Why Raw Food failed me

[Tsurugi_Oni]

So today I realized why I had that giant 9 month + health battle. I'm allergic to tree nuts, something that I so happened to start eating shortly before my health declined.

For the last 2 weeks I haven't eaten many nuts and have been feeling on top of the world. Then today to test out if I was allergic I ate nothing but an orange and bunch of almonds + walnuts. (I knew it wasn't detox -_-*)

Within one hour I felt like completely trash, and the same symptoms from over the last 9 months suddenly reappeared.

With this new bit of knowledge in hand I think I'm going to go back to Raw Food philosophy with full blast.

In preparation for this new segment of the journey I need to find a good replacement for those fatty nuts. Other than the all too famous avacado I really don't know of too many mono plant fats.

Please enlighten me!

[mstrish]

I'm glad to hear you found the culprit and are redesigning your food plan. Try young coconuts...they are wonderful...and eat the white flesh too.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Aren't coconuts tree nuts too?

[Springtime]

I think coconuts are considered a fruit.

Udo's oils! I have a tbsp or two every day, great for all sorts of fatty acids. Avocados, seeds like sunflower, flax and sesame.
Oils, like olive and sunflower.

Greens have fat in them too, but then again, you need to eat loads of greens to get as much fats as you would from a handful of nuts or seeds..

[Revvell]

Olives!!!!

[rawlight]

Olives!!!!

Oh yeah....kalamata!!!!

[Revvell]

Oh yeah....kalamata!!!!

Not Just! I got some at whatever thingy I went to last weekend and they are soooooo good! They're from http://www.Olivasdeoro.com.

[rkk]

Are you allergic to seeds? You might want to try various seeds like hempseed, flaxseed, pumkin or sunflower seeds to get in more protein/amino acids into your diet (since you don't eat nuts). The greens as mentioned, are also good sources of amino acids as well.

[artgirly4]

This is good to know..thanks for telling us....eeeeek. Feel better.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I really couldn't tell ya about the seeds as I haven't eaten any recently. I'm just a bit afraid cuz this downward phase of my life has been almost like having 9 months of a light-med. flu.

Although I do have some flax seeds I bought a while ago sitting in my drawer. How would I go about eating these little critters?

[snoops]

Although I do have some flax seeds I bought a while ago sitting in my drawer. How would I go about eating these little critters?

grind em up and put in fruit smoothies. I second the hempseed and olive oil on salads.

[spicyfull]

A lot are allergic to Nuts, so bad that they go into Shock and their Throat closes up. Its called Antiphlatic Shock. Some don't eat Nuts because they don't want all the Fat in Nuts in their diets.

So you can continue RAW without them. Seeds are a Good replacement. So its a game of finding out what's right for you. Just Fruit and Vegetables are Always a RAWinner.........

[Raw Angel Mom]

Hemp seeds, pumpking seeds, sunflower, coconut, olive etc.... You can also use the oil version for your salad.

I typically don't eat nut, i find them hard to digest. My husband loves them. Everyone is different.

I would change my title. Raw food is huge, meaning so many food choice. Keep trying, and you will find the best food for you.

You can also try different nuts just a little to test

[Ilse W.]

When you ate nuts, did you soak them first or did you eat them with the enzyme inhibitors still intact? That would make a huge difference in digestibility. Seeds are totally different. I normally put 1 teaspoon each of ground flax seeds and ground sunflower seeds in my green smoothies. Makes them even more substantial and adds not only omega 3s, but also vitamin E.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Never soaked any nuts before I ate em. Enzyme inhibitors? You are talking about tannins? And are these proteins water soluble or somethin?

Whenever I eat nuts they just pass on through. I used to think that I just wasn't chewing em enough but I'm starting to think otherwise.

[jgunn]

no not tannins

Enzyme Inhibitors , INHIBIT the product from being digested , its kind of a dry storage or dormant period protection for the seed/nut untill sucha time when conditions are right for it to start to grow into a plant.

soaking removes the inhibitor making it digestable/sproutable :)

[Ilse W.]

Nuts contain an enzyme inhibitor so that they won't sprout until after the rainy season. For the nuts to be digestible, they have to be soaked for at least 4 hours, so that the enzyme required for digestion is actually available. Try soaking some almonds for about 8 hours. Some people then dehydrate their nuts again to get them back to the crunchy state, but I really like them just soaked. See, if it makes a difference. When I eat unsoaked nuts, they sit in my stomach for hours and basically come out the way they went in. Soaked nuts digest problem free without stomach aches.

[ShantiLove]

Yes soaking is important for the digestability of nuts, and that also counts for seeds. Try to soak seeds overnight, rinse well and blend them with a little water into a fine paste. So much better for the tummy :D Ad a little spices like lemon juice, garlic, salt and... or honey for a sweet paste or...and you create a yummy meal.
This dosen counts for flax or chia / salba seeds (that I recomend by the way :-), they turn into a gelatin when soaked. You can try to grind up flax seeds with a little salt and garlic and sprinkle it over a salat. Really yummy.
Chia seed gel is surpose to be really healthy so that is worth a try aswell. You can soak them in juice insted of water to give some flaver, otherwise you can blend the gel into a smoothie.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Mannn that little tidbit would of made the last couple months of my life much more pleasant. That explains a lot of personal observations I"ve made about my digestion......

[jgunn]

well celebrate your new found knowledge ! :) its a learning curve for sure :)