Since I read the info from Sproutarian Man about how important it is to soak/sprout chia and flax, I've become increasingly interested in how no one (even the 'raw gurus' lol) seems to worry about soaking chia. All these recipes just say to chuck it into smoothies etc - in fact I saw one website that was talking about the importance of soaking seeds, and it stated that there was no need to worry in the case of mucilaginous seeds like chia and flax (it didn't give a reason though!)



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It's a pure case of ignorance, very few raw leaders have a decent knowledge of plant foods because they fail to do adequate research and be responsible. They are doing more harm than good in the long term because their methods are not sustainable, that's why so many fail on the raw vegan diet and that's why you hear so many stories of raw leaders not eating what they say they do...they have very little idea about diet.

By not sprouting chia you are not getting much benefit from chia, in fact, in the long term it could cause health problems due to anti nutrient locking and high indigestion of various substances like protein (close to 90% indigestable). Non sprouted chia would make calcium non available, iron almost non available, zinc low available, fatty acids less available, carbs less available, no way near as much benefit from phyto nutrient increases bwith sprouting.

And who knows...maybe they are soaking irradiated chia. Interesting though, l am starting to think we can revive irradiated foods via fermentation because l have read that irradiated foods can still create living acids and bacterias. Still need to do more research on this.

www.thesproutarian.com

thanks Sproutarian Man, yeah I thought it might be that, the 'information highway' that is the internet can lead to just as much misinformation as it does good info. I want to tell people about this as it frustrates me to see all these 'experts' telling people that it's so great to add chia to everything. But I want to make sure I get my facts right before I do

I just came across this article, it's a pretty thorough look at phytates, I found it very useful, although it's Weston Price so there is a lot of non-vegan type stuff in it :/

[www.westonaprice.org]



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That is why most of the health gurus do not live long...
TC Fry was not a Natural Hygienist... Yet he was teaching it.
Herbert Macgolfin Shelton was not a Natural Higienist ... Yet he was teaching it.

I am no one and I soak my chia seeds lol

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

The owner of a local farm let slip that her aspiring raw vegan daughter was blending soaked chia seeds too. After l gasped for breath and my eyes opened BIG and w-i-d-e, her daughter got an ear full, but in a fun way. Yes, anti-nutrients were discussed.

www.thesproutarian.com

yay good for you JGunn

It actually annoys me when I see all these recipes floating around the internet that say to just add all those chia seeds straight into a smoothie - especially when they're by 'raw guru's' who should know better!

Those health gurus just look at the nutrients in the seeds and proclaim them to be supper food. I read Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe, he talks a lot about nuts but there no mention of soaking the nuts.

I read that it's because they are so gelatinous that it creates a globby MESS. In any case, unlike flax seeds, chia can be consumed whole. Simpler is better. If you have a good digestion, you don't necessarily have to soak any nuts. In the first place, unless you are totally sure you're getting really raw ones, I don't see how it really helps. I mean, do enzyme inhibitors survive after pasteurization?

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I read that it's because they are so gelatinous
> that it creates a globby MESS. In any case, unlike
> flax seeds, chia can be consumed whole. Simpler is
> better. If you have a good digestion, you don't
> necessarily have to soak any nuts. In the first
> place, unless you are totally sure you're getting
> really raw ones, I don't see how it really helps.
> I mean, do enzyme inhibitors survive after
> pasteurization?


You wouldn't want to eat anything pasteurized, it kills enzymes and nutrition and turns food into dead-food.

Before Louis Pasteur millions were dying from food bacteria.
The problem we are having is sterilization not pasteurization

"Unlike sterilization, pasteurization is not intended to kill all micro-organisms in the food. Instead, it aims to reduce the number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause disease (assuming the pasteurized product is stored as indicated and is consumed before its expiration date). Commercial-scale sterilization of food is not common because it adversely affects the taste and quality of the product. Certain foods, such as dairy products, may be superheated to ensure pathogenic microbes are destroyed" [en.wikipedia.org]

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> banana who Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I read that it's because they are so gelatinous
> > that it creates a globby MESS. In any case,
> unlike
> > flax seeds, chia can be consumed whole. Simpler
> is
> > better. If you have a good digestion, you don't
> > necessarily have to soak any nuts. In the first
> > place, unless you are totally sure you're
> getting
> > really raw ones, I don't see how it really
> helps.
> > I mean, do enzyme inhibitors survive after
> > pasteurization?
>
>
> You wouldn't want to eat anything pasteurized, it
> kills enzymes and nutrition and turns food into
> dead-food.

So you buy nuts for $15 a pound and you are sure they are not cooked, eh? Many people who consider themselves raw may buy non-roasted almonds either willingly or because of ignorance.

RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Those health gurus just look at the nutrients in
> the seeds and proclaim them to be supper food. I
> read Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe, he talks a
> lot about nuts but there no mention of soaking the
> nuts.

That's why people are struggling with raw, they follow leaders who are out of their depth because they don't see diet in a comprehensive perspective.

www.thesproutarian.com

The internet seems to be full of 'raw gurus' lately, a lot of whom have only been raw for a really short time. Their knowledge comes from other folk on the internet (the blind leading the blind) and/or 'Raw Coach' courses that are sold for thousands of dollars, that teach people to be good at business, but don't seem to have much in the way of in-depth nutritional information. So simple knowledge like 'soak your nuts and seeds' is lost in favour of 'how to maximise sales and generate big publicity' etc. So you get lots of lovely looking pictures of recipes made with unsoaked un-raw nuts combined with agave with plenty of chocolate thrown in for good measure.. then people wonder why they don't thrive like they thought they would... :/

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jtprindl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > banana who Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I read that it's because they are so
> gelatinous
> > > that it creates a globby MESS. In any case,
> > unlike
> > > flax seeds, chia can be consumed whole.
> Simpler
> > is
> > > better. If you have a good digestion, you
> don't
> > > necessarily have to soak any nuts. In the
> first
> > > place, unless you are totally sure you're
> > getting
> > > really raw ones, I don't see how it really
> > helps.
> > > I mean, do enzyme inhibitors survive after
> > > pasteurization?
> >
> >
> > You wouldn't want to eat anything pasteurized,
> it
> > kills enzymes and nutrition and turns food into
> > dead-food.
>
> So you buy nuts for $15 a pound and you are sure
> they are not cooked, eh? Many people who consider
> themselves raw may buy non-roasted almonds either
> willingly or because of ignorance.


Yes, I am sure the nuts I buy are not cooked. I buy them from livingnutz.com (organic, raw, sprouted).

lisa m Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The internet seems to be full of 'raw gurus'
> lately, a lot of whom have only been raw for a
> really short time. Their knowledge comes from
> other folk on the internet (the blind leading the
> blind) and/or 'Raw Coach' courses that are sold
> for thousands of dollars, that teach people to be
> good at business, but don't seem to have much in
> the way of in-depth nutritional information. So
> simple knowledge like 'soak your nuts and seeds'
> is lost in favour of 'how to maximise sales and
> generate big publicity' etc. So you get lots of
> lovely looking pictures of recipes made with
> unsoaked un-raw nuts combined with agave with
> plenty of chocolate thrown in for good measure..
> then people wonder why they don't thrive like they
> thought they would... :/


It also seems like most of them have a huge ego as well, like they know everything about health because they drink vegetable juice and eat a lot of fruit. For example, fullyrawkristina came out with a holiday recipe for apple pie that literally included like two pounds of dates and a bunch of figs and proceeded to claim "you can eat all of this because it's healthy for you". Maybe she's unaware of fructose and its effect on the heart and liver, I don't know.

It seems most of these "gurus" never talk about some of the advanced stuff, like assuring you're converting enough ALA/EPA into DHA, balancing your omega 3 : omega 6 levels, bio-availability of nutrients, how to get enough precursors for certain amino acids, etc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 02:24PM by jtprindl.

The Sproutarian Man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RawPracticalist Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Those health gurus just look at the nutrients
> in
> > the seeds and proclaim them to be supper food.
> I
> > read Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe, he talks
> a
> > lot about nuts but there no mention of soaking
> the
> > nuts.
>
> That's why people are struggling with raw, they
> follow leaders who are out of their depth because
> they don't see diet in a comprehensive
> perspective.


How do you feel about the 80/10/10 diet, especially in the long-term?

Yes Powerlifter, it's pretty impossible to soak then drain them (hence soaking then sprouting is a good alternative). Do you think their hydrophilic nature would affect the antinutrient factor?

Do sprouts need light to grow or are they so young that they don't need it yet? How does the process work, putting the seeds on a paper towel and spraying them lightly until they germinate and then putting them into soil? What type of soil should you use? I'm eager to grow my first sprouts, I'm thinking sunflower greens and broccoli sprouts



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 04:04PM by jtprindl.

One of the best place for info for sprouting is [sproutpeople.org]

What is the best type of soil to use for sunflower greens and broccoli sprouts? I just watched a video on how to grow sunflower greens, seems easy enough and really cheap for such a powerhouse food. I have a minor problem though... I cannot find a raw vegan salad dressing and it's resulted in me eating less salads than I want to lol. The dressing makes the salad complete! Does anyone have any easy raw vegan salad dressing recipes they can share?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2013 05:12PM by jtprindl.

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> How do you dehull them?

Put in a bowl of water and fondle them gently. The hulls will remove from the plant. Just scoop up the hulls.


You should be able to use a light for greening, but why not just use natural sunlight.

The Sproutarian Man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jtprindl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > How do you dehull them?
>
> Put in a bowl of water and fondle them gently. The
> hulls will remove from the plant. Just scoop up
> the hulls.
>
>
> You should be able to use a light for greening,
> but why not just use natural sunlight.


Not too much Sunlight this time of year.

Can you grow sunflower greens in a jar with no soil? I just saw a video on broccoli sprouts being fully harvested in a jar, can you do the same with sunflower greens?

Also, how do you sprout sesame seeds and watercress? Do you use regular sesame seeds or black sesame?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/25/2013 06:05AM by jtprindl.

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can you grow sunflower greens in a jar with no
> soil? I just saw a video on broccoli sprouts being
> fully harvested in a jar, can you do the same with
> sunflower greens?

No way. They get in a twisted mess and will take forever to pull the hulls off.

You can grow them soil-less however. Check out this thread:
[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also, how do you sprout sesame seeds and
> watercress? Do you use regular sesame seeds or
> black sesame?

Sesame are easy.

- soak for 4 - 6 hours in a jar with mesh secured around the mouth of the jar with a rubber bands
- after soaking you tip the water out and let drain on a dish rack and place upseide-down in a dark place
- rinse once per day

Should be ready in 2 - 3 days. BUT, if it is cold, bring them inside after they have drained all the water off and place on some paper or a towel so no mess in the house.


Never sprouted watercresss because it is far too expensive where l live. What you would need to do is probably the following:

- soak for 4 - 6 hours
- place on a tray with cloth on it like with chia sprouts.

Growing watercress greens will probably take about 2 weeks, growing watercvress sprouts will take a few days. W.C has gel, so growing greens on a cloth would be important.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2013 03:10AM by The Sproutarian Man.

The Sproutarian Man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jtprindl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Also, how do you sprout sesame seeds and
> > watercress? Do you use regular sesame seeds or
> > black sesame?
>
> Sesame are easy.
>
> - soak for 4 - 6 hours in a jar with mesh secured
> around the mouth of the jar with a rubber bands
> - after soaking you tip the water out and let
> drain on a dish rack and place upseide-down in a
> dark place
> - rinse once per day
>
> Should be ready in 2 - 3 days. BUT, if it is cold,
> bring them inside after they have drained all the
> water off and place on some paper or a towel so no
> mess in the house.
>
>
> Never sprouted watercresss because it is far too
> expensive where l live. What you would need to do
> is probably the following:
>
> - soak for 4 - 6 hours
> - place on a tray with cloth on it like with chia
> sprouts.
>
> Growing watercress greens will probably take about
> 2 weeks, growing watercvress sprouts will take a
> few days. W.C has gel, so growing greens on a
> cloth would be important.


Does it matter how old the raw sesame seeds or are they fine as long as you just sprout them?

Not only can you soak chia seeds; this is the start of nearly any chia seed pudding recipe!

jtprindl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Does it matter how old the raw sesame seeds or are
> they fine as long as you just sprout them?

In my experience sesame can store for a long time if it is kept in a massive airtight container glass jar. I have kept some sesame for up to three years and it still taste great and sprouts, however if some seed has been sitting in a jar for a long time unused it can taste alittle stale until you get to the seeds underneath. The special oil in sesame preserves the seed well.

Chia seeds would not keep near so well, so only buy in small amounts and keep in a cool place. l would buy 50 pounds of sesame, but l would only buy 10 pounds of chia at a time. Same goes with unhulled sunflower, 3 or 4 pound tops, or hulled sunflower would be bought in 40 pounds sacks.

Best to buy too much than too little because you never know when a seed shortage will take place. Seed shortages occur each year. Some years you can't get mung bean, this year it is chick peas and alfalfa seed so far. Last year it was chestnuts for sprouting.