but is it raw?

[persephonea]

Hi everybody - don't know if anybody can advise me on how likely the following are to be raw? I know there are raw versions, but as it doesn't say 'raw' on the label, I suspect I may be cheating myself...

-coconut oil? (the 'fat' that's solid in the cold, and liquid in the warm)
-nuts - I know normal cashews aren't raw, but are brazils/almonds okay?
- agave syrup?
- extra virgin olive oil?
- olives in brine?
- I'm sure there were other foods I wanted to add to this list, but I have forgotten them already :rolleyes: Hope raw food diet will be good for these cognitive deficits of mine.

Thanks,
Em.
PS. Was relieved to read on another thread that red wine was raw - maybe that was it. Only very occassionally of course!

[maryonherway]

To the best of my knowledge, the nuts have to say 'raw' in order to insure that they are raw. When I shop at Whole Foods (or anywhere else where I see food in bins) the label on the bin will indicate 'raw'. Any they do have raw cashews there, as well as roasted. And WF also has packaged raw and roasted nuts if you aren't comfortable buying from bins.

Agave nectar I believe is raw.

Coconut oil will say 'raw' somewhere on the jar if it is raw.

Hope that helps!

[persephonea]

Thanks Mary - I suspected as much about the coconut :( I shall have to eat the 'raw' chocolates I made with it extra fast, to get rid of them!

With the nuts, I wasn't thinking raw vs. roasted, so much as the method by which 'raw' nuts are extracted from their shells. I read on Shazzie's site that cashews are usually extracted from their shells using a high-heat method, so even if they are labelled 'raw', they are probably not 'live'.

I remembered some more foods and have added them to my list!

Thanks again for the quick reply - will have to buy some properly raw coconut fat off the internet, as it is rapidly becoming indispensable,
Em.

[sport]

I would think that olives in brine have been pasturised unless it says raw.
It is hard to even get vegan olives in the store let alone raw. They all have lactic acid added.

[DavidZaneMason]

Opinions:

-Anything that is processsed is not going to be as vital as fresh. However, if it helps you (especially to eat more fresh, raw plant foods) then I encourage you to eat them! :)

-Determine what the 'highest foods' are for YOU - and go for them!

-David Mason

[misslinda]

Don't forget the importance of soaking nuts (that require). :)

[codajess]

I would think that olives in brine have been pasturised unless it says raw.
It is hard to even get vegan olives in the store let alone raw. They all have lactic acid added.

Lactic acid is very rarely from dairy. You can contact the companies and ask them what their sources are.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lactic%20acid

[sport]

Lactic acid is very rarely from dairy. You can contact the companies and ask them what their sources are.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lactic%20acid

In the Wild Oats store in Tampa they have a large olive counter and I asked the man if he could give me any olives that were suitable for vegans and he replied that if I wanted vegan olives I would have to look somewhere else.
I did not ask but assumed that it was the lactic acid.

[Goldsplinter]

In the Wild Oats store in Tampa they have a large olive counter and I asked the man if he could give me any olives that were suitable for vegans and he replied that if I wanted vegan olives I would have to look somewhere else.
I did not ask but assumed that it was the lactic acid.
Tell me why most olives are not vegan. I'm thinking it's because of the liquid that it's in.

[codajess]

Tell me why most olives are not vegan. I'm thinking it's because of the liquid that it's in.

Try reading the previous posts.

[sherahtaylor]

This should help you! Click on Raw FAQ and then "Is this raw?"

http://rawstepbystep.com/stepbystep.php

[persephonea]

Thanks for the helpful comments. I shall look into raw olives! I found the comment about using processed foods to faciliate scarfing of fresh produce v. useful! Sherah, your link looked good, but I can't open the webpage it links to on my rickety computer!

[Lay-Lay]

Howdy and welcome, look forward to your future posts!