The consumption of nuts and seeds has grown increasingly popular as people have become more interested in the world of fitness and nutrition. Both foods have earned a reputation for being healthy, satiating, and full of vitamins, so it is increasingly common to see nutritionists recommending them. However, it is important to know that the way they are consumed can make the difference between benefiting the body or, on the contrary, putting it through a rough patch.
In a recent interview on the podcast A Lo Grande, inflammation expert Marc Vergés warned that eating these foods in their raw form can be detrimental to our health. According to Vergés, raw nuts hide an «invisible enemy» that directly affects two of the most important parts of our body: the gut and the brain.
The danger of eating raw nuts
Eating raw nuts may seem like a very healthy option, but the expert Marc Vergés argues that it is actually the exact opposite. This is because they contain substances called antinutrients, which plants use to protect themselves. When nuts are eaten as they are, without cooking or soaking, these substances act like a sandpaper in our stomach, causing an intestinal abrasion that damages the walls of the digestive system.
This damage brings a double problem: on one hand, it prevents your body from benefiting from the good components, since, as Vergés explains on the podcast, they are “vitamins that you don’t absorb by eating them raw and minerals that you don’t absorb by eating them raw.” On the other hand, this problem doesn’t stay in the gut, but can also affect the brain: the expert warns that this habit ends up helping to move the inflammation produced at the level of the intestinal mucosa to the neuronal level and cause neuroinflammation, directly affecting the brain. That’s why the best approach is to avoid eating them raw at all costs, since even ancient tribes cooked them or left them to soak precisely to avoid those harmful components that they naturally carry.
The solution: toasting or soaking nuts
To avoid all these issues and truly enjoy almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts, the expert points out that the secret lies in how we prepare them. Fortunately, there are simple methods that keep them healthy. The first option is to toast them, a quick and delicious method that completely destroys the antinutrients. The second option is to soak them, which simply means leaving them in a container with filtered water for about 12 hours before eating to “activate” them and make them gentle on the gut.
Be careful with seeds
This danger isn’t limited to almonds or walnuts; seeds follow exactly the same rule. The expert clarifies that sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds must always be toasted. However, with other very well-known seeds, soaking is mandatory to prevent internal harm. For example, chia should always be soaked, ideally prepared as a “pudding.” Meanwhile, flaxseed is excellent for fighting constipation, but only if prepared properly; Vergés recommends letting two tablespoons of flaxseed sit in a large glass of water overnight for about 8 hours.
