Soaking:
Not only does soaking break down the necessary components to be able to fully absorb and digest, it also makes cooking feel easier. For instance, when I cook our oats overnight, it is all set to go in a pan on the stove to just add a little more water and turn on in the morning. The same with soaking pancake flours, it is already that much closer to putting together and makes my morning feel smoother. As for beans and other grains, I can tell that it helps with the digestibility in addition to bringing out it's flavors.
Grains: soak in water at least overnight, add either 2 TBSP of kefir, yogurt, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar. Kefir or yogurt seem to go best taste wise for me when soaking oats.
Rice is best soaked too, same process as below, but 2 TBSP of vinegar instead of 4.
Beans: soak bean for 12-48 hours and change the water 1-2 times during this process. Add water to beans to fully cover, then add 4 TBSP apple cider vinegar. Drain then cook as per recipe. If you have trouble digesting beans, for example if you experience gas or bloating when eating them, add the right spices and soaking usually help this but you can also bring the beans to a boil, dump that water and then go to cooking process.
Sprouting: To sprout beans and seeds, soak for 2 days, rinse water 2x a day and refill, then drain completely and let sit in a large jar or bowl, rinse and drain once or twice a day and when tails have grown they are ready to add to a recipe. Green mung bean recipe coming shortly....
More information to come.....