/Nexus - 1705 - New Times Magazine/pages/0037/image.png)
Page Content (OCR)
Phytic Acid and Your Health For those with less time, purchase brown rice in The purpose of this article is not to make you afraid of airtight packages. Soak rice for at least eight hours in foods containing phytic acid, but only to urge caution in ot water plus a little fresh whey, lemon juice or vinegar. including grains, nuts, seeds and legumes in your diet. It f you soak in a tightly closed Mason jar, the rice will stay is not necessary to eliminate phytic acid completely from warm as it generates heat. Drain, rinse and cook in broth the diet, only to keep it to acceptable levels. and butter. An excess of 800 mg phytic acid per day is probably not a good idea. The average phytate intake in the US Nuts and the UK ranges between 631 and 746 mg per day; the In general, nuts contain levels of phytic acid equal to average in Finland is 370 mg; in Italy it is 219mg; andin or higher than those of grains. Therefore, those Sweden a mere 180 mg per day.” consuming peanut butter, nut butters or nut flours will In the context of a diet rich in calcium, vitamin D, ake in phytate levels similar to those in unsoaked vitamin A, vitamin C, good fats and lacto-fermented grains. Unfortunately, we have very little information on foods, most people will do fine on an estimated 400-800 phytate reduction in nuts. Soaking for seven hours likely mg per day. For those suffering from tooth decay, bone eliminates some phytate content. Based on the loss or mineral deficiencies, total estimated phytate | accumulation of evidence, soaking nuts for 18 hours, content of 150-400 mg would be advised. For children dehydrating at very low temperature—in a warm oven— under age six, pregnant women and those with serious and then roasting or cooking the nuts would likely illnesses, it is best to consume a diet as low in phytic eliminate a large portion of phytates. acid as possible. Nut consumption becomes In practical terms, this means problematic in situations where properly preparing phytate-rich Soaking brown rice does people on the GAPS [gut and foods to reduce at least a . 7. psychology syndrome] diet and portion of the phytate content not effectively eliminate similar regimes are consuming lots of almonds and other nuts as a replacement for bread, and restricting their phytates because brown consumption to two or three servings per day. Daily rice lacks the enzyme potatoes and rice. The 18-hour consumption of one or two phytase; it thus requires soaking is highly recommended slices of genuine sourdough in these circumstances. bread, a handful of nuts and one a Starter. It is best to avoid nut butters serving of properly prepared unless they have been made oatmeal, pancakes, brown rice or with soaked nuts; these are now beans should not pose any available commercially. problems in the context of a nutrient-dense diet. Likewise, it is best not to use nut flours—and also Problems arise when whole grains and legumes _—_ coconut flour—for cooking unless they have been soured become the major dietary sources of calories, when every __ by the soaking process. meal contains more than one whole grain product, or It is instructive to look at the Native American when over-reliance is placed on nuts or legumes. preparation technique for the hickory nut. To extract the Unfermented soy products, extruded whole grain cereals, oil, the nuts were parched until they cracked to pieces tice cakes, baked granola, raw muesli and other high- —_ and then were pounded until they were as fine as coffee phytate foods should be strictly avoided. grounds. They were then put into boiling water and boiled for an hour or longer until they cooked down to a Rice ind of soup from which the oil was strained out through Brown rice is high in phytates. One reference puts _acloth. The rest was thrown away. The oil could be used phytate content at 1.6 per cent of dry weight, another at = at once or poured into a vessel where it would keep a 1,250 mg per 100 g of dry weight (probably about 400 mg ong time.” The Indians of California consumed acorn per 100 g of cooked rice). Soaking brown rice does not meal after a long period of soaking and rinsing, then effectively eliminate phytates because brown rice lacks — pounding and cooking. Central Americans prepared nuts e enzyme phytase; it thus requires a starter. and seeds by salt-water soaking and dehydrating in the evertheless, even an eight-hour soak eliminates some __ sun, and then grinding and cooking them. Af ELA Khidin aaid eadening tha awa bin nian a For those with less time, purchase brown rice in airtight packages. 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 warm as it generates heat. Drain, rinse and cook in broth and butter. Nuts Soaking brown rice does not effectively eliminate phytates because brown rice lacks the enzyme phytase; it thus requires a starter. Rice Brown rice is high in phytates. One reference puts phytate content at 1.6 per cent of dry weight, another at 1,250 mg per 100 g of dry weight (probably about 400 mg per 100 g of cooked rice). Soaking brown rice does not effectively eliminate phytates because brown rice lacks the enzyme phytase; it thus requires a starter. Nevertheless, even an eight-hour soak eliminates some of the phytic acid, reducing the amount in a serving to something like 300 mg or less. The ideal preparation of rice would start with home- milling to remove a portion of the bran, and then souring at a very warm temperature (90°F [~32°C]) for at least 16 hours, preferably 24 hours. Using a starter would be ideal (see sidebar recipe [not shown here]). Beans/Legumes All legumes contain phytic acid, and in traditional cultures they are usually subjected to a long preparation process. For example, according to one source: "Lima beans in Nigeria involve several painstaking processes to be consumed as a staple."”! NEXUS ¢ 37 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com