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Nuts?

I’m full of questions this a.m.!

So, I just read that raw nuts aren’t raw? Is this true? I eat a LOT of nuts, which I buy at a natural foods store in bulk, that say “Raw Almonds” or “Raw hazelnuts” right on the bins.

What can you tell me about this?

Comments

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    This has cumbersome amount of information on nuts.

    http://www.living-foods.com/articles/nuts.html

    Wikipedia definition for nuts

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    Basically, when some nuts are shelled they are boiled, and when they are dried they are dried mechanically at high temperatures. I have trawled the internet for info for a long time and what I have come up with is this: I don’t eat shelled Brazils – been boiled I don’t eat macadamias, been boiled and dried at high temps, I don’t eat shelled pecans as boiled I don’t eat cashews. I do eat shelled walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and pine nuts.

    When recipes call for fatty nuts like macadamias or cashews I use pine nuts instead. And everything tastes just fine.

    I did find a website that sells really raw nuts that haven’t ever been heated above 45 degrees but they didn’t ship to the UK and I lost their website address. They weren’t hard to find though, and they were reasonably priced. All I can remember was that it was a famil run business and they sold in bulk, and they only sold nuts and reall raw dries fruit.Worth a search I reckon.

  • and here it is your moment of zen….I emailed Whole Foods and their nuts that are labeled raw in the 365 brand and bulk bins are in fact RAW, no heat applied, whatsoever…

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    Thanks for the information. Did you ask them how they opened the cashews? Also at whole foods they had raw honey in the machine that was extremely hot. So despite that the honey was raw, it was heated making it not raw anymore. I would probe them alittle more just to be on the safe side.

  • I have a question about nuts too..tonight I soaked cashews for the first time and they turned grey and the water was really grey. Is this normal?

  • i think you’re only supposed to soak cashews for a short period of time.. is it possible that you soaked them too long?

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    if your cashews weren’t the truly raw kind from natures first law – I think they are the only source, then soaking them won’t do anything to them. People soak nuts to release the enzyme inhibitors, if they have been heated none of that is alive and working anyway, might be why it went weird.

  • JoescJoesc Raw Master

    If you soak cashews then only soak them for a short time because the cashews will turn gray. Most cashews are not truly raw but I haven’t experimented with truly raw cashews to see if it has the same results. I choose to take cashews out my diet once I finish the ones I have.

  • wow, you guys have struck fear into my heart. I’ve been buying “raw” nuts from various sources, including Trader Joes and Whole Foods, and now you guys have me wondering. I’ve been rying to be careful, but it seems like everyday I’m discovering more and more foods that I thought were “raw” but are heated or sugared or perserved in some way!

    Are Trader Joes and Whole Foods safe for raw nuts? I don’t understand the post about Brazil and macademia and cashews, can I not eat those? I’d like to limit my online shopping, and I get sick of almonds sometimes…

  • I know David Wholfe has raw cashews on his website. I haven’t tried them yet, but I will order a batch to do a side by side comparison with the ones I already have. I dont eat many nuts, but I make nut milk with almonds and sometimes have walnuts or pecans in my salad if I feel famished. I get most of my nuts from the farmers market where I know they are all raw, but fall back on Whole Foods in the event of an emergency. My stomach will tell me if something isn’t raw (I do just fine on cashews and nori though) and I think WF nuts are pretty safe. I only buy in bulk so I dont know much about their packaged items.

  • Most definitely the ‘raw’ nuts from Trader Joes are processed in some way. They come out of the same factory and machines the other nuts come out of. When the package says ‘raw’ they mean they are not roasted. At Whole Foods, it depends on the brand and the variety. As of August of this year say goodbye to ever getting raw almonds in the USA. The only way to tell for sure if nuts are really raw is to buy them unshelled and from a reliable source that is sensitive to the needs of people on a raw food diet. Growing your own is probably the best solution ;)

  • okay so I just checked out the Dead Food List on PurelyRaw.com which basically is saying that the only truly raw nuts can be almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pine nuts. It seesms like such limited choices :-/ how can I be sure I’m getting the fat/protein I need without going overboard withs nuts and avocados everyday (I have a tendency to overeat on nuts).

    Also, does the same apply for “raw” seeds?

  • I dont risk it.. even companies like to be “discreet” about saying the temperatures they are heated to, Too tricky in the UK.. I hardly eat nuts anyway.

    I tend to stick to pine nut, keep those for emergency.. otherwise.. isnt worth the aggrivation!

    My local healthshop wernt sure if they were heated..and had never heard of sprouting anything.. enough said!!

  • What do you eat Rawdancer then, if not nuts (outside of, say, avocados and cold-pressed olive oil (although I’m stressing over this one too, as it seems risky))?

  • Lots and lots of ripe fruit!!

    I try to keep anything “dead” out of my diet or to a minimum- theres normally an alternative or whatever it is can be skipped all together

    Certainly if I could source raw nuts easily in the UK then I might have them as a treat, for now its off the list!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    You can eat young coconut, mmmm! Eating raw feels better and tastes right to me, so for me it is always the tastier, more vibrant choice.

  • Shambavi, why do you feel that you will be lacking in something if you do not eat nuts or avos or oils? You need to get away from the SAD thinking that we need certain nutrients in certain amounts. The truth is that you will get all the nutrition that you need if you eat a natural raw unprocessed diet and you satisfy your hunger. This means you can eat all the raw fruits and vegetables you want and do not worry. The only thing you should keep in mind is getting sufficient greens as the unfortunate situation in agriculture today is that our fruit supply is nearly void of minerals, greens will supply them.

  • humanimalhumanimal Raw Newbie

    Ween your self off those nuts bro. It ya need sumthin that is a little more sustaining, stick with the avos. Eating too much fat will have negative effects. Like Socal said, you arent going to lack anything if you include a good dose of leafy greens. Most importantly eat a load of fresh fruits :)

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