The Sad Death of a Raw Food

[Guest guest]

The Sad Death of a Raw Food

 

Something like 85% of the almonds in the world are grown in the USA, in

Northern California.

 

Most of us who read and write about health subjects have touched on the health

benefits of almonds. It's a great food -- but one that changes very

dramatically, from good to bad, when heated. As Dr. Oz, Oprah's favorite

physician has said, they should not be roasted because that can change the

chemical composition of the almond oil, making it unhealthy. Heating almonds

also destroys other beneficial nutrients. For those who are on a raw food diet,

healthy almonds have been a staple.

But now, buying almonds in the USA means that you are getting, by law,

pasteurized almonds. That's right, the government has outlawed its first raw

food. Any almond shipped in the USA has to be pasteurized, according to new

regulations passed in September. This means that the almonds you buy will be

heat-treated, or else chemically treated with propylene oxide (PPO) a chemical

that was once an ingredient in race car fuel. PPO has been found to cause tumors

in rats, but for some reason the FDA considers it safe for human consumption.

These kinds of " safe for human consumption " things always amaze me. Are you

going to purposely ingest a component of race car fuel? No way . . .

What we are left with is " treated " almonds, whether it is pasteurization by

heat or chemicals. Not a good prospect for a delicious taste treat that once had

been known as a substantially healthy product. The jury is not out . . . more

research needs to be done on just exactly has been done to our favorite nut. But

it certainly doesn't bode well for a big, California industry.

If you are interested in reading more on this topic, visit the link at the

headline of Sham vs. Wham, http://shamvswham.blogspot.com/.

 

Dave Jensen <davej

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> But now, buying almonds in the USA means that you are getting, by

> law, pasteurized almonds. That's right, the government has outlawed

> its first raw food. Any almond shipped in the USA has to be

> pasteurized, according to new regulations passed in September. This

> means that the almonds you buy will be heat-treated, or else

> chemically treated with propylene oxide (PPO) a chemical that was

> once an ingredient in race car fuel. PPO has been found to cause

> tumors in rats, but for some reason the FDA considers it safe for

> human consumption.

 

While a good point to address periodically, this is not accurate

information. " Store-bought " raw almonds are required to be

pasteurized, but those almonds purchased directly from the farmers by

consumers are not required to be pasteurized, whether heat or

chemical treatment. When we purchase directly we can still access

truly raw, unpasteurized almonds. These purchases can be at roadside

booths, by phone, or over the internet. Be sure to verify with the

farmers there has been no pasteurization. If you buy in a store, then

you should be getting pasteurized almonds. Even if you have no

interest in store-bought almonds, consider asking store personnel if

they have been pasteurized. Feel free to express your discontent that

they have been pasteurized and they are not labeled as such. Labeling

of the pasteurization of almonds is not required, so you must ASK!

 

Jeff