Warning : crudivores – NEW

After several additional research, I learned that legumes also contain lectins, ranging from “nothing to declare” to toxic.

Among the most toxic, beans, that I, so, do not recommend: consuming 5 fresh red beans is toxic. It’s the same for soybeans (I do not have the quantity but the seeds are more difficult to find).

It is advised to boil (100 ° C) a minimum of 30 minutes legumes to remove toxicity. I guess this time may be less for the cooking liquid, but I would not go below this time, as well as cooked to 80°C is insufficient (and maybo even more toxic).

Canned legumes are most likely processed to remove these lectins and therefore, exceptionally, I would say it is better to consume an industrial product … I’ll try to get answers from the manufacturers, please tell me the result of your own research if so!

 A heated juice

I’ve decided to present this article as a question/answer list, since I was asked many questions and told some frightens with “white” plant consumption.

To start, here is the list of censuses ingredients in the liquid. Censuses? Hey! yes, if there are studies on legumes, there are not with their juice. So I wrote this article by extrapolation, and it has value only with our future knowledge!

Phytic acid, tannins, Purines, saponins, Minerals (1) Vitamins (2)

(1): Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, Chromium, Molybdenum, Phosphorus, Chlorine, Fluorine, Iodine, Boron, Selenium (in order of importance, on the average legumes)

(2): Caronénoïdes, Vitamins E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B9, C (in order of importance, average)

(1) and (2) Data from the article by Massimo Nespollo newspaper No. 115 of the French Vegetarian Association

True or false: the soaking liquid is packed with anti-nutrients

False … and true! Anti-nutrient are nutrients (often) that prevents or block the absorption of other nutrients. In fact, the soaking liquid is rich in nutrients, and yes, some nutrients prevent other nutrients to be absorbed (unless … see below). The question could be asked for many foods, and as soon as they are quite complex, I do not think a single food is not composed of anti-nutrients. For me, it’s a false problem because very often, we can minimize their effects.

To go further, I will ask two mini-issues related to this topic:

True or false: an anti-nutrients are poisons

FALSE, an anti-nutrient has an action preventing another nutrient to be absorbed (most likely to reduce the absorption). A poison is spreading in the body and interferes with his good operation.

True or false: you can neutralize an anti-nutrient

Do not go very far, the answer is easy: TRUE. As I just said, nature is vast, and often just a small change can change any balance.

For example, lemon juice (rich in vitamin C) increases the absorption of minerals! (Acidifying effect on tannins and phytic acid releasing more minerals, see below)

True or false: the plant demineralized

FALSE, but not devoid of historical truth. Why? Because our parents, or even many contemporaries found that phytic acid and tannins (main components implicated in this story) could fix minerals (including iron) and become insoluble complexes and thus assimilated by the body (phytates are complex “insoluble” phytic acid compounds and minerals). It turns out that the investigations since then have shown the contrary, these substances have positive effects on mineralization or body in general (and throw lots of liquid minerals, yes, lets not mineralize the body ! …).

To go further, here are additional elements:

The phytic acid (phytate)

We now know that “postmenopausal women consuming higher doses of phytate exhibited greater bone mass than women who consumed less” (No. 115, French Vegetarian Association, Massimo Nespollo, referring to a study: “Protective effect of myo-inositol hexaphosphate (phytate) is bone mass loss in postmenopausal women. “).

Also, here’s another source that I invite you to discover for your opinion:

Claude Aubert in “The new plate, cereal menu” Living Earth editions:
“The history of phytic acid is worth telling … the experiments on animals have never been able to show any demineralization. But there is more: it is now known that phytic acid is a valuable antioxidant that helps protect against cancer and lower blood cholesterol. Here therefore fully rehabilitated this component that it has long sought to eliminate. »

On protein powders that consume vegans sports, they contain from 2.5 to 5 times more than phytate soaking liquid. From experience, I have not seen any sportsman (vegan) suffering from deficiencies related to this additional contribution (which, as its name suggests, is “more”).

Tannins

The case against the tea (tannins are very present in tea) is to prevent the absorption of iron. The tea does not provide iron? This is false: it contains good! By cons, it also contains a lot of tannins, which like much iron and retains it prisoner. And now, our tea is no longer mineralizing but is not demineralising either. We’ll have to avoid it if we are supplementing with iron (or do a break for 2 hours in between), and also learn that vitamin C (the famous lemon juice in tea …), however, allows to increase absorption!

You will also notice that the story has changed his tune. Now, the tannins are not bad for the body and are known to be antioxidants and help fight against diabetes and heart attack …

I will spare you the rest of the analysis (which you can find in the sources), but here it is: instead of throwing the juice, drink it and your body will tell you a mineral-thank you! 🙂

True or false: purine gives gout and kidney stones

TRUE! By cons pulses contain very little compared to meat … And also, these bases are part of the life process (RNA and DNA): do not delete them!

“Soy contains 2 times less than in the flesh of fowls, 4 times less than in bovine muscle, 7 times less than in the sardines, 20 times less than in the thymus or sweetbreads, coffee or Chocolate and about as much as in cheese or spinach, barely more than wholemeal bread. ” (The full article, but not perfect here)

True or false: there are other anti-nutrients!

TRUE! Hey! yes it is! I have not spoken of enzyme inhibitors. But their presence also indicates the presence of other beneficial enzymes. The can be destroyed by cooking (without distinguishing good and bad), but it’ll destroy vitamins alse! (Cooking will often be done for those who will use the foam rolling, except for chocolates and foams floating islands)

True or false: there are other anti-anti-nutrients!

Besides lemon juice, which increases the absorption of minerals, soaking and germination pulses often release the enzyme phytase which cuts phytic acid in vitamin B (!). I also talked about cooking that destroys the enzyme inhibitors (and unfortunately also some good vitamins and enzymes), but the fermentation would retain the virtues of legumes while removing all anti-nutrients issues.

For information, the first stomach of herbivores serves precisely to ferment plants, and I especially recommend this practice with the plants, because it is also excellent! How? Hey! Well, this article to discover it! (Be careful though, it is written that it creates vitamin B12 either, but still no miracle for vegans, this is a not assilable by humans). If you do not know yet, I invite you to discover tempeh and natto, two fermented soy foods that are nutritionally speaking excellent! (and not only ^^)

Personally, I lactofermentate my vegetables in jars, covered with water and miso (which contains lactobacillus which cuts the sugars into lactic acid – hence the names evoking the “milk” but that is not the only thing that “eat” these bacilli, very good for the intestinal flora) -> Note that miso is not essential, but for me, it speeds up the process and its taste is pleasant to my palate!

True or false: I almost forgot to tell you about what frothing!

TRUE, because in reality, I do not know!

But then, I would not know what foamed soaking liquid? Hey! maybe not. In any case, the most relevant track I have is that of saponins (which are surfactants). They are known for two things: improve the digestibility (maybe not all saponins) and be toxic to cold-blooded animals (and some insects), if they consume large quantities.

Before frightening you unnecessarily: no, it is not toxic to humans!

True or False: have a varied diet is enough to avoid deficiencies?

True … and false! A diet with enough nutrients, in absolute terms, avoids deficiencies. You can eat one side of poor nutritious food, and on the other highly nutritious food, one side very mineralizing food, the other very few mineralizing. Generally, all this is balance. Now it is clear that omnivores, vegetarians or vegans are all in the same boat: the failure can not always be avoided, because we are all different (women need more iron, men more zinc, and women have the misfortune to lose more easily iron during their menses).

And if deficiencies frighten you or that you are victim of those, do not hesitate to apply the tips given here (soaking -mandatory to get it, lemon juice, or even cooking or fermentation!). I advise you all the same, before continuing your reading, take a ride here. This is an article about just … iron. You will see that the advices made are all reaching the same point, which is, again, amazing and reassuring, is not it?