OK my LAST question about nuts .....PLEASE HELP

[SheLovesToEat]

I know i have been a pain in the behind about this raw nut thing but i want to resolve in my mind once and for all what the difference will make in my raw food diet if i dont manage to get all my nuts raw.

heres the problem. i have a fridge thats too small to store large quanities of anything.... so as much as i want to go buy really raw almonds. i am not sure that have room for 10 pounds of nuts in my fridge.
and THATS what it would take to make it worth the drive to calif.

i dont trust that trader joes or whole foods nuts are really raw even though they say so. most likely they have been pasturized.
it would be SO easy to just get the nuts a pound at a time from these stores but i dont think they are really raw.

so heres the question on my mind.
for the sake of money, convience and space.....
how BAD off would i be if i used these pasturized nuts?

i dont have any trouble digesting nuts and they are in everything i make..... they are super important to my food prep.

will pasturized nuts affect weight loss? i REALLY dont want this to screw up my weight loss.
these nuts are said to be raw and not roasted...so they are just kind of in that middle ground.

i am so confused .... i want to do the right thing.....but i am having a serious space problem when it comes to cold storage. i dont think i even have room for the dates i wanted to order from the date people.
so i am getting them from costco. not as nice but very cheap and easier to store a small quanity.

but this is about nuts not dates.
have any of you noticed ANY differences using nuts from trader joes or whole foods? that are said to be raw.... but might not be?

i am just working so hard to get my weight off i dont want anything to mess me up. so this nut thing has really been on my mind alot.

please tell me what you think about this.
nuts keep me full and satisfied and i dont want to even THINK about crossing them off my diet.

sorry for the long post but i really am so stumped about all this.
there WAS a time when RAW REALLY MEANT RAW!

not anymore. pity.
now its just a nightmare to find locally what you need.

thanks

[srsarri]

Your same question has not yet been answered for me either!

Question? Are you losing weight. It has been a couple of weeks since the last time you posted this question (I believe it was you, sorry if I am wrong). I get my nuts from whole foods, My weight has leveled out but, I also do not eat them a lot. Remember, that if you just eat nuts constantly, weight might not come off fast. Some people do good with fats and others don't. My diet was very fatty when I was losing! so its personal.

Try sprouting one of the almonds!, I have never done it because I decided not to fret about the small stuff!, Yes, I consider if my nuts are not REALLY raw something small.

I mean its the same with braggs liquid aminos and agave. those are questionable and many people are using them and doing very well! I do understand that nuts are a bigger thing because they are obviously in our diets (some of us) more, but don't make yourself crazy! and........ I HOPE someone gives you a better answer then I just did! LOL

[Dimond]

The freezer is where I store my nuts. If you don't have room in one place, maybe divide between the freezer, fridge and keep a small amount at room temperature.

It may be easier to order nuts from a place that will sell it to you in 10 or 15lb bags because that will take up less room than if it's by the lb.

I do believe when it comes to nuts, that truly raw is important for many reasons. Just because it sprouts, doesn't mean it's not toxic.

[spicyfull]

Sure hope it works out for you.

[MiahTay]

I would venture to say that nobody here is going to tell you that you will loose weight half as fast if you eat questionable nuts ... the bottom line is there is no way to know since we are all different. We have ALL had to make choices on where we are going to bend or stand firm. If nuts is "your thing" there are MANY reputable people selling raw nuts that will deliver them right to your door (no need to drive to CA) and you can order them by the pound if you want to. I hope you find what works for you.

[Zaphirah]

this whole raw thing is about finding the right balance for YOU. There are somethings I do that other rawbies would GASP! at and vice versa. You just have to make a decision and feel confident about it. It's not set in stone. You can always change your mind later. In my very personal exp, it's better to eat something like questionable nuts and STAY raw, then to struggle and struggle to figure this out. It's a long meandering journey. Just sit back and enjoy it!

[OneBite@aTime]

Well said Zaphirah

[Raw Joy]

I get raw nuts when I can; if I can't afford them from the internet, I get them at the local HFS or Trader Joe's. I don't eat them as much as you do, but I can't tell a difference from when I'm eating "real" raw or "maybe" raw.

My philosophy has always been to do the best you can with what you have, and don't worry about it.

Concentrate on as much raw as you can, and if something that's not purely raw is in there, try not to obsess about it. It will all balance out if you have the mindset of being the most healthy person you can at the moment.

[SheLovesToEat]

a fatty raw diet does help me lose weight.... i dont have any trouble with that but i have always used raw nuts ...but now that i have moved i struggle with the cold storage space that i have both in the fridge and the freezer.
and they wont last long just on the counter.

i just dont have room for the raw nuts in 10 pound sacks. it would just be so much easier to buy the nuts from places like trader joes or whole foods as i need them....
but....i worry about them being pasturized.....and not just the almonds....all of them !

i know we are all different and in the end i have to decide for myself what to do but since this board is such a good resource i thought i would ask what everyone thought.

i guess what i am asking is if i did use these questionable 'raw nuts' from stores like trader joes or whole foods...... if they DID turn out not to be raw would something like that make any difference in my weight loss.

like i said.... eating nuts is part of my diet and the weight comes off fine...but if these other nuts might not be raw i wonder if THAT alone would derail my weight loss.

i dont know if i am making myself undestood.... i hope i am because i really want to clear this up in my head. i guess the only way to know would be to experiment and buy some of those questionable nuts to see if it makes a difference.
BUT.... i was hoping to avoid that expense and see if i could get this sorted out without doing that.

i guess in the long run.... if i want to be sure nuts are raw... i can order them, at greater expense, from online sources.
but that still doesnt answer my question as to wheather questionable 'raw' nuts can derail your diet when you use a moderate amount like i do.

thanks to all who have posted and i would welcome more of your thoughts if you would like to share.
thanks again.

[Raw Angel Mom]

I don't know how warm is you place but if this isn't bad and chill, you can keep them in a glass jar. Where i am, i can keep them that way but i do have the space in my fridge too.

Do you know anyone in your area, where you could split the almond together so therefore share the cost and quantity.

It is true that you do your best with what you have and i support this. If you make room for the good stuff, this is always wonderful.

But when you know better, you do better too. Sadely, pasterize almond don't have enzyme and on top the bad chimical they use to pasterize them.
If i wouldn't be able to get the raw almond, i would just eat seed until that i can have real raw almond. You don't need to have 10lb of almond, if you find someone to share the cost. Any nuts expose to heat become a very bad fat and bad news for cleaning your body. If this is helping you to transition to raw food and to be comfortable then don't worry if they aren't raw for now but i would eat them in moderation and eat a nut that is really raw instead or seeds.

The enzyme that are destroye in the food, sadely your body has to use its own enzymes, so i would say yes it does compromise your cleansing body.

I can feel also the difference with the maybe raw nuts with real raw nuts. Right now, i prefere abstinence and eat something else raw then none raw nuts. Sunflower seeds, pumpking seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and so many other alternative.

Making room for good stuff is already helping your body to cleanse, eating pasteurise nuts do slow down the process but you will get there as long as you don't abuse them and do make room for the fresh and alive food.

I wish you well and hoping you will find a solution.

[DejaVu]

Aren't nuts that simply aren't roasted raw? I'm new and buy mine at Costco, since they arent roasted, they should be raw, no? Unless you are buying from a raw food supplier, nuts will not be labelled 'raw', but that doesn't mean they aren't. And what are pasturized nuts anywhay?

[JennaBoBenna]

I wouldn't drink pasteurized juice

I wouldn't eat pasteurized nuts.

Pasteurizing is the same as cooking. the nuts just aren't "roasted" or "toasted".

I would buy from a farmers' market. I can get really raw almonds for $6.00/lb

[soulstar]

I don't have anything new to add, but I empathize with your dilemma.

Experimentation with nuts from WF or TJ's is one way to go.

Saving some money to buy raw nuts online so you can be sure that they are raw is another way to go.

I also buy what I hope are raw nuts and seeds from Trader Joe's and my weight loss is at a standstill. But I can't be sure it is from the nuts and seeds or from all of the avocados I tend to eat.:p

At some point, I, too, would like to invest in raw nuts, but they are a bit out of my price range for the moment.

Best of luck with making a decision that works for you at the moment. And please be easy on yourself, whichever way you decide to go. This is a life long journey and you will continually make changes in your diet as you learn about what works for you as you move forward.

[iluvmangos]

Aren't nuts that simply aren't roasted raw?

Not necessarily.

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/nuts.html



And what are pasturized nuts anywhay?

Google it.

[T-Bird]

I don't know about you all - but I put way too much time and effort into being raw to take a chance on "maybe ingredients"

And one of the reasons it's a big deal with nuts is - they are a high calorie food.

So if you have yourself a fruit smoothie, a big ole salad, and 1/2 cup of almond pate with questionable almonds....and the question's answer ends up being "no"

guess what?

A huge plate of greens is like what - 25 calories? Add standards like tom and cuke and sweet pepper spinkle on alfalfa sprouts, and you're up to what - 100 calories for a big salad?

A banana an apple and an orange blended up is around 200.

Say you used 1/3 cup of almonds to make the pate, that's around 275 calories...

Making you only ~50% raw.

To be only 50% - when you're putting in the effort to be 100%......making an almond pate and all -

To me, so not worth it.

[T-Bird]

this whole raw thing is about finding the right balance for YOU. There are somethings I do that other rawbies would GASP! at and vice versa. You just have to make a decision and feel confident about it. It's not set in stone. You can always change your mind later. In my very personal exp, it's better to eat something like questionable nuts and STAY raw, then to struggle and struggle to figure this out. It's a long meandering journey. Just sit back and enjoy it!

I just find this to be a totally defeatist attitude. Almost like saying "who cares? What does it matter?"

sure - everyone needs to find something that works for them. But finding something that works, and asking "is X going to make a difference?" are worlds apart.

[Everchanging]

Can you buy them in the shell? Then they last years without refrigeration, son't they? Takes longer to shell them but atleast they are super fresh.

[juliew]

I totally know what you are going through because I went through a period of obsessing so much over little things and feeling like I absolutely had to have the answer. everyone would say conflicting things and i would just get more frustrated. or they would say "you have to try it out and see for yourself" when all i wanted was an answer. what i learned was that you already know the answer you want, you are just looking for someone to say it so you can take it an run with it. don't worry, i do the same thing. i think all the worry about the nuts being raw is doing more harm than the potentially unraw nuts. and i bet you would totally feel better knowing your nuts are raw, so i suggest just going with that peace of mind because you won't be worried everytime you bite into the nuts! also, nuts are not weight-loss helpers, so if they are raw or not will only affect the nutrients and speed of digestion. i don't think unraw they will make you gain weight, especially if eaten with water-rich vegetables.

some tips for weight loss i learned from my raw food nutritionalist:
-avoid mixing fats (ie olive oil and nuts or oil and avocados or nuts and avocados). she says this works all the time
-eat a salad first, then your dense food like nuts
-some people have to abandon nuts and grains to lose weight, but you said you were doing well with nuts, so thats ok for you

Warmest wishes and big hug!

[shakti17]

i noticed the raw organic almonds at my food coop now say "pasteurized," so i bought these other raw almonds there that were Italian and did not say pasteurized. i hope they are raw. are imported almonds still raw? i'll have to investigate that.