April 2025

Seeds

• Sacred Seeds
• Seeds & Food Safety
• The Seeds On Your Plate
• Seed Starting – Prectical Guide

The Seeds On Your Plate

Most seeds contain three layers:

• An embryo of a baby plant usually includes a tiny root, stem, and one leaf, which carries the DNA of the plant’s species.
• A nutrient-dense tissue containing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals that feed the embryo until it develops leaves and can feed itself.
• The seed’s outer layer is a thick coat that protects the embryo from the harsh environment.

Grains, nuts, and legumes, to some extent, became a staple food and are the primary source of calories for humans but also for farm animals.

Nutrients and ant-nutrients

Phosphorus is a mineral that plays a key role in cell division and the development of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Seeds need phosphorus to develop, so they store it in the outer layer of the seed, or bran. The compound that serves as the phosphorus storage room for seeds of grains and legumes is called phytic acid.

Phytic acid is concentrated in the outer bran or thick coat that protects seeds. The six phosphate groups of phytic acids act as “arms” that strongly bind to positively charged mineral ions like calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. When this happens in your digestive tract, these minerals become trapped in the complex phosphorus and may pass through your system without being absorbed.

A diet high in grains and legumes might lead to deficiencies in some minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. Therefore, phytic acid is considered an anti-nutrient.

Another anti-nutrient found in the outer layer of grains and legumes is lectin. Lectin plays a role in protecting the plant’s embryo from predators and pathogens. It might interfere with calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc absorption.

Why use whole grain?

If the outer layer of grains and legumes contains anti-nutrients, why not remove the outer layer?

Studies found that there are some pros to phytic acid. Phytic acid displays some beneficial properties, including antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering effects.

The bran that contains phytic acid and lectin is essential for stool formation. People who eat only refined grains don’t consume enough fiber in their diet and, therefore, might struggle with constipation.

Although we don’t absorb fiber, the outer layer of grains, nuts, and legumes plays a vital role in managing blood sugar because they slow down the nutrients, especially glucose, absorption from the food we eat. Slowing down glucose absorption means our blood glucose is more steady without spikes and dips.

The fiber from seeds feeds the gut bacteria, supporting a healthy gut immune and brain connection.

How to eat the cake and leave it full?

We are faced with a dilemma: To eat whole grains or not? That is the question.

Herbiviours, animals that feed on plants alone, developed four stomachs that allow them to ferment the grains in their stomach. The fermentation process breaks down the outer layer of the grain, reducing lectins and phytic acid, therefore allowing better absorption of positively charged minerals. At the same time, breaking the thick outer layers of seeds increases the bioavailability of the nutrients within these seeds.

Different kinds of grains have developed in various corners of the world; for example, corn was a staple in America, rice was the common grain used in the Far East, and wheat was a staple in the Mediterranean.

Although different cultures used different grains, they all had the same practice. They all did in their kitchen what herbivores do in their stomach.

In all traditional kitchens, the soaking and fermenting of grains and legumes for at least twenty-four hours but sometimes longer before cooking them was a common practice.

Before cooking grains and legumes, I soak them in room-temperature water for 24 hours or longer. I do find that it makes digesting them much easier.

I am filled with awe as I contemplate grains, nuts, and legumes as the embryo of the plant. They hold within them all the wisdom and history of the species they belong to. They contain the potential future, too. When we eat them, they share all that wisdom with our bodies.