overcomplicated things but its often unnecessary.
I am so grateful for this information! I am relatively new to this soaking business, but have been serious about it lately and it just so happens I have some corn meal soaking right now with kefir and water for tomorrow’s polenta. Sigh…. I’ll start it over and let this go to the compost. Thank you.
I hope it turned out well for you! Don’t fret, it will get easier I hope!
Yolanda (and Jennie),
Katie
Not to overcomplicate things, but if you’re trying to make corn easier to digest, you actually have to treat it with lime water or something (nixtimalization), not just soak. No need to throw out food, i don’t think, but a water soak with just corn probably won’t do much to release nutrition.
Hard to know what to think about all the “new” information on “traditional” foods, you know?
Wow Katie-Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! I love reading yours, and find it very helpful. You will see the granola bar recipe I used of yours!
As for the the corn, I wonder if just using sourdough as it calls for in the recipe from gnowfglins would be sufficient? Or would masa harina be the best choice?
I also don’t think that you would need to throw it out but just take care for the next go round.
Nice information about soaking the grains, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul hop.
This is interesting! I haven’t done a ton of soaking yet because I’m gluten intolerant so we’re just avoiding grains as much as possible. When I soak rice I do it with apple cider vinegar (which I actually like), and I just soak beans in warm water (they actually start to sprout sometimes before I’m ready to cook them!). And when I’m ready to try adding in some more grains, I was planning on trying sourdough, so that’s good to hear that it’s probably the best choice anyway!
I think you are doing it the best way! And yes sourdough is the best option. I actually have heard of people who are gluten intolerant that can handle sourdough ok because it does such a good job breaking down the anti-nutrients.
All the soaking calls for filtered water. Will my Brita be fine enough? We’re saving for a Berkey, so this is all we have for now.
Also would love to hear more about nixtamalization., if anyone would like to share. Thanks.
Your Brita water would be just fine. If you are worried about the chlorine you can even let it sit out for a few hours or run it in your blender for a few seconds. I’m not familiar with nixtamalization, might be a good thing to look up though!
Hi Jennie. After reading this post on soaking, I decided to take the plunge and check out a few books on sourdough. I’ve really wanted to for over a year but it seems so complicated and easy to mess up. The 2 books I checked out both start with making your own starter with yeast, then letting the dough sit out. Is that beneficial for breaking down phytic acid and still gettting probiotics? Thanks
Shannon-I HIGHLY recommend the gnowfglins e-course on sourdough. You can pay even just one month ($11) and get access to the sourdough class, fundamentals, fermented dairy and she is adding a lacto-fermented class starting the end of this month, plus an on-line forum where you can ask tons of questions too. I just signed up last week and have already made about 12 things and it could be EASIER! It’s even easier than soaking, you just have to remember to feed your starter. I’m sure the books are good too but I am just loving this class right now. To answer your question, sourdough is actually the most efficient in breaking down the phytic acid to make your grains more digestible. The lacto bacili does a fantastic job breaking it down. I don’t think there are many probiotics other than the naturally occurring bacteria (I’m not 100%) sure though but it really makes those grains digestible. Have you got a starter going yet? I am getting ready to write a post comparing 3 super fast and easy sourdough starter methods. You can get started in about 2-3 days or less.
UPDATE: Here it is! It was a lot of fun to write and do!
Wow – that is interesting news!! I am a research geek myself
Just finished reading “The Untold Story of Milk” by Ron Schmid – FAB book, must read for everyone!!! I follow Sally Fallon and the Weston A. Price foundation as well. I’ve always found that the oatmeal gets way too sour too and kinda gave up on it, sticking to eggs, bacon and raw milk with breakfast. I do enjoy oatmeal though, this is great news. I am going to try this for sure. Thanks for posting 
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve never heard about soaking grains in cultured dairy. That sounds gross – except in the case of sourdough bread, of course. I’ve always used purified water for everything else.
Jennie,
Thank you for all of this. I’m looking forward to trying your BEST granola ever.
Just dehydrated my first batch of rolled oats in my new Nesco dehydrator! Hooray! No more resetting my toaster oven timer all day! And no more burnt oats from the oven!
Research nerd here, too, but just getting into all of this “traditional” food stuff. Looking forward to reading Amanda’s paper. I noticed you didn’t mention whey, which is what I have used for soaking oats in the quantities Sally Fallon gives in Nourishing Traditions. So, maybe I’ll find whey is not okay either??? It seems like such a good thing.
Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Kristin
Hi Kristen-
I am so glad that you are starting your journey into Traditional Foods! One you get into the routine you will feel it very rewarding.
To address your question about using whey as a soaking medium, whey is considered a dairy based medium so it would fall under the same category as using yogurt, kefir, etc.