Raw Ingredients - HELP!

[solongng00dnite]

I was looking at the bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil that my parents use and it doesnt say raw but it says cold pressed, would this be ok to use, ya think?

Also in terms of spices should you really buy all new spices that are labeled raw or can you use whatever is already in the house?

I am planning to stock my pantry with the essentials this weekend but I am looking for the best prices in terms of what to buy online, buy in bulk, etc. When buying raw online how can you be sure it is raw. I found some sites for nuts and they say raw nuts but how can you be sure. They say unblanched, natural and raw is that good enough?

If anyone can help me form some kind of a list of necessities in terms of non produce items, that would be extremely helpful. Even more helpful if you know good places to go on Long Island other than Trader Joes and Wild by Nature.

[trinity082482]

I was looking at the bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil that my parents use and it doesnt say raw but it says cold pressed, would this be ok to use, ya think?

Yes

Also in terms of spices should you really buy all new spices that are labeled raw?

Spices usually aren't labeled raw.. none I own anyway... I buy what I like....

I am planning to stock my pantry with the essentials this weekend but I am looking for the best prices in terms of what to buy online, buy in bulk, etc.

If anyone can help me form some kind of a list of necessities in terms of non produce items, that would be extremely helpful. Even more helpful if you know good places to go on Long Island other than Trader Joes and Wild by Nature.

Hmm.. non produce?.... Agave or raw honey & Nori

[Ama]

The olive oil is a tough one because many times it is pressed twice and the "cold-pressed" is usually only for the first pressing. You may want to google it for more info. (anyone have more info on this?)

ETA... I just did a few searches and here's something I came up with:

"Olive Oil and other Oils - Because there is no standard for "first cold pressed oils" in North America, it is easy for some manufacturers to literally "pull the wool over the consumer's eyes" by blending or cutting good quality oils with inferior ones and claiming that the oil is "cold pressed". As always: "buyer beware". Guidelines for buying good healthy oils: 1. Always "first cold pressed" from a reliable producer, not a refinery. 2. Certified organic if possible. 3. Always in dark ( green, brown or blue ) glass bottles. Never in clear glass bottles. 4. Oils should taste delicious: fresh, clean, rich. Trust your taste.
>I like to buy most of my oils from the FLORA company. (available in the refrigerated section of most health food stores)"
http://www.rawguru.com/issue7.html

[Ama]

I knew I remembered reading something on cold-pressed olive oil and I just found it in one of my books: Hooked on Raw by Rhio

QUOTE from pg. 307:

"What should "Cold-Pressed" really mean?
When you go to the health food store and look in the oils section, you may see a lot of oils labeled as cold-pressed. But most, if not all, of those oils are not really cold-pressed. Cold-pressed should mean that the oil was extracted in such a way that it was not subjected to heat, and additionally, that heat was not generated in the process of the oil being extracted. If a little heat is generated, it should be below the temperature at which the value of the oil is destroyed. Genuinely cold pressed oils have all their nutritional value intact, including enzymes, Omega 3's and 6's, and other known and unknown factors. These oils must be refrigerated to preserve their freshness.

In practice, what does Cold-Pressed mean?
Most cold-pressed oils have been heat treated. Seeds that are going to be mechanically pressed are usually cooked first to increase their yield. This means they are heated to 248 F for up to two hours. This process cracks the seed, exposing the oils to air and light, which cause oxidation. The oil is then extracted by squeezing the cooked seeds with screw presses, which generated heat again (approximately 185 to 203 F). These oils are sold as unrefined, but, as you can see, they have gone through at least two heat processes, which destroyed their nutritional value. Such heated oils are detrimental to your health because most of their fatty acids have been converted from the natural cis fatty acid form (present in unheated oil) to trans fatty acids, which are toxic and have been implicated as a causative factor in heart disease and cancer.

Rhio gives a source for organic, genuinely cold-pressed oils in her source index on p. 322.

Fora, INC.
P.O. Box 73
Lynden, WA 98264
(800) 466-2110
"They are sometimes found in the refrigerated section at health food store. These oils are pressed at below "body temperature" (20-30 C), with no heat or chemical solvents ever applied. Flora oils are bottled with nitrogen (to prevent oxidation) in light-resistant, dark amber glass bottles... Send for their mail order catalog."

... ok... enough typing for me today. I apologize for any spelling errors as I just typed that all from the book.

[Madeleine.Blythe]

I wish I had things like this to worry about.. I eat too simply, I think..
fruits, vegetables and nuts.
I think I could learn something from this post.