'you soak it overnight...'

I'm staying with friends in Somerset, it's always inspiring to stay with people who's approach to food (and plenty of other things) is thought out, informed. One major discussion has been about phytic acid, present in the husks of grains, and also pulses - it's reported than it combines with minerals and prevents the body absorbing them - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc - all useful trace elements, and ironically the most valued by a vegetarian/vegan who is less likely to be getting direct sources of them (at least calcium & iron) from milk & meat respectively. Soaking overnight clears most of this, which is basically a slight fermentation - for example breakfast has been porridge made from soaked jumbo oats, which has a slightly sour (but not unpleasant) taste from the soaking.

Phytic acid is also in soya, and I've read before about people avoiding unfermented soya products. Sally Fallon's book 'Nourishing Traditions' claims on the front to be 'The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats' and talks about this, and also that older cultures always used these foods in a fermented state - sourdough bread, miso and more, and also that the proteins in gluten which are harder to digest (and presumably cause problems for many who avoid gluten) are also broken down in soaking/fermentation.

All interesting stuff; the scientist in me wants to find out more rather than just take it from one source, but certainly worth more thinking & reading. It's always difficult with these kind of things to estimate the effect/scale of the benefits/downsides of one course of action or another - neglibility may come into it, or a known, acceptable risk. The health effects of alcohol are well known, but we choose to poison ourselves, as it's fun doing so... ;-)

Should also mention (as this is notes for me as much as a point for discussion) we visited friends Linda & Richard who are doing up an old house nearby, and are currently living in the (very nicely converted) cowshed next door. Linda runs Impulse Foods, makers of fine Tempeh available near you. The 'you start by saking it overnight' line became something of a running joke, which of course I strung out for as long as possible. It's good to be in a place where good food is prioritised, and good as in ethics & health rather than just in the foodie way - lots of local, seasonal food. Food for thought, literally.