What is and isn't RAW if it's not marked?

[BoraDeb]

I am in my second week raw but I have a few, maybe obvious, questions.

Can things be RAW if they are not marked RAW? For example are dates, raisins, sun-dried tomatoes raw if they are dried and the only ingredients are them? I know raw cashews aren't really raw so now I'm wondering. What about other nuts? A bag of walnuts or pinenuts that only list the nut as the ingredient - are they RAW? Apple cider vinegar?

I would like to buy as much stuff in the regular supermarket as I can to simplify things but I have to question this. Obviously I'm buying organic if I can, but organic doesn't mean raw.

I may be making this harder than it has to be but I don't know if I'm being as raw as I can be. Any help and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Debbie

[RawFoodieMom]

Well, it's really hard to be general about whether certain things are raw, but here are my thoughts. Raisins are mostly sun-dried, so they are raw. We checked from another thread, and according to one of the popular brands (SunMaid), they are sun-dried, so we considered them raw (thank goodness for that, lol). Now, when it comes to golden raisins, a lot of times oil and stuff like that is added so I don't think they're raw. If it's a bulk bin, I would ask for ingredients if it's not listed. If it's a package you can go by ingredients like you said you're doing, which is good.

But for nuts, you can't go by just the ingredients. You have to consider whether or not they've been pasteurized or anything. I'm still trying to find time to research this. I don't know where you're from, but if you're in Canada like me, there's a possibility some nuts such as almonds are pasteurized, which means exposed to very high heat before being packaged. If you're in the USA, as long as the nuts are natural with no salt added and NOT roasted, you are probably okay.

Dates if that's the only ingredient on the package I would think they're okay as long as they are fresh dates and not dried dates. If they're dried you have to watch out for added sugars, etc.

Sun-dried tomatoes they often add sulfites too. So check into your sun-dried tomatoes.

Apple cider vinegar needs to say that it's UNREFINED or UNFILTERED, unpasteurized, etc. Mine says in the ingredients "certified organic, raw apple cider vinegar". It also says "unfiltered and unpasteurized".

If you have specific things you wonder about, let us know.

Debra

[robertandenith]

This is a great post!! I myself find this very confusing too. Sometimes I am VERY flexible concerning to spices, condiments. Like Bragg for example, it is not raw BUT has a lot of amino acids which is good for us. Even Alissa uses it in some of her recipes :)

[RawFoodieMom]

This is a great post!! I myself find this very confusing too. Sometimes I am VERY flexible concerning to spices, condiments. Like Bragg for example, it is not raw BUT has a lot of amino acids which is good for us. Even Alissa uses it in some of her recipes :)

Alissa's book does state Bragg's in her recipes, but she has since stated that she no longer uses Bragg's because of the MSG in it. Naturally-occurring, but still MSG. So I just wanted you to know that. She now uses Nama Shoyu in the place of Braggs, which is a raw soy sauce.

Debra

[BoraDeb]

I can see this is not going to be as cut and dry as I'd like, there is obviously a big learning curve that can only come from experience.

So for now if I look at a bag of walnuts and the only ingredients are walnuts I'm going to consider them RAW until I learn otherwise. I guess that and organic are the best I can do until I learn more about each individual item.

I just didn't want to be sticking my head in the ground because it almost seemed too easy to pick up everything I needed in one section of the food store and stay raw. GREAT!!! if that's the case...... but I don't want to be lying to myself either if I'm not being truly raw - that defeats the purpose of living foods.

Any and all comments are greatly appreciated as I'm sure I'll be learning way beyond the initial 30 days!

Debbie

[Sharon in Colorado]

The only way you are going to be sure something is raw, is to get something fresh.

If you are set on eating something that has been processed then use it knowing it is a transitional food, and a small condiment that you may use around all your fresh food, and eventually plan on phasing it out.

There are too many variables and the lables can be deceptive...unpasteurized things can be pre-cooked like miso, and shoyu which contains wheat. So many things can be highly heated during processing.

By the way, I have read that all processed soy products have naturally occuring MSG. I don't know if that is correct or not, but miso and other cooked soy products has a salty flavor.

Lara Bars may not be cooked by the manufacturer, but the ingredients like the dried fruits and nuts they receive were likely cooked before it came to them. Some of their bars contain cocoa - the cocoa was already cooked when they got it. I am sure they use already heated coconut and cashews in their un-cooked bars.

Even if vinegar is considered raw it is not a whole food and something was done to it, otherwise it wouldn't be shelf stable. It is acetic acid, diluted by water. You can use citrus juice in lieu of vinegar.

That is why you shouldn't be too concerned about how "raw" something is. Use it as you need it during your transition until you feel you don't need it anymore.

[robertandenith]

Alissa's book does state Bragg's in her recipes, but she has since stated that she no longer uses Bragg's because of the MSG in it. Naturally-occurring, but still MSG. So I just wanted you to know that. She now uses Nama Shoyu in the place of Braggs, which is a raw soy sauce.

Debra

ohhh see?!?! this happens to me when I am out of the loop and without Alissa's book! augh! lol

thanks for the remark. I been wanting to get nama shoyu for the longest time but OMG it's so expensive! :(

[RawFoodieMom]

ohhh see?!?! this happens to me when I am out of the loop and without Alissa's book! augh! lol

thanks for the remark. I been wanting to get nama shoyu for the longest time but OMG it's so expensive! :(

I know how you feel. I don't have any either. I haven't been able to find it around here and no one will order it in for me. And it's too much to order it online and pay for shipping to Canada... sooooo... I'm going to try other ways to flavour things up.

Debra