How and why you should be soaking, sprouting, and pressure cooking your beans!

How and why you should be soaking, sprouting, and pressure cooking your beans!

Did you know that beans are the richest source of soluble fiber? Some toxins and chemicals are stored in the fat, if the bile has nothing to bind to (soluble fiber), it recycles. Soluble fiber binds to and helps you get rid of excess hormones and toxins, acting as a natural detoxifier. It also keeps you full, reduces blood sugar spikes, and acts as prebiotic fuel for your good gut bacteria!

Beans are nutrient dense and a dietary staple in Blue Zones, the people who live the longest and healthiest lives in the world!

There are many people who experience bloating or upset stomach with bean consumption, leading them to believe that they may be allergic or intolerant. But chances are, it’s not the bean, it’s the preparation. Or it could be that you aren’t used to consuming them and your gut needs a chance to get used to them. It’s a lot of fiber. Begin small and go slow.

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Why soak?
Soaking has been used in indigenous cultures for centuries, all over the world. Our ancestors didn’t understand the biochemical reasons behind what they were doing but they were on to something!

        1.      Soaking reduces tannins and polyphenols.
        2.      Soaking reduces anti-nutritional enzyme inhibitors.
        3.      Soaking reduces the indigestible sugars and starches (endosperm) that lead to flatulence and bloating.
        4.      Improves texture and decreases cooking time.

Why sprout?
Sprouting transforms a lot of the starch in the bean to a more nutrient-rich form. Increasing the amount of folate, iron, vitamin c, zinc, magnesium, and protein. As a result, it also breaks down phylate, a compound that prevents nutrient absorption, increasing bioavailability.

Why cook under pressure?
Pressure cooking decrease the cook time significantly for dry legumes! It is also an additional line of defense against anti-nutrients found in beans and has been proven to decrease the lectins in beans by 75%!

How To Soak and Sprout

What you need:
-Basic grocery store dried legumes ( I prefer organic)
-Big bowls
-Kitchen towels
-Water

What you do:
        1.      Cover beans with water and leave to soak on the countertop for 12 hours or overnight. I like to change the soaking liquid every 6 hours. This helps prevent fermentation.
        2.      Using a colander, strain.
        3.      Rinse with cold water.
        4.      Transfer back to the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel.
        5.      Rinse beans 2 to 3 times a day until sprouts begin to form or have reached 1/4 in. to 1 in. long.

How to cook:
        1.      Place beans in the liner of an electric pressure cooker and barely cover with filtered water.
        2.      Cook under high pressure for 3 to 8 minutes, depending on size and variety of bean.
        3.      Quickly vent pressure and freeze for future use.

Note: Some uncooked beans, such as kidney, lima, and broad beans, need to be cooked before consuming to remove toxins. Other beans can be eaten raw and make an excellent addition to sandwiches, salads, and Stirfry!

So eat those beans baby! Disregard advice that simplifies the complexity or tells you that they’re bad for weight loss.

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Brittany Williams has taken the weight loss world by storm with her best-selling Instant Loss Cookbook. After reaching a peak weight of 260 pounds and spending a lifetime struggling with obesity, yo-yo dieting, autoimmune diseases, and chronic fatigue, Brittany changed her relationship with food and lost an astonishing 125 pounds in a year through diet alone.

Brittany’s second book, Instant Loss Eat Real, Lose Weight shows how to make this a sustainable lifestyle with kid and family-friendly meals. Members of her growing community have reported losing 50 and even 100 pounds themselves, and this cookbook will help others achieve similar success with simple, delicious meals, nearly all ready in 30 minutes or less.

To finish off the trilogy check out Instant Loss on a Budget for crowd-pleasing meals that are as as friendly for your wallet as they are for your waistline! Featuring 125 NEW recipes and meal plans to feed a family of 4 for under $90 a week Instant Loss on a Budget is proof that wholesome food doesn’t have to be expensive.