Confused as to why some people first soak their almonds in water before snacking on them or using them for cooking? They’re right for doing it, and you should follow suit. Below you will find the real deal on why almonds should be soaked in water prior to consumption. Reading further will let you come across some of the health benefits of almonds.
Perhaps you might have heard time and again that some fruits and vegetables are better off eaten with their peels or skins on, such as apples, pears, cucumbers and potatoes. That’s because there’s a huge concentration of vitamins and minerals found on the outer covering of numerous fresh produce. Skipping the peeler allows you to really benefit from the nutrients so many fruits and vegetables offer — just make sure that you clean them very well!
However, it’s a different story when it comes to almonds. The problem with the brown peel of almonds is this: it contains tannin that can keep your body from absorbing the nutrients in almonds.
Tannin is not really a bad thing, if you look at them from the perspective of almonds. You see, almonds are technically seeds. The presence of tannin on their peels protects them from anything that can damage them, such as excessive sunlight and the escaping of moisture found within. Without tannin, almonds wouldn’t grow into almond trees!
If you are planning to plant almonds, go ahead and keep their tanning-filled brown peel intact. But if you are intending to snack on almonds or add them to your salads, yogurt, oatmeal, baked masterpieces, ice cream and others, it is unquestionably a good idea to have them peeled first by soaking them in water.
With the peel out of the picture, you will get the most out of every serving of almonds. High quality protein, vitamin E, dietary fiber, healthy fats like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids — all of these will be more easily absorbed by your body because no tannin is keeping them locked in.
So how do you soak almonds in water? You neither have to be a culinary expert nor rocket scientist to be able to carry it out successfully. It’s this simple: place a handful of almonds in a small bowl and put 1/2 cup of water in it, or slightly more to make sure that each and every almond is soaked. You should let your almonds soak in water for at least 8 hours. Doing this will make it trouble-free to remove the skin.
If you don’t want to do the entire process over and over again, you may soak more almonds at once. Peel and stash them in a resealable plastic bag or a plastic container with a cover. Peeled almonds can last for up to a week.
Now you know how to soak almonds and remove the peel, you can enjoy the many health-giving benefits of almonds, courtesy of their impressive nutritional profile. Munch on them as they are, or crush and sprinkle them on your favorites such as yogurt, oatmeal, cereals, ice cream, raw vegetable salads and many others!
So what are the perks to enjoy for eating soaked almonds? Here are some of the most noteworthy ones:
• Almonds help you lose excess weight. Because of the loads of fiber and monounsaturated fats present, snacking on almonds can help save you from overeating.
• They help you stay young-looking. Vitamin E found abundantly in almonds is an antioxidant that protects your skin from being damaged by free radicals.
• Consuming them controls inflammation. Antioxidants in almonds help in managing inflammation, something that is linked to the development of diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer and many other diseases.
• Almonds keep your cardiovascular system in a great shape. Including them in your diet helps lower bad cholesterol and keep the blood pressure from rising.
• They help prevent birth defects. Pregnant women should snack on almonds in order to considerably minimize the chances of defects in their babies.
