soaking oats muesli

[MissJames]

I heard oats and raisins were better left to soak over night. I have been doing this and mixing some other seeds and nuts in sometimes.

I made a large portion it took a few days to eat it all, and towards the end it got extremely sour. In fact I threw the remainder away the next day I thought it went to far. But someone said to me, no that is the perfect time to eat it.

What is the best to do with soaking oats, how long is best?

[WWFSM]

The author Sally Fallon is a huge fan of soaking and/or fermenting grains before cooking. From what I've read of her writings, she would encourage you to not eat the oats till they were good and sour.

There are some stuff called anti-nutrient (I think the ones in oats is inulin) that happen in most grains, beans, nuts and basically anything that stores great dry and whole. They prevent your body from absorbing the whole nutrition from the food you eat with it - totally over simplified, but try Fallon's book Nourishing Traditions for a better explanation.

Soaking, fermenting, and cooking for long periods of time somehow nullify the antinutrient and also makes it easier to digest.

Personally, I soak it to taste, overnight usually, but upto three days. After that, it's just too strong for me. Longer probably won't hurt you, but trust your body to tell you what it wants and when to stop. Mine says stop at around day four.

[MissJames]

Im soaking cheap rolled oats with some raisins or saltarners the night before in water. makes a great breakfast. But still do not know if it is better to leave a bit longer?