lovesouthernsocial.com

Antinutrients prevent the absorption of nutrients in the body. But the good news is that they can be almost completely eliminated.

Edited and resized image by Charlotte Karlsen is available on Unsplash

Antinutrients are compounds present in vegetables that can impede or hinder the absorption of essential nutrients in the digestive system. They are particularly present in grains and vegetables. But the good news is that they can be almost completely eliminated. Check out:

What are antinutrients?

Antinutrients are not a big concern for most people, but they can become a problem during periods of malnutrition, or among people who base their diets almost exclusively on grains and vegetables.

• Vegan philosophy: know and ask your questions

However, antinutrients aren't always bad. In some circumstances, antinutrients such as phytate and tannins can also have some beneficial effects on health (see studies on this here: 1, 2 ,3).

Antinutrients that are most studied include:

• Phytate (phytic acid): Mainly found in seeds, grains and legumes, phytator reduces the absorption of minerals from a meal. These include iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium (see study about this: 4);
• Tannins: A class of antioxidant polyphenols that can impair the digestion of various nutrients (see study about it here: 5).
• Lectins: Found in all food plants, especially in seeds, legumes and grains. Some lectins can be harmful in high amounts and interfere with nutrient absorption (see studies about it here: 6, 7).
• Protease Inhibitors: Widely distributed among plants, especially in seeds, grains and legumes. They interfere with protein digestion by inhibiting digestive enzymes.
• Calcium Oxalate: The primary form of calcium in many vegetables, such as spinach. Calcium bound to oxalate is poorly absorbed (see studies about it here: 8, 9).

Immersion

Beans and other legumes such as lentils and chickpeas can be left to soak in water overnight to improve their nutritional value (see study about it here: 10). Most of the antinutrients present in pulses are found in the skin. Since many antinutrients are water soluble, they simply dissolve when food is immersed in water.

In legumes, soaking has been found to decrease phytate, protease inhibitors, lectins, tannins and calcium oxalate. A 12-hour soak of peas, for example, reduced the phytate content of peas by up to 9% (see study here: 10).

Another study found that soaking pigeon pea for six to 18 hours decreased lectins by 38-50%, tannins by 13-25% and protease inhibitors by 28-30%. However, the reduction of antinutrients may depend on the type of legume. In beans, soybeans and broad beans, immersion reduces protease inhibitors very little (see the studies about it here: 11, 12, 13).

But it's not just in the case of legumes that immersion works, leafy vegetables can also be soaked in water to reduce some of their calcium oxalate (see study on this: 14).

The immersion technique can be used in combination with other methods such as sprouting, fermenting and cooking.

budding

Budding, also called germination, can increase the availability of nutrients in seeds, grains and legumes (see study about it here: 14). To sprout the grains and seeds it is necessary:

1. Start by rinsing the seeds to remove all debris, dirt and dirt;
2. Soak the seeds for two to 12 hours in cold water. Soaking time depends on the type of seed;
3. Wash them thoroughly in water;
4. Drain as much water as possible and place the seeds in a sprouting pot (without direct sunlight), also called a sprouter. You can also purchase the Easy Broto;
5. Repeat washing and draining two to four times. This should be done regularly or once every eight-12 hours.

During germination, changes occur within the seed that lead to the degradation of antinutrients, such as phytate and protease inhibitors. Sprouting has been shown to reduce phytate by 37-81% in various types of grains and vegetables (see studies about it here: 11, 12, 13). Furthermore, in another study, this process also decreased lectins and protease inhibitors.

Learn more about this topic in the article: "Why grow edible sprouts?".

Fermentation

Fermentation is an ancient method originally used to preserve food. It is a natural process that occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, begin to digest carbohydrates in food.

Although food that accidentally becomes fermented is most often considered toxic, controlled fermentation is widely used in food production and can still preserve probiotics (in some cases, such as sauerkraut), which are beneficial microorganisms for intestinal health. Learn more about them in the article: "What are probiotic foods?".

Food products that are processed by fermentation include yogurt, wine, beer, coffee, cocoa, sauerkraut, kinchee and soy sauce. Another good example of fermented food is slow-fermenting bread.

Fermentation degrades the antinutrients in grains, leading to a greater availability of nutrients (see studies about it here: 14, 15, 16). The fermentation of sourdough (yeast dough) is more effective in reducing antinutrients in grains than the fermentation of common yeast (see studies on this here: 17, 18).

In many grains and legumes, fermentation effectively degrades phytates and lectins (see studies on this here: 19, 20, 21, 22).

Boil

Boiling can degrade antinutrients such as lectins, tannins and protease inhibitors (see studies about it here: 23, 24, 25, 26). One study showed that boiling pigeon pea for 80 minutes reduced protease inhibitors by 70%, lectin by 79% and tannin by 69% ( 12 ).

Additionally, calcium oxalate is reduced by 19-87% in boiled green leafy vegetables. Cooking and baking, on the other hand, are not as effective methods (see studies on this here: 27, 28). Phytate, however, is heat resistant and is not so easily degraded with boiling (see studies about it here: 29, 30).

The cooking time required depends on the type of antinutrient, the vegetable and the cooking method. Generally, a longer cooking time results in a greater reduction in antinutrients.