More recently, I learned about phytase and phytic acid. The whole thing now makes perfect sense to me because I am also into plants and botany. All seeds, including grains (rice included) contains phytic acid to keep seeds dormant so that they don’t start to germinate in unfavorable condition. When growing conditions become warm and moist, the pytase is activated to release nutrients to the embryo of the seed so that it starts to germinate.

By soaking grains or by using long fermentation processes in bread making, pytase is activated to release nutrients. One distubing thing that I found out is that the phytic acid in grains, if not broken down by pytase, will actually absorb the nutrients in meals that is eaten with. This is one of the reasons that people in countries having a large part of their diets consisting of grain, such as rice in China, there are more dietary deficiencies that cause such diseases as rickets.

http://info.breadbeckers.com/phytic-acid

Thank you so much for all of your research Katie! I’ve been trying to learn more about these things for quite a while as my husband has Crohn’s disease and I’d like to figure out what we can do to help him from a dietary standpoint. It’s difficult though because so much of what I read is conflicting and/or just sounds like hype or bunk.

One specific thing I am wondering. Have you seen anything in your research about taking a phytase supplement? My dh’s digestive enzyme supplement has some, and I am wondering if all the angst surrounding this stuff (to soak or not to soak, does it actually do anything anyway if there’s little to no phytase left in my flour, etc. ) is pointless.

That’s the long way of saying, what about a phytase supplement?

I’m adding you to my Google Reader.