R PENUTS AND CASHEWS TOXIC?

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Permalink Reply by TreeOfLove on January 28, 2009 at 12:00pm

I have talked to people, one man being from the phillipines, and he was telling me about the cashew. He said they throw them into the fire until they are done sizling and crack so they can eat it. The reason why it sizzles is because of a harsh acidic resin that will give you burns wherever it touches you

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Permalink Reply by Paddy on January 28, 2009 at 12:07pm

tox·ic (tksk)
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or other poison: a toxic condition; toxic hepatitis.
2. Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous: food preservatives that are toxic in concentrated amounts; a dump for toxic industrial wastes. See Synonyms at poisonous.

Lol I think the word 'toxic' is taken a little out of context sometimes in the raw world.

Do you enjoy eating these particular foods?

If you do then maybe try the raw ones from sunfood. For peanuts Gab Cousens recommends sun dried organic ones from a company called arrowhead http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XsBJnpCwWLYC&printsec=frontc...

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Permalink Reply by Antonella on January 28, 2009 at 12:21pm

I don't know if they're toxic but they're definitely toxic to my diet...I eat one cashew and it's all over for me :((( ...so i banned them . if they are toxic ..it's just more of reason whewww

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Permalink Reply by Scott on January 28, 2009 at 12:57pm

they are completely different.... cashews are a nut... peanuts are a bean or legume.. eating raw legumes are very highly warned against.. even sprouted.. you are better off eating almond butter or tahini

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Permalink Reply by aishwarya on January 28, 2009 at 1:38pm

i am allergic to peanuts. have always been.

everytime i had a test on them it was way worse.

raw cashews i havent tasted. but even organic cashews as marketed here are too hard on me. i read in several resources that they are toxic.

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Permalink Reply by ben "the beekeeper" stiller on January 28, 2009 at 1:57pm

one of my doctors says that people with immune issues (including those from cancer and candida) should stay away from both peanuts and cashews. i'll try and look up why that is...

on another note, peanuts are consumed all over the world. i heard on npr's science friday a few months ago that the incidence of allergies to peanuts is highest where peanut butter and roasted peanuts are consumed. in places where they're boiled and not roasted people tend to do fine with them. i would guess it's okay to sprout peanuts, just like any other legume.

we get in trouble when we use it in ways it is not intended.

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Permalink Reply by aishwarya on January 29, 2009 at 10:59am

if you provide a link that would be good!

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Permalink Reply by Kasey on January 28, 2009 at 2:02pm

I've heard the safest kind are the wild jungle peanut. I would go for those if any. You'd probably be better off with another nut or seed though.

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Permalink Reply by John on January 28, 2009 at 2:10pm

Scott, when you say that legumes shouldn't be eaten raw, you may be thinking of kidney beans.

Kidney beans that are raw, including sprouted kidney beans, contain substances called lectins, which can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. Boiling or steaming raw or sprouted kidney beans prevents this.

As I mention in my book, Sunfood Living, boiling and/or steaming foods does not cause the same chemicals to form that other forms of heating foods does: baking, frying, roasting, sauteing, broiling, toasting, grilling.

That's why I tell people that if they desire flamed foods, do soups, steamed veggies, steamed sprouted quinoa, sprouted steamed wild rice, etc. That way you're not getting the acrylamides and glycotoxins that form in highly heated (baked, fried, roasted, grilled, toasted, etc.) foods.

While boiling and steaming may reduce the nutritional value, it doesn't degrade foods so much that they contain substances that you wouldn't want in your body if you are trying to reach upper levels of vibrant health.

As far as other legumes, not kidney beans, I eat bean sprouts, and also make sprouted garbanzo hummus. However, I don't think anyone should be eating gobs and gobs of sprouted legumes. A variety of foods, and not eating the same thing every day, is always a better choice so that you get a variety of nutrients, fibers, plant colors, etc.

If you want to eat kidney beans, and probably Lima beans also, please sprout them and then steam or boil them. You can also, if you want flamed foods, put soaked and sprouted kidney beans into soup as it is being heated.

However, avoid putting salt and oil in your soup until after you have heated it and it is in the serving bowl. You don't want to be heating salt or oil. Best to keep those unheated and to add the amount you desire right before you eat the soup or steamed foods.

As far as peanuts and cashews being toxic. I think the word "toxic" is a misused in the raw community. I laugh when I see raw foodists say the word "toxic," as they often say it with such an expression indicating displeasure... furrowed brow, scrunched nose, etc.

I agree with what the China study authors conclude, that peanuts and the meat diet are a bad mix. (I obviously don't think anyone should be consuming meat).

I have successfully sprouted cashews. So, those who say that all cashews are dead aren't in the same reality I've been experiencing. Maybe my local natural foods store just has a good source for them. They sell raw cashews in the bulk section. When anyone mentions cashews I (now laugh when I) think of the woman I made dinner for, and who, upon learning that I had included cashews in the recipe, dramatically spit out the food and got angry at me as she explained that cashews are cooked and she doesn't put cooked foods in her body. Awkward! Extreme fanatics need not apply.

Some natural foods stores are starting to sell raw peanuts in their bulk sections - greatly reducing the price for those who wish to have raw peanuts. Also, if you are going to eat peanuts that have been heated, go for the ones that are unsalted and have been dry roasted. And not the ones that have been fried in oil and/or salted (the salts they use are highly processed). Get unsalted peanuts, and add your own quality salt (if you want them salted). As always, avoid fried oils, and all fried foods.

http://www.sunfoodtraveler.com

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Permalink Reply by Paddy on January 29, 2009 at 8:03am

Nice post John :)

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Permalink Reply by VEGAN SEALS on January 29, 2009 at 10:11am

very helpful

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Permalink Reply by Jason on January 29, 2009 at 9:57am

http://www.wisegeek.com/are-raw-cashews-really-poisonous.htm

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