Freezing Foods = Not Raw???!

[Raene]

I don't get it...I'm an avid researcher and thought I knew almost everything (haha, just joking...you can never know everything) about raw foods.
Last night I started a job at a raw restaurant and they told me that when you freeze foods, i.e. bananas, that they are no longer technically raw.
I'd never heard such a thing. I know that packaged foods often aren't raw, like green peas, because they've been blanched...but they said cutting up your own fresh bananas and freezing them makes them not raw. WHAT?!!! Has anyone heard such a thing before?

[Aleesha Sattva]

nope never

but then, everyone has their own definition of what raw is. perhaps that is theirs. :)

[RawSinger]

Well, I have heard that perhaps freezing raw foods will have an effect on the activity of the enzymes. In other words, when raw food is frozen, the enzymes become inactive or don't function at their best. I'm not sure how true this is. I would think that even if it were true, as the food warmed up (either from your mouth and esophagus, or by letting the food defrost) the enzymes would function properly again. I'm really not sure exactly. It would be interesting to find out.

[Veganforlife]

I look at it this way. First of all, I fah git about analyzing if I'm doing something right or wrong. Obviously, I'm doing it right.

Second - back in the day. No further, WAAAAAY back in the day. Folks HAD to freeze nuts, berries, etc. It hardly messes w/the food.

Who has time to analyze and criticize all this or that? Certainly not me. I'm having too much fun playing w/my food - thanks Revvell for giving me that idea waaaay back in the day. Did 'ya know she was from waaaay back in the day? LOL!!!! :D

::ducks, runs out of the room laughing::

[JennaBoBenna]

I eat frozen stuff all of the time and I feel great! I would probably not feel as good if it weren't raw...

[Eva]

Yes, I have heard that -- although I have heard the opposite too. I'm not freezing things right now because I basically have a dorm fridge, but I have had no problem in the past with freezing things.

I DO avoid Bragg's, Nama Shoyu, Nutritional Yeast. Those things don't agree with me, but frozen things (that I freeze myself) do not "feel" like they're not raw.

In fact, I really miss my frozen bananas but am restraining myself for the time being as there is so much local, fresh and very cheap, tasty produce. It seems silly to get bananas from far away at $2/lb. when I can get local plums for 25 cents/lb. or so. Anyways, that's a whole other topic!

[Veganforlife]

Frozen bananas? I freeze 'em WITH the skins on. I know. I know. Lots of you are shaking your heads, but hold up - LISTEN!

It's awesome. To thaw? I put the frozen banana in a lukewarm, maybe not even lukewarm canning jar of water while I'm doing the rest of my smoothie. For like a couple minutes. Then the peel slides right off. They are still white, not brown.

Works every time. And the cool thing? That banana is never touched by human hands - the inside...

Oh yeah! *SNAP* other foods that freeze well? Alissa's calzones - perfect! Burgers, crackers, grapes, melons, almost everything. I mean I do practically freeze everything.

::looks around room for dogs::

oh no!!! Nah, I wouldn't have...

[Rawzula]

E3Live is raw and it's shipped frozen. Other than that, I don't eat any other type of frozen food.

[KirbyCuke]

I also have been freezing my bananas and grapes.
Im still so new to raw that Im going to try and not obsess over every thing I do right now,but would still like to know if it really makes it not raw.

[BeautifulSurprise]

I've heard it, but I don't really care. I'll never give up my raw ice cream!

[Veganforlife]

I also have been freezing my bananas and grapes.
Im still so new to raw that Im going to try and not obsess over every thing I do right now,but would still like to know if it really makes it not raw.

It doesn't make it NOT raw.

[KirbyCuke]

lucy-awesome thanks!!!

[RawHeaven]

I'll never give up my raw ice cream!

Never say never...I said the same thing about avocados and banana ice cream. Can't stand either one right now. You experience so many dips and turns in this process as your body changes, heals and grows. :)


As for your question Raene -- I just eat raw and don't worry about it. I analyze everything else in my life, LOL. But that's changing too. :p

[shashibala]

From what I've read, enzyme activity is reduced by something like 30-60% by freezing. That being said, I still choose to use frozen foods. They are not cooked and they add so much to my life and my diet. Nut and seeds will still sprout after being frozen, so it seems to me that they are still alive enough!

[JennaBoBenna]

even if freezing fruits and veggies made them not raw...we're still WAY ahead of the game!!
don't worry...be happy :)

[Juicy Girl]

Freezing food is perfectly natual. When winter arrives all the wild animals eat frozen bark, seeds and grass they can find. It does lower the natritional value some but your entire diet is not frozen so it should be just fine.

[annavon]

I feel fine eating frozen fruit. In fact I had a wonderful GS yesterday, frozen mango, 1/2 cucumber and handful of baby spinach and water to thin, Yummy (I just had to share this one, tooooo good!). :D Very refreshing.

I have heard the freezing slow down the enzymes, but it come back after thawing, too. I know some live items like bakers yeast can be frozen and will come back after gentle thawing, it seems reasonable that enzymes might work somewhat the same.

[debilana]

I look at it this way- if you can freeze a human embryo and it still grows just fine...;) then I believe my bananas are just peachy!

[Zella Juice]

My body tells me when something is not raw by making me feel like crap and I always feel wonderful after having raw stuff that was frozen.

Listen to your body. It will direct you in the right direction. I would be more worried about what is organic and what is not.

Lucy...thank you for your comic relief!! :D

[Nektar]

[QUOTE=Zella Juice;443661]
Listen to your body. It will direct you in the right direction. I would be more worried about what is organic and what is not.

Not really Zella. A typical example...most people can't function in the morning until they have had their cup of coffee. They believe their body is telling them they need the caffeine. They get a lift and feel good for a while. People interpret their cravings as a need by their body.

Same with drug addicts. They feel good after their fix. But the problem with all these examples is that the body is in a perpetual toxic state and that toxic state prevents people from being in tune with their bodies and able to easily sense any perceptable change in how their body feels.

Back to the original question...the true definition of raw (per Natural Hygiene) is "as found in nature"
This means that frozen and dehydrated foods do not meet the true definition of raw. To most people however, frozen and dehydrated foods (<118 F) are raw, and that is fine.

[Bananna]

Ok here's the real deal....standard practice with veggies is yes, to blanch them before you freeze them.

I'd heard about this 'blanching' of veggies before and emailed 'Europe's Best' which, at least in Canada, is a popular frozen fruit and veggies producer. (I don't believe that they come from Europe, but that's another story, lol).

Anyways they told me that they blanch their veggies first before freezing. But Only their veggies. Their fruit is just frozen.

If you email your company, I'm sure they will tell you their practice. But the above is standard I am sure.

So that's the deal....freeze your own veggies if you want to be sure, fruits are raw to frozen.

[Debbietook]

I don't freeze anything.

For reasons, see here (http://debbietookrawforlife.blogspot.com/2008/02/f-reezing.html).

[Pookietooth]

Around here, if I want to eat local food, then in winter, about the only fruits or veggies I could eat would be apples, cauliflower, cabbage, and maybe onions (the stored type). Pretty limiting, and I'd prefer not to eat stuff that's been flown or trucked in from a long distance. Often imported fruits and nuts are irradiated (maybe not organic, but who knows?).

[Veganforlife]

[QUOTE=Zella Juice;443661]
Listen to your body. It will direct you in the right direction. I would be more worried about what is organic and what is not.

Not really Zella. A typical example...most people can't function in the morning until they have had their cup of coffee. They believe their body is telling them they need the caffeine. They get a lift and feel good for a while. People interpret their cravings as a need by their body.

Same with drug addicts. They feel good after their fix. But the problem with all these examples is that the body is in a perpetual toxic state and that toxic state prevents people from being in tune with their bodies and able to easily sense any perceptable change in how their body feels.

Back to the original question...the true definition of raw (per Natural Hygiene) is "as found in nature"
This means that frozen and dehydrated foods do not meet the true definition of raw. To most people however, frozen and dehydrated foods (<118 F) are raw, and that is fine.

Sorry, but I sort of disagree. My body tells me it wants citrus in the winter, seasonal veggies in the summer. I know when it needs water. I am so in tune with myself. Addicts are not. They are being controlled by the drug of choice.

It's such a fine line here. Like I've said many times. Pick and choose your battles. Do you want Nutritional Yeast although truly not raw - then use it. Do you want Bragg's, then use it. I feel if 99% of your food intake is raw, living, HEALTHY choices, then go for it!

Phew - who has time to nit pick all of this. I'm too busy playing with my food...

[Eva]

[QUOTE=Nektar;443733]

Sorry, but I sort of disagree. My body tells me it wants citrus in the winter, seasonal veggies in the summer. I know when it needs water. I am so in tune with myself. Addicts are not. They are being controlled by the drug of choice.

It's such a fine line here. Like I've said many times. Pick and choose your battles. Do you want Nutritional Yeast although truly not raw - then use it. Do you want Bragg's, then use it. I feel if 99% of your food intake is raw, living, HEALTHY choices, then go for it!

Phew - who has time to nit pick all of this. I'm too busy playing with my food...

Putting in my two cents here -- listening to my body is not the same as listening to addiction. At this point, I know when I'm hungry, thirsty, etc for real and when it's emotional that I feel the urge to munch. So, I definitely agree with you on that.

I also agree that it's wise (in any situation) to pick and choose our battles -- with friends, food, marriage, etc. I agree that if someone has good experiences and feels as healthy as they desire with NS, nutritional yeast, Bragg's, etc -- then that is a personal choice.

What I don't agree with is the verbiage -- nit pick -- because it feels like an attack. If I choose to eat raw (which for me does not include things like Braggs, NS, NY, etc.), in the way I choose to do so -- I'm not nitpicking. I'm making a choice. If another person chooses not to have frozen food, that's their choice. Not nit picking, just making an informed decision! And if we choose to not include cooked food, we're not nitpicking, just making a choice that works for us!

Anyways, I think you have only good intentions and am not attacking you or even on the defense, really. I just wanted to point that out because of the way that particular phrase felt as I read it. It's all the same to me though -- I don't really care too much about what anyone else thinks (or with what verbiage they describe my choices) at the end of the day. It's all about me! haha :p

[Veganforlife]

Sorry. Didn't mean to use a "harsh" word. But now that I've been around here for a long while (here meaning this forum) and by nit-picking I mean that back in the day I know I (me, personally) did not nit-pick what I put in my mouth - even being Vegetarian, then Vegan. If it was Vegegtarian, it had to be good, right? Wrong. When I went raw, I didn't analyze like so many seem to do with the raw diet. I don't know if it's healthy (mentally) to go from one extreme, i.e. eating anything and everything to (sorry) nit-picking in the raw diet. That's all I really meant.

Hey, it takes a lot to rattle MY cage...

um, try harder next time! LOL!!!:p

[Eva]

LOL -- well apparently we have really different thought on this!

I still feel like it's not nitpicking in any circumstance -- it's just that some people choose to allow different things or not. But if I choose not to allow NS or Bragg's since they are not raw AND they make me feel bad, it's not being petty. It's just the choice I make.

And if Debbie Took (or anyone else!) chooses not to freeze stuff, that's not being petty or nitpicking to me. It's just her choice.

I'm speaking up on this because I want to be sure that people who are more "strict" in their choices don't feel attacked...

Perhaps what you mean is that for you, it feels like you are nitpicking if you restrict yourself?

[Zella Juice]

I guess I wasn't very clear. I meant ...once you have been raw for awhile your body starts craving the right foods.

sheesh you guys stop being so nit picky over my words. :D

:ducks and runs:

[Veganforlife]

Phew! All I know is I'm gonna do what I continue to do, it's right for me. Everyone else should and I do so encourage that they make whatever choice is right for them. It just seems like raw eating gets dissected a lot here, needlessly. But...well...that's it. I think I'm bowing out of this conversation.

To freeze or not to freeze - THAT is the question.

How to answer it? Depends on the individual.

As with everything one chooses...

::gracefully tiptoes out of this thread::

[Veganforlife]

I guess I wasn't very clear. I meant ...once you have been raw for awhile your body starts craving the right foods.

sheesh you guys stop being so nit picky over my words. :D

:ducks and runs:

PFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT!

::throws green smoothie remains in bottom of glass at Zella::

[Veganforlife]

Yes, EXACTLY, once you've been raw for a while - you will KNOW what your body needs.

I lost my one doggie girl this past April. I cried for days and days. I craved salty foods and couldn't get enough. After a few weeks, my body went back to NOT craving the salty foods...

Wait, I was headed out...here I go!

C U!!!

[Eva]

LOL! I almost just spit out my snack when I came back to the computer to refresh the thread. You two!

[Zella Juice]

Hey! I am trying to make my way through my own sludge in my drink. I don't need to be wearing it.

I decided to cut out bananas in the smoothie and boy is there alot of sludge to deal with. It's funny cause I am kinda starting to enjoy chewing on it. :o