Oats.
They’re good stuff. Insoluble and soluble fiber, complex carbs, b vitamins, phytic acid.
Wait, what was that last one?
Phytic acid…isn’t that an anti-nutrient that blocks the bodies ability to absorb certain minerals?
Yep.
Oats, like most beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, have phytic acid. This anti-nutrient binds to calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc (and other minerals in lesser degrees) and makes them unabsorbable to the digestive system.
I’m a nutritarian and while I get a whole lot of pleasure out of the act of eating, I’m also interested in getting maximum nutrition from my food. This means that if I can make my morning oats more nutrient dense and still delicious than I’m all for it.
So I soak ’em.
Soaking grains, beans, seeds, and nuts in warm water and a little acid (from yogurt, kefir, lemon juice, whey, or apple cider vinegar) for several hours breaks down much of the phytic acid and voila-the minerals are now available for your digestive system to utilize!
At night I put my oats, warm water, and a teaspoon or two of acid (usually yogurt) into a pot with a lid and let it sit on the (turned off) stove overnight. In the morning I cook the oats as usual except that they don’t take as long because they’ve been absorbing water all night.
I do this with other grains too; quinoa, rice, amaranth and all of my beans.
There are lots of times that I forget to soak my grains and just cook them the regular way but the majority of the time they are soaked first. [still working on how to incorporate soaked oats into my dessert crust!]
Many of you are probably already getting the benefits of soaking oats without knowing it by eating Overnight Oats, as long as you add a little yogurt or kefir to the mix.
Soaking grains may also make them easier to digest by neutralizing the enzyme inhibitors so if you have noticed mild digestive problems you may want to give it a try.
You can soak flour too! Here’s an awesome recipe for soaked English Muffins.
Are beans, grains, seeds, and nuts bad for you if they’re not soaked? In my opinion, no. But I do believe that soaking is an easy way to make them even better for you.
This is so interesting! Okay…so can you give me details on soaking oats. I have the steel cut kind. Do I just soak them in the amount of water recommended for cooking them? And its okay to leave them overnight without refridgeration?
Another question…I love savory in the morning. So I usually have wheat toast and avocado spread on top. Can you think of anything savory to add to oats or do they always have to be sweet? 🙂 Thanks for your help Faith!
Thanks for asking Katie,
yep, soak the steel cut in the required cooking water, add a little spoon of whey, yogurt, or kefir and leave overnight. The next day just bring to a boil then simmer until cooked (much faster than unsoaked steel cut!).
I love, love, love mixing a few spoons of nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt, and fresh ground pepper into my oats then topping with a fried egg or two. Avocado slices on top would be great too!
The oats are fine to sit out overnight, the acid in the yogurt prevents any bad bacteria from forming and you’re going to boil it anyway.
Great recipe! I will try the savory oats this weekend. Just bought nutritional yeast actually. LOL Thanks again for the reply.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I learned about phytic acid long ago but fell out of the habit of soaking… and I actually forgot about the importance of it! Great post!
i didn’t know how the lemon juice part!! i stopped eating grains in the summer, but recently started eating oats again and soak them over night. i didn’t know an acid needed to be added though, so thank you for sharing that!
Great post! I had no idea that soaking oats overnight with kefir, etc. improved nutritional value. Love your blog & recipes!
You are so thorough when it comes to nutrition. I love it. I always find great reminders or reinforcement here.
Now, is phytic acid also found in spinach? I believe I read that somewhere & it made me sort of avoid spinach. While I don’t go out of my way now to avoid it, I rely on other greens for my main greens. Your thoughts?
Thank you so much for this info! I hadn’t heard about this before. Since I’m lactose intolerant, I think I’ll try soaking oats in lemon juice.
A new workout + soak your oats
[…] good. I’ve been soaking them overnight which helps digest them easier. I also just learned (over at gracefullfitness blog!)that adding a teaspoon or two of acid like lemon juice , apple cider vinegar or yogurt will help […]
i eat oats all the time, so i will definitely benefit from this info! i had no idea. thanks!
Several studies show that soaking oats + acid has no real benefit in reducing Phytic Acid. Adding a complimentary ground grain (such as ground rye or buckwheat) apparently does reduce it. So complimentary grain + acid + soak = digestible oats. That’s a lot of work for someone who eats oats every day.
Autumn Oats. | Lila
[…] But now as the temperature drops, I’m back in oatmeal mode. Hot cereal feels so nourishing and satisfying on a cool morning. Fiance Yogi (what in the world am I going to call him after this weekend? Any suggestions?) particularly likes steel cut oats. They take more time then regular rolled oats, but they are worth it. If you have time/remember, try to always soak your grains – overnight ideally, which also cuts the cooking time significantly. It’s best to add a little tiny splash of ACV or lemon juice as this helps break down phytic acid, making your oats more digestible and nutritious. […]