What are antinutrients?

Introduction

Antinutrients are naturally occurring or synthetically produced substances found in foods. They can have different effects on people, for example, reducing or disrupting the absorption of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients in the intestinal mucosa. Exhaustion as a consequence of malnutrition is not surprising. Nor is the development of a disturbed and troubled digestive system.

The antinutrient content of the affected foods can be reduced using various methods, such as peeling, soaking, sprouting or cooking.

Germs and sprouts contain fewer antinutrients

For this reason, the popularity of soaked and sprouted foods has increased. Soaking foods like grains or nuts releases certain antinutrients like phytic acids into the water and then evaporates. The next step is to continue the sprouting process. Sprouted foods often contain less starch, more nutrients, more enzymes, and more antioxidants , making them less inflammatory and therefore easier to digest.

Do foods contain harmful substances?

Beans, legumes, grains, and nuts are rich in antinutrient substances. In nature, these seeds are supposed to give rise to new flora . Since plants don't have an active immune system and escape from predators is impossible, they have developed these defense mechanisms to protect themselves. Another factor contributing to the presence of mineral-binding substances is their storage mechanism. Plants can thus store mineral reserves for themselves and their offspring. This energy reserve can be used during growth.

More antinutrients than before?

Due to our modern agricultural practices, natural resources like grains are no longer what they once were 100 years ago. Many grains, like wheat, have been bred as hybrids for higher yields and better resistance (=>more antinutrients). (Many people see a correlation with the rise in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.)

Cultivation takes place on over-fertilized, depleted, and pesticide-contaminated soils. ⁽³⁾ The plants are then exposed to further aggressive chemicals such as herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides.

Some experts also blame the increased consumption of foods with anti-nutritional properties in some places for the increasing number of problems.

⁽³⁾ https://www.vegan.at/inhalt/ueberduengung-durch-massen-tierhaltung

Which foods should you pay particular attention to?

Antinutrients occur naturally in many plants, which doesn't necessarily make these foods unhealthy. However, it's helpful to know the most important antinutrients, where they're found, and how best to consume them.

Read more:
Antinutrients: positive and negative properties, occurrence and reduction