Worms and eggs in raw dates- colon cleansing?

[Linda1970]

Hello everyone,

I've been eating lots of dates since I started raw a year ago. During the first half a year, I just pop one in my mouth and spit out the pits. I then read about worms and eggs in dates. So, in the last half a year, I've been opeing up the dates to check for worms before consuming. In the 50 pounds of dates that I bought from The Date People, 10% of them had worms or/and eggs.

Should I do a colon cleansing, since I must have eaten lots of worms/eggs during that half a year when I didn't check for them?

[Sunshine9]

Personally, I would do some sort of parasite cleanse. Dates or no dates, we have all come into contact with little critters.

I also wouldn't eat dates or dried fruits if I knew ANY had worms in them... just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there...

[rozy]

I just got done with a two month cleanse from drnatura.com that includes a parasite cleanse. My husband and I have have had a few parasite sitings since starting this. It is $88 a box but imo worth every penny.

[pianolady]

Oh my gracious, I never thought to check dates for worms or anything else. I've just eaten them. UGH!! Thanks Linda for posting. I'll never eat another date without checking but I guess it's a little late now for any critters I've eaten. Maybe the probiotics I always take would have gotten rid of them. Anybody know whether this would have helped? Perhaps I'll do the cleanse just in case.

[Rawzula]

I once opened a date....and it was all black and hairy:eek::eek:.

After that, I make sure that they're fresh before I even buy them. I never found any critters in mine, though.

[Mialsse]

:eek: yuck

[Damzlfly]

OK EWWWWWWW. i am a HUGE date fanatic...I only cut em open when I want to stuff them with something...GAG. I'm gonna check from now on. Not that I want to say anything bad about the date people, but have you found critters in any other dates?

[andypdx]

WORMS? :eek:
EGGS? :eek:

Thanks for the info...but now I think I'm going to have to see my therapist.

;)

[luckitri]

I think that many foods we ingest have parasites or parasite eggs. I am not too concerned. I would like to do a parasite cleanse eventually since I believe it can cause many medical problems I am experiencing but at this point I need a free one.

Is there a place where we can educate ourselves what to look for in and on our food? I assumed that the eggs were microscopic but perhaps that is not true. I would like to know what they look like in both adult and egg form and what danger each kind poses to humans. There are so many kinds.

I used to pick them raw out here - sometimes I would be riding my bicycle past one that had fallen or been cut and just stuff up on them - maybe I have had the parasites for years? These were ones on the street - trees not in an orchard for harvesting.

[SchoolOfRAWk]

This is the most horrible thread I have ever read!

Great parasite cleanse: www.blessedherbs.com

I AM GLAD I STILL LOVE GOOD OL' RAISINS. THEY JUST GOT TASTIER!

Between that and the moths in figs, geeze, my Gawd, new topic....

[VitalHarvest]

I have eaten dates from The Date People for over ten years. I agree with the 10% estimate that a previous poster mentioned for the eggs in their dates, and I've heard that it's the norm in general, too.




I assumed that the eggs were microscopic but perhaps that is not true. I would like to know what they look like in both adult and egg form and what danger each kind poses to humans. There are so many kinds.



Oh, they're quite visible! They look like a cluster of little white dots. . . there's usually many of them together. It is easy to avoid eating them, you just have to actually look inside each one before you eat it/pop it in a recipe. :)

[Dj 247]

Oh, that is where the protien comes from! :eek:

[RowanC]

Personally, I don't worry about it.
Worms in dates probably aren't going to live in your gut.
You'll digest them along with your smoothie.. and just think.. more protein!

::::cackling::::

I once canned a bunch of cherries that we picked free from a nice old lady's organic orchard. My girlfriend wanted to pit her cherries. I didn't. When they were finished canning, hers (pitted) had little worms all in the bottom of the jars. Mine didn't.

We ate ours.... If you knew all the live critters than are on that organic produce you're eating, you'd probably want to cook it all.

::shrug:::

[tweety]

Yeah I agree with you Rowan.

Keep in mind...big difference between plant bugs and bugs found in rotted meat... or heck.. just the parasites one would get from eating cooked meat.

take your pick.

[sbaker]

i remember growing up in CT we had tons of blueberry bushes, and you needed to be careful..... you know that little hole on one end where it looks kind of like a flower blosum? Well this white spider LOVED to make that his home and web himself in there, i'd say 1 out of 10 blueberries had a spider living in the end.

[Ama]

If you knew all the live critters than are on that organic produce you're eating, you'd probably want to cook it all.



EXACTLY.

I do cut open my dates, I use a paring knife and have found 1 worm with eggs once and a bunch with little reddish eggs in several... YUM!

Not too long ago I bought some organic kale from the hfs, the kind that has the really curly leaves. Well, I found a few little slug-type things and those buggers did not want to get off of the leaf. I tried rinsing them off and they were stuck like glue. If you see a bunch of holes in your leaves, you may have some "friends" living in your greens. Oh, and btw, soaking does NOTHING. I was soaking the kale leaves in a veggie-wash and those sluggy things were still on those leaves.

[VitalHarvest]

I hear ya, folks. I do not rinse my greens before eating them unless they're excessively gritty upon first taste. I figure that if there's bugs on them, then they're like me ~ we like good dirt!

[Princess Elaine]

Hahahaha!!!...gotta laugh cuz can you imagine how many things we've eaten and were unaware of????...thank goodness!!!

I checked out that website for the colon cleansers and there's a picture of a lady and on second glance I see she's holding a bunch of leaves...at first glance it looked like a bunch of dollar bills....especially after seeing how much those cleansing kits are.....dang!!!!!!gotta be another way, if in fact we actually need it.


Elaine

[Sunshine9]

I don't worry about little critters from the garden. I think they are different from the worms that would thrive in mold on dried fruit.

I found worms in an organic dried fig. Blech, never eaten them since.

[lavendarJ]

well i already don't like dates because i think they are too sweet .... i was going to give them another try because many of the recipes i've come across call for dates in some manner. .... key word - WAS:D

[Mialsse]

I'm sure I have eaten my fair share of little critters, and that's fine. I don't freak over my food (too much :o) I like to play naive when it comes to the subject, lol. But when something is specifically brought to my attention (like in this thread) it gives me the willies. Blech!! :eek:

[kaybee]

well...I didnt EAT this, but... when Rowan C was talking about the slugs in the kale, it reminded me... Last summer when I was living in Ireland (where there are LOADS of SLUGS everywhere), I was working on a communal mostly-organic garden. One day I brought a huge salad for lunch to my job at the stable. I had washed all the greens, and thought I had washed them well, but one time when I stuck my fork in the bowl for another bite, I lifted it up to find i had just SPEARED A SLUG. yum..... ick.

[RowanC]

:D Just kidding...

[barose]

God, I wish I haven't opened this thread....

[Dj 247]

I love dates and was a little turned off when someone suggested they looked like big cockroaches. Now you tell me this! :eek:

[VitalHarvest]

I love dates and was a little turned off when someone suggested they looked like big cockroaches.


Oh my! That is really true, actually! Gosh. . . when we get our giant boxes of dates from The Date Peops next autum, WOW. I might be beside myself. . .

[Nichola]

Oh my goodness,

I ate a bucket full of dates last night. feel quite queezy now....

[Naiad]

well...I didnt EAT this, but... when Rowan C was talking about the slugs in the kale, it reminded me... Last summer when I was living in Ireland (where there are LOADS of SLUGS everywhere), I was working on a communal mostly-organic garden. One day I brought a huge salad for lunch to my job at the stable. I had washed all the greens, and thought I had washed them well, but one time when I stuck my fork in the bowl for another bite, I lifted it up to find i had just SPEARED A SLUG. yum..... ick.

Hahahahahahaha :p Poor sluggy!

As for dates... I'm sticking with agave from now on :eek:

[Random Violin Guy]

I'm half-way through my 15 lb box of medjool dates and haven't found a bad one yet. I used to find worms/eggs in my deglet dates, though. Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

[Zuri]

i remember growing up in CT we had tons of blueberry bushes, and you needed to be careful..... you know that little hole on one end where it looks kind of like a flower blosum? Well this white spider LOVED to make that his home and web himself in there, i'd say 1 out of 10 blueberries had a spider living in the end.

I'v eaten A LOT of spiders then! Wooooow, never thought about it. Organic broccoli always has those little bugs in it. Oh well, I'll continue crunching and munching away. :D

[Damzlfly]

I'v eaten A LOT of spiders then! Wooooow, never thought about it. Organic broccoli always has those little bugs in it. Oh well, I'll continue crunching and munching away. :D

Ummm what little bugs? I've never seen bugs in my organic broc..

[Zuri]

At the Whole Foods near my house 9 times out of 10 I would see these little grey bugs floating in the water after soaking the broc. and throughout my broc. dish. This was when I used to cook broccoli. I don't like it raw so I don't buy it anymore. If you don't see them, that's great!

[RawVegan4Health]

How about those worms that live in Raw Vinegar? Are they any worse than worms in dates, or any other food we ingest? what kinds of worms are in these dates? Are they the kinds of worms we need to be worried about?

[vgloveforlife]

Ummm what little bugs? I've never seen bugs in my organic broc..

My mom used to grown organic brocolli in her garden but she stopped because it's so hard to get those little bugs out of it when you want to eat it. They can hide so easily.

[Damzlfly]

{quote]Ummm what little bugs? I've never seen bugs in my organic broc..

My mom used to grown organic brocolli in her garden but she stopped because it's so hard to get those little bugs out of it when you want to eat it. They can hide so easily.[/QUOTE]

BLECH!! I just bought one yesterday too ewwwwww. Ignorance definitely is bliss. I've seen worms in my broc b4, but those are easy to get out.

[beanmonkee]

I wash my greens in a veggie wash/water soak, and when washing my organic kale, along with the dirt, little green bugs washed off. No big deal. At least I know it's organic (no pesticides there!).

[rawzeit]

This thread is horrible, yet I can't resist reading it! :p

[eatyourbroccoli]

meh..thats what immune systems are for.

also, my ex-roommate took a class in parasitology at university, and when i asked her how i could avoid parasites she told me "never swim in natural water and never eat produce again" :p

[Linda1970]

I'm half-way through my 15 lb box of medjool dates and haven't found a bad one yet. I used to find worms/eggs in my deglet dates, though. Anybody else have any thoughts on this?


Did you get your from the Date People too? I bought about 30 pounds of barhi dates and 30 pounds of mixed dates. The ones that I checked that had eggs/worms were mainly barhi and black dates. I didn't check the medjool.

The 15 lbs of dates I bought from Oasis didn't have any worms/eggs. However, that makes me wonder if it's really organic.

[Linda1970]

I'm sorry if this thread scared some people. But I'm quite concerned since I didn't freeze the dates that had worms/eggs. The worms were still alive. However, after I learned about worms/eggs, I froze the dates and that supposed to kill the worms/eggs. I guess it's true because the worms were all dead.

[Ama]

I'm sorry if this thread scared some people. But I'm quite concerned since I didn't freeze the dates that had worms/eggs. The worms were still alive. However, after I learned about worms/eggs, I froze the dates and that supposed to kill the worms/eggs. I guess it's true because the worms were all dead.

I didn't freeze mine but I did put them in the fridge like it said on the box (*refrigerate immediately*) and I haven't found any that were alive... YET! When I found the one with the worm I was very thankful that I had started to check them LOL... My dates are from the date people but I have no clue what dates had the worm/eggs. I got the 15 lb sampler. All I can say is it wasn't barhi as they didn't have any of those left and they weren't medjool, I know what those look like. I'm personally not worried... it's organic food, what do you expect!

[puffysmom]

It does sound disgusting but even eating these worms and eggs is healthier than eating Sad food. Look at how people in other countries eat grubs and such and no problem. I doubt they would hurt u. It is just hard to get past the thought of eating worms.

In my years of gardening the one thing that always had the most bugs was rashberries. Black hard shelled ones. U could let the berries lay in water for hours and they would still be alive. It seemed that when u dunk the berry it developes a air pocket. At least that is what it looks like. Give me a bug any day before I want to eat any raw foods that have been handled unsanitarily and u know there is a lot of that around. :( No way to know what has been on the hands of the picker but I do know that up here when strawberries r in season and they have pickers they do have a porta potty but no place to wash hands. Bleeeckkkkk

[RowanC]

When I pick wild mushrooms, I soak them in a saltwater solution for about 10 minutes before using them. Drives the little wormies right out. Does not salt the mushrooms.. Maybe you could use this technique on dates? Just a thought...

[Damzlfly]

wormies in shrooms??? OK ewww again!!

[tweety]

Monkeys are known to eat insects and larvae and many other odd things along with green leaves and fruit and seeds.
I saw another web somewhere that showed the breakdown of Monkeys diets percentile wise.

I highly doubt a worm or larvae you eat in a dried date could survive the hydrochloric acid in your stomach. If it does survive and lives in the body, well, the bottom line is... does it interfere with my health?

If you notice a negative impact on your health then stop eating Raw. If youve been eating dates since you went RAW and have noticed improvements in your health, dont sweat it.

Our culture is so bombarded with all this concern of Sanitation and Cleanliness to where it has caused more problems and sometimes we begin to worry about little things that really are just meaningless and we stress ourselves out.

Again, I think worms in animal flesh is the real problem, not vegetables.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spider monkeys are fruigivorous preferring a diet of 90% fruit and seeds, feeding on the mature soft parts of a wide variety of fruits in which the seeds are swallowed along with the fruit. They also eat young leaves, flowers, aerial roots, sometimes bark and decaying wood, as well as honey. TA very small part of the diet consists of insects, insect larvae and birds eggs. They eat large quantities of food over a relatively short period of time and they tend to feed by suspension while hanging, climbing or moving. They do not pick fruit and carry it to another location to be eaten.


Source: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/spider_monkey.htm

Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla):

This subspecies consumes parts of at least 97 plant species. About 67% of their diet is fruit, 17% is leaves, seeds and stems and 3% is termites and caterpillars.

Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei):
This subspecies consumes parts of at least 142 plant species and only 3 types of fruit (there is hardly any fruit available due to the high altitude. About 86% of their diet is leaves, shoots, and stems, 7% is roots, 3% is flowers, 2% is fruit, and 2% ants, snails, and grubs.


Source: http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/gorilla/diet.htm

[RowanC]

You guys are so funny.

Take a microscope to your skin and you will be SHOCKED.

Take the dust from your mattress and look under the microscope.

There is LIFE all AROUND you, ON you and IN you.
You're your own JUNGLE!

You are one tidy little ecosystem for a host of critters too small to see with the naked eye. A lot of them keep you running smoothly, so don't be so quick to judge them ::grin::

From the web: They're too small for you to see, but they're crawling in your eyebrows, swimming in your belly and lurking between your toes. Millions of them! At this very moment, you carry more microorganisms and mites on your body than there are people on Earth! They're eating dead skin cells and helping digest food. Some might make you sick, but most are keeping your body healthy. Others are doing nothing but catching a ride.

To keep yourself so very squeaky clean can be dangerous.
Your body creates antibodies when it is mildly exposed to outsiders.

Fear of dirt or the natural is a side affect of our convenient plastic packaging of everything in my opinion.

EAT those worms! Did you worry before you knew they were there?
Did they hurt you before you knew they were there?
::laughing::

[Damzlfly]

LOL rowanc...I was really only teasing...I don't have much of an issue eating bugs...when I was a kid I used to eat ants. Not something I would consciously do now mind you! :p They haven't killed me yet, probably won't either..I just would rather not see 'em..you know?

[barose]

rowanc - not "shocked". What you mentioned is almost common knowledge. But some of us dont like to bite into a visible worn KWIM? Laugh all you want, but I did know they were there - having a wormy apple tree as a kid teaches you a lot.

tweety - you're right, I think worms in meat are much more dangerous. My Pediatric RN mother has dozens of gross stories of children who ate undercooked pork (mostly came here from Mexico)

[Zuri]

This is a lively, funny discussion. ;)

[Ginger]

I found that with medjools, you have to look out for the black nasty mold, which you will defintly taste YUCK. I never found eggs or worms in medjools... yet. Barhi & honey dates are always riddled with buggies though.

If you are really worried about eating the extra protein for fear they may cause an infestatation, just remember to chew thouroughly ROFL! I don't think they are the kind that can breathe without air though.

[tweety]

ROFL!!!! :D Yeah Rowan and RawVeganMom...

hehehe... thanks for the laughs!!!

Someone here needs to re-write the book "How to eat Fried Worms" to "How to eat RAW Worms" :p LOL!!!

[RowanC]

Oh gosh, I love you people!:p

[SchoolOfRAWk]

My friend has found slugs in her kale.

I think God truly only gives us what we can handle, because I have never, ever seen anything like that. Namely because if I even see such things on the driveway I'm horrified.

In fact, much like how the Indians REPORTEDLY couldn't see Christopher Columbus's 3 ships that he arrived on because they had no concept of ships... even when they were right in front of them (they talk about this in What The Bleep Do We Know?), I doubt I could even see a nest of varmin in a date, kale or in any other food.

My mind just can't fathom the horror. It protects me.

:D

[SchoolOfRAWk]

Yes, tapeworms and worse (IS there anything worse, I ponder) are common in Mexico.

Agreed pork and meat is worse.

Agreed that critters are a fact of life.

However, this point IS on par:

But some of us dont like to bite into a visible worn KWIM? Laugh all you want....

I'm not laughing, I'm hi-fiving, soul sista! (with a smile on my face...)
There is a big diff, sorry.

[barose]

But some of us dont like to bite into a visible worn KWIM? Laugh all you want....

I'm not laughing, I'm hi-fiving, soul sista! (with a smile on my face...)
There is a big diff, sorry.

ROTFLMAO!:D

[SchoolOfRAWk]

lol!

I really am a big girl about this stuff, though, honestly. Better than pesticides. Pesticide is suicide! (a bumper sticker I love)

[barose]

You got that right!

I love to see bugs floating in the water when I wash my greens (I just don't want to [knowingly] eat them. :D

[Moonlit]

EWWWWWWWWWWW!!! :eek:
Worms? Eggs? YUCK!!:eek:

[tpvu]

I use dates to sweeten my green smoothies.
Haven't really checked them for worms or bugs, although I do open them to remove the pits.
I say, just buzz the buggers and up the protein content.:)
tpvu

[maraw]

I've bought over 100 pounds of medjool dates from The Date People and never found any eggs or critters. I have opened a few (really, like 5) out of the 100 pounds that had black mold in them. I mentioned this to them once when placing an order and he said they try to catch the bad ones, but sometimes they slip by. They can sometimes tell spoiled or bad dates by looking at the ends, but not always. He said if they get little split in the end, sometimes mold can grow, but it doesn't happen too often. We didn't discuss eggs and worms because I've never seen any. I guess they don't like the same dates I do.

I still think The Date People grow and sell the best dates anywhere!

[RowanC]

Honestly, people, you are MUCH more likely to get a dangerous parasite from unwashed kale or tomatoes than you are from a worm in a date!

[barose]

Honestly, people, you are MUCH more likely to get a dangerous parasite from unwashed kale or tomatoes than you are from a worm in a date!

OK
.........

[Moonlit]

Honestly, people, you are MUCH more likely to get a dangerous parasite from unwashed kale or tomatoes than you are from a worm in a date!

Hmmmmmm first worms and eggs in my dates. NOw I need to worry about danerous parasites on my tomatoes!!!!!:eek:
If they are safe bugs and I don't know about them then fine but I don't need no parasites! Are you for real?

[Davylp25]

Okay...

I order from Oasis Date company, Love the dates. I emailed them and this is what they said... I just ordered another 10 pounds. No alarmist's here.

'Thank you for your positive feedback regarding our dates. We are an
organic
farm so we don't use pesticides to keep the critters out. We use
immediate
freezing below 0 degrees to keep anything from inhabiting our fruit.
We
also run the medjools over belts and grade them individually. This
eliminates most problems. Like most types of organic fruits or
vegetables
there may be an occasional problem, but we guarantee our product so if
ever
there is a problem we take care of it.
I'm glad you enjoyed your dates and hope you order again soon.

Pam, Mail Order Dept.

[Solace]

Personally, I don't worry about it.
Worms in dates probably aren't going to live in your gut.
You'll digest them along with your smoothie.. and just think.. more protein!

::::cackling::::

I once canned a bunch of cherries that we picked free from a nice old lady's organic orchard. My girlfriend wanted to pit her cherries. I didn't. When they were finished canning, hers (pitted) had little worms all in the bottom of the jars. Mine didn't.

We ate ours.... If you knew all the live critters than are on that organic produce you're eating, you'd probably want to cook it all.

::shrug:::THANK- YOU. I was reading this post thinking omg people, not the same kinda worms:rolleyes:
People all over the world eat worms, some even eat maggots - maggots can not live in your tummy unless your dead. Comon' you guys TOOO clean isn't natural either !;) Yes eating worms is gross, but its like anything - if you eat a cow will you have cows growing in your body ?:rolleyes:

[Davylp25]

^Amen^

When I read the responces, I was like RINNG RINNGG... ALARMIST'S are uh coming!!!!!!!!

[RowanC]

Yeah.. the choice sort of is between which is worse:

1) The horrid cancer causing pesticides to make the fruit all perfect; or
2) a couple of wee wormies who have been eating organic dates?

I vote for the worms, hands down!:p

[barose]

Just FYI, I've seen plenty of bugs and worms in non organic produce and veggies - just sayin'.

[pianolady]

When I first read of the worms in dates, I thought EEEWWW but today I've been out in my garden cleaning weeds and raking over a composted area from last year. I guarantee you there are plenty of worms there and very fat. I don't know why it seemed so gross to think of them in the dates but perhaps the long winter had something to do with it. :-)This morning I looked at the garden with new eyes and was thankful for all the pesticide free life out there. By the way, the raw rhubarb , which is one of the crops just starting to appear in the garden, is quite tart. I usually share a lot with the neighbours but jam a lot for my family, also. Does anyone eat it raw -yeck- and if so how do you prepare it.

[RowanC]

Piano Lady,

I found this recipe online and wonder if you might experiment with it a bit and come up with a recipe suitable for a raw diet? It sounds pretty yummy:

Ingredients
1 lb. rhubarb, leaves trimmed
10 dried apricots, coarsely chopped
⅓ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup honey
8 small rosemary sprigs (about 2 inches each)
2 tsp. orange liquor, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau
~ Chopped mint for garnish

Steps
Slice the rhubarb crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. (If the stalks are really thick, cut them in half lengthwise first.)
In a medium non-reactive bowl (glass or stainless steel), combine the rhubarb with the apricots, cranberries, honey, rosemary, and liquor. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Stir twice during this time frame.
Remove the rosemary sprigs before serving and garnish the compote with the mint.
Notes
This compote can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

What about shredding the rhubarb and mixing it with something sweet like pineapple or shredded sweet pears or apples for a salad? Let us know what you come up with! Good luck!

[Damzlfly]

I've tried raw rhubarb recently and thought it was gross...could have been bad tho because I remember snacking on it right out of the garden before and it was yummy and tart and mmmm...but now that I think about it, my mom could have steamed it with sugar...can't remember now. Maybe I'll buy it again and try, but the compote recipe sounds delish...over a 'cous cous'...yummy

[Pennypower]

Ok, I am going to TRY to accept the wormy thing, but it's hard. Usually if I ever have nightmares they involve some kind of worms. I HATE worms. One time I opened a red pepper and it was filled with maggots. I SCREAMED:eek: :eek: ! Oh my goodness, even talking about it bothers me, I feel like they are crawling on me right now!
:( :(

[rawzeit]

Isn't raw rhubarb poisonous? Or is that just the leaves?

[Ireland]

Gotta love this thread. Reminds me of the campfire song from when I was a kid...

All together now:

Nobody likes me
everybody hates me
I'm gonna eat some worms
big fat juicy ones
small skinny slimy ones
see how the big ones squirm
First you bite the heads off
then you suck the juice out
then you throw the skins away
Nobody knows how I survive on worms three times a day.
The first one was easy
the second was squeezy
the third one got caught
in my throat
Nobody knows how I survive on worms three times a day

Couldn't resist. :D

[GurlyGirlOne]

I DID NOT want to know this, people!:eek: *faints*

[punkspirit]

All together now:

Nobody likes me
everybody hates me
I'm gonna eat some worms
big fat juicy ones
small skinny slimy ones
see how the big ones squirm
First you bite the heads off
then you suck the juice out
then you throw the skins away
Nobody knows how I survive on worms three times a day.
The first one was easy
the second was squeezy
the third one got caught
in my throat
Nobody knows how I survive on worms three times a day


:D Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh... didn't know that one

Bäääääääääääääääääääääh....:p Let the worms alive;)

My opinion about worms in dates... Hm... don't really WANT to eat them... but if it should happen? Who cares? My body is able to heal whatever disease...like cancer, migraine... almost everything actually...

WHY SHOULD A FEW WORMS BE A BIG DEAL?:confused:

[pianolady]

Love the campfire song, Ireland. Used to be a Guide Leader in my younger days and often sang that. Thanks for rekindling the memory for we had some great times with the girls. By the way, had a date today. No worms :-))

[punkspirit]

:D BTW: Has anyone of you a cat or a dog?:D

I wont tell you what kind of worms and parasites those sweet little meat-eater fellows are spreading in your house...;) THATS MUCH MUCH MORE DISGUSTING DO I THINK;)

And something else.. its important not to keep everything too clean.. especially when you re raising kids.

Its much more likely that they get a weak immune systheme or allergies or whatever if you keep them away from dirt, animals, bacteria and whatever!

Instead of avoiding contact you should teach them for example to wash hads after stroking the cat or coming in from playing in the street..

[Lay-Lay]

I can't think about that, tommorow is another day! Scarlett O'Hara

[Solace]

:D BTW: Has anyone of you a cat or a dog?:D

I wont tell you what kind of worms and parasites those sweet little meat-eater fellows are spreading in your house...;) THATS MUCH MUCH MORE DISGUSTING DO I THINK;)

And something else.. its important not to keep everything too clean.. especially when you re raising kids.

Its much more likely that they get a weak immune systheme or allergies or whatever if you keep them away from dirt, animals, bacteria and whatever!

Instead of avoiding contact you should teach them for example to wash hads after stroking the cat or coming in from playing in the street..AGREE ! I know tooooo many people who BLEACH everything. Natural ,,,, most dirt is good. On the animal note though, I was told I have parasites in my lungs still and it could be from Kitty litter .... Oh well, I am not getting rid of kitty.

[blaqberry]

LOL...

well said!

tho, I'll admit to being a wee bit squeamish at times. we just take the lil buggers off and put 'em safely outside somewhere. recently, I found a the tiniest worm "running for it's life" across the sink, shortly after having rinsed a batch of strawberries...you should have seen it move! was kind of funny actually...

the only time I marveled (and even cooed) was when I found a cuuute little lady bug, vibrant green with black spots just chillin out in my lettuce...matched so perfectly, I almost gobbled up the lil thing. finding that one wasn't so bad : )



You guys are so funny.

Take a microscope to your skin and you will be SHOCKED.

Take the dust from your mattress and look under the microscope.

There is LIFE all AROUND you, ON you and IN you.
You're your own JUNGLE!

You are one tidy little ecosystem for a host of critters too small to see with the naked eye. A lot of them keep you running smoothly, so don't be so quick to judge them ::grin::

From the web: They're too small for you to see, but they're crawling in your eyebrows, swimming in your belly and lurking between your toes. Millions of them! At this very moment, you carry more microorganisms and mites on your body than there are people on Earth! They're eating dead skin cells and helping digest food. Some might make you sick, but most are keeping your body healthy. Others are doing nothing but catching a ride.

To keep yourself so very squeaky clean can be dangerous.
Your body creates antibodies when it is mildly exposed to outsiders.

Fear of dirt or the natural is a side affect of our convenient plastic packaging of everything in my opinion.

EAT those worms! Did you worry before you knew they were there?
Did they hurt you before you knew they were there?
::laughing::

[Queen Bean]

I was in India and was eating raw cashews. After I ate half a bag, I broke one in half. It was full of little white worms.

GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Solace]

I was in India and was eating raw cashews. After I ate half a bag, I broke one in half. It was full of little white worms.

GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yep..that is gross:eek:

[RowanC]

Just put em in your vitamix and you'll never know they were there :D

[barose]

Give it up RowanC, you're not going to get us to "accept" it. :p

[Solace]

Give it up RowanC, you're not going to get us to "accept" it. :p
mmmmmm protein, I don't think thats what it means when they say nuts and veggies have protein:eek: .

[andypdx]

Just put em in your vitamix and you'll never know they were there :D
But THEY certainly will! :(

Ouch!

[punkspirit]

;) Well, if I SEE any creature crawling in my food I would definitely NOT EAT it. Not even if its turns out ass a creamy smooth filling for tacos:D

Well, but if I'd find out that parts of the dates I ate during the last year had worms in them I wouldn't get crazy. ;)

I read that a natural way to "clean"the body from worms/parasites/whatever is to make kind of a carrotte-juice cure... Dunno how many liters of fresh pressed pure carrotte juice over a few days and worms gt flushed out(<--Thats only something I READ. Dunno if proved or anything)

And I CANT STAND CARROTTE JUICE ANYWAY... So I'd rather throw in a few more dates:p

[VitalHarvest]

On a completely side note ~ I've met more than one raw foodist who eats, um, insects . . . on purpose.

I always thought that's what was the purpose of the clarification in the descriptor "raw food VEGAN". :D

[Davylp25]

HAHA... I can see people now with a giant magnifying glass studying each date before they eat it, slowly and carefully, 2 funny..

[aubrey]

:D We eat at least ten spiders in our sleep a year. If I've eaten a couple worms, it would not be the worst thing I have eaten, that is for sure.

I get my dates from Costco, and I have NEVER found anything in my dates. I always pit my dates first, so I have to crack them open and pull out the pit. I have never seen anything unsavory in any of my dates.

[StarFire]

personally - I'm no fan of dates, now that I'm raw I've enjoyed them in recipes. Here in Hawaii - we have these cockroaches that look like B57 Bombers... they're huge. And to me -- dates have always looked EXACTLY like those cockroaches but without the legs.. grossssss... :eek: !! NOW - not ONLY do I have to get past their looks -- NOW I gotta check for bugs and eggs.... ??? oh.. my... you're killin me here..... :eek:

[StarFire]

:D We eat at least ten spiders in our sleep a year. If I've eaten a couple worms, it would not be the worst thing I have eaten, that is for sure.

WHAAAT???? :eek: Now - WHY would a spider be crawling in my mouth at night??? and have you SEEN THE SPIDERS HERE??? LIKE ALMOST THE SIZE OF MY PALM!!! :eek: (as she faints dead away....)

[barose]

WHAAAT???? :eek: Now - WHY would a spider be crawling in my mouth at night??? and have you SEEN THE SPIDERS HERE??? LIKE ALMOST THE SIZE OF MY PALM!!! :eek: (as she faints dead away....)

I will never visit HI again.

[Damzlfly]

I will never visit HI again.

I am right there with you sister...hate those creepy things ewwwwwwww

Scratching Hawaii off the list ;) ;) Mind you, the macadamias totally make up for the spiders...

[StarFire]

oh nooo... :eek: you must not scratch Hawaii off your list!! Remember all the wonderful fruit - organic veggies ... MACADAMIA NUTS!!!.... ;) what's a spider or two in the whole scheme of things??? After all your eating wormy dates and their eggs surely a spider or two won't bother you!! LOL!!! :D (actually the spiders are very tame - they don't bother humans - and they eat the cockroaches... YEA Spiders!!) ;)

[barose]

I am severely arachnophobic (even of spider webs) so I have to be careful. I know most spiders of the world are harmless, but its the shape of the spider, the web spinning, and the 8 legs I'm afraid of. They craw, jump, spin, etc - they are evil!

I'm not afraid of worms or other bugs; I just don’t want to [with knowledge] eat them, LOL

[NifteThrifte]

Oh my golly... EEP! That totally eeps me out...

[razza]

thanks! I need to be more cautious!

[misslinda]

, but its the shape of the spider, the web spinning, and the 8 legs I'm afraid of. They craw, jump, spin, etc - they are evil!



* chuckles *

;)

[RowanC]

Good Lord, are you guys still worrying about those wee wormies? :p

[rawnpawgirl]

okay, I am really getting grossed out here. I have some dates i got yesterday, and now I feel compelled to go check them all. EEEEEWWWW...I feel all creepy crawly now.

[Bretta]

And something else.. its important not to keep everything too clean.. especially when you re raising kids.


That would explain why my kids are sooo healthy!! :D

[Chocolate'cado_pudding]

hahahahAhahAhAhAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
This is the funniest thread ever, I just read it all at once and it is hilarious!
you are all great :D
I love Dates and all other things raw and will continue to eat as I have been since going raw, oh, and I will sleep the same to ensure my yearly intake of spiders as well .. :D
I am hoping to go to Hawaii in Feb. for a holiday with my parents, hubby and kids, we want to stay at an organic b&b, maybe I will get to see those spiders too!

True story: My dad was sleeping on his back one night and one of those huge carpenter ants fell off the ceiling into his open mouth. He awoke to it being in his mouth and I guess by reflex, swallowed it. My Mom said that he must have been snoring so he deserved it :rolleyes: :D hahahaha!

[Damzlfly]

oh nooo... :eek: you must not scratch Hawaii off your list!! Remember all the wonderful fruit - organic veggies ... MACADAMIA NUTS!!!.... ;) what's a spider or two in the whole scheme of things??? After all your eating wormy dates and their eggs surely a spider or two won't bother you!! LOL!!! :D (actually the spiders are very tame - they don't bother humans - and they eat the cockroaches... YEA Spiders!!) ;)

Ahh yes...good point...I would rather live with an 8 legged creepy crawlie than a roach any day

[Judy]

Spider monkeys are fruigivorous preferring a diet of 90% fruit and seeds, feeding on the mature soft parts of a wide variety of fruits in which the seeds are swallowed along with the fruit. They also eat young leaves, flowers, aerial roots, sometimes bark and decaying wood, as well as honey. TA very small part of the diet consists of insects, insect larvae and birds eggs. They eat large quantities of food over a relatively short period of time and they tend to feed by suspension while hanging, climbing or moving. They do not pick fruit and carry it to another location to be eaten.


Source: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/spider_monkey.htm

Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla):

This subspecies consumes parts of at least 97 plant species. About 67% of their diet is fruit, 17% is leaves, seeds and stems and 3% is termites and caterpillars.

Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei):
This subspecies consumes parts of at least 142 plant species and only 3 types of fruit (there is hardly any fruit available due to the high altitude. About 86% of their diet is leaves, shoots, and stems, 7% is roots, 3% is flowers, 2% is fruit, and 2% ants, snails, and grubs.


Source: http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/gorilla/diet.htm

Tweety, I love these quotes...

[Lukychrm42]

I'm not really into dates (yet...), but I have a similar issue with figs...
and wasps. Supposedly that's where the eggs and the dead male wasps end up after fertilizing them. I haven't been able to touch a fig since.
Blech!

[garden granny]

Figs are worse IMO. I had a bag of figs sitting on my counter in a plastic bag, after a week or so I went to get some and there were worms crawling all over them, must have been inside figs and finally crawled out!:eek:

[tanishamarshall]

This really freaks me out.. I know our food could have critters but just thinking about it makes me sick.

[lily]

I've been away from the board for a few days and come back to this!!!!

gosh, it's compulsive, especially when you read it all at once, like I've just done.

But, however much we may be repulsed at the thought of eating worms or their eggs, it seems to me that (if it happens) we eat them, they die. That's the end of it.

These things don't go on hatching and living in our intestines -- that's completely different kind of worms, parasite worms, that we don't pick up in this way. Surely.... ????

lily

[MrGreenJeans]

If you are going to do a parasite killing cleanse please make sure you take the killer stuff in the morning and then take some lactobacillus in the evening or vice verse. You'll be killing off the good critters in your intestines and so need to replenish them.

[RawHeaven]

I'm not too concerned about it, we probably consume lots of critters unbeknownst to us. I bet if we took a look, we would find a few of them camping out in our intestines. I would imagine with a raw diet, most are washed away and digested anyway. Some of these bugs ae probably necessary and we have some kind of ancient agreement that they can hang out, who knows. Make sure you do your colon and parasite cleansing periodically, because no doubt they're in there.

I won't even get into the buggers that are in our skin, scalp, between our toes, ears, hang out in our nose. Make sure you use your loofah, LOL. :D

[KittyMommy]

Sweet fancy Moses, that is the freakiest thing I've ever heard.:eek: OMG, I hate bugs.

Well, that does it for me and dates. I ain't touching 'em again.

[ladypeace82]

I'm grossed out but will only look more closely at the dates.
wow..
grossssssss..........

[Nurse in the Raw]

I've been away from the board for a few days and come back to this!!!!

gosh, it's compulsive, especially when you read it all at once, like I've just done.

But, however much we may be repulsed at the thought of eating worms or their eggs, it seems to me that (if it happens) we eat them, they die. That's the end of it.

These things don't go on hatching and living in our intestines -- that's completely different kind of worms, parasite worms, that we don't pick up in this way. Surely.... ????

lily

From a medical standpoint, you are correct. If you eat a worm or it's egg your gastric juices (very acidic) will kill anything that comes in contact with it. Remember when you threw up as a kid and it burned your throat going up? Sorry to be so graphic. This is also why people who purge long term end up getting esophageal cancer. Worms are different from parasites, which are microscopic. But if you must do something to make yourself feel better, try the following:


* Avoid simple carbohydrates such as those found in refined foods, fruits, juices, dairy products, and all sugars.

* Eat more raw garlic, pumpkin seeds, pomegranates, beets, and carrots, all of which have antiworm properties. Drink a lot of water to promote good bowel elimination.

* Consume more fiber, which helps get rid of worms.

* Supplement your diet with probiotics, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacilus plantarum, Saccharomyces boulardii ( 250 mg, taken one time per day between meals), and bifidobacteria, to keep parasites from spreading.

* Digestive enzymes will help restore your intestinal tract to its normal state, which makes it inhospitable to parasites. Papain taken 30 minutes before or after meals helps kill worms.

* Vitamin C (250 - 500 mg two times a day) or, if well-tolerated, much higher doses of up to 6,000 mg per day in otherwise healthy adults) and zinc (20 - 30 mg per day) support the immune system. Lower vitamin C dose if diarrhea develops.

[solongng00dnite]

yea this is pretty nasty stuff but that just shows how u must must must wash, clean and examine all your food ESPECIALLY being that it is raw. I started doing this after I found lil worms in some muffins I made when I was younger. Since then I have found worms in a nestle crunch bar, on various vegetables and fruit. If I see them, to the garbage it goes.

[eachpeachpearplum]

Ya know I think we a a nation have become so overly sanitised. We have become so used to CLEAN food. Even the organic fruits & veg arrive on our shelves pristine now.

I think we really nee to take a step back and relise that critters in our food is NORMAL! :rolleyes:

Do I want to find wiggeles in my dates? no I dont but to me that just mean it is truly an organic product. I am willing to check my food more closley if that means I am getting great food.

As it happens I was very fortunate to drive by a house with and apple tree in the front garden. A huge number of the apples had fallen in the storm. She gave them all to me for free. :p Well they were not pretty by any streatch of the imagination and I am going to have to put in a lot of effort to get rid of the brused, banges and biten areas but this morning I had THE BEST apple pineapple green smoothie!

[Yeshia]

Sorry I just had to post my favorite " woe is me " song here he he

"No body loves me nobody cares,
I'm going to the garden(Kitchen lol) to eat worms
Long thin skinny ones slip down easily...
the bigs fat furry ones s t i c k ( Gulp as it slips down lol)
The date worms tickle me, as they hurry down
The lettuce slugs just refuse to budge!"
( like I said..nobody loves me)

Sorry lol:eek:
P.S. This is tongue in Cheek I am well loved lol :)

[EZ rider]

After I pulverize the produce in my vitamix all thats going to be left of the "critters" is mashed up protein.

[solongng00dnite]

After I pulverize the produce in my vitamix all thats going to be left of the "critters" is mashed up protein. haha protein - that is very Survivorman of you haha

[RollinRaw]

Well, I started reading this with the OMG:eek: thought running through my head!! Then when sanity returned :rolleyes: ....... these thoughts came to mind:

When we garden having worms in our soil is a good thing! They aireate the soil and provide nutrients.

Compost without worms is useless!

Parasites & worms two entirely different things!

If you see a worm in an apple do you throw out the whole apple or just cut out the wormy part?

Worms are harmless;)

This being said; One of our managers has been bringing in "fresh off the tree" pear apples. Oh YUM!! I love these. So I have been eating fresh, un-tainted fruits for snacks and lunches. One day during lunch I was eating this REALLY sweet and juicy pear/apple thing and when done I noticed a small wormy in my hand. First inclination was EEEW!! But after some thought ...... Hey it won't kill me ........

Choices;

1) Give up eating all fruits and veggies because organic or not, there are teeny critters in everything we eat.

2) Accept the fact and move on.

There are so many other things that are more worrisome that I could site, just enjoy the natural critters and move on.:D

[crystalmoon]

This is just the thread I needed to help me lose weight...no more nut date torte 4 me LOL

[fruitsandberries]

I'm of the opinion that a little dirt is good for us, as it helps our immune system, but that's just my opinion of course. If you're otherwise healthy, you should be able to handle it. But if you're not that robust, you should strive for a little more cleanliness. Again, just my opinion, medical doctors would disagree, but then again, I always do a double check when I find myself in agreement with the medical profession.

[diali36]

Ummm... so what am I going to eat now?? eewww!!!

[sfdreams]

AGREE ! I know tooooo many people who BLEACH everything. Natural ,,,, most dirt is good. On the animal note though, I was told I have parasites in my lungs still and it could be from Kitty litter .... Oh well, I am not getting rid of kitty.

;) As my Mom always told me when I was young, "A little dirt never hurt nobody!!" I agree, I think the rising incidence of childhood allergies and asthma comes from TOO Clean homes!

[Lindazkewl]

At the Whole Foods near my house 9 times out of 10 I would see these little grey bugs floating in the water after soaking the broc. and throughout my broc. dish. This was when I used to cook broccoli. I don't like it raw so I don't buy it anymore. If you don't see them, that's great!

Oh cool - I'll close my eyes when I eat the broccoli so I won't see them! Yikes!! :D

[Lady Green Jeans]

Just read this thread for the first time and all the way through.

Starfire--your humor gives me the greatest laughter. Hawaii--spiders and all or bust!Hope to come back and visit in the not too distant future.

RowanC--Can't stop chuckling over your posts, too. Too funny; too true.

I have had worms crawl out of the darndest places--raw blueberries at the end as was noted for spiders in a post on this thread. Washed it away.
Have had aphids in organic brocolli (prefer conventional just because of this), small green worm in organic cauliflower, small snails in greens. Just comes with the territory and wash them away before ingesting the produce.

Never thought to check my dates but will make a point going forward. Will not be choosing to live in paranoi about my food.

Very strange,odd, and interesting thread.

[rawsurfer]

These are completely different than parasitic worms. You will digest them. It ain't gonna kill ya, and it may even be good for ya. I don't know. All I know is dates are awesome and I just want to eat them all the time. So much energy and nutrition packed into such a small area.

[Madeleine.Blythe]

Right.

Well I'm never eating another date.

[Marin Mom]

Until I read this thread I had an addiction for dates. I am instantly cured!

[crystalmoon]

LOL Marin Mom I soooooo know what you mean :0

[Inky]

http://www.ehow.com/how_12028206_treat-date-trees-prevent-worms.html The worms become a moth. Kind of like the ones in apples.