Super Nuts and Seeds:

Great Meat Substitute!

Super nuts and seeds are a great addition to any healthy diet plan for they offer good fats and protein that superceeds any animal source or cooked legume in health and weight.

Pound for pound nuts are right up there with meat sources when measuring amino acid and protein levels.

Tree nuts are an amazing source of energy and fuel. Nut trees can last hundreds of years and can supply many, many pounds of food during there lifetime.

They can offer a grounding quality, like the trees they come from, but should be eaten in smaller quantities to avoid possible mucus conditions.

They are acidic in nature but when combined with raw green leafy vegetables, which are alkaline, greater balance is achieved.

We love to use nut and seeds in many delicious vegan recipes that can substitute meat in many meals. They are a great addition to a raw food diet and can be soaked, blended and dehydrated into many yummy entrees, like raw pizza crusts, burgers, raw hummus, breads and raw nut ice cream.

This pic is an amazing raw chili that Ken made using walnuts as a base with mushrooms. It was "meaty", savory and even better than meat and bean chili. Wonderful fuel on a cold winter day with his yummy onion bread made with sunflower and chia seed.....incredible!

Nuts and seeds blend well with tonic herbs and other top superfoods when making energy snacks and our superfood elixir shake. The recipe list is really endless and most traditional dishes can actually be made with raw food substitutes, nuts and seeds replacing protein, fat or starch based foods.

Try our amazing nut milk recipes for a twist on the original "cow milk" tradition, using a nut milk bag.

Nuts and seeds provide a source of essential fatty acids and other good fats. In studies they have been shown to improve heart health, cholesterol levels, hormone function and elevate depression.

The FDA even suggests that "1.5 ounces per day of some nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease".

The key to eating nuts is a little goes along way as far as calories and nutrition. Some people, myself included, can overeat nuts for they taste to good and are easy to snack on.

But, caution, avoid the temptation! They are rich and tend to build up mucous and acidity in the system especially if not balanced with other foods.

Seeds tend to be alkaline and therefore in cases of candida or acidity they are the superior choice for digestive health.

There are some wonderful choices varieties of nuts and seeds below.

Super nuts and seeds!

Brazil Nuts - we love brazil's, they are one of my personal favorites. It is one of the largest and long lived trees of the Amazon, and is one of the few nuts that is commonly wild harvested not farmed. Brazil nuts are particularly high in selenium (up to 1180%of USRDA), which is proven to decrease risk of prostate cancer. High in good saturated fat content out of all the nuts and seeds, it surpasses even macadamia nut.

Almonds - one of the earliest cultivated foods, almonds are high in calcium and are rich in a variety of other vitamins including magnesium. Almonds, because of their high fibrous and alkaline nature are great for colon health. They are one of the best nuts for lowering cholesterol, coming in at 70% monounsaturated fat.

Pistachios - native to the Middle East, this flavorful, sweet, green nut has a high fiber content and excellent source of plant based protein. They contain the antioxidant phenolic compounds, carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and phytosterols all which help to balance cholesteral and protect the body against disease.

Pine Nuts - once used extensively by the native American populations, this wild pine tree nut is a sweet, savory delicacy to most any salad or raw food meal when a rich flavor is desired. Pine nuts are also great for cardiovascular health, it's oleic adic eliminates triglicerides. Pine nuts also contain pinolenic acid, a polyunsaturated fat that encourages two hormones which help to satisfy hunger.

Pecans - have a tasty flavor and crunchiness. They are very similiar to a walnut and have a rich supply of linoleic and oleic acid, also found in olive oil, that has been found to be great for breast health in women. It has been measured to maintain an average protein content of 18% and is also great source of unsaturated fats.

Cashews - are a delicious, sweet, and soft nut popular in raw nut ice creams and desserts. Also it's sweet, creamy texture makes a great nut milk and is a close substitute in taste for cow's milk. Cashews also maintain heart health at 65% unsaturated fat, contain 90% oleic acid levels.

Macadamia - a super tasty nut that grows in tropical climates such as Hawaii where commercial production is popular. It is one of the highest in monounsaturated fatty acids and one of the only foods containing palmitoleic acid, which is known to speed up fat metabolism.

Macadamia has one of the hardest shells known in the nut kingdom. Usually you need a special nut cracker to open them.

For long term storage purposes we do recommend you keep your nuts with the shell to preserve nutrient content.

SUPER SEEDS:

Sunflower Seeds - One of the best seeds for making fermented seed cheeses and other raw food dishes. It is a great choice for those with candida for it is alkaline in nature. An excellent source of Vit E, 1/4cup contains 90% of daily value.

Sunflower seeds are rich in phytosterols and are up there with pistachios as one of the highest in this cholesteral lowering compound. Linoleic essential fatty acid, selenium, and magnesium are also found in considerable perportions which help to relax nerves, inhibit cancer cells and promote DNA repair.

Pumpkin Seeds - well known for there high Zinc levels which help to support prostate health. They are also shown to increase bone mineral density and contain the fatty acids Omega3 and Omega6. Used by native American tribes to eliminate parasites, pumpkins seeds are also excellent source of L-tryptophan which help brain function and depressive tendencies. They can be used in conjunction with sunflower seeds in many healthy recipes and are also and alkaline dominant food.

Sesame Seeds - unhulled sesame holds a rich supply of magnesium, copper and calcium (90 mg per tablespoon). They include fiberous lignan with the substances sesamin and sesamolin helping to lower cholesterol levels and protect liver damage. There are many wonderful uses for this seed from dehyrated parmesian cheese to raw tahini halvah.

Flax Seeds - are an amazing fibrous seed that helps to cleanse the colon and aids constipation. When soaked, flax maintains a mucilaginous consistency, much like chia seed. It's oils are extremely sensitive to heat and become rancid quickly. It is best to freshly grind flax into raw food and healthy recipes to retain it's nutrition and make it easier to digest. Flax has a tendency to stimulate estrogen in the body, which can be helpful for some women. It is an excellent source of essential fatty acids with a balanced ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Soaking Nuts and Seeds:

Some nuts and seeds such as: macadamia, brazil, cashew, and pine nut do not need to be soaked because of their high fat content. Also flax and chia seeds are often ground fresh or soaked to expand and increase digestibility.

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