Phytic Acid Sensitivity

[Patrycia-Rose]

This seems like the right thread to post this, although I believe this is going to be a very long shot.

Does anyone have – or know anyone who has an allergy or sensitivity to Phytic Acid? Phytic acid is high in nuts, seeds and grains. Although (according to the net) is has some benefits, it is also described as an anti-nutrient in that it inhibits the body from absorbing iron, zinc and calcium and may promote mineral deficiencies.

My personal experience is that in January of this year, I went to see a medium who advised that I take a break from eating nuts and seeds as there was something building in my system which wasn’t good. I remembered that this wasn’t the first time I had been advised to stop eating nuts and seeds but because I’d eaten them every day for ten years and was a habit, I sort of forgot about it. Given that it had come up again, I decided to stop.

So this is where the problem began: I’d been having, on and off, some issues in the bathroom department for about six months. After a lot of eliminating certain foods, I discovered the problem was Cocoa Powder which I’d been drinking several nights a week for a couple of years. So a quick google confirmed that cocoa powder is also high in phytic acid. Stopped the cocoa and the problem resolved itself.

I know people can have sensitivities to all kinds of things but I’m wondering if anyone else has a sensitivity or allergy to Phytic Acid?

[Tobi]

No, not that I am aware of. I know that Pumpkin seeds contain good levels of Zinc, and Sesame seeds good levels of Calcium.
But I am not allergic to anything that I am aware of. I didn't know that Phytic Acid can inhibit these nutrients.

[Debrah]

I'd heard about phytic acid before. Lectins are other component of all plants and concentrated in the seeds also (like legumes, beans, nuts, etc.)

But you can get rid of a good portion of both by soaking and draining and rinsing. Apparently we need a little bit of those things but when we eat too much of them, we can run into trouble. Like with the lectins, over consumption can cause leaky gut syndrome but small amounts also go after bacteria and virus's and moulds in your system. They have to be soaked overnight and then in the case of the beans for example, a good 15 minute boil will drop the amount of lectins to a healthy level. And that includes lentils. They should also be soaked.

Just as a point of interest, I discovered that eating soaked almonds are actually nicer to eat than dry ones. You should try it sometime.

[Patrycia-Rose]

I’ve been reading about soaking nuts. Some websites are suggesting soaking for seven hours and then baking to dry them. is that right Right or can you eat them wet? Do the go mushy?

[Debrah]

My understanding is that once you've soaked them for eight hours at least, either a good boil (in the case of beans and lentils) and I was reading another page that said that the heat from roasting/drying in the oven for nuts is good too.

I guess the soaking loosens up and takes a good portion of the phytic acid and the lectins out which is why you don't use that water, and then applying 'wet heat' further degrades them.

I've discovered that nibbling on the soaked almonds tastes very nice and the texture is great and they aren't so hard, but I guess the wet heat is also a very good thing.

I would definitely soak and discard the water, but since a little bit of lectins are still good for you, and if you aren't living on nuts or whole seeds, I would think a nibble of a few soaked almonds isn't going to instantly destroy you.

[Lucky]

I think everyone nowadays needs to take digestive enzymes. Our food supply lacks the proper nutrients and enzymes we used to have. I had horrible heartburn and reflux and started taking digestive enzymes and in just a couple days felt good as new!

[Patrycia-Rose]

Oh dear, it looks like dark chocolate is off the menu, it causes the same problem as the cocoa powder. Dark chocolate is also high in phytic acid. I can't eat chocolate with too much sugar as that causes another digestive problem. Not happy!

[Debrah]

I've been reading a bit about fermented foods and the effects of antibiotics and probiotics, and I think that is a large part of the problem regarding all the digestive issues that humans seem to have. I read that even one course of antibiotics from the doctor can take years to rebuild the digestive biosphere and if you're eating meat, well, you're just adding to the problem on a daily basis. At least here in N. America where most of the antibiotics produced are fed directly to animals.

There is a disorder called PANDA's and the existence of a large population of one kind of bacteria can actually cause a kind of mental disease in children that can ruin their lives. Another issue with the wrong kinds of bacteria is that they can short circuit the messages between stomach and brain and cause a person to think that they are still hungry so that they continue eating even when they've had a good meal! Interesting eh?

And apparently, the advice to eat yogurt after you are done with your antibiotics is almost too little, too late because the good 'bugs' are largely killed off in the pasteurization. That's one of the reasons that I've been learning to ferment veggies.

Several websites devoted to it have said that the bacteria growing in that acidic environment can survive the acids in the stomach far better than those received in pill form from a probiotic and if you're making it at home, it isn't pasteurized so the results are better if you do a comparison between probiotics, yogurt and home made sauerkrauts.