J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2010 Oct-Dec; 1(4): 241–242.

doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.74421

PMCID: PMC3117313

PMID: 21731368

A traditional way of rice preparation with particular benefits for Arthritis and musculo-skeletal disorders

Muralidhar Kontum

Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Sir,

The review paper by Chopra in J-AIM[1] concerning Ayurveda drugs for Arthritis is clearly of great value to those who have contracted the disease, but in order to be considered full Ayurveda treatments, such drugs need to be combined with diet and lifestyle recommendations appropriate to the patient. In this sense the studies concerned are not really about Ayurveda as practiced, but about a bowdlerized Ayurveda seen from the biomedical perspective, with its treatments implemented and evaluated strictly as a substitution for western medicine. This constitutes a sad failure to acknowledge Ayurveda’s unique features which promise to give it a highly valued place in medicine globally.

Diet and lifestyle components of Ayurveda are fundamental, and, as is well known, Ayurveda states that even the administration of the correct medicine to cure a complaint may not be of lasting value unless the lifestyle and diet of the patient are attended to. Most chronic illnesses or degenerative diseasees like arthritis result from persistent stresses placed on the system by personal habits which, in the long term, build into unacceptable strain on regulatory function. Over the years, such strain drives the system to breaking point, and pathology results.

Ayurveda is clear that diet and lifestyle have to be attended to. Without such action, say its texts, disease will inevitably return. To implement this, the vaidya plays the role of ‘doctor’ in the true sense of the word’s Latin root, ‘docere’, meaning ‘to teach’. Ayurveda traditional treatments incorporate components of instruction in remedial diet and so on, to help bring the patient’s regulatory system back to whatever state of relative equilibrium can still be regained after years of misuse. If the patient’s system is strong, however, such remedial instruction can often be of actual curative value.

Knowledge of good dietary practices was deeply embedded in India’s traditional culture. Earlier generations often observed age-old procedures for doing particular things for reasons they did not fully understand, but did out of habit from the example of their elders. Skeptical younger generations did not always continue to conform to tradition, and so the knowledge has slowly been lost.

In the case of arthritis, there is a method of cooking rice which appears to be very effective in helping musculoskeletal conditions. The method removes extra starch, increases vitamin content, and generally improves nutritional value, in such a way that arthritic conditions and several other classes of pathology seem to benefit considerably.

The method of preparation is simple and straightforward. First cook your rice with enough excess water, so that when water remaining after cooking is drained off, any excess starch is removed with it. Instead of throwing this valuable starch solution down the drain, it is used constructively: half is offered to animals and plants, while the other half is inoculated with buttermilk and a pinch of fenugreek seeds - apparently because the strain of yeast that grows on fenugreek seeds is of particular value - and fermented overnight. The following day it is added to the pot in which the day’s rice is being cooked.

The value of this procedure is easy to understand. Firstly, the most soluble carbohydrates are removed from the rice, so sugar loading is decreased. Early stages of digestion of ingested material may be expected to cause less impact on blood glucose levels. Secondly, decrease in the food’s Kapha content as a result of reduction of easily available carbohydrates decreases tendencies to constipation, and improves elimination. Finally, the food’s added microbial content from the lactobacillus and yeast considerably increases its nutritional value.

This single procedure therefore has health promoting and preventative value for many conditions. Decrease in sugar loading will reduce tendencies to obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 Diabetes. The reduction in Kapha and constipation will tend to improve long term colon health, and all conditions involving ama, and amavata, such as the various forms of arthritis. Improved vitamin content from the lactobacillus and yeast (killed by the cooking) will help all conditions. I have extensive anecdotal evidence for all these kinds of benefit from adopting the procedure.

My grandmother never failed to use the above procedure when cooking the day’s rice, and our family enjoyed excellent health, but neither she nor the next generation understood the basis for its benefits. When she died, it ceased. Some years ago, seeking ways to improve health, I remembered her procedure, so I then adopted it, and have found it beneficial.

I recently recommended it to an elderly female friend, who had become bedridden from arthritis. Within two weeks of adopting it she was on her feet and able to do housework again. I then told two vaidyas about it, and after the wife had lost four pounds in ten days, they were sufficiently impressed to print a small pamphlet and distribute it among their patients. They received many reports of freedom from constipation, and feelings of lightness in the body that had developed over a similar time period.

The same vaidyas said that they did not know of reference for this procedure in Ayurveda’s literature, but this does not make it less Ayurvedic. Ayurveda’s knowledge of life and how to improve life-span has been recorded, and ‘codified’, by those who observed benefits received by their fellow human-beings from whatever cause. Today’s Charaka Samhita is a compilation of such observations over many millennia, now amplified by all later Nighantus.

This kind of procedure is a free way to improve health. It could be easily taught by doctor-vaidyas everywhere. Precise assessment of its benefits as a preventive measure would be of interest to evidence-based medicine; so would its therapeutic applications. In his summary of his work to the World Ayurveda Congress*, Dr Chopra mentioned that he would like to see Ayurveda’s holistic treatments assessed, not simply their phytomedicines used as substitutes for biomedical drugs. Might he and his colleagues not consider also evaluating the benefits which the above procedure may bring to his patients, and eventually those in some future arthritis study? Then he will be one step closer to evaluating Ayurveda as actually practiced.

Go to:

REFERENCES

1. Chopra A, Saluja M, Tillu G. Ayurveda - Modern medicine interface: A critical appraisal of studies of Ayurvedic medicines to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. J Ayur Integr Med. 2010;1:190–8.[PMC free article] [PubMed]

Pickles and other such fermented foods should be taken only in condiment size, never in excess

Fermented Foods and Ayurveda

by John Douillard on September 7, 2013 | 9 Comments

A common misconception is that, in Ayurveda, fermented foods like alcohol, cheese and pickled veggies are considered tamasic, or dulling to the mind, and should be avoided.

However, in India, as well as in Ayurvedic cooking, you will commonly find a cheese called paneer. While paneer is not fermented for days like traditional cheeses, adding lemon to milk, as is done to make paneer, initiates the process of lacto-fermentation.

Ayurveda recommends drinking lassi—a drink made of yogurt and water or buttermilk—at each meal to help aid digestion. Veggies and fruits are fermented into chutneys, rice and beans into dosas and idlis, and fermented wines, called Arishthas and Asavas, have been enjoyed for thousands of years.

Whether you age cheese or vegetables for months, or quickly whip up homemade yogurt, the underlying process, called lacto-fermentation, is the same. And, as it turns out, it is as much a part of the Ayurvedic culture as it was in Northern Europe.

Where does this dogma come from?

It could be that the climate in India is warm year-round, so there is no need to preserve fruits and veggies to preserve foods for the cold season. Fermenting food for months, according to Ayurveda, will render the food overly heating and dulling, and was unnecessary.

This effect, however, only happens when fermented foods are taken in excess, which is never recommended, even by Western advocates of fermented foods. Sally Fallon, who is perhaps the leading authority on Northern European fermented foods, recommends them only in small quantities, as condiment-size.

Fermented or cultured foods traditionally provided a healthy culture to inoculate the intestinal tract. In Ayurveda, this was already accomplished by ingesting lacto-fermented dairy.

Pitta Aggravation

Ayurveda says that fermented or cultured foods are heating or pitta-aggravating and, in excess, may cause overheating and/or inflammation. This makes sense for Northern European cultures who needed the heat to survive long winters, but can be a real cause of imbalance in a hot climate, like parts of India.

However, even in the summer, in small amounts, fermented foods can boost digestive strength – which is why lassi was always taken with the meal.

As long as a meal is primarily sattvic (energy-boosting and enlivening), a touch of fermented food as a condiment will typically only be beneficial.

Remember, nature requires a balance of mostly sattva, rajas and tamas. So it is unnatural to alienate oneself totally from rajas and tamas. While these are only needed in small portions, they are a natural part of balanced life.

It is always important to remember that Ayurveda is the science of life. If we look deeply enough, we will find the answers in the wisdom and logic of nature.

Comments

Kim says

September 11, 2015 at 10:24 am

Thank you so much for this! I kind of figured that was the answer, but was looking for someone with authority on the subject. I’ve started my whole body health journey and the Ayurvedic way seemed to be the most logical way to go, until I became confused about the fermentation issue because I’ve also done research on Sally Fallon and Weston A. Price. Thank you again.

https://lifespa.com/fermented-foods-and-ayurveda/

Another article on the same subject - https://easyayurveda.com/2017/02/21/avoid-pickles-food/

Lentils - history, farming, food, nutrient, cultural belief

History

Lentils go as back as 13,000 years (we know this from cave excavations in Greece and Morocco).

All the our current colorful and diverse cooking lentils (lens culinaris) varieties descended from a one wild middle-east strain (lens orientalis).

Lentils cultivation moved from middle east to Egypt and Central Europe. In Bronze age, they moved to India and the Mediterranean.

***

Lentil Farming

Today, lentil are mostly grown in areas with little humidity and mostly barren soil.

Lentil farming: Lentils grow in dry regions where there is no water facility
My note: Would farmers grow lentil or have grown lentils in the past if proper irrigation facility was available to them.

Lentil farming: Doesn't grow so well in fertile soil. Because humidity and fertile soil lead to growth of too many leaves and too few seeds (i.e. lentils).

Hence, lentils are part of dry regions and dry seasons.

Rust disease (fungus disease that looks like rust on leaves): Outbreak of rust in Ethiopia has destroyed thousands of hectares of crop.

Lentil Scientist in Ethiopia: Says that's why both yield and disease resistance are equally important when developing new breeds.

Nitrogen fixing bacteria - grow at the roots of lentil plants. These bacteria take nitrogen from the air and concentrate it in their root nodules. This trait is especially useful for peasant farmers who cannot use artificial fertilizers. The nitrogen acts as a natural fertilizer. The nitrogen usually amounts to 90 kgs per hectare. 

Saskatchewan, Canada: This improvement in soil is the reason why farmers in Saskatchewan, Canada have introduced the crop in 1970s. Lentils are grown once in 4 years. Lentils are planted in those fields that would remain fallow for an entire year.

Even though lentils are not consumed in Canada. Saskatchewan has become the lentil treasury of the world. In 2016, the regions farmers harvested 3.2 million tonnes of lentils worth almost EUR 2 billion, almost entirely for the purpose of export. More than half the world's traded lentils are from Saskatchewan.

But why did Saskatchewan flourish in lentil growing?
Because lentil farmers came together, funded good scientists who developed good breeds - which give higher yields as well as harvest-able by machines. Scientists produced breeds that ensure there are no weeds. Farmers worldwide spend significant time and effort in attending to the weeds.

My note: Canada may be supplying most of the lentils we are eating in India. Also, note that EUR 2 billion is a significant number.

***

Lentil as food

As Saskatchewan, Canada farmer says that although lentils are not consumed in Canada, lentils are 'a cheaper source of protein'.

My note: Have lentils begun to be used as food because they are 'cheap' relative to 'meat'?

***

Nutrient source

Lentils when de-husked and cooked contain about 25% protein. The only lentil to contain more protein is soybean. Others like peas and beans fall short.

Lentils are rich in fiber, minerals, trace minerals and vitamins.

Minerals - Magnesium, Phosphorous, Iron 

Trace Minerals - Zinc, Selenium

Vitamins - Folic acid, Vitamin B6, Thiamine

***

From the video below: Over the last 40 years, world population has gone up by 80%. In the same time, lentil consumption has gone up by 350%.

My note: Is the dramatic increase in lentil consumption the cause of increase in many diseases over the last 40 years?

***

From the video below: In India, lentils are mostly eaten without the outer cover.

My note: Is eating without the outer cover and without fermenting the cause of many diseases? (From another place in the video below, it says, the out cover has lot of amino acids). But we also know that generally outer cover of grains is very difficult to digest. Eating outer cover could irritate the gut. But outer cover is required for fermentation process e.g. in Idli batter making, blackgram (minapa-pappu) is fermented overnight with the outer cover. Without the outer cover, idly batter fermentation does not happen properly.

***

From the video below (This is mentioned by one of the world's top lentil scientist/breeder from Canada): In Ethiopia, bride and groom are fed lentils for one week before marriage because of the lentils' sexual powers.

Similarly, in Sri Lanka, where no lentils are grown, lentils are eaten before marriage.

Similarly in North India, lentils are know for their increasing sexual powers.

My Note: Even in Andhra, minapa-Sunnundalu (sweet dish made with powdered black gram and ghee) are eaten by newly married couples and pregnant women.

***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztNKrvr3hzQ

eating the uncooked stomach, intestines, and their contents after an animal kill.

‎Julie Leonardo‎ to Healthy curiosity

15 hrs · 

Just googled and found a Reddit discussion on carnivore diet. Someone was discussing fermentation to feed the gut microbes of the Inuit. Here is something someone said....I should look it up:

"think gut bacteria may be an issue. I remember reading an article about a group of Inuit who fermented blubber by digging a hole and burying the food. Some do-gooders came in and brought them hygienic plastic buckets so their wouldn't be so much dirt in their food and the tribe got severely ill. This is because instead of being fermented by soil bacteria, the fat just rotted.

The Inuit traditionally had a bunch of strategies for increasing gut flora, which often included eating the uncooked stomach, intestines, and their contents after an animal kill.

The Hazda tribe similarly eats the raw stomach and colon of a fresh kill.

I have heard of other tribes with limited diets who find and eat bird poop out of their nest for the microbes.

In a western diet, we kill all the microbes on the meat, and we get all our microbes from plants."

Hmmmm...this is the one issue that has concerned me about going zero car....my gut microflora is a mess. I dont know that supplementation would do the same job as something dietary and daily, but without plants. However I dont plan on eating raw stomach and colon....just.can't.do. it! Haha!

Chinese ferment rice in making noodles - pH of fermented rice is low

Soaking

The length of time rice is soaked can range from short period (several hours) for unfermented noodles to long period (several days) for fermented noodles.

Natural fermentation occurs after rice is soaked for a long time.

The purpose of soaking for a short time is to allow water to penetrate into the rice kernel, which results in high moisture content and less rigid structure without initiating fermentation. It takes 2-3 hours in summer and 4-5 hours in winter for the moisture content to reach 26-30% at room temperature.

Soaking rice for a longer time is essential for producing naturally fermented rice noodles. During this procedure, rice is not only soaked to absorb water, but also to allow natural fermentation to occur. Normally, this takes 2-3 days in Summer and 4-5 days in winter. Fermentation is facilitated by various microbes, especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts.

The effect of fermentation by lactic acid bacteria and other bacteria is decrease in pH. The rice and soaking water have an initial pH of 7 (neutral), and this decreases to a pH of 4 when fermentation is complete. In a study by Lu et al, the pH of supernatant decreased to 4.2 after 24 hour and remained constant at 4.1.

The main organic acids in the supernant were lactic acid and acetic acid. Lactic acid was predominant, indicating that some of the LAB involved were heterofermentative. It has been reported that fermentation plays an important role in improving nutritional content, flavor and texture of rice noodles.

http://www.aaccnet.org/publications/plexus/cfw/Documents/CFW-60-3-0515.pdf

Fermenting lentils - For longer fermentation time, you'll need to add salt to keep the molds out.

7

Fermenting Lentils (self.fermentation)

submitted 1 year ago by xRipleyx

I sprouted lentils and I'd like to ferment them using whey from yogurt. Do I have to add salt to this or can I ferment using whey only?

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[–]Cdresden 3 points 1 year ago 

Idlis are steamed pancakes made from fermented lentils and rice, but the fermentation time is short, only a day. For longer fermentation time, you'll need to add salt to keep the molds out.

I wouldn't try to ferment living, sprouted lentils. The live plants have a natural resistance to fermentation. You'd want to kill the sprouted lentils by boiling briefly.

[–]Watawkichaw 3 points 1 year ago 

I was at a workshop with Sandor Katz and he just soaked them over night, then blended them with some cooked rice. The pink solution was then placed in a jar overnight (2 days) and it would raise on its own. His recipe in wild fermentation allows the use of kefir or yogurt. Check it out!

[–]LibertyLipServiceAji's Are Awesome 2 points 1 year ago 

That sounds tasty!

I personally wouldn't use whey.

I prefer a 2 1/2 to 4 percent salt by weight saline solution.

[–]imightbemary 2 points 1 year ago 

I ferment lentils and other beans using yogurt as a starter all the time, so whey would likely work. You don't have to add salt, but I usually do since I live in a warmer climate and it keeps the fermentation from proceeding too quickly.

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[–]sacredblasphemieskeckek el fouqara, nuka pickles. 2 points 1 year ago 

I've never done this, so take my post with a grain of salt (See what I did there?) but I would definitely recommend using salt.

The point of adding salt is to create a hospitable environment for lactobacilli..which in turn will create an inhospitable environment for harmful bacteria.

****

Fermenting Lentils

Posted on Thu 19 Apr 2012 at 3:00 PM PST. Filed under Recipes.

I wrote it before, and I will write it once more: The (proper) dairy is my No1 point of disagreement with mainline Paleo, with lentils being the No2. Lentils have too much iron, manganese, and folate, nutrients that are sorely missed when going too-low carb. They are essentially the best kinds of legumes in terms of nutrition. Unfortunately, they also have a lot of anti-nutrients: loads of lectins, to be exact.

In the olden days, beans would only be eaten while they’ve been previously fermented (soy too). But in the fast-pacing modern days we live in, convenience rules, so people stopped fermenting foods. According to an experiment carried out by researchers, a 24 to 36 hours fermentation of lentils gets rid of most of the lectins! At the end of the fermentation, the lectins and anti-nutrients surviving are not more than the ones found on a carrot or spinach. So in my opinion, Paleo fanatics who are adamant about the no-legumes rule, need to ease up. Just like with dairy, there are exceptions to the rule.

Lentils and Peas by Photobunny Earl. Licensed under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0.

So, how to ferment lentils? There are two ways to do this, either via pickling, or via lacto-fermentation (preferred).

Common Steps (for 1 cup of lentils):

A. Lentils are usually cross-contaminated with grains (since they grow in grass fields), so you must go through your raw lentils and remove anything that doesn’t look like a lentil.

B. Wash the lentils thoroughly using your palms, and sift-strain them.

Acidity Fermentation:

1. Place in a bowl, and add double the amount of water than that of lentils. The water must be slightly warm, around 30 C. For this type of fermentation, any kind of water will do, but filtered is best.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of raw vinegar, or the juice of a small lemon into the water. Stir, and cover (but not air-tight).

3. After 12 hours, strain the water away, and repeat steps 1 & 2 (every 12 hours). Ferment for 24 to 36 hours.

Lacto-fermentation:

1. Place in a bowl, and add double the amount of water than that of lentils. The water must be slightly warm, but no more than 25-30 C. For this type of fermentation, non-tap water must be used. Use either filtered, or bottled water. The good bacteria we will use to ferment, can’t survive on tap water.

2. Add 1.5 tablespoons of plain yogurt, or preferably, 1/4 cup of home-made goat kefir. Stir, and cover (but not air-tight).

3. After 12 hours, strain the water away, and repeat steps 1 & 2 (every 12 hours). Ferment for 24 to 36 hours.

Drain and wash them again, then cook your lentils according to your recipe (although probably they will require less cooking time).

***

FERMENTING LENTILS FOR SOUP AND OTHER DISHES

Lentils are popular all over the world, and for good reason. Their nutrient content is wonderful, they are packed with filling protein. However, like all legumes, lentils can be difficult for some to digest.

Lacto-fermentation, aided with the many strains of bacteria found in cultured dairy, can help prepare your lentils for the soup pot and make them easier to digest. 

INGREDIENTS:

2-4 teaspoon sea salt

8-16 cups water

2 cups lentils

¼-1 cup whey from yogurt or kefir (optional)

Instructions for Fermenting Lentils:

Disslove 1 teaspoon sea salt in 4 cups water. 

Place lentils in a bowl and cover with salt water. Add ¼ cup whey, if desired. Stir and cover with a tight-weave cloth or breathable towel. Leave in a warm spot to soak for 12 hours. 

Strain the soaking water off and add fresh salt water and a bit more whey, if desired. Ferment another 12 hours. 

Repeat for a total of 24 to 48 hours, depending on the temperature. 

Finally, drain, rinse, and cook as desired. Note that the cooking time might be significantly less due to the long soaking process.

****

Fermenting seems to be the best method to cook mung daal.

How to Soak, Boil, Sprout & Ferment Beans and Other Legumes

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COREY PEMBERTON

Beans and other legumes are a big part of many people’s diets.

They’re cheap to buy, keep for a long time, and come highly recommended by government agencies and mainstream nutrition groups.

You won’t find them in most Paleo recipes, though. While there’s some disagreement about certain legumes and grains (like white rice), the general consensus is that most of these foods do more harm than good. Their nutritional value just doesn’t stack up to animal protein or vegetables and fruits.

(Read: What Are Legumes?)

A lot of people don’t realize it, but how these foods are prepared has a big impact on whether they’re harmful or healthy.

Most people today are eating beans and other legumes (like peas and lentils) that haven’t been processed to remove dangerous anti-nutrients.

But if you’re willing to change the way you prepare these foods, you can lessen some of the dangers.

A Host of Dangerous Anti-Nutrients

Because plants can’t pick up and run like animals can, they evolved different mechanisms to protect themselves and their seeds from predators (1). Some of these mechanisms – anti-nutrients – explain why legumes aren’t recommended by most Paleo experts.

Phytates are one of the most dangerous and common anti-nutrients found in legumes. These chemicals exist naturally in those foods, but they cause issues for us by binding themselves to calcium, zinc, iron, and other important vitamins and minerals (2). This process stops our bodies from absorbing those key nutrients, which can lead to mineral deficiencies and other serious problems like osteoporosis (3).

 Eating lectins all the time breaks down the integrity of the gut lining, leading to indigestion, inflammation, and other serious problems… 

Lectins are another anti-nutrient to keep in mind. They’re found in all kinds of foods, but they are particularly concentrated in legumes. Lectins protect plants by helping seeds pass through predators’ digestive tracts still intact, but they’re harmful to us because they pass through intestinal walls and into our bloodstream. Eating lectins all the time breaks down the integrity of the gut lining, leading to indigestion, inflammation, and other serious problems like leaky gut and autoimmune diseases (4, 5).

Unfortunately, modern food processing methods do little (if anything) to remove these harmful anti-nutrients before they make their way onto your pantry shelves.

But societies have eaten legumes for thousands of years without struggling with so many health issues.

What gives?

Traditional Food Preparation Techniques Remove Anti-Nutrients

Civilizations around the world haven’t always had reliable access to quality produce and animal protein. So they developed simple ways to minimize the harmful anti-nutrients found in legumes, making them healthier to eat and digest.

Here are some of their methods you could try today:

Soaking

One of the easiest ways to remove anti-nutrients from beans and other legumes is to simply soak them in water for several hours before cooking them.

A lot of the anti-nutrients are actually in the skin of these foods. Because they’re on the surface of the food and water-soluble, some of them dissolve when you soak them in water (6).

Just how many anti-nutrients soaking can remove depends on the type of legume you choose. One study compared soaking white beans, broad beans, lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans for 12 hours at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers found this reduced phytates by between eight and 20 percent (7). Another study published in the Journal of Food Science focused on brown beans and tracked the effects of soaking them at different temperatures. Longer soaking times and the warmest water caused the greatest decrease in phytates (8).

 The soaking process itself is pretty straightforward: 1) water, 2) heat, and 3) time. 

Soaking legumes can also help remove lectins. One study found that soaking pigeon peas for six to 18 hours decreased their lectin content by between 38 and 50 percent (9). And Michigan State University researchers found that soaking red kidney beans for 12 hours decreased lectin by almost 49 percent (10).

The soaking process itself is pretty straightforward. It isn’t an exact science, but the common elements (no matter which types of beans or legumes you choose) are: 1) water, 2) heat, and 3) time.

Start out by warming water in a kettle. Using very warm water – but not too warm – has shown be the most effective at degrading legume anti-nutrients. 140 degrees Fahrenheit is just about right. Once you have hot water ready to go, pour it over your beans and leave them in a warm place.

Your beans will absorb some of the water as it cools, so feel free to add more warm water if the levels drop too much. Let your beans soak for a long enough amount of time – between 12 and 18 hours is a good goal – to strip away as many anti-nutrients as you can.

When you finish soaking the beans, just rinse them off and cook them like you normally would. Or, you can try another preparation method discussed below.

It’s important to point out here that you don’t have to choose just one method of preparation. It’s actually a great idea to combine multiple methods because it removes even more anti-nutrients (11). It takes more time and effort, but it makes these foods much less harmful to your body should you decide to eat them.

Sprouting

Sprouting – when little sprouts start emerging from the legume seeds – is the next logical step after soaking because that’s exactly what happens if you keep watering them.

Sprouting takes longer than soaking, but it makes the nutrients in legumes more available to your body when you eat them (12). This is because anti-nutrients like phytate and lectin break down due to changes within the seeds.

Sprouting has the biggest impact on phytates. Just how much of an impact depends on the type of legume. One study found that sprouting peanuts decreased their phytates by only 25 percent, but decreased the phytate content in chickpeas and lentils by around 50 percent (13).

It takes time to reap these benefits, usually four or five days. But sprouting causes a significant reduction in phytates. It becomes even more powerful if you combine it with soaking or fermentation.

How do you cause your legumes to sprout?

It begins like soaking. After you rinse off any soil and dirt, let the seeds sit for between two and 12 hours in cool water. Then, rinse the seeds and drain as much water as you can. Then put the seeds in a sprouting container (called a “sprouter”). You can find a decent sprouter online for as little as 10 dollars.

Put the seeds in the sprouter, then leave it at room temperature but out of direct sunlight. Rinse and drain the seeds several (two to four) more times once every eight to 12 hours until the sprouts come out of the seeds. Then, continue to prepare the sprouted seeds or cook them like you normally would.

Just like soaking, sprouting is more of an art and a science. Ben Greenfield put together a handy reference chart to help you figure out how long it should take to sprout specific types of legumes here.

Fermenting

Fermentation happens when bacteria or yeasts start digesting the carbohydrates in food. Usually, foods ferment by accident. That’s when they’ve sat too long without being eaten and we consider them “spoiled.”

But we also ferment foods on purpose all the time. That’s the only way to make a lot of foods and drinks – everything from yogurts and cheeses to coffees and wines.

 One study found that fermenting reduced phytates in kidney beans by 85%, soybeans by 77%, and mung beans by 69%. 

With legumes, fermentation is useful because it significantly degrades both phytate and lectin content. One study found that fermenting reduced phytates in kidney beans by 85 percent, soybeans by 77 percent, and mung beans by 69 percent (14).

How do you ferment legumes?

It’s easiest to ferment them after you’ve already cooked them. So go ahead and do that, as well as any other steps like soaking and sprouting, first. Then it’s time to add a bacteria culture to kick off the fermentation process. You can use any of these:

Brine from lacto-fermented vegetables

Kombucha

Powdered starter culture

Water kefir

Whey from cultured yogurt or kefir

Use about a tablespoon of culture for every cup of beans. If you decide to use a powdered culture, just follow the directions and use the recommended amount. After you add the culture, it’s time to break the skins of the legumes so the culture can reach the starches. You can mash your legumes completely or just apply enough pressure to break the skin. Feel free to throw in some herbs and spices for flavor.

(Read: 5 Paleo Super Herbs)

Next, put everything in a sealed container and let them culture in a warm place for a few days. Open the container lid every once in a while to release the gases that build up during the process. You can turn fermented legumes into cold salads or use them as dips.

Boiling

Boiling legumes when you cook them is one preparation method you’re probably already using.

Exposing legumes to high heat can help eliminate some of their anti-nutrients. One study found that boiling peas for 80 minutes reduced their lectin content by almost 80 percent (15).

While high heat is effective against lectins and other anti-nutrients, phytates are heat-resistant. Boiling doesn’t have much of an effect on of them. However, boiling your grains and legumes after you’ve used one (or more) other traditional preparation methods can be a good way to knock out a lot of phytates and lectins, making whatever you eat more healthy and digestible.

Is It Worth It?

We just went over different ways to prepare beans and other legumes to make them less harmful. If all of that sounded like a lot of trouble, you might be wondering if it’s even worth the time!

Yes, preparing these foods properly takes some effort and patience. But there’s no reason why you have to eat legumes. Nutritionally, you won’t find anything in them that you can’t find in the pillars of a healthy Paleo diet: vegetables, animal products, and fruits. Most of those foods are more nutritionally dense than beans and other legumes anyway.

The only reason to consider eating legumes is if you like the taste. If you decide to go that route, make it an occasional indulgence instead of a regular thing. Remember: even traditional preparation methods don’t get rid of all the anti-nutrients, and you could be getting more nutrients by eating other foods.

A Personal Decision

The best move for your health is to stay away from all legumes and their harmful anti-nutrients. You avoid the downsides, and the foods you do eat – organic animal products and produce – offer more nutritional bang for your buck.

Just like cheat days and deciding whether or not to drink alcohol, it’s ultimately a personal decision. If you do decide to eat beans or other legumes because you like their taste, limit yourself to special occasions. And make sure to spend time preparing them properly to avoid as many anti-nutrients as you can.

Do you ever eat beans or other legumes like lentils, peas, or peanuts? If so, what’s your favorite way to prepare them and remove the anti-nutrients? Leave a comment below and share your experience!

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