salt to "soak up" phytic acid

[Truthseeker]

Phytic acid is in cereals, grains, bran, nuts and seeds. A drawback is that the acid chelates minerals such as magnesium and phosphorous, possibly leaving consumers undernourished.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acid
One way to lessen the amount of phytic acid is to soak nuts or seeds in water for hours. I soak walnuts for 24 hours, changing the water midway, once. However, simply adding a certain kind of salt to your meals that contain significant amounts of phytic acid may help, as long as you keep the salt dose to less than 2.3 grams. The kind of salt is not what is called "table salt." Rather, "sea salt" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_salt or
Himalayan salt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_salt#Uses
(how that upper limit was determined: The Journal of the American Medication Association Internal Medicine published a study that found modest amounts of salt in your diet aren't harmful. It seems possible to me that you can safely go up to 3 grams.)
Disclaimer. I know of no study that examines the salt-acid interaction in the human body.

[One Bad Pig]

I'm pretty sure that sea salt isn't the only good source of magnesium and phosphorus. I'm also pretty sure that phytic acid isn't present in nuts and grains in large quantities. Further, salt does not "soak up" phytic acid. You just need to make sure that if you eat a lot of nuts and grains that you also have a sufficient source of magnesium and phosphorus.

Full disclosure: I tend to use sea salt, because IMO the trace minerals enhance the flavor a bit. There's nothing wrong with using table salt, or salt in general, as long as you have a source of potassium commensurate with your salt intake.

[pancreasman]

Utter woo.

[Truthseeker]

I'm pretty sure that sea salt isn't the only good source of magnesium and phosphorus. I'm also pretty sure that phytic acid isn't present in nuts and grains in large quantities. Further, salt does not "soak up" phytic acid. You just need to make sure that if you eat a lot of nuts and grains that you also have a sufficient source of magnesium and phosphorus.

Full disclosure: I tend to use sea salt, because IMO the trace minerals enhance the flavor a bit. There's nothing wrong with using table salt, or salt in general, as long as you have a source of potassium commensurate with your salt intake.

As far as I know, light grey celtic salt is best for the purposes of lessening the amount of phytic acid in the food. Based on an intake of 2.3 grams of that salt, 11 mg of magnesium is available, according to the "Nutritional Facts" table printed on my bag of that salt. Let's compare the molar mass of magnesium (I think Mg₂) to the molar mass 660 g/mol of phytic acid. So, maybe 24 g/mol Mg₂ for 660 g/mol or 1 g/mol for 27.5 g/mol phytic acid. But actually maybe one Mg atom per phytic acid molecule. Anyway. As for phosphorous, unfortunately, I need to google some more for the amount in the salt.

Meanwhile, could you please do some research and get the numeric value for the amount (mass) of phytic acid in a "handful" of walnuts and also give a link to your authority for that number?

Maybe my idea is indeed utter woo, but unfortunately pancreasman did not explain why he thinks so. Maybe he is a

[Truthseeker]

I am going to look for confirmation that phytic acid can form a salt with magnesium, so unless you are up on chemistry, you may want to skip this thread for a while.

[pancreasman]

As far as I know, light grey celtic salt is best for the purposes of lessening the amount of phytic acid in the food. Based on an intake of 2.3 grams of that salt, 11 mg of magnesium is available, according to the "Nutritional Facts" table printed on my bag of that salt. Let's compare the molar mass of magnesium (I think Mg₂) to the molar mass 660 g/mol of phytic acid. So, maybe 24 g/mol Mg₂ for 660 g/mol or 1 g/mol for 27.5 g/mol phytic acid. But actually maybe one Mg atom per phytic acid molecule. Anyway. As for phosphorous, unfortunately, I need to google some more for the amount in the salt.

Meanwhile, could you please do some research and get the numeric value for the amount (mass) of phytic acid in a "handful" of walnuts and also give a link to your authority for that number?

Maybe my idea is indeed utter woo, but unfortunately pancreasman did not explain why he thinks so. Maybe he is a

Or conversely, maybe you are. You have no intention of listening to anything respected science has because it's all some giant government conspiracy, and yet you gullibly buy into every bit of alternative woo you can find. You dismiss any contrary evidence and therefore going into detail about acid chemistry and salts is simply pointless.

[Truthseeker]

The wikipedia entry on "antinutrient"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinutrient
says, "Phytic acid has a strong binding affinity to minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc." Sorry I forgot that.

[Truthseeker]

Or conversely, maybe you are. You have no intention of listening to anything respected science has because it's all some giant government conspiracy, and yet you gullibly buy into every bit of alternative woo you can find. You dismiss any contrary evidence and therefore going into detail about acid chemistry and salts is simply pointless.

You're welcome to just lurk.

[One Bad Pig]

I am going to look for confirmation that phytic acid can form a salt with magnesium, so unless you are up on chemistry, you may want to skip this thread for a while.

As your comment here shows, the only chemistry you know is what you find by googling. Phytic acid, being an organic compound, does not form a "salt" with anything.

Phytic acid is interesting stuff, though.

Anti-oxidant, anti-cancer properties? I'll take some of that. It also chelates heavy metals, which is a plus.

Perhaps the takeaway is that you shouldn't look to grains and nuts for your trace mineral intake, so perhaps you should avoid eating them with sources of minerals. Man has, after all, managed to survive for millennia (if you're YEC) or millions of years (if you're OEC/evolutionist) whilst eating grains. Perhaps your concerns are a tad over-blown.

[Truthseeker]

Man has, after all, managed to survive . . . millions of years (if you're OEC/evolutionist) whilst eating grains.

Really? Your authority, please.

Fine, without your help I will continue to look for data. Maybe several days.

[Jedidiah]

I have personally eaten lots of raw nuts for many years, never experienced any side effects. Will continue to not worry about it.

[One Bad Pig]

Really? Your authority, please.

Fine, without your help I will continue to look for data. Maybe several days.

Do you see people around you? The "Cradle of Civilization" has been farmed for (at least) thousands of years. Wheat gave the area a major leg up (IIRC that information comes from Guns, Germs, and Steel).

Sometimes, it really is that obvious.

[Paprika]

As your comment here shows, the only chemistry you know is what you find by googling. Phytic acid, being an organic compound, does not form a "salt" with anything.

Seriously? I don't see how you have any high ground to condemn Truthseeker's ignorance and research methods.

[Paprika]

I am going to look for confirmation that phytic acid can form a salt with magnesium, so unless you are up on chemistry, you may want to skip this thread for a while.

(Behind a paywall)

If you need more help feel free to ask for it.

Edit: An author of Dietary roles of phytate and phytase in human nutrition: A review has made his article publicly available. There's no need to sign up, just click 'View' and then 'Download'. In general if you're looking for scholarly articles that are not behind paywall you should use Google Scholar with 'filetype:pdf' appended to the end of your search. The usual caution with sources should still apply.

[One Bad Pig]

Seriously? I don't see how you have any high ground to condemn Truthseeker's ignorance and research methods.

My apologies. I stand by my condemnation of his research methods, however.