Budget and raw nuts

[bluedog]

For those of you who can't accommodate raw nuts into your budget, do you just exclude them from your diet completely?

[walnutty]

No, I don't. I get them when I can. In most recipes, raw, organic sunflower seeds can be substituted and they are mega-cheap!

Are there any particular recipes you are wanting to make? Maybe a less expensive nut or seed could be used?

[MysticTree]

Over here in the UK some nuts are raw even if they don't say so. I can get raw almonds in my supermarket and as long as I avoid "produce of USA" and test them for their sprouting abilities then they are good. One of best ways to get raw nuts is to buy them in their shells and crack them yourself. Great if you just want to eat nuts rather than if you want to make a recipe which would be very tedious.

[walnutty]

I think I misunderstood your question, bluedog...

Are you asking if we exclude nuts completely if they are NOT raw?

If that is your question, then yes!

I won't eat roasted nuts and/or seeds if I can't get them raw. I just get them when I can afford them. Getting them in bulk helps. For example, I wanted to make a raw spicy Thai peanut sauce/vinaigrette and so I only purchased what I needed, which was 1/4 cup raw, organic Jungle Peanuts from the bulk bin at Whole Foods Market. They cost .75 cents. I also do substitute raw, organic sunflower seeds for nuts in recipes that call for other raw nuts, like "taco meat" or hummus, etc.

Please let me know if that was what you were really asking...thanks!

[MysticTree]

Are you asking if we exclude nuts completely if they are NOT raw?

If that is your question, then yes!

I won't eat roasted nuts and/or seeds if I can't get them raw. I just get them when I can afford them. Getting them in bulk helps. For example, I wanted to make a raw spicy Thai peanut sauce/vinaigrette and so I only purchased what I needed, which was 1/4 cup raw, organic Jungle Peanuts from the bulk bin at Whole Foods Market. They cost .75 cents. I also do substitute raw, organic sunflower seeds for nuts in recipes that call for other raw nuts, like "taco meat" or hummus, etc.

Please let me know if that was what you were really asking...thanks!

The thing is that many nuts that say they are raw aren't raw. Obviously roasted nuts are cooked but most unroasted nuts have heat used in the shelling process so they aren't raw in the strictest sense but they are "raw enough" for some raw foodists!

When I am 100% raw then I don't eat many nuts because truly raw is expensive most of the time and other nuts aren't raw! However when I am less than 100% then I would have some unroasted nuts even if they don't say raw on the packet. I already mentioned the almonds I get which are sproutable so that's raw enough for me.

I don't use nuts in recipes on a day to day basis. I might have a small handful of soaked almonds every day but that would be about all unless I wanted to make a raw cake frosting perhaps.