In case anyone has forgotten the very real benefit of eating our activated nuts, we thought it timely to give you a quick refresher...
The first thing to remember is that all nuts (except peanuts!) are the seeds of plants. And it is in the parent plant's best interest to protect its precious seeds to give them the best chance at germination and growth. This is why all seeds have protective compounds within them.
These protective compounds are mostly phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors. And obviously, when we eat regular raw nuts and seeds, we are eating the phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors as well.
The job of the phytic acid in the seed is to store minerals. Then when the seed germinates and starts to grow, it has all of these fantastic minerals available to it. Phytic acid does the same thing to minerals in our gut - they are locked up and stored. This means that however nutritious and mineral-rich our diet is, much of that goodness is unavailable to our bodies because of the phytic acid.
Enzyme inhibitors are there to shut down germination enzymes until the conditions are right for growth. Otherwise the seed would germinate in poor conditions and die before it gets anywhere. Again, the enzyme inhibitors perform the same role in our digestive system if we eat them - they shut down our digestive enzymes. This is why many people find that they feel bloated or heavy after eating regular raw nuts - because their digestive system has literally been partially shut down by the enzyme inhibitors.
All seeds need water to grow - it is an absolute fundamental for all seed germination. So when we activate nuts (or seeds) we soak them in water to mimic the start of the germination process. Water floods into all the cells and biochemical reactions happen. The phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors are broken down into simpler compounds, which our digestive systems can handle.
That's the story in a nutshell (pardon the pun!). Activation mimics germination, which results in the breaking down of the indigestible compounds that are a natural part of all seeds.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Not all activation is the same!
Nuts or seeds need a LONG soak in order for the phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors to be properly broken down. Then - in order to store them for longer than a few days - they need to be dried to remove all that moisture you just put in. Keeping the temperature as LOW as possible through the drying process is critical because temperatures over 70 degrees damage fats and proteins in the nuts.
There is no standard to activation. Some people soak for an hour and then roast the nuts at 180 degrees, and call them activated. Always make sure that the process is long and slow - then you are getting the benefits of activation.