Anyone put the seeds or pits in their smoothies?

[jjonak]

I just purchased a K-Tech blender from someone online who has a website promoting the raw food diet. He suggested that one throw in the avocado pit into shakes to get the extra fiber. I'm not sure if a non-K-Tech blender can handle it, but he said that it tastes fine. I haven't yet received my K-T, so I haven't tried it yet, but does anyone else do this?

He also suggested throwing in apricot pits, although he warned that the taste is bitter.

[Rawkinlocs]

I don't own a K-Tech, but a Vitamix and I'd be kinda scared to do it for fear it might damage (or more quickly dull) my blades.

Also, I realize that there probably are some nutritional benefits in the pits of fruit, but I wonder if we are really supposed to consume them. I mean, I'm sure that the trees that bear the fruit have nutrients in the bark and branches, but should we knaw on those too? :p :D

[Spectatrix]

He also suggested throwing in apricot pits, although he warned that the taste is bitter.
I would suggest that you NOT blend apricot pits... they contain a compound (amygdalin) that degrades into cyanide when digested! The same goes for the seeds/pits of peaches, cherries, apples, and plums.

[rawpriestess]

I eat these seeds

sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
poppy seeds
almonds
hazelnuts
brazil nuts
pine nuts
etc nuts
strawberry seeds
raspberry seeds
black berry seeds
apple seeds
pear seeds
apple pear seeds
grape seeds
kiwi seeds
orange seeds
lemon seeds
grapefruit seeds
watermelon seeds
honeydew seeds
cantaloup seeds
pepino seeds
cucumber seeds
all squash seeds
etc.

so I think I get enough seeds

[jjonak]

Ok, just curious! I hadn't heard of this before. I'm fine putting in apple, etc. seeds. I may try the avocado pit (I was assured by the person who sold this to me that it would not damage the K-Tech), but the bitterness had already had me convinced against fruit seeds. Thanks for letting me know about the cyanide qualities!

[RawTruth]

I would never put an avocado pit into a blender regardless of the type. I have no problem eating fruit seeds -- no different than sprouts to my mind. And, apricot kernels are edible. I've been told that it would take soooooo many to cause harm that it's near impossible to eat that many. They're used to fight cancer, so they can't be that bad.

[jjonak]

This is off-topic, but speaking of avocados, I tried a version of the chocolate pudding tonight! I put about 10 ice cubes, 6 oz water, a large avocado, some flax seed oil, sea salt, raw carob powder, agave nectar and raw cacao nibs in the Vita-Mix, and it came out incredibly thick and creamy, just like a chocolate mousse. It was such a delicious and easy dessert!

The Vita-Mix is amazing. I can't yet compare it to the K-Tech, but it blends ice so beautifully that it makes smoothies and shakes thick and chilled without just leaving ice crystals that separate.

My husband couldn't believe it was mostly water and avocado.

[RawTruth]

Just wondering if you use pure water (bottled or whatever you drink) to make your ice? Since I've been raw, I usually don't drink water in restaurants but, instead, bring my own. If they serve filtered water, I'll drink that but ask not to have ice in it since I know they use just tap water to make the ice.

I don't really use ice in anything I make, but I've been wondering what other people do at home.

BTW, the mousse sounds delicious.

[sport]

I know that you are not supposed to put avocado pits in a composter and I assume that it must mean that they are not considered to be biodegradable so I would not like to consume them. I do use my apple seeds and I add apricot kernals (about 10).

[ChaiLife]

I think I know where you got your blender. I also read about the seed and talked to the guy on the phone about it. He also suggested going to Qigong web site (http://www.qigong.com) to learn more.

Apparently the avocado seed has more soluble fiber than ANY vegetable and has an array of health benefits. They only recoommend using a 3 HP blender to grind these to get maximum benefits.

Also, I have read some stuff about the apricot kernel (inside the tough pit and it looks like an almond) does contain cyamide but only releases it at the site of cancer. Whether that is true or not I can not tell.

I know I have watched a video in the past about a guy who eats the seeds out of his apples, apricots, peaches (I tried this, it's better), and just about everything because they have a certain vitamin that you can only find in the seed. He used Scripture to support his view of why he eats the seed.

Check out the "Food Healing" on the qigong web site above. It's pretty interesting. He even offers a book on smoothies to combat different diseases.

Kelly
PS I am ordering a K Tec and plan on blending those avocado seeds!
PSS I gnawed on a cherimoya seed. Not recommended! :o

[jjonak]

ChaiLife, yes, that's exactly the same guy! He's very anti-juicer as well (thank goodness I wasn't ordering one of those from him), but his prices are excellent. They seem somewhat influenced by whether the customer is raw or not, so I kept expecting a "test" from him- which he claims he sometimes does on his website - but all in all, the sale was relatively straightforward, minus the admonitions to eat avocado seeds.

RawTruth, I usually use filtered water. We have a filter built right into our sink. For ice, I just use regular water. The one nice thing about the regular water is the fluoride for the teeth. This could be a myth, but I've told all my life that it made a huge difference generationally in the number of cavities and tooth decay when they started adding fluoride to water. I'm 32 and have never had a cavity, despite a rampaging sweet tooth. So I figure a little tap water in the form of my ice won't hurt me. But the rest I drink filtered, or at our other house, we drink ion-filtered river water.

[Spectatrix]

I would never put an avocado pit into a blender regardless of the type. I have no problem eating fruit seeds -- no different than sprouts to my mind. And, apricot kernels are edible. I've been told that it would take soooooo many to cause harm that it's near impossible to eat that many. They're used to fight cancer, so they can't be that bad.
It's not nearly impossible to eat too many apricot pits... there's no good estimate of how many is too many, but there have been many cases of death from cyanide poisoning as a result of consuming apricot pits, especially in Turkey. Apple seeds are less dangerous, but can still make a person sick in large enough quantities. Needless to say, these effects are more pronounced in children than in adults. I most certainly would not use an un-cored apple or un-pitted apricot, peach, etc. in a smoothie I was making for kids.

As for apricot pits being used to fight cancer, I'm assuming you're referring to Laetrile. I might as well just quote Wikipedia to respond to that...


Amygdalin is also called laevomandelonitrile, or Laetrile (some claim that Laetrile is derived from a Latin word meaning "joyfulness") for short, and has been advocated by some as a "cure" or a "preventative" for cancer: as there is no scientifically accepted evidence of its efficacy, it has not been approved for this use by the FDA. The US government's National Institutes of Health reports that two clinical trials with laetrile have been published. One Phase I study found that amygdalin caused minimal side effects; the side effects that were seen were similar to the symptoms of cyanide poisoning. One Phase II study with 175 patients had some patients reporting improvements in symptoms, but all patients showed cancer progression 7 months after completing treatment, and it was determined no further tests were necessary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdalin

In short, do as you will with fruit seeds, but I personally wouldn't consume them deliberately or recommend them to others. I know of nothing bad about avocado seeds, but I'd be worried about the wear and tear they'd impart on a blender.

[RawTruth]

Re: avocado pits - I figure if I can't chew them with my teeth, they weren't intended to be eaten. :p

As to fluoride, there are so much research showing that it's harmful, it's hard to know where to start --

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/shamesfluoride.htm
http://exzibit.net/viewarticle.php?articleID=740
http://www.wholywater.com/fluoride.html
http://www.viewzone.com/fluoride.html

I was told that all municipal water supplies are treated with chlorine, and there's not very good news about it:

http://www.mercola.com/2004/nov/13/chlorine_water_cola.htm

Eeeeek! :eek:

[RawTruth]

I remember a few discussions here in the past about apricot kernels.

Here's one - it's mostly RP's post that I'm referencing:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7003&highlight=apricot

In my mind, the cyanide information comes from the same doctors/agencies/nutritionists who say that I have to drink milk to have strong bones. ;)

[Daddeln]

Ann Wigmore recommend in her books to use the a hole melon inclusive the shell and seeds (seeds made into creamy stuff). I guess this would be the same case as advocado pits or is it another thing. Couldnt this damage the blender?

[Spectatrix]

In my mind, the cyanide information comes from the same doctors/agencies/nutritionists who say that I have to drink milk to have strong bones. ;)
Well, I've seen my step-father get sick from eating a couple of apples and their seeds (and he's not the type to get sick easily), so I'm more inclined to believe information about cyanide than about the necessities of dairy products.

Long story short, if it doesn't make you feel sick, I wouldn't worry too much about it... just don't go on an apple seed/apricot pit binge and gorge yourself! ;) To me, though, the supposed benefits don't outweigh the known risks (known in my mind, that is), so eating such seeds isn't a habit I plan to cultivate.

[Apples'nAvos]

*chuckle* when I saw the topic of this thread earlier, I read it as saying "Anyone put the seeds and pits in their stomachs?"

And I sat here thinking to myself "Well, yeah. I swallow apple, orange, grape and watermelon seeds all the time. Why? Shouldn't I? Is what my dad told me when I was younger true??(that if you swallow the seeds, they grow in your belly and make a tree that has it's branches out of your ears!)"

... aaaaaaanyway, just thought I would share. :)

[jjonak]

Re: avocado pits - I figure if I can't chew them with my teeth, they weren't intended to be eaten. :p

As to fluoride, there are so much research showing that it's harmful, it's hard to know where to start --

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/shamesfluoride.htm
http://exzibit.net/viewarticle.php?articleID=740
http://www.wholywater.com/fluoride.html
http://www.viewzone.com/fluoride.html

I was told that all municipal water supplies are treated with chlorine, and there's not very good news about it:

http://www.mercola.com/2004/nov/13/chlorine_water_cola.htm

Eeeeek! :eek:

Wow, those are fascinating! I'm glad that ice is the only non-filtered water I'm using! Hmmmmm, my dad always told me when I was growing up that the reason he had so many cavities and I had none was the fluoride in the water, guess I need to start re-thinking that.... :)

Thanks so much for passing that on!