Thomas Billing wrote:

>Yes, you can simply soak grain/seeds overnight, then eat them. This is the
>preferred method for those few types of seeds that are prone to spoilage
>(lotus seeds, for example), and for mucilaginous seeds like flax. However,
>I suggest sprouting whenever possible as the food then is more "alive"
>or "awake". If you have very little time, soaking is an alternative to
>consider.

I tried that once because someone told me that it made the protein in the
seeds more digestable.  I only tried it once, and didn't really follow up on
it to notice better results.  I soaked sunflower seeds overnight in a glass
jar, and the next day it tasted a little more "alive."
When eating non-soaked seeds normally, I notice that there are undigested
bits in my stool, and it is soft and stinky.  This is probably because I
have been eating too much seeds at a time, or I haven't been eating fiber
with the seeds.  I have experimented with eating fiber and seeds by taking
colon cleanser (psyllium husk powder) along with my seeds.   The next day I
notice my stool was nice and hard.  It took only one swipe of toilet paper
to cleanup! ;)  But still I saw undigested pieces.

Here was what was suggested to me:
Soaking may help for two reasons:
1) the water may soften the tissue, allowing for easier and more effective
mechanical breakdown of the nuts in your gut.

2) soaking in water may indirectly inactivate protease inhibitors in the
nut.  The meat of the nut is there to provide nourishment for the plant
embryo once the seed has germinated.  It is basically a storage place for
nitrogen (in the form of protein) and carbon (in the form of complex
carbohydrates and fat)  When the nut is made, it is packed full of storage
proteins as well as proteins called protease inhibitors.  These prevent
proteases (enzymes that break down protein into amino acids) from
functioning. This insures that the protein won't accidentally be broken
down before the seed is ready to germinate.  When conditions are favorable
for germination (sufficient water and temperature), the seed will destroy
the protease inhibitors, allowing proteases to break down the protein so
that the growing embryo can utilize the resulting free amino acids.
Unfortunately for us, the protease inhibitors also block the proteases in
our GI tract, interfering with protein digestion.  So, if you soak the
nut, it will begin the process of germination and break down the protease
inhibitors, making it easier to digest.  This is a general phenomenon of
seeds, but apparently the protease inhibitors in some kinds of seeds are
ineffective in our gut, and cause no problems.
****************

BTW, Tom I can't find the EXPO archives on chet's website.
http://chetday.com right?

Walter.