Seeds and nuts contain the life force ability in them to become trees and large, strong plants. They have an incredible storehouse for nutrients, that can only flourish to its highest potential as they begin to grow and germinate.
Seeds and nuts remain dormant until they are in a safe environment to begin the sprouting and growing process. When soaked and/or sprouted in water, it begins the germination process, in which the active and readily available amounts of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, proteins and essential fatty acids (omega 3 vs omega 6) begins to be activated and multiplies exponentially.
Furthermore, there are inhibitor enzymes on the outside of the nuts which keep them safe from outside contaminants until it is safe to begin to grow, but these inhibitor enzymes also make protein assimilation and digestion harder for us. Soaking and sprouting your nuts and seeds increases their vital minerals and nutrition, while also simultaneously allowing the inhibitor enzymes to shed off the nuts and into the water (that’s why it is important to rinse them off well), making them easier for your body to assimilate and digest out of the body.  This is great for weight loss and maintenance goals (!).
Sprouting seeds is something I’ll discuss in another blog. For this ones, let’s just focus on what to do with almonds and other nuts, as the soaking process is very easy and you could start doing it tomorrow with those nuts you like to snack on! :)
Soaking Instructions:
- Place the almonds, etc. in a glass bowl and cover with water. Don’t use plastic, to protect against any chemicals getting leached into the soaking water.
- The nuts will absorb the water and expand- so put the amount of nuts  in the bowl to allow for them to expand about 2-3 times their volume. Keep in the fridge.
- Soaking times (approximated):
Almonds: Â Â Â Â 12-14 hours
Hazelnuts: Â Â Â Â 8 hours
Brazil nuts: Â Â Â Â 3 hours
Cashews: Â Â Â Â Â 40 minutes or so, less than 1 hour
Pinenuts:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6 hours
Walnuts: Â Â Â Â Â Â 4 Â hours
4. Â Â After the appropriate soak time, empty the nuts into a colander and rinse well several times. Very important!!
5.   Sprouted nuts should be stored  in the fridge, and should be eaten or used within about 2 days. So only sprout as much as you will eat or use in that time! So be conscious about the amounts you sprout, and try to plan ahead for recipes.
Hope the soaking goes well!! This will make nuts a much lighter and more beneficial part of your diet- and again, much better for weight loss/maintenance.
I’m leaving Friday for a little vacation. :) So I’ll write to you from the road!
Take care and peace,
Kimberly
what about pecans??
Pecans are pretty soft, I would treat them like walnuts. :)
I was just hoping that you would write something about this topic and you did!! :D Could you tell why it is important to soak nuts in the fridge?
Hey Pauliina!
Keeping in the fridge just ensures an even temperature and guards against temperature and other environmental fluctuations- therefore preventing mold from forming!
i keep finding conflicting soaking times with all nuts and seeds. dont know which is the correct info. its quite annoying.
Hi! You need not get bogged down with specifics if you don’t want to. Just remember that soaking is very beneficial, and the harder nuts need more time to soak. If it’s easier, just remember to throw the almonds, etc. in the water to soak overnight.
xx Kimberly
Kimberly, I’m curious, did you receive training in raw food preparation or are you all self-taught?
HI Christi- No! Def. not. I was trained! I used to be very not confident in the kitchen at all. Training gave me a lot of confidence in basics- and to venture into making my own recipes, salads, and concoctions. :)
Hi Kimberly,
In the future can you do a post about your favorite seeds, what are the healthiest and different ways to incorporate them into your diet?
And also if someone eats grains, what grains are the healthiest, easiest on digestion, (I have Diverticulosis and IBS or that’s what the gastroentoroligist decided to call what I have), would you suggest any gluten free grains, etc.?
I would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom!
Thank you so much!
-Candace
HI Candace,
Sure I’ll do a blog on seeds! I was going to do one anyway on how to spout them, which is different than soaking nuts.
As for grains that are easiest for digestion- millet is number one! I also suggest Quinoa as the second best option. Millet is the closest to a vegetable. You can spice it up, and it almost tastes like pasta to me.
Check it out and let me know how you do!
xx Kimberly
Hey! i love reading your blog! you have inspired me to eat more raw and also i want to purchase a dehydrator. which one should i buy? i have no idea how to use one or any recipes but id love to get one!!
HI Katie!
That’s great! I have the Excalibur dehydrator. They come in 5 or 9 tray. Be sure that you have a great blender like the Vitamix as your first purchase- before getting one, as that is by fatr the most important thing in your kitchen!!
Let me know how you do.
xx Kimberly
Thanks for the info on sprouting nuts and seeds. I’m not too familiar with this, although it is in my Nourishing Traditions book, and I’m very interested in it.
Are any of the beneficial nutrients lost into the soaking water along with the harmful enzymes?
Hi Emily- No! The beneficial nutrition is enhanced by soaking, you shouldn’t lose any of the good!
xx Kimberly
Hi Kimberly!
First off, thanks so much for your kind response to my earlier questions. (I commented on your recent post re: organic study.) Your blog has really inspired me.
Although I have been all- to mostly raw for about 5 years, I still struggle with food-related issues, primarily digestion. It has been so frustrating. I’ve tried the approaches of many “gurus”, and non of them have seemed to be what my body needs. (My primary issues are the desire to overeat, slow digestion, and delayed/etc [sorry if TMI] elimination, and bloating. Seeing your pictures and reading about your story has given me hope again. My deepest thanks for this.
You mentioned in response to my last post that I might pay mind to cleasing, (I assume primarily colon cleansing) and eating more greens. I took this advice to heart, but have run into some difficulties.
You see, as long as I mono-eat fruit I have no digestive difficulties, pretty much no matter how much I eat. GT’s kombucha, iceburg lettuce, ginger, raw honey, raw agave, cucumbers, and celery also give me no trouble.
Anything else does, to varying degrees. I’ll eat only fruit as long as I can, but I get cravings for salty, savory, spicy, crispy, fatty foods. I love fermented veggies, seaweeds, raw ACV, flax oil (I am ordering Bariani olive oil as per your suggestion), romaine, spinach, and other dark greens. Tomatoes… radishes… carrots… flax crackers, nuts, seeds, avocado… nutritional yeast, cayenne, soy or coconut yogurt- the list goes on.
Even when I don’t overeat, any of these still give me trouble. I’ll wait as long as I can, but soon I can’t stand the bloating and heaviness any longer, and [overdose] on senna to get relief. I do take probiotics afterward for a few days.
Your blog has convinced me to start using salt again (I bought Celtic Sea Salt), get [Bariani’s] olive oil, continue using Bragg’s raw ACV, continue using nutritional yeast, etc. etc. I’m also going to order [really] raw nuts and seeds in bulk and get an Excaliber dehydrator so that I can make flax crackers (which I adore, but haven’t trusted enough to eat in several years).
Your gorgeous skin has compelled me to order the Solution, too. (I have blackheads on my nose and spider veins near my eyes). I’ve told all my friends and posted on my Facebook about your blog and the Solution, so hopefully I am helping you to get more business. You really are an inspiration.
Do you think that you could answer a few questions from me? Regarding what you might recommend I do.avoid? I could send you an email if you prefer, or give you my email address.
These questions include whether you think a colonic might help me, whether I should avoid black pepper/cayenne, and a few other things.
I’m sorry to have posted such a long comment. I’m just so impressed by you and full of respect for you that I find it difficult to restrain myself.
Again, thanks.
<3 Chantal
Oh, and I am very conscious of food combining- esp. w/ fruit.
Hey Chantal!
Wow! Well let me start off by saying that I will give you some general tips, but it is hard for me to give you in depth advice since I don’t know your full health background. Your issues are ones that I have seen before. It is great that you are eating mostly raw food, but if you are eating that high vibration of a diet, you really need to be sure that you are cleansing adequately and properly on a regular basis. And yes, one of these methods are gravity centered colonics, which I really recommend. The fact that you feel that you want to overeat, and they you bloat out and have cravings for salty foods says to me that you may have some kind of blockage in your digestive tract, and if you’ve kicked up a lot of mucus and toxins that can’t leave, you are somehow obstructing nutrients from getting absorbed properly, which causes people to overeat sometimes, even whey they mentally know they should be satiated.
Are you having any Green Smoothies? First of all, your foods are great but you need to make sure you are having more alkaline greens, and fibes, to help sweep things out It sounds like you have a lot of concentrated (non water containing) foods in your diet- flax crackers, seeds, nuts, etc. which is great- but you need to have the greens to balance the equation. Cayenne pepper is fine! Try how is works for your body, but it helps break up mucus in the body and works okay for most people.
My top 2 suggestions for you are to make you are having your Green Smoothies regularly and get some gravity colonics!!
Much love you to my friend, and keep in touch with me and let me know how you do.
xx Kimberly
PS- I suggest giving up the soy yogurt for sure!!! very mucus forming, and could be contributing to your other issues!
Thank you so much! It warms my heart that you would take so much time to help.
~Chantal
Of course!
Hi Kimberly – This is unrelated to this post, but I had a question about Colonics. I came across and old blog post/comment and you mention you might know a good hydro therapist to recommend out in Los Angeles? I’m looking to get my first one and I’d appreciate the referral. Thank you!
Hi Becky!
I wish I could recommend a good one in LA, but from what I hear, they are a bit harder to come by. You can find one though, you just have to nose around! From what I understand, in LA they use predominantly hydraulic pressure colonics, which in my opinion really hurt! And don’t get out as much in an efficient way. The machines look more modern, and that is why I think more clinics are using them. I really like the gravity colonics the best. I think there are a few places that have it- and I recommend really seeking them out. Instead of filling you up and having you expel, you get a continuous flow of water in and out.
Good luck and let me know how you do for sure!!
xx Kimberly
Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of knowledge!
I want to share that you can tell your almonds are ‘sprouted’ by peeling back the skin at the tip and seeing the little ‘nib’ of the almond sprout.
Also, what is your take on the almond peel/skin? Do you need to peel almonds after they soak? I have heard the skins in large quantities can be harmful.
thanks!
Shep
can u recomend a great sprouted gluten free bread?
HI Gillian! I like the Ezekial Brand as well as Shiloh Farms. :)
xx Kimberly
Hey Kim. Do you need to cover the nuts/seeds in the fridge when soaking? Also, after rinsing can you just wipe down with a paper towel and refrigerate? Some talk about putting in the oven or dehydrating.
Two more things: is it necessary to remove the peels or just those that are loose?
As for subsequent storage, is 2 days true for soaking as well as spouting? Can you just go by smell?
Hello from Russia
Hi! very interesting blog, wondering if you can tell me how long to dehydrate almonds after soaking to just store them in the fridge and eat them for awhile… it’s my first time! Thanks again.
Hi Natasha,
After soaking them you can just air dry them- you don’t have to dehydrate them. They will keep in the fridge well for a few days.
xx Kimberly
Hello,
My kids go to a Waldorf school and we love the idea of sprouted almonds that they use, but whenever I work in the classroom I see black mold on the sprouted almonds. I have read that eating this can affect our immune system. How can I gently bring my concerns up, have you seen black mold on almonds before? I think they are not properly drying them first. Thank you so much!
There should definitely not be black mold- which could really be toxic to the little ones’ livers!!! I would tell them that you’ve been researching sprouted almonds, and learned that mold should not be growing! Good luck, let me know how it goes. Love, Kimberly
Hi Kimberly,
since I have come to know about your website from a friend I am hooked! Thanks for the many tips and suggestions! Just a quick question concerning this post: do you need to soak sesame seeds also? And for how long?
Many thanks!
Lisa
Kim-
Do I need to soak the cashews in the Key Lime Bar recipe? Also do the cashews need to be raw? Thanks!
P.S. My whole family is drinking green smoothies now:)
Elly
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Do I need to soak the chia seeds or the raw hemp seeds for recipes?
i wonder when part 2 will come out….
Thank you for the great article. ;) I have a mixed raw nut bag that i would like to sprout. what do you reccomend for soaking if they are mixed? thanks :)
Thanks for this. I recently started having trouble with acid reflux and major digestive problems after 3 rounds of antibiotics to kill a very serious strep infection that spread through my body. I normally never take them but this time I had no choice. I normally eat mostly raw nuts seeds and raw veggies, but I can’t digest them now without getting sick, abdominal pain and reflux. So I’ve had to resort to bone broths, sauerkraut and steaming veggies to mush (or organic baby food veggies in a pinch). I tried soaking some almonds per your instructions and was able to eat them without any problems as long as I chewed them very well.
Plus they taste much better. I hate the taste of raw almonds but I have always eaten them anyway.
It could also be the environment they are sprouting in as well and just as well as the air surrounding you. Like perfumes, or laundry detergents, or air fresheners and whatnot can still enter the pores of your skin. For me, I’m highly sensitive to them, so I know they can enter the body. Even when I don’t breathe them in, I still get affected like my arm tensing up and my throat itching and closing up and coughing, and mind can’t focus or concentrate and becoming dizzy and weak and almost fainting. Things like this happen to me including those that are inflicted with multiple chemical sensitivities. So be wary of your surroundings too, for the air is just as important as the food you consume ^^ It’ll take some time for you to get to health just as well even without the use of antibiotics. It just takes time to adjust, and sometimes even we have to toughen it out so that our bodies learn a way around it. I just hope you start to get better, and I hope you can get off the antibiotics and such over time, and hopefully the foods will continue having a beneficial effect on your body. Since our bodies are made up of minerals and we need both minerals and vitamins and fatty acids and whatnot, eventually they help restore our organs back to health and strengthen them, as everything in our bodies is made up of chemicals (of course natural chemicals) and cells.
Almonds themselves are pasteurized if you’re in America, and aren’t truly raw even if you buy the organic ones, unless you get them from certain sources (I haven’t bought any so I can’t help there) Water too would definitely help soften up the foods (if soaked long enough) and chewing thoroughly, but you should try herbs as well. Herbs have ways around that can quickly heal the body of certain maladies, but also eating a wide variety of foods like a rainbow of them and as whole as possible. I know you need to boil and mash them, but there are fruits and vegetables which are soft enough especially when soaked like bananas for instance or kale or lettuce, so that way you can eat them raw just like certain sprouted based foods ^^
i have a question regarding the preparation of chia seeds and flax seed. do you need to soak them overnight?? throughout your beauty detox book, you claim that one should always soak nuts and seeds (and chia and flaxseed are seeds right??) and then rinse well. but your chia delight recipe doesn’t include that pre step of soaking and rinsing. and in the book, when you suggest taking 1 tbsp of grounded flaxseed, should it already be soaked and rinsed?? thanks a lot for your help!
You don’t need to soak chia and flax seeds. Both form a gel when soaked, you can make super easy yummy crackers that way, but soaking them before using them in most things will just cause you frustration. For instance, if you try to grind soaked flax seed it makes a thick frothy gel, it reminds me a lot of whipped cream, lovely but not useful in all recipes.
I have been researching flax seeds, and while I hear they have health benefits, I heard they have many bad things about them that make them unsafe….. such as too much “fake” estrogens, omega-3..?…. cyanide, and some other “poisons” which ultimately give you cancer. Is this true?? Also, how much seeds and nuts altogether should you consume per day, without overdosing?
Hi Anne…I would stay around 1 tablespoon of flax seeds, if you are concerned with any health risks. This will give you your daily omega- 3 fat. Remember, flax seeds help you improve digestion, give you clear skin, lower cholesterol, reduce sugar cravings, balance hormones, fight cancer and promote weight loss as well as many other positive health benefits. As always, I encourage you to talk to your health care practitioner with any health concerns you may have regarding consuming this item and how much, to ensure you are receiving the omega’s your body needs. Hope this helps! ;)