No matter what dietary camp you sit in, nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber, as well as other nutrients like magnesium and calcium. They provide great alternatives to dairy in milk, make amazing plant based cheeses, and who can resist a chunky, nutty cereal jam packed with nuts and seeds.

You may have noticed a new word that has crept in front of the word though; Activated. This doesn’t mean that your nuts have a fuller social life or better PB than you do, it means it’s been through a process called activation.

What the buck’ is Activation?

Activation is a method used to unlock nutrients in seeds and nuts. Similar to sprouting which involves soaking and allowing grains and legumes to sprout, activation takes it a step further by then drying the nuts or seeds

Why activate nuts and seeds?

To protect the seed or nut, they have naturally occurring enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid which can stop your body from absorbing all the nutrients available to you. This can lead to digestive upset as your body tries to break down these naturally in-built protective measures.

By activating, you trick the seed into breaking down the phytic acid and enzymes, and so when you eat the nuts or seeds, all of the goodness is more readily available for your body to digest and absorb.

How to activate nuts and seeds?

It depends on what nuts and seeds you want to activate. Our friend Amy from the Holistic Ingredient has done the hard work for you (us) and has written a great guide here so you can work out exact times.

We recommend soaking in salted water over night as a general rule of thumb, so around 8 hrs. You then drain off and rinse the nuts, spread thinly on a baking tray on the lowest heat setting (or dehydrator rack) and dry them for anywhere between 12-24 hrs (until dry and crunchy).

Enjoy as a snack, add to salads, breakfast toppers, or we’ve done all the hard work for you and have activated all our nuts and seeds that we use in our Buckinis Range.

Check out these recipes for some Buckin inspiration.