In a previous article1, I suggested that nut consumption should be limited or moderated because of the high levels of omega-6 fat many of them contain. But there’s another reason you shouldn’t make nuts a staple of your diet.
One of the main principles of the Paleo diet is to avoid eating grains and legumes because of the food toxins they contain. One of those toxins, phytic acid (a.k.a. phytate), is emphasized as one of the greatest offenders.
But what is often not mentioned in books or websites about the Paleo diet is that nuts are often as high or even higher in phytic acid than grains. In fact, nuts decrease iron absorption even more than wheat bread2. This is ironic because a lot of people on the Paleo diet – who go to great lengths to avoid food toxins – are chowing down nut like they’re going out of style.
What is phytic acid and why should we care?
Phytic acid is the storage form of phosphorus found in many plants, especially in the bran or hull of grains and in nuts and seeds. Although herbivores like cows and sheep can digest phytic acid, humans can’t. This is bad news because phytic acid binds to minerals (especially iron and zinc) in food and prevents us from absorbing them. 3 Studies suggest that we absorb approximately 20 percent more zinc and 60 percent more magnesium from our food when phytic acid is absent4. It’s important to note that phytic acid does not leach minerals that are already stored in the body; it only inhibits the absorption of minerals from food in which phytic acid is present.
As most people following a Paleo diet will probably have heard by now, diets high in phytate cause mineral deficiencies. For example, rickets and osteoporosis are common in societies where cereal grains are a staple part of the diet.5
How much phytic acid should you eat?
Before you go out and try to remove every last scrap of phytic acid from your diet, keep in mind that it’s likely humans can tolerate a small to moderate amount of phytic acid – in the range of 100 mg to 400 mg per day. According to Ramiel Nagel in his article “Living With Phytic Acid”6, the average phytate intake in the U.S. and the U.K. ranges between 631 and 746 mg per day; the average in Finland is 370 mg; in Italy it is 219 mg; and in Sweden a mere 180 mg per day.
As you can see from the table below, 100 grams of almonds contains between 1,200 – 1,400 mg of phytic acid. 100g is about 3 ounces. That’s equal to a large handful. A handful of hazelnuts, which is further down on the list, would still exceed the recommended daily intake – and that’s assuming you’re not eating any other foods with phytic acid, which is not likely. Even the Paleo-beloved coconut has almost 400 mg of phytic acid per 100 gram serving.
[Disappointing side note for chocolate lovers: Raw unfermented cocoa beans and normal cocoa powder are extremely high in phytic acid. Processed chocolate may also contain significant levels.]
FIGURE 2: PHYTIC ACID LEVELS1
In milligrams per 100 grams of dry weight
| Brazil nuts | 1719 |
| Cocoa powder | 1684-1796 |
| Oat flakes | 1174 |
| Almond | 1138 – 1400 |
| Walnut | 982 |
| Peanut roasted | 952 |
| Brown rice | 840-990 |
| Peanut ungerminated | 821 |
| Lentils | 779 |
| Peanut germinated | 610 |
| Hazelnuts | 648 – 1000 |
| Wild rice flour | 634 – 752.5 |
| Yam meal | 637 |
| Refried beans | 622 |
| Corn tortillas | 448 |
| Coconut | 357 |
| Corn | 367 |
| Entire coconut meat | 270 |
| White flour | 258 |
| White flour tortillas | 123 |
| Polished rice | 11.5 – 66 |
| Strawberries | 12 |
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Can you prepare nuts to make them safer to eat?
Unfortunately we don’t have much information on how to reduce phytic acid in nuts. However, we know that most traditional cultures often go to great lengths prior to consuming them.
According to Nagel7:
It is instructive to look at Native American preparation techniques for the hickory nut, which they used for oils. To extract the oil they parched the nuts until they cracked to pieces and then pounded them until they were as fine as coffee grounds. They were then put into boiling water and boiled for an hour or longer, until they cooked down to a kind of soup from which the oil was strained out through a cloth. The rest was thrown away. The oil could be used at once or poured into a vessel where it would keep a long time.50
By contrast, the Indians of California consumed acorn meal after a long period of soaking and rinsing, then pounding and cooking. Nuts and seeds in Central America were prepared by salt water soaking and dehydration in the sun, after which they were ground and cooked.
Elanne and I have been preparing nuts like this for a few years, and I personally notice a huge difference in how I digest them. I used to have a heavy sensation in my stomach after eating nuts, but I don’t get that at all when I eat them after they’ve been prepared this way.
Another important thing to be aware of is that phytic acid levels are much higher in foods grown using modern high-phosphate fertilizers than those grown in natural compost.
So how many nuts should you eat?
The answer to that question depends on several factors:
- Your overall health and mineral status
- Your weight and metabolic health
- Whether you are soaking, dehydrating and roasting them nuts before consuming them
One of the biggest problems I see is with people following the GAPS or Specific Carbohydrate Diets, which are gut-healing protocols for people with serious digestive issues. Most GAPS and SCD recipe books emphasize using nut flour to make pancakes and baked goods. This is presumably because many people who adopt these diets find it hard to live without grains, legumes and any starch. While nut flours don’t tend to contain much phytic acid (because nut flour is made from blanched nuts, and the phytic acid is found mostly in the skin of the nuts), they can be difficult to digest in large amounts — especially for those with digestive issues. I’ve found that limiting nut flour consumption is necessary for most of my patients that are on GAPS or SCD. It’s also best to be moderate with consumption of most commercial nut butters, which are made with unsoaked nuts. However, some health food stores do carry brands of “raw, sprouted” nut butters that would presumably be safer to eat.
All of that said, in the context of a diet that is low in phytic acid overall, and high in micronutrients like iron and calcium, a handful of nuts that have been properly prepared each day should not be a problem for most people.
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The hysteria that surrounds phytic acid is a load of Chicken Little BS. It’s never been proven that eating nuts/seeds/legumes/grains in significant quantities causes and/or contributes to mineral deficiencies. In fact, quite the opposite has panned out. Vegans who eat these foods by the bucketload have low incidences of iron, zinc, magnesium deficiencies. (I’m not a vegan, fyi, but facts are facts)
I’m sure they can and do get Minerals from other things besides nuts/seeds/legumes/grains.
As a former Raw Vegan I can tell you: from eating raw un-soaked nuts – very often, that it really does tax ones’ digestive system, it’s an unnecessary load that really is counter productive to ones health in certain respects.
I’ve never felt or have seen the effects of myself age so quick from all the excess work my body (digestive system) has had to do by eating Raw foods. This is one of those “Respects”.
It’s just unnecessary work for our bodies to have to do to be able to sustain itself, hence it being counter productive.
Think about it for a moment, babies don’t eat solid foods (for many reasons too), and then after living off of Mothers Milk they’re weaned onto Baby Foods.
All I want to stress is that regardless of ones diet, whether; Raw, Semi-Raw, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, or whatever – Raw Vegan or not, we’re all going to age alike unfortunately.The human body will eventually loose the battle of regeneration and repair, it will never be able to get ahead and stay there.
I strongly believe (just my perspective) that the more ‘Work’ the human body has to do in order to get what it needs out of that work to only be able to use that/continue working, is a closed cycle and is finite. We’re all numbered.
I think that soaking nuts is a prime idea, if only to take from the work our digestive system has to do assimilating that damn matter.
Sorry but much of what you said is hot air. No evidence or proof to back your claims. Especially the spiel about why and how we age.
Certainty regarding nutrition is an indication that you know a lot less than you think. I would suggest an additional piece of information you might find useful, however. Eating raw veggies exposes you to a type of fiber that needs heat to break down. I can eat about half my veggies raw, but if I eat 100% raw I get all sorts of gas and nasty cramps. This seems to be true for most (maybe not all) people – apparently our ancestors have been cooking veggies for tens of thousands of years (don’t quote me on that, it’s a throw-away line!). Anyways, as for nuts, I don’t know to what extent nuts may contribute to this issue, but I can eat quite a lot without any apparent ill effects.
vegans die and end up with multiple mental disorders, all of them
If i peel my soaked almonds before making almond milk am i free of worries re phytic acid in the milk? I ask this because although the milk might not be a problem since it is passed thru a sieve, i do dehydrate the pulp afterwards to make flour and if i did not peel the almonds first the pulp will have the skin and hence my flour would be problematic re phytic acid i suppose. Basically, does removing the skin make a difference since from what i understood that’s where the problem lies.
is it normaL that everytime i eat nuts my knee become swoLLen?hope you wiLL answer my question,thanks and godbLess.
Chris and all, have you heard of Nate’s Raw Harvest? Claim to be free of phytic acid. Just discovered these products at a local farmer’s market. I bought the pumpkin seeds, the soaked mixed nuts with cinnamon and cayenne, and the wow! bites. So far so good! http://www.natesrawharvest.com. Nate is a good guy. I talked to him briefly about his process and it sounds like he’s got it figured out.
Hi, thanks for the article – I’m trying to move to a more natural diet and minimise my consumption of heavily processed and artificial foods, along with having more natural health boosts rather than relying on third-party means such as supplements, tooth pastes etc.
It’s really tricky… after coming across numerous articles telling me about how healthy the fats found in nuts are for us, I come across other readings that show the phytic acid in them impairs absorption of nutrients and can worsen oral health.
It seems the human body is set up against itself! Can’t have too much fruit because high sugar levels impair oral health, increase risk of diabetes and heart disease etc. and acids can soften enamel. Dairy products come with a plethora if potential health issues. Nuts have health benefits but also apparent health risks. Coniferous vegetables in high amounts can cause constipation and bloating because they aren’t entirely digestible. Too much saturated fats from meats can harm us, but some is really good and meats are an awesome source of iron, vitamin D, fat and protein. Grains should be avoided because they have phytic acids, contribute to high blood sugar and poor oral health. Even brown rice is high in phytic acid.
My head is going to explode, I swear. Seems like the only daily diet with little drawbacks would be chicken, eggs, peas and carrots… I think I would become anorexic 🙁
It’s really tough to find out what to believe since there’s so many conflicting studies, misinformation and covering up of information, and I don’t doubt that a lot of things such as the push for whole grains, dairy products, tooth pastes etc. are more for economical means rather than health reasons.
THIS^
thank you
Well said!
Your not alone, there is a plethora of misinformation out there (intentional & unintentional) concerning the accuracy of what is best/proper & improper/inadequate/detrimental for our nutritional needs.
Because this is the case, I find that one needs to ‘Generalize’ their way of deduction of information. What I mean is that “I find” it’s better to Not fixate too much or for too long on one or too many subjects – better not all at once either.
I do a lot of forum ‘Hopping’, Wikipedia-ing, experimenting, and really it’s more often than not that I’ll still be left with more unanswered questions, more questions and more unsurety (is that a word?) at the length of my research.
But, I do make progress all the while because, by having taken these measures to educate myself and on the matter I’ll have gotten a better idea, or ‘view’ of what & where it really is – for what it is (the reality what it is that I’m researching) in the whole of things, Nutrition & Health in this case.
At first it’s as though I’ve entered a house but all the lights are off, the more I feel my way around the better I’m able to make out where all the furniture is, and so closer to that light switch I become.
You must be in my head! This is exactly what I’m thinking. It’s all very confusing and it seems about the time we think we have the health info. right it gets switched on us. IE, red meat and saturated fats are bad, nuts and grains are good. Now it’s all reversed. Makes me afraid to eat anything!
I agree with the confusion, in the end it seems that minimal processing is the way to go with food. I’ve found something that seems to work for me, and am losing weight finally with lo-carb (but for other people the solution will be something else entirely). I think we all have a unique reaction to foods, and the combination of foods along with our own body chemistry all play a role. My son needed a casein/gluten-free diet when young; when he turned 13 that all changed and he could eat anything at all, with no issues. I, on the other hand, developed an allergy to shampoo at age 13, it all gave me a rash. Sodium-laureth Sulfate was the common ingredient, though similar compounds were an issue too. I used plain soap to wash my hair for decades, until sulfate-free formulas came out, and I seem to be able to use those with no rash resulting.
I agree, food information is conflicting and thus confusing and overwhelming. It seems no two nutritionists agree. Very very frustrating. And because of this, I DO eat less and maybe even have more stress, just doubting if what I’m eating is good or bad for me. Grr!
The stress is very bad for you as well. You should probably just eat a balanced diet not too high in carbs, fat and salt, be happy, and hope for the best 🙂
Just remember, its great to live in a place where you have so much choice and freedom that this is an actual problem (vs not having enough food).
Hmmmm. Well, to begin with, fruit has changed dramatically due to the hybridization of 10,000 years of selection for sweet and removal of bitter. Jo Robinson has an excellent book on how our food has changed with “farming,” and I found this to be very clarifying.
We probably shouldn’t drink cow’s milk–Insulin Growth Factor takes a calf to a 600-pound cow in a year and that’s a hormone likely problematic.
Grains, new. Legumes, new. Even almonds haven’t been around forever. I definitely have lower iron scores because I’m eating too many nuts, same for my husband. I’m going to soak for that reason. Fermentation and the microbiota environment (your guts) is the next frontier and keep your ears open. We can probably get away with a little bit more if we pay more attention to our guts….Please don’t explode. It really does make sense and with our individual peculiarities, you’ll figure yourself out.
I hear you on this. I am getting pretty darn annoyed trying to follow any special kind of diet – whether it was vegan and now paleo to improve my fatigue issues. I like trail mix and realized I have been eating a lot of it due to paleo and then I read this article and I wonder what I’m supposed to eat now. I finally went and bought myself what I used to snack on – sweet potato chips and felt much better for it. I think variety and balance is the thing – not all this restriction and fear of various foods. I can understand the whole grain thing to a point, but I am starting to think it’s neurotic and ridiculous to become a paleo nazi as well on some level, so I have some grains here and there. I didn’t up and throw out all my brown rice and quinoa (which now they say is not a grain?) I let myself have some here and there. I can’t go broke wondering what to eat on paleo and overdoing it on animal proteins. I am starting to feel that can’t be good for a person either. Balance and moderation is what I am thinking now.
LOL…I personally don’t worry too much…I eat about 150 grams of a processed mint milk chocolate bar each day and maybe 1 peanut butter sandwich on squishy Wonder each day as well…that’s about 1,300 calories right there…I’m very thin so I know I need the calories and I hardly eat meat at all…and meat is high in calories…I gave up meat entirely for about 10 years but I had more than 1 blood test that indicated my iron and hemoglobin was a bit low so I just recently started eating a bit of ground beef free from antibiotics…I always buy organic dairy products and organic grains (pasta, cereal)…I try somewhat, but like you, don’t want to just eat peas and carrots, LOL.
I think you mean you’d become thin, not anorexic…anorexia is when you make yourself vomit.
Egg “whites” have a number of anti-nutrients.
http://thepaleodiet.blogspot.com/2010/01/paleo-diet-q-29-january-2010-update-on.html
Lysozyme in particular would survive any normal cooking procedures used for eggs.
Whenever I eat nuts, my stools are flabby, I see lots of pieces of undigested nuts in them.
It happens whether I eat cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or peanuts.
I was wondering, would grinding help? If the nuts are broken down in a blender, would that decreases the phytic acid and make them easier to digest and absorb.
Best thing to do is to eat a balanced diet, stay of excessive meat ,fruit, nuts, processed food should be avoided, stay off all milk products.Milk is pus for calves not humans especially adults Most importantly eat as little as possible just to ensure you have enough energy and body repairing minerals and vitamins. The rest is just waste of money and poo down the toilet,You do not need to eat every day. so learn to skip meals, you wont die, but will be healthier. fasting is a very good idea, stop thinking of food all the time. whatever type of food.
My grandmother ate like a bird on a relatively bad diet but it did include all the food groups. I think eating small amounts and walking all her life, moreso than genetics, is what caused her to live this long with relatively few health problems until she died – broken arm and then pneumonia.
P.S. Left out the crucial part that she lived to be 102.
I have noticed that whenever something comes out as good for you at some point it is discredited in someway..it is impossible to know what to do to try and eat healthy because of this…I could sight many examples of this but wont as most of you already know this..very discouraging to try and find the right things to do.
I feel the same. It is very frustrating. One puts all that effort in having a healthier diet. I am GF and dairy free and use nuts to make milk, crackers and healthy nutritious desserts and now this. I can’t believe G-d would bother making all these different beautiful fruits and nuts etc and them not be good for you. To spend a week soaking different beans and nuts seems ridiculous we would really be living to eat instead of eating to live!
I have been yeast free for almost 10 yrs . I am allergic to a lot of foods. My food choices are very limited, so breakfast and snacks are Very hard. I cannot have a lot of sodium and do not consume any sugar except for sugar Alternative, Erithritol Stevia, Coconut Palm sugar, Etc. I have a digestion, problem and zinc and magnesium deficiency, all due to Heavy metal Poisoning. I have been eating a LOT of nuts, primarily pecans and Macadamia nuts all day. Even as part of my Breakfast along with 3 eggs everyday for years. For the last couple years I have had fatigue and body pain of various intensiveness. My Dr is scratching his head trying to figure out why why this all keeps happening. We think we get it under control only for it to continue. I was wondering this morning if the excessive nut and egg consumption might be causing at least some of the pain and fatigue.
You never include Australian Macadamian nuts. They are one nut which is rich in all the minerals of other nuts but have only a miniscule amount of Phytic acid !! I have a tree in my back garden which yields nuts as big as walnuts and I do not feed it.Check out the Macadamian nuts!
Great article; I think a lot of “paleo” dieters need to reconsider the legitimacy of nuts in their diet at all. The same tenets by which we reject grains must also lead us to reject nuts and seeds (as major sources of caloric intake).
I recently participated in a paleo challenge at my crossfit gym. I have been trying to gain weight, so I upped my nut intake to try and make up for getting rid of dairy (I was more lacto-paleo before). At first my skin improved (I think I’m sensitive to dairy), but after upping the nuts I started developing large cysts on my face and I had a noticeable reduction in my rate of healing. My skin was telling me something was wrong, so fter reading that cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are some of the highest sources of phytates I said enough is enough and completely cut out all nuts and seeds. I cleared up after a few weeks and I’ll never go back.
If you are having trouble losing weight or are having any other immune-related issues and are otherwise fully “paleo” I would definitely get rid of nuts and seeds from your diet.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/11/eating-nuts.aspx
I think Mercola’s article really answers most questions as far as eating nuts go.
As much as you did say it’s ok to have small amounts of it, just the way the article is written can make people scared of eating nuts and start counting mgs of phytic acid.
So would making your almond milk be okay on the Fodmap eating plan? Looking for alternative to cows milk and possibly healthier.
Is this relevant, Chris? I just came across it. Is phytate the same as phytic acid? http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/272678.php
Well I am at a total loss! I decided to go Paleo to try and help my body (at the tender young aged of 56!) and I think I may be making things worse.
I have been making arrowroot flour bread…..too much of that isn’t good.
I have a nut and seed mix for breakfast….broken up organic almonds, organic pepitas, organic sunflower seeds, organic goji berries, organic dates chopped up, organic coconut flakes, frozen blueberries and chopped banana and Metagenics Phyto Essentials with my Organic home made almond milk…..I am having digestion problems now, not so much in the stomach but towards the other end but I am not constipated, it just feel like my innards are a little inflamed and before ‘going through the motions’ I have quite a bit of discomfort! Apparently almonds are really bad because of the phytic acid and I am probably eating some sort of toxic mix!
We eat meat and sweet potato and have salad,…..apparently salad is bad now too…..must be cooked foods…..and we are probably having way too much fibre!
Seriously???? What can one eat???
Very important not to eat too many nuts, nut milk, nut flour, etc. They are very high polyunsaturated fat, and you want to keep total polyunsaturated fat to 3-4% of calories. The fiber in them can also irritate your gut.
Try eating more of what Paul Jaminet calls “safe starches”, like sweet potato, white rice, potato, etc. His book is excellent, see “The Perfect Health Diet”. Use animal fats for a big part of your calories, especially butter or clarified butter (if you are sensitive to milk solids).
Can’t eat starch. Period. BS of 200 and higher. Doesn’t work for me. Or my healthy hubby.
Next.
chris this article claims that peanuts in especially bad because of PNA is a lectine that acts as a superglue to bind other molecules clogging artries fast. the irony is people consume bucket loads of peanut butter but no one seems to know this. please confirm or deny this. http://androseries.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/lectins-in-peanuts-clog-arteries/#comment-207
Hello
It would be great if you can quote your references for all the claims so that if we used this information and passed it onto clients as healthcare practitioners, we can back it up scientifically.
Thanks very much.
Regards,
I don’t understand why DancinPete’s question wasn’t answered? It’s probably the most valid of the lot. Do you not know?… BTW cooking nuts oxidises the omega 3 in nuts making them health damaging free radicles – so bad advice. Not just that, but the grounding of the nuts prior to cooking further oxidises them before hand. I’m sure you know this. What of people using omega 3 rich walnuts and seeds to get the majority of their omega 3, limiting fish to limit mercury?
Yes, Ann, soaking quinoa and rice is recommended. My Nourishing Traditions cookbook is at home. Try a web search…something like, “Nourishing Traditions Sally Fallon quinoa rice soaking recipes”.
One Sally Fallon alternative recipe to soaking rice, is this:
1 Tbsp butter (I use good quality coconut oil or butter ghee (butter oil; whey I don’t tolerate removed), or a combination.
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups rice of choice
(onion – I don’t tolerate, so I leave out)
(cardomom pod seeds – not in my pantry, so I leave out)
4 cups chicken stock (water with Celtic sea salt & herbs would suffice)
gelatin {optional)
optional :diced carrots or other veggies of choice
In a heavy, thick bottom pot saute onion in butter & olive oil
Add rice, stir often, cooking until rice turns “milky”
Pour 4 cups stock over rice and bring to a boil.
Continue boiling for about 10 minutes until liquid is reduced to the level of the rice.
I sprinkle Turmeric over the rice and stir to blend; (anti-inflammatory; as are thyme, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper).
Optional: stir in diced carrots or other veggies of choice & stir.
Cover and turn to lowest heat possible, to continue cooking for 1-1/2 to 3 hours.
I suppose you could transfer to a preheated crock pot.
I freeze excess in meal sized batches for low reheating with a little water added.
Hope you enjoy as much as we do.
Donnacha: In my case (with the digestive issues I’ve developed) when I pre-soak nuts, I tolerate them well, otherwise they cause me pain and go through my system undigested. Didn’t know about omega issues, glad I do not grind or cook with nuts; I do use a dehydrator on low or eat them directly after soaking and rinsing well, without drying.
I believe DancinPete’s question was answered a couple of times, including by Chris Kresser, in the topic introduction, specifically “What is Phytic Acid and Why Should We Care?”
Walnuts (pre-soaked) are a favourite of mine. Perhaps their omegas help with heart health, reducing bad LDL cholesterol.
Would you recommend to soak rice and quinoa?
Chris, my crispy nuts recipe post should read 4 cups nuts…
Thanks.