Dangers of Pasteurized Almonds?

[Aria320]

As many of you may know, many of the so called "raw" almonds that are being sold in stores aren't actually raw and are put through the process of pasteurization. Of course, i've heard countless times about the ill effects of pasteurized milk. I guess, i'm just wondering if the same applies to almonds. i'm on and off with almonds. I'll go a couple weeks without them, then start again stuffing my face with them for a good couple days then stop again. I'm just wondering if i should really be worried about get the fake raw almonds from a place like trader joes.(they sell at a pretty reasonable price and are so addictive, but then again so are sugar and fructose)

Also, if you could give me your thoughts on nuts. I know it may be different for everyone depending on how their body reacts to it, but as far as a snack in terms of good health and nutrition.

[letifer]

Good question, It would be interesting to know how long they pasteurize nuts. I think the main concern would be the PolyUnSaturated Fats (PUFA) going rancid when exposed to the heat, although I imagine even unpasteurized nuts that have been shelled are at risk too.

I'm not personally a big fan of nuts/seeds since they can be hard to digest and contain various anti-nutrients. Also some nuts are very high in PUFA which in excess is not good for you. I'd say if you do not have issues with nuts digestive wise feel free to indulge yourself. Just keep in mind that, as far as I know, no culture has ever made nuts a staple of their diet. Probably anymore than 10% or so of calories from nuts/seeds is less than optimal. I used to be pretty nut heavy when I was first raw paleo, but found I did better with a more moderate consumption.

Forgot to mention that if the almonds are from overseas and labeled raw they most likely are raw. At least in CA only the local producers have to pasteurize. You can of course get around this if you buy directly from the producer and farmer's markets and the like (maybe online too).

[Aria320]

Thanks for the response. Whole foods seems to be the only place i can find that sells truly raw almonds, and it is only in the form of butter of course from Sicily. Anyway, it's $18 for one jar...so yeah fml.

Just a side question, are all nuts actually pasteurized? or is it just almonds? If all nuts are pasteurized, this is probably gonna be the biggest bummer, seeing as how i love nuts/nut butters and how expensive unpasteurized nuts are.