efficacy

[Untaught88]

Hi,

I was looking for English of a word. I have found some words but I think ''efficacy'' is close in meaning to what I was googling.
When we eat almonds without soaking them, their efficacy is hot and if we soak them at night and eat in the morning, their efficacy is cold. I hope it helps you understand what I meant. Is ''efficacy'' right, if not, please tell me a word. I have tried a lot.

 

[tzfujimino]

I don't think the "efficacy" is the word you should use. Are you talking about almonds' nutritional value after they are soaked?

 

[Untaught88]

Yes.

 

[emsr2d2]

We don't refer to nutritional content with the terms hot and cold. As far as I know, it makes no difference what time of day or night you soak them.

 

[Untaught88]

As long as you soak them, it doesn't mean at night or during the day, their ''efficacy/nature/result/effect'' is changed. In my language we use the word ''taseer''. Can you please google it? You might understand it better. Maybe I couldn't made myself clear.

 

[SoothingDave]

Efficacy is not the right word.

 

[emsr2d2]

I apologise for misreading your original explanation. I work in the health food industry and we deal with both unsoaked and soaked almonds (and other nuts). Many people say that soaking them starts to bring them back to life after having been "dead" since being picked. The process of soaking them starts to awaken them and makes them start to prepare to sprout. Those people believe that eating them after soaking them means they are eating a more "live" food and that it will be more nutritionally beneficial.

I looked up the term "taseer" and found that foods are considered to be garam or thandi taseer (and most of the translations use "hot" and "cold" for those terms). It sounds very similar to the Ayurvedic belief that foods are either pitta, vata or kapha - the foods chosen are based on whether the person eating them is pitta, vata or kapha. Pitta is seen as hot and fiery, vata weak and fragile and kapha soft and watery (that's the description of the people!) If you're a pitta-type person, you need to balance by avoiding pitta foods and eating a balance of the others.

Please note that I have paraphrased what I know about Ayurvedic practices through my experience at work and a quick Google search. I am happy to be corrected by someone who knows a lot more about it.

 

[Untaught88]

So what word should I use? I'm still confused and couldn't find one.

 

[tedmc]

IMO, the word efficacy, which means "to achieve the desired result" cannot be applied to what you are talking about. It is used more with medicines rather than food and nutrition.
You idea of "hot and cold" is similar to the Chinese concept of "yin and yang".
Not everything can be described in a word, especially when it is something from a different culture.
How about: The nutritional value of almond is highest after it is soaked overnight rather than when it is dry.

 

[tzfujimino]

"rather than when it is dry" could be deleted.
What do you think?

 

[tedmc]

While it is not impossible to use 'almond' as an uncountable noun, the plural form would be more natural there. We are talking about the nuts, not the flavour.

OK, I missed that 's'.