#phytates

Foods have things called anti nutrients which bind themselves with certain minerals and prevent them from being absorbed in the body. In the case of tea, these anti nutrients are tannins but honestly it's not in a big amount or don't bind enough iron that will cause anemia. I don't remember the exact amount but basically the effect/amount or iron they bind is very neglible. Tannins also bind calcium. Phytic acid (phytates) are another group of antinutrients.

The Brown Rice Myth

I was listening to a podcast by Dave Aspray one day and he was talking about rice. He went into detail about how brown rice is not near as healthy for us as we have been led to believe all these years. He even went on to say that polished white rice is probably safer for us to eat than brown rice. Brown rice was always the rice of the poor folks in times past. That is because it still has part…

Also what do you think of Jelly beans?

I love jelly beans! They’re my third favorite type of bean :D I personally like the 1865 flavorings better than the current ones tho.

The common bean isn’t everyone’s jam and the texture & taste of cooked beans isn’t for everyone. But I do hope that you enjoy this bean fact!

It seems that your mother has heard of the phytic acid myth! From what I’ve seen, this myth originates mainly from health blogs and paleo diet blogs labeling it as an anti-nutrient when it really means you just don’t absorb as much nutrients as you’d expect.

Phytic acid is an antioxidant compound which is found in plants, but is in especially high quantities in grains and legumes. Phytic acid prevents the absorption of specific minerals from food such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc by binding to them before the body can absorb the nutrients. When the phytic acid binds to other materials it creates phytates. In our small intestine we produce phytase, a enzyme that breaks down phytic acid and releases the chemicals it binds. Until pretty recently, it was believed that the human body didn’t produce enough phytase to have much effect but now we know that our intestine can increase iron absorption in response to a diet with high amounts of phytic acid and eventually helps us absorb more minerals from seeds like whole grains.

But here’s the the thing: the minerals that the phytic acid was bound to was from the bean. The food you were eating in the first place. It’s not robbing your gut of minerals, it just means that the nutritional values of these foods raw isn’t as high as you’d think when looking at them in a nutritional database. But when legumes are properly soaked and germinated, their nutritional value increases greatly, usually to levels equal or exceeding that of the cooked bean! Phytic acid also has health benefits! They have anti-inflammatory effects, may help prevent cardiovascular disease and lower a food’s glycemic index. Studies have been done that show phytates help normalize cell growth and stop the proliferation of cancer cells!

Sprouting seeds unlocks dormant enzymatic potential

Natural plants have unique ways of protecting their offspring and guaranteeing the future of their species. Grains, nuts, seeds and legumes all contain special agents protect the precious seeds and poison predators in order to ensure the continuation of their plant. The process of soaking, fermenting and sprouting these seeds removes the poisons and unlocks the dormant nutrient potential of…