Almonds: The Facts What does raw mean?

Almonds are a nationwide love seed that provides vital nutrients such as fiber, protein, and fat, Vitamin E, Manganese, Magnesium, and Vitamin B2. 10-15% of the almond’s calories are not even absorbed by the body. One small handful only has 2.5 carbs. These are just a few reasons why almonds have become a super snack, and now even almond milk and almond flour have become incredibly popular. Unfortunately recent studies have uncovered the dirty truth about raw almonds.

In 2003 and 2004, 29 people were sickened from eating almonds that had salmonella. To avoid this happening again in the future, The California Almond Board passed a law requiring almond farmers to pasteurize their nuts by heating them to 158 degrees F. This was passed in 2007, and ever since then almonds that are labeled “raw” are mislabeled and are not whole foods.

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The above method of steam processing pasteurization is only one method used to pasteurize almonds. There are three other tactics used. The newest method is infrared heat, which is a lower energy level process. This is thankfully more environmentally friendly than the other methods. This extreme heat does kill any pathogens that could be on the almond’s surface, but unfortunately this also decreases the nuts vitamin and mineral content.

Blanching is another method used to cleanse the almond. This is a flash boil, where the almonds are dropped into very hot water for less than a minute. Then, after removal their brown skin is easily pealed right off revealing their smooth surface. This method also lowers the vitamin and mineral content of the almond.

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The last method, which is also the most dangerous propylene oxide fumigation (PPO). This process is only used on non-organic almonds. So, when purchasing almonds make sure to at least avoid inorganic almonds. In case you don’t know what PPO is, it was used as a fuel additive in racing cars. The US National Hot Rod Association has now banned this chemical, because it is a highly flammable carcinogen, with toxic fumes unsafe for humans. In humans alone, PPO has been known to cause liver disease, immune system dysfunctions, and gastrointestinal, respiratory and neurological problems as well.

In conclusion, almonds are good for you. They are a filling snack the give you more nutrients than many other nuts. So, when shopping for them be sure to at least purchase organic to avoid PPO. If you choose to continue to buy the raw organic almonds, just know that they are not raw, and you are not getting all of the nutrients that you should be. The moral of the story is that you can’t trust every label and you need to do some supplemental research about the foods you are eating to keep yourself healthy.
Curated article from J Organics Farm.


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