How can I tell if I have a nut intolerance?

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I have the tendency to get bloated VERY easily, and my mum thinks I may have a nut intolerance. How do I know if I do and would it necessarily apply to all types of nuts? If I do, is there a way to "heal" it and still eat nuts?

[chriscarlton]

First make sure that all the nuts you are eating are raw. Most nuts available on the store shelf are not raw even when thay say on the label that they are. Even some of the nuts sold by "Raw" sites as Raw are not actually raw.

I have even fed people with "Nut Alergies" at my dinner parties nut based dishes (with their knowledge) and no one has ever had a reaction.

Most shelled nuts are heated during processing at one point or another and they will still be labeled Raw. Check out the 'Dead Food List' on my site for more infomation.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Your list was so informative! Thank you! But how can I be sure the nuts I'm getting are raw, save planting an almond tree? :)

[chriscarlton]

I believe that you should always contact the producer directly. Ask them... "Has this product, or any of it ingredients, been exposed to heat at any point of it's production?"

It's good if you can call them. That way you can hear them pause to think, or you can hear their tone of voice change when you ask them to clarify what they just said etc. Anyone can sound sure in an email.

Then... wait a month and ask them again or get a friend to. You may get a different answer the second time.

This comes from 3 years of experience researching what Zoe and I eat and use in our classes. We have even had many surprising answers from some of the top "Raw Food" companies.

The more of us contacting food producers, the faster the "Raw" word will be spread. It's the best thing we can do.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Thanks again! Would soaking nuts help digestion in the meantime? Is it possible to be a raw foodist, not eat nuts, and still get the nutrients I need? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just barely past the 30 day mark (and apparently I haven't been as raw as I thought) and am still new at this! I really appreciate the help

- Luna

[bowie]

Hi Luna,

Please do not try to do this diet without eating nuts. Do you have Alissa’s book? I highly suggest it! she will explain all of this. search for her post here also. she talks about when raw fooders get too strict with their choices and limit things like nuts and how it leads to failure.

Pease don’t be scared of nuts and other products. The list that Chris has on his site is not accurate in our opinion. Alissa sells raw agave that is NOT heated but make with an energy process and magnets; it looks completely different than any other agave out there. it is crystal clear. As for her other products, we can assure you they are raw. She painstakingly goes through the time and effort to make sure these products are truly raw.

She did remove the coconut flakes from her site when she found out they were being heated even though she sold thousands of bags a month. She is coming out with new products and they will be on her site in a couple of weeks and one of them is shredded coconut flakes that are dehydrated under 98 degrees. The other is truly raw, unpasteurized almonds. Please check out her site for more information.

I hope this helped? we don’t want you doing raw from a fear point of view. Again, please get Alissa book and DVDs if you do not have them. I know that they will benefit you greatly!

~Bowie