Tip: if you are experiencing a sour taste in the soaked oats here are a few things to try: Make sure that you are rinsing them well. People tend to skip this step, but from my personal experience, I find rinsing them well omits this. It also helps in washing away the sticky starch that can make oats gummy.
In general, the best means of significantly reducing phytic acid in grains and legumes is a combination of acidic soaking for considerable time, followed by cooking. It's important to note that not all grains contain enough phytase to eliminate phytic acid even when soaked, such as oats and corn.
If you soak your oats overnight at room temperature (do not put them in the fridge!) between 7-15hrs it allows the natural enzymes and other helpful organisms to begin fermenting the grain and this will neutralise a large portion of the phytic acid.
It makes sense that if you're soaking oats to rid them of phytic acid, you would need to discard the soaking water; however, this process is enzymatic. That means the phytic acid is deactivated (to some degree) and you do not need to discard the soaking water.
Oats should soak for at least 12 hours but 24 is best, and a little longer is ok too. I usually start them soaking at night so we can have them in the morning.
The good news, as Healthline points out, is that eating raw oats is perfectly fine and shouldn't put you at risk for foodborne illness. The benefits include a robust dose of the soluble fiber beta-glucan, which has been shown to help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
It's highly recommended that you use a probiotic-rich liquid like whey (the liquid on top of your plain yogurt), buttermilk, whole-milk plain yogurt, whole-milk kefir, coconut kefir, when soaking your oats. This helps break down the phytic acid the most (and it also inhibits any harmful bacteria from growing).
Boiling or/and soaking them in any form of milk as overnight oats do not allow us to consume its benefits as what we wanted. It may even cause nutrient deficiency. This is because of the presence of phytic acid (an anti-nutrient) that is present in the oat. Phytic acid binds to iron, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.
Recipe Tips and Notes
Due to water not being as flavorful as milk, the rest of the ingredients will do the heavy-lifting when building flavor. Chia seeds are also neutral in flavor. Make sure you are using a flavorful yogurt, good quality vanilla extract, and real maple syrup to flavor the overnight oats.
Overnight oats offer a range of health benefits, due to their rich fibre and protein content. They also contain a number of vitamins and minerals, some of which include manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. This makes overnight oats healthy for your gut, as well as for overall health and well-being.
Oats contain phytic acid, which impairs the absorption of iron, zinc, calcium, and more1 , and blocks the production of digestive enzymes, making your oats much harder on your stomach. Reduction of phytic acid is just one reason that traditional cultures usually soak, sprout, or ferment their nuts, seeds, and grains.
Unfortunately "the bad" about oats are: Relatively high levels of phytates. Often overly processed prior to consumption. Can be contaminated with gluten during processing.
Another way to reduce the phytic acid is to soak your oats in something slightly acidic overnight, just water and lemon juice is fine (but you must discard the soak water) or some people prefer to use live yoghurt or kefir .
Phytase is the enzyme that neutralizes phytic acid and liberates the phosphorus. This enzyme co-exists in plant foods that contain phytic acid.
The addition of milk to overnight oats creates a creamy texture whereas water won't add any creaminess but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We can compensate for the lack of creaminess and flavor with other nutritious ingredients like mashed banana, plant-based yogurt, or nut butter.
Overnight oats are most often prepared with milk but they can easily be made without milk. They do need some sort of liquid though, that's when water comes in as a great alternative to milk. Together with the chia seeds and yogurt you'll still end up with a nice creamy consistency.
Simple tip #1: Make oatmeal with milk (or a non-dairy alternative) versus water. Not only does oatmeal made with water taste way less delicious, but you're also missing out on the extra protein staying power that milk will add to the breakfast. Water will also make the oats more gummy instead of creamy.
Phytic acid can be neutralized in as little as 7 hours when soaked in water with the addition of a small amount of an acidic medium such as vinegar or lemon juice.
As discussed in the previous section, the soaking and temperature make it retain nutrients better. Overnight oats retain its fiber content better, keeping you full and energetic for a long period. People aiming at weight management can draw many benefits from this aspect of oatmeal.
Soak and drain: This is the most efficient way to remove the phytic acid. Add sufficient amount of water to allow your oats to soak overnight without fully absorbing all of the liquid. The next day, drain the remaining liquid and rinse the oats before mixing with your favorite add-ins and toppings.
Gently rinsing soaked oats not only helps them to be less “pasty” in texture, but also helps to reduce any sour flavor that may develop as a result of the soaking process.
Phytic acid is naturally found in the following foods: Grains: Such as whole wheat, oats, and rice. Legumes: Such as black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, soy beans, peanuts, and lentils. Nuts and seeds: Such as walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, and sesame seeds.