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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Clarification on Soaking Beans

I have said many times, including in several of the recipes posted here on this blog, that I never soak my beans before cooking.  I've never noticed any difference in how they cook, so I just didn't want to be bothered with an extra step in the process.  A lot of people say you're supposed to have less gas as a result of eating the beans if they have been pre-soaked, but I rarely get gas from my beans (beans in a restaurant is an entirely different story, although I have no idea why that is), so I never cared about it for that reason either.

HOWEVER, I've been learning some new things lately & I have learned that soaking beans & seeds & nuts & grains makes them MORE NUTRITIOUS as well as making them easier to digest.  So of course I want as much nutrition as possible from the foods I eat, so I am now pre-soaking my beans before cooking.  I just wanted to clarify this so as not to lead anyone on the wrong path nutritionally speaking.

I am also frequently soaking almonds & sunflower seeds these days.  I have yet to soak any flour, but it's also supposed to make it more nutritious so at some point I will probably give it a try.

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