Do you eat RAW BRAZIL NUTS?

Doing so makes the nuts begin to sprout, which causes the enzymes inside the nuts break down. In their sprouting state, all of the proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids are activated, which means your body can absorb them all and get the most out of them, whether you're just eating them as a snack or adding them to a meal. Inactivated nuts, whether they are raw or roasted, contain enzyme inhibitors that prevent your digestive system from extracting all of their valuable nutrients.

Brazil nuts are probably the richest dietary source of the mineral selenium, something most of us, particularly women, do not get enough of. Various studies suggest that proper selenium intake is linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer as well as prostate cancer. Magnesium is an essential mineral needed for calcium absorption as well as aiding relaxation, and is found in good levels in Brazil nuts.

Proper preparation by soaking your nuts and grains overnight neutralises the phytic acid making them more easily digested --- plus it increases the nutritional value! Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient. It prevents your body from absorbing minerals and binds with them to make them unavailable to the body for use.

SOAKING NUTS  & HOW TO DEHYDRATE THEM

Make sure the nuts are unsalted and raw - not roasted.

Cover the raw nuts with water. Pour enough water into the bowl until all are submerged by about 4 cm (1.5 ins) of water. Add about a tablespoon (9 to 18 grams) of sea salt to the bowl. Use a spoon to stir the nuts, salt, and water together.
• The salt makes the nuts taste better and helps to deactivate the enzyme inhibitors.
Leave overnight to soak.

In the morning, drain the water from the nuts. Rinse if preferred, but no need to rinse them if you don't want to - they are good with a hint of saltiness.

Season nuts with salt , or a dry mix if you like a bit of extra spiciness. Fill the bottom of a small bowl with salt, cinnamon, paprika seasoning, or one of your favourite spice mixes. Toss the nuts in the dry mix until they are evenly coated.

Spread the nuts onto a solid sheet - Akela silicone sheets are a great choice!

Place in the Excalibur dehydrator, set to 66C (150F.) ... although raw foodies prefer not to go over 40C (105F) . Leave until the nuts are completely dry and crisp, for at least around 12-20 hours - or even more if you prefer them to be crunchy!

Make sure to dry the nuts completely or they may mould if kept over 2 weeks.

After cooling (about an hour) - Store in an airtight container ... if you can manage to resist the temptation to eat them all 🙂

The Amazing Eco--Friendly BRAZIL NUT!

Meaty and uniquely flavoured, Brazil nuts offer more than just an interesting addition to a bowl of mixed nuts. Recently, they have become much more revered as a healthy addition to your diet,due to their wonderful attributes.

Brazil nuts are 18 per cent protein, 13 per cent carbohydrates and 69 per cent fat, with their fat breakdown being roughly 25 per cent saturated, 41 per cent mono-unsaturated and 34 per cent polyunsaturated.

Brazil nuts are probably the richest dietary source of the mineral selenium, something most of us, particularly women, do not get enough of. Various studies suggest that proper selenium intake is linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer as well as prostate cancer. Magnesium is an essential mineral needed for calcium absorption as well as aiding relaxation, and is found in good levels in Brazil nuts.

A study of obese adolescents found that eating eight Brazil nuts per day not only increased levels of the anti- oxidant selenium, but also reduced LDL cholesterol.

So --- Time to eat some, don't you think 🙂