Fw: Antioxidant-Packed Almonds

January 21, 2010

Ronald A. Fells

N3VPU

Amateur Radio Operator

Antioxidant- Packed AlmondsAlmonds are good for more than just snacking; with some easy almond recipes, you can add crunch and nutrition to a variety of dishes.By Amy Ahlberghttp://www.rodale. com/almond- recipes?cm_ mmc=DailyNewsNL- _-2010_01_ 19-_-Top5- _-NAhttp://www.rodale. com/print/ 3105RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PAâ€”If you already rely on almonds as an energy-boosting midafternoon snack, you owe it to yourself to try some almond recipes. It's definitely a good idea to look for more ways to enjoy almonds. They're not only packed with protein; almond recipes also provide fiber, magnesium, calcium, iron, and riboflavin. And almonds are one of the best sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, the form best absorbed by our bodies.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent free-radical damage to cells. Low vitamin E levels have been linked to poor memory and to cognitive decline. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that men who ingested the most vitamin E (from food sources, not supplements) were 67 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those eating the least amount of the vitamin. Vitamin E helps cells communicate with each other, and without sufficient amounts of vitamin E,your body may have difficulty absorbing other nutrients. The E in almonds also helps defend against sun damage; in a study, participants who consumed about 20 almonds daily and were then exposed to UV light burned less than those who had none.In addition, the plant sterols in almonds can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Just one ounce of almonds has as many polyphenols as Â½ cup of steamed broccoli and a cup of green

tea, combined. And when South African researchers reviewed 23 studies to examine the effect of nut consumption on cholesterol levels, they found that adding 50 to 100 grams of nuts (like almonds) daily to a moderately high-fat diet could greatly reduce total and LDL cholesterol. Almonds also benefit diabetics by helping to lower blood sugar.Keep reading for almond snacking suggestions, plus almond recipes for bars, salads, cake, and more.With their high levels of heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat, almonds can go rancid quickly. Store them either in an airtight container in the fridge or in the freezer. Try adding slivered almonds to oatmeal, cold cereal, ice cream, or yogurt and add them to salads, side dishes, or stir-fries.Live Simply So ThatOthers May Simply Livehttp://groups. / group/Yoga- With-Nancy/http://groups. / group/SignSoFla/http://groups. / group/SoFlaVegan s/http://groups. / group/SoFlaSchoo ls/

January 24, 2010

So what's the story on almonds? I thought they weren't actually raw

any more, by law:

This from Natural News last year:

The Almond Board of California, which oversees virtually 100 percent

of the almonds grown and consumed in the United States and Canada, is

now implementing plans to pasteurize all almonds at temperatures up

to 158 degrees (F) and yet have them intentionally and falsely

labeled as " raw. " The decision was made following the 2001 and 2004

outbreaks of salmonella in almonds, and is based on the intention of

the Almond Board of California to provide a " safe, nutritious product

to consumers " but not, it seems, an accurately labeled food product

to consumers.

Although it seems unthinkable to anyone familiar with the

fundamentals of nutrition, the Almond Board fails to recognize any

distinction between raw almonds and cooked almonds. In statements

received by NaturalNews, the Almond Board explained that, " raw

almonds that have been pasteurized do not differ in any significant

way from untreated raw almonds. "

Except, of course, for the fact that they are dead. Stating that

live, raw almonds are the same as dead, cooked almonds is equivalent

to stating that a living human being is the same as a corpse.

Raw foods are widely understood by virtually the entire food

community to mean food items kept below 108 degrees (F), beyond which

the living enzymes in foods are destroyed. Pasteurization, in

contrast, exposes foods to temperatures of up to 158 degrees for

durations up to 30 minutes. (Faster " flash " pasteurization can

involve much higher temperatures for shorter durations: 280 degrees

(F) for two seconds, for example.) NaturalNews does not know the

precise temperature that will be used for pasteurizing almonds, but

it will without question be a temperature higher than 108 degrees

(F), which means the almonds can no longer be considered raw by any

reasonable person familiar with the definition of raw.

Outcry from the raw foods community

The raw foods community, not surprisingly, is alarmed at the new

rules, which openly condone the false labeling of a food product. Dr.

Gabriel Cousens, author of several top-selling books on raw foods and

founder of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Arizona

(www.TreeofLife.nu), told NaturalNews, " This mandatory almond

pasteurization is an effort by the powers that be to limit access to

healthy food. It is a serious attack on people's ability to eat what

they want and support their health. In this important way, it

deprives us of our basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness. It is a serious incursion of rights for a trivial and

preventable reason, this being that the [past] contamination of the

almonds was from a single source. "

The issue at hand here is not merely that all California almonds will

now be sterilized, but that cooked almonds will be deliberately and

falsely labeled as raw. It's like opening a carton of fresh eggs and

finding out they've already been hard-boiled. This is a clear case of

deceptive labeling that should, by any common sense definition, be

illegal. Yet the FDA seems perfectly happy with this deception and

will apparently allow consumers to be blatantly misled about the food

products they are purchasing.

January 24, 2010

This entire article is true from a domestic standpoint, however you can still buy truly raw organically grown almonds from Roots Market in Clarksville, MD, imported from Italy. Unlike Whole Foods, My Organic Market, Trader Joe's & other stores, Roots has consistently labeled their pasteurized almonds with this direct caveat in the store so shoppers can make an informed decision of whether to buy them. The Italian truly organic almonds are distinguished from the pasteurized ones in perfectly obvious language on the store signs so shoppers who want truly raw almonds will have that opportunity. I know from firsthand experience that these Italian almonds are truly raw, since they sprouted after 12 hours of soaking in 2 parts purified water, unlike the pasteurized ones which merely expanded. The difference in appearance between the 2 after soaking for 12 hours was readily apparent. If you live within driving distance of Roots, I highly recommend you patronize their store, besides IMHO that they sell the highest quality organic produce of any natural food store in the vicinity of Baltimore County, as well as the best prices on a consistent basis, far more reasonable than Whole Foods or MOM, despite MOM's store policy of bragging that they alone have the lowest prices of any natural food store. Trader Joe's, which is not a natural food store BTW, has generally much lower prices on the same organic items as MOM carries, while Roots seems to almost always beat MOM on its prices of most organic fruits & veggies. Their ability and desire to carry truly raw organic almonds is only the tip of the iceberg of why they deserve our attention.

Namaste,

David

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

--Benjamin Franklin

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country."

--Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, 1908

Allan.Balliett <allan.balliett

Sun, Jan 24, 2010 9:15 am

Re: Fw: Antioxidant-Packed Almonds

So what's the story on almonds? I thought they weren't actually raw

any more, by law:

This from Natural News last year:

The Almond Board of California, which oversees virtually 100 percent

of the almonds grown and consumed in the United States and Canada, is

now implementing plans to pasteurize all almonds at temperatures up

to 158 degrees (F) and yet have them intentionally and falsely

labeled as "raw." The decision was made following the 2001 and 2004

outbreaks of salmonella in almonds, and is based on the intention of

the Almond Board of California to provide a "safe, nutritious product

to consumers" but not, it seems, an accurately labeled food product

to consumers.

Although it seems unthinkable to anyone familiar with the

fundamentals of nutrition, the Almond Board fails to recognize any

distinction between raw almonds and cooked almonds. In statements

received by NaturalNews, the Almond Board explained that, "raw

almonds that have been pasteurized do not differ in any significant

way from untreated raw almonds."

Except, of course, for the fact that they are dead. Stating that

live, raw almonds are the same as dead, cooked almonds is equivalent

to stating that a living human being is the same as a corpse.

Raw foods are widely understood by virtually the entire food

community to mean food items kept below 108 degrees (F), beyond which

the living enzymes in foods are destroyed. Pasteurization, in

contrast, exposes foods to temperatures of up to 158 degrees for

durations up to 30 minutes. (Faster "flash" pasteurization can

involve much higher temperatures for shorter durations: 280 degrees

(F) for two seconds, for example.) NaturalNews does not know the

precise temperature that will be used for pasteurizing almonds, but

it will without question be a temperature higher than 108 degrees

(F), which means the almonds can no longer be considered raw by any

reasonable person familiar with the definition of raw.

Outcry from the raw foods community

The raw foods community, not surprisingly, is alarmed at the new

rules, which openly condone the false labeling of a food product. Dr.

Gabriel Cousens, author of several top-selling books on raw foods and

founder of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Arizona

(www.TreeofLife.nu), told NaturalNews, "This mandatory almond

pasteurization is an effort by the powers that be to limit access to

healthy food. It is a serious attack on people's ability to eat what

they want and support their health. In this important way, it

deprives us of our basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness. It is a serious incursion of rights for a trivial and

preventable reason, this being that the [past] contamination of the

almonds was from a single source."

The issue at hand here is not merely that all California almonds will

now be sterilized, but that cooked almonds will be deliberately and

falsely labeled as raw. It's like opening a carton of fresh eggs and

finding out they've already been hard-boiled. This is a clear case of

deceptive labeling that should, by any common sense definition, be

illegal. Yet the FDA seems perfectly happy with this deception and

will apparently allow consumers to be blatantly misled about the food

products they are purchasing.

January 25, 2010

Thanks for this info, David.

I've never been to ROOTS. Is it only in the Baltimore-area? I have a

strong loyalty to MOMs. They have done much to support sustainable

agriculture in this area and they have been very supportive of our

CSA in particular. From my personal experience, as you have said, I

do not consider Trader Joe's to be a place to buy 'food' unless it's

for entertainment. Most of what they sell appears to be a replica of

real food. When the do have an item that actually has food value, in

my experience it has been no cheaper than Whole Foods. I'll check out

ROOTS first chance I get.

Anyway...

I've heard that a way of 'pasteurizing' almonds was approved for US

organic almonds that somehow meets the USDA requirements and also

does not kill the almonds. I don't see how this is possible. I'll see

if I can find out more information.

The whole pasteurize US almond thing is very disconcerting when you

consider that the US almond crop is also usually implicated (but for

unidentified reasons) with the massive deaths of honeybees that has

been going on for the last several years.

Thanks again, David, for this info on where to get almonds that

actually sprout.

I posted my comments to remind people that the US government and

corporate interests are screwing with the quality of food so

frequently in this country that you have to be eternally vigilant.

What may have been true when a food guru wrote a book a couple of

years ago may not be true today. It's always BUYER BEWARE!

Same goes for 'local food.' You can never assume you are getting it

if you don't have some way to check out the person you are buying it

from.

-Farmer Allan

Fresh and Local CSA

Serving Washington DC and metro MD and VA

www.freshandlocalcsa.com

January 29, 2010

I asked Jeff Rose, owner of Natural Zing, about raw vs. sproutable almonds a few months ago and here's what wrote:Unpastuerized is regular untreated almonds

Pastuerized are put through a process (various exist)

Steam pastuerization is one technique that is used to pastuerize (It involves almonds begin subject to steam for 20 seconds).

Sproutable is an almond that may have been pastuerized that is still sproutable, such as the ones that are steam pastuerized. the steam process seems to just effect the skin of the almond. Some suppliers are doing this. People often link pastuerization with a long boiling process and that may not be accurate.

We prefer CA almonds over imported ones (imported ones are very inconsistent). We offer both choices.

Most Raw Food prepared food and cracker type companies are using steam treated almonds. A very few use imported unpastuerized.

I do not believe there are unpastuerized unsproutable unless they would be subject to a sterilization process that prevents them from sprouting. The sterilization process would hav e to be one that didn;t use heat.~I'm starting to think the whole thing was a debacle for USDA that the raw foods sellers have jumped on. Personally, I mostly switched from nuts to seeds, which are easier to digest and generally packed with more nutrition.

David provides some great info, as usual, although I've shopped at both Roots and MOMs and find that MOM's usually has lower prices overall. They source their produce from different places to Roots might have cheaper apples one week and more expensive celery or vice versa.

Roots has two locations: Clarksville and Olney (both MD). Yeah, Whole Foods and Trader Joes are not worth it for produce. Many Whole Foods __are__ carrying a lot of prepared and gourmet raw, though, so they have a place.

In addition to Roots (which often has really raw cashews in their bulk bin, too) you can get raw, sproutable almonds online from a company in Maryland (so shipping is quick and cheap): www.wildsuccess.us/naturalzing

greens and hugs,Sharon~~Sharon Greenspan~~ Dissolve Your Sugar Habit ~~ Boost Your Immunity ~~ Have More EnergyBoard Certified Holistic Health Practitioner301-816-0752

www.wildsuccess.us --for a healthy lifestylewww.wildsuccess.us/naturalzing --for healthy snacks

On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 10:41 PM, Allan.Balliett <allan.balliett wrote: