New food trends certainly keep professionals of my ilk on their toes. However, certain food beliefs have prevailed long enough to have become part of our culture. Attempting to dispel some of these beliefs with updated food science is also a part of our everyday practice.
In that context, let’s discuss the time-tested practice of eating a handful of nuts everyday. We won’t be talking about which nuts to eat or how much to eat (a handful!), but rather about how to eat them.
Unlike how the Western world consumes nuts, we in India are particularly obsessed with soaking nuts in water (especially walnuts, almonds, and cashews) before eating them.
Let's examine this widely followed practice and weigh the pros and cons of the practice.
Why do we soak nuts in water?
The most obvious reason to soak nuts is to make them softer and easier to chew, which is beneficial for those with compromised biting or chewing ability.
Another often-cited reason for soaking is to enhance digestibility. The concern regarding nut digestibility stems from the presence of phytates in nuts. Social media influencers have extensively discussed the purported harm of eating nuts without soaking. But is there scientific rigour to this claim? Let's explore the role that these phytates play.
Phytates are organic phosphorus compounds present in plant foods, often labelled as an ‘anti-nutritional’ factor because they can hinder the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Therefore, it's worthwhile to review studies on soaking nuts and the resultant phytate and mineral content. Many research publications document the phytate content of various nuts before and after soaking in water for varying periods. It may be worth noting that the phytate content of nuts does not decrease significantly with soaking. Hence, soaking does not add any nutritional value in this aspect. In fact, soaking nuts may result in a minimal loss of water-soluble nutrients. Moreover, phytates are not as detrimental as often portrayed, having been evaluated recently for their anti-cancer and antioxidant roles. Thus, there is no nutritional advantage to soaking nuts.
How to eat almonds—with or without the skin?
The skin of almonds is perfectly edible, and a majority of the population has no problem digesting it. Interestingly, almost all studies on almonds include their skin. Nevertheless, a small segment of the population may benefit from removing the skin (e.g., in the case of almonds) as it contains tannins and FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols). These short-chain carbs are not completely broken down by the body. FODMAPs are not harmful, but the indigestibility of these carbohydrates could cause bloating for some people sensitive to them. On the flip side, the almond peel is rich in fibre and polyphenols (both very beneficial for humans). Hence, removing the skin should be reserved for sensitive individuals who experience gassiness or acidity after consuming unpeeled almonds. The rest should enjoy the benefits the peel offers.
Are roasted nuts better than raw ones?
Roasting enhances the taste, flavour, aroma, and crunch of nuts, making the mouthfeel of roasted nuts preferable to many people over the raw variant. Roasting can be done with dry heat or in oil. Nuts roasted with dry heat are nutritionally comparable to their raw counterparts. The breakdown of healthy fats in nuts can be minimized by using a mild and quick heating process. Intense and high heat can damage the heat-sensitive antioxidants, vitamin E, and fats present in nuts.
The focus should also be on storing nuts appropriately (away from heat and sunlight) to preserve their goodness. If desired, nuts can be dry heated at home close to the time of consumption to enjoy them to the fullest. However, nuts with additives like oil or salt are less desirable, so it's best to avoid oil-roasted, salted varieties of nuts.
Incidentally, while soaking legumes or dals is an important step to maximize their nutritional benefits, this does not hold true for nuts.
The soaking, peeling and roasting of nuts depends on the various aforementioned factors. The more important thing, however, is to make sure to include nuts (and seeds) as an integral part of a healthy, balanced diet.