Dried Nuts on a Raw Food Diet
So now you know from last week that dried fruit (in moderation) is perfectly acceptable on a healthy raw vegan diet.
In moderation is really the key here. The emphasis should be on *fresh* water-rich fruits and vegetables, not their dried counterparts.
But what about dried nuts? Should they be eaten on a healthy raw food diet? If so, where do they fit in?
Should I Eat Dried Nuts?
NO, YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER EAT DRIED NUTS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!
Just kidding. Dried nuts are totally fine on a healthy raw food diet. 
But of course, there’s a tiny stipulation…
How Much Can I Eat?
Although mainstream media, medicine, and raw foodism will have you believe otherwise, it’s important to remember that nuts are high in fat.
They are not the high-protein, energy-sustaining food that nutritionists and marketers alike promote them to be.
For instance, take one ounce of pecans. According to www.nutridiary.com, an ounce of pecans contains 195 calories, of which 87%comes from fat and only 5% from protein.
That means at 8%, pecans are actually more carbohydrate-rich than they are protein-rich!
Here’s another example. 1 ounce of brazil nuts contains 186 calories, 85% from fat and 8% from protein.
As you can see, nuts are not a high protein food, but a HIGH FAT food.
As I discuss in my free report The 4 Principles of a Healthy Raw Diet and in this blog post…
The Truth About a High-Fat Raw Food Diet
…fatty foods should be kept to a minimum. That generally means no more than 1-2 ounces or 1-2 tablespoons of nuts per day, depending upon your caloric intake.
So that’s it! You can totally eat dried nuts as part of your healthy raw food diet. Just remember that:
- nuts are a high-fat food and should be eaten in small amounts (think a single small handful as opposed to a full bowl or bag), and
- as discussed last week, nuts should be consumed on their own or with vegetable matter, not with sweet fruits
Go raw and be fit,
Swayze
2 comments
So… Does this include seeds? Raw hemp seeds inparticular. Can the same be said for soaked nuts? I thought soaking them made more of their protein more absorbable as well as eliminating the enzyme inhibitors. Also, I saw on a raw-food video that high-fat nuts, like cashews, don’t need to be soaked to remove the enzyme inhibitors. What are your thoughts on this? I realize this is slightly off-topic but I thought I’d ask while I was here. I’m a newbie so please set me straight. Thanks!
[Reply]
Swayze Reply:
December 3rd, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Yes, seeds are included, e.g. hemp, sunflower, chia.
You don’t have to soak them but you can. Soaking will improve digestion somewhat because of water. It has nothing to do with enzyme inhibitors, which are present in the food to inhibit its own germination, not your digestion.
[Reply]
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