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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI just read a topic someone posted here:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=36734
Read Walnutty's post, #12. He basically talks about how hardly anything at big chain supermarkets is really "raw" because it goes through pasteurization and other procedures to get rid of the bacteria present in food. He also mentions how produce carriers simply can't risk people getting salmonella and such from their produce, and this is why almost everything goes through these extensive processes. The person in these posts clearly talks from experience.
I also read another article regarding almonds, which is also rather disturbing:
http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/articles/press_release_082707.asp
There are many articles online dealing with irradiation of foods. I guess that living in today's society, hardly anyone can truly be considered a "raw" vegan unless they have enough money to buy from vendors who truly do sell raw products unadultered in any way, or can grow everything themselves. And lets face it, purely organic products that are completely raw and unprocessed in the the slightest way are going to be costly. Thanks to today's mechanized society, this makes it very difficult for me. I tried truly "raw" pecans collected by a colleague of my mother, and the taste was amazing, unlike anything you can buy at any store.
Here are some more links someone gave to me in a product review forum:
http://www.naturalnews.com/023014.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/024075.html
http://www.mercola.com/article/irradiated/irradiation_opposition.htm
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/07/11/irradiation-part-one.aspx
Perhaps alot of you knew all of this already, but most of it comes as news to me (and yes, even organic products undergo irradiation processes).
Comments
I read the links that you have posted and this topic is distressing. I knew about the almond law since I was living in LA at the time and there was much talk about the nuts being pasteurized. Since then I have found online places to buy nuts that I believe are still raw but you never know. You can also contact the grower and request "farm stand almonds" which are the kind that they sell at the farmers markets and they are raw.
What is very troubling is the possibility of our produce in part or wholly being irradiated. I can go on a little bit or no nuts but without fresh living fruits and vegetables what good is that great fresh juice that I make myself twice a day.
My goal is to become educated on gardening and grow what I can at home. This is really the only guaranty that you are getting real fresh food. After living in California and really enjoying being able to go to the Farmer's Market every week I realize how much I miss that kind of access to beautiful fresh produce. I now live in Texas and there is no where near the amount of produce available at farmers markets. If you don't live in California, where basically the majority of our food is grown, then this issue effects you even more I feel.
Here is a link for Canada:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/tipcon/irrade.shtml
Food that is irradiated must have a special symbol on it.
Anyway, I think that is what you are talking about, right?
Buy local when in season, buy local in the stores.
Find a trusted Farmers Market.
Look for symbols.
Start a petition online and write to your mp.
Start an outdoor garden.
Start an indoor garden.
http://www.hbb2obm.com/backyard-gardening/organic-vegetable-gardening/
http://americanacupuncture.blogspot.com/2008/10/is-irradiated-food-nutritional.html
It looks like i might have to stick to a Canadian Organic Raw Food Diet!!!
"Canada's organic foods and processed products are produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetic engineering or irradiation."
http://www.ats.agr.gc.ca/brandingcanada/toolbox/organic_e.htm
Sultaria - there's no way to prove that walnutty is telling the truth. Contact your market directly and ask them. Don't believe rumors on the internet - MOST things are scare tactics. We need to spread love, not fear.
I am aware that there is no way to prove his point. It is just so easy, in an industrialized society like the U.S., to get everything done quickly and effeciently, and that usually requires some processing. I have read many articles about raw nuts not actually being raw because boiling them is a good way to get the bacteria killed. That claim, at least, is reasonable. I guess the best I can do is to stay away from the foods that are the most highly processed and stick to the more natural ones, whether they be truly raw or not.
From taking chemistry for several years, I know that there are strange chemicals used for creating artificial flavors and extractions, that are made harmless by the other processes involved. It is a rather interesting topic, but now I'm going off tangent to ochem land.
I buy buckwheat, shelled pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, as well as unhulled sesame in bulk from totally mainstream grocery stores (Safeway, Extra Foods, etc.) and they always sprout - every seed just about. I choose to take that as a good sign.
I wrote to TJ and they denied this accusation that they irradiate their foods. They said none of their food has been irradiated. While I don't tend to be trusting, I think this person who made this claim of irradiation might be fibbing.
I had bought an organic spinach that is packed in plastic box's. I wanted to see just how long they stay " fresh" in them. I kept the spinach in one box for 2 weeks opening once a day. If I bought organic fresh spinach not in a box it would last about 3 days.
I would like to know how spinach is kept so long in these boxes. Something just doesn't seem right. Irradiated? hum
I buy a lot of my dry goods from www.realrawfood.com
yup but it's still better than SAD!