Beware of anti-nutrients in Grains

Antinutrients are pretty much how the word sounds, ANTI nutrients. The main antinutrient found in grains (including gluten free recipes using grains such as quinoa and buckwheat) is called Phytates, which bind to vitamins, minerals and enzymes to make them unavailable to the body.
The main minerals Phytates target include calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc, which interestingly are also the main minerals found in grains itself, preventing full absorption of the nutrients present along with taking them out of the body to later cause, with consistent consumption of grains, possible nutrient deficiency in those areas and/or more.
Even gluten free recipes can contain antinutrients, foods such as legumes, nuts, seeds, and even eggs contain an antinutrient called avidin; however you'd need to consume a drastically high amount of raw eggs to get enough avidin to start causing negative effects on the body. Nuts and seeds are a food source that are good for us, as they contain good traces of fatty acids and protein, so we don't want to stop eating them because they contain antinutrients; what we can do to reduce the amount of antinutrients is to soak them in water, this is quite beneficial as this process will not only reduce the anti-nutrients, but will also improve the nut/seeds digestibility, so we end up getting more of the good stuff! If you don't have the chance to soak your nuts, just be moderate in the amount that you eat.
The process of soaking grains and legumes is used a lot in traditional societies and cultures, and is one reason why those people don't seem to obtain the same health problems as in the Eastern culture.
Traditional Indian, African, Ethiopian and Latin American cultures prepare their food with great care by sprouting (consistent soaking until a sprouted stem appears), soaking (in water or sour milk) and/or fermenting their legumes, grains and nuts before eating. They will soak these foods for several days or sometimes up to weeks before they are prepared into a meal, this process dramatically reduces antinutrients and leaves them containing more nutritional value, however there will always still be some antinutrients left in the grain, and there are also other factors of grains we need to take into consideration that cause negative effects in the body, such as lectins and gluten.
Soaking quinoa before preparation is a healthy food source for cooking gluten free recipes for people who have celiac disease, or who are wanting to eliminate gluten from their diets.
However, removing or significantly reducing grains from your diet will dramatically reduce your overall intake of anti-nutrients, check out these sensational gluten free recipes for some meal ideas.

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Gluten Free Living for Optimal Health.