Soak your Nuts, Seeds, grains & Legumes

I have read this over and over that soaking your seeds, nuts and dals overnight or even for a few hours is really beneficial to health. I think most Indians are used to soaking their whole dals i.e chickpeas, kidney beans or whole mung dals but I always thought the idea behind it was to facilitate and accelerate the cooking process and if I am not wrong most Indians also grew up eating overnight soaked almonds. But besides that somehow I never thought of soaking any other of my grains or seeds. Well it turns out soaking all these 4 categories of foods - seeds, nuts, grains and legumes is super important and super good for us. Let me explain why -

1. Ever wondered why the seeds and nuts that sit in our kitchen cabinet do not grow into plants. It is because grains, seeds and nuts all have enzyme inhibitors that prevent the seed from germinating until there are proper conditions for growth (right soil, water and sun etc). So when we eat these seeds, nuts and grains we are ingesting these enzyme inhibitors which interfere with our body's own enzymes' ability of breakdown and digest food.
2. When we soak, we not only break down these enzyme inhibitors, we also stimulate the germination process, gearing the seeds and grains towards the growth process and these active, live seeds are much more nutritious and healthy.
3. Soaking also helps break some of the hard to digest proteins contained in them for easy assimilation.
4. Phtytic acid: All these 4 foods also contain something called phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound) in their outer covering or bran. Phytic acid binds with essential minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, copper and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. (Most of these foods also contain something called Phytase - a natural enzyme present in varying degrees in all these foods which when properly activated helps breakdown phytic acid and thereby making all the nutrients more bioavailable.) Soaking allows enzymes such as Phytase and others organisms to break down and neutralize the phytic acid and thus significantly improving the nutritional content of these foods.
5. The Proper way to Soak: The best way to soak your grains etc is in an acidic medium. What that means is that along with water you need to add a hint of acid to the soaking water (use filtered water). The best two options are - Lime Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar. For every 1 cup of grain add 1 tablespoon of acidic medium. There is not after taste of vinegar left in the soaked grains - just rinse them well in the morning and you are good to go. 
6. You could also use dairy based acidic medium such as yogurt, kefir or buttermilk for soaking as it also provides the additional benefits of lactobacilli bacteria but the use of this medium would have to depend on the recipe that you are planning to make plus there are some conflicting views that the calcium in these mediums might effect the breakdown of phytic acid. (I personally have not tried this)
7. Soak Time: It's ideal to soak grains 7-8 hours or overnight for best results. Some nuts like cashews, pumpkin seeds and walnuts can be soaked for even less time - about 4 hours is usually enough.
8. Large Batches:  This is especially helpful for people with small kids - make large batches of soaked nuts and seeds that can be eaten as impromptu snacks. You can soak a big bowl of nuts and seeds of your choice overnight and then rinse them out. Place them on a baking tray and put them in the oven on the minimum available temperature - nothing more than 150F (the lesser the better) for 12-24 hours. It will take this much time for them to dry out and turn crispy again. A better alternative is to use a dehydrator but I am guessing not many people have one so an oven should suffice. Store them in an airtight container for a few months - walnuts will need refrigeration. 
9. It's important to note that few grains such as Oats & Corn  do not contain enough Phytase (the good enzyme) to eliminate phytic acid even after soaking. Other grains such a Wheat, rye and buckwheat (non-grain) contain high levels of phytase. So it would be best to soak oats and corn for a longer period of time say 24 hours with a bit of buckwheat groats mixed in. 

Source: 1, 2