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Dehydration time and bacteria

Hi everyone,

My stomach has been extremely upset the last few days. I am trying to figure out what I ate that caused this. I suspect it is some kale chips I made that were coated in a dressing (cashew/red pepper/lemon juice/salt/nutritional yeast), but I am not 100% positive. The reason I suspect, which leads into my question, is because the sauce I put on the kale chips was not 100% dry on some of the chips and they were stored over night. These chips tasted amazing, which is why I ate them all!

I read in a Gabriel Cousin’s book that he recommends in general dehydrating at 145 degrees for the first hour and then 105 for the remaining time due to bacteria. I did this for the kale chips.

I also made some pizza crusts that hurt my stomach and those were dehydrated for 24 hours. The mixture was thick though.

Comments

  • Someone….please respond :o)

  • jah rawstafarijah rawstafari Raw Newbie

    Hi Vegan :) did the pizza crust have sprouted grains? if so – i suspect that’s where your problem lies. For me -sprouted buckwheat (or buckwheaties) is a 2 or 3 day regret cycle. I don’t touch it anymore… also, have you explored some of the basics of food combining? I don’t follow it religiously, but certain guidelines have proven helpful on this journey. i.e. not combining different fats – or quick digesting food (read: kale) with longer digesting foods (read:cashews)... just some thoughts :) Hope you’re feeling better!

  • I would guess the combining too. That or for me the nut breads are tasty, but don’t make me feel good.

  • jellibijellibi Raw Newbie

    Hi vegan, I think I remember you saying that you live in Oregon, like me. If so, you may have gotten a virus that’s going around. My husband, daughter and I all got it and it gave us stomach upset and a headache. It was strange because it wasn’t quite the stomach flu (no throwing up), just feeling icky, bloated, gassy, and headachey for 2-3 days.

    Hope you feel better soon :)

  • Thanks everyone. jah rawstafari, the pizza crust did have buckwheat groats in it. I feel bad ever time I eat one. That must be it for that issue. However I was REALLY sick the other night. Won’t go into details other than to say it was not vomiting. Hearing you say mixing kale and cashews might be a problem is interesting. I have been looking into the combing issue, but I am confused. You are not supposed to mix fats and sweets and that is pretty much all raw desserts! Greens with a heavier dressing such as cashews is now a concern? This kind of sucks. If this becomes too much thinking for me, I will give up.

    I have been totally raw for 3-4 months and last night I caved and had some brown rice and cooked string beans. I am trying not to beat myself up about it. In fact, I am wondering if 80-90% raw might be better for me? I think caved because I felt vulnerable after being sick.

    Jellibi…yes I live in Oregon. I don’t think I got a bug because of the way it came on, but it might be possible. Where do you live in OR? I live in Ashland. Would be cool if we were neighbors!

  • jellibijellibi Raw Newbie

    Hi v, I live in Milwaukie, just SE of Portland. I love Ashland, it is my favorite Oregon vacation spot. You have the best food co-op…. so lucky!

  • hey Jellibi…let me know if you are ever coming thru and I will meet you at are fabulous co-op for a meal! You are pretty lucky to be near Portland. You must eat well.

    I just realized I never really got my initial question answered about risk of bacteria when dehydrating. Any takers?

  • achin70achin70 Raw Newbie

    I suspect there might have been some bacteria growth if the chips were not dry. After dehydrating for up to 3 hours at 145, trying lowering to 115, which is what Gabriel Cousens recommends, instead to lowering to 105. The kale chips sound very tasty! :)

  • I ate some cooked when I got sick one time, too. No worries! Hope you feel better.

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    Old thread, but I just wanted to add that I got terribly ill on some bread I made with carrots because it took them two days to dehydrate. My new general rule is that if it takes longer than 20 hours, I won't touch it. And I will start implementing the 145 degree thing.

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    Also something to pay attention to - if you put the food on teflex sheets, try to move them to the mesh sheets as SOON as possible! Otherwise they'll ferment if left too long (for EX for crackers, it usually takes a couple hours till you can peel them off and move to a mesh sheet).

    By the way, i've dehydrated things for several days and i NEVER got sick. I've eaten buckwheat often and also never got sick. An important point is WHAT type of dehydr. you use - i use the excalibur, which does a great job of circulating the air and drying food without letting it ferment. Also, once the food is done, immediately refrigerate it (unless it's bone dry).

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