Nuts and Seeds

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported in the May 27th 1983 issue that Dr. Walter Troll, professor of environmental medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, has found evidence that seems to suggest that plant seeds may lower the risk for developing certain types of cancer generally associated with high meat and fat consumption. Dr. Troll's data from epidemiologic studies indicated that cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon are considerably lower in populations whose diets are rich in 'seed foods'. When mice that were inoculated with melanoma cells were injected with enzymes that occur in seeds, the enzymes prevented the development of cancer. Mice injected with the melanoma cells and not the enzymes developed tumors rapidly (Heinerman pg. 424).
Dr. William Esser ran a fasting and raw food retreat in South Florida from 1950 until the year 2000. He still played tennis and enjoyed good health when he retired in his nineties and had much to say on the topic of nuts. In his book, The Dictionary of Natural Foods, Dr. Esser states the following:
"In nutritive value, nuts are superior to any food stuff per pound that we know. It is a common opinion among lay people, as well as medical doctors, that the nut, as a source of protein, is of a low grade and insufficient in supplying the needs of the body in building materials. It is thought that without animal proteins of fish and meat, a high state of health is impossible. This is entirely erroneous. According to scientific investigations carried out by Professor Myer E. Jaffa of the University of California, Prof. F. A. Cajori of Yale University, and Van Slyke, Osborne, Harris and others, the proteins in nuts are superior to those of animal origin."
Dr. Esser also says: "Nut butter made from fresh, raw nuts can be used to the advantage for those who are toothless. Nuts are not difficult to digest when eaten raw and, in proper combination, unsalted. Roasting and broiling in oil at high temperature causes a release of free fatty acids, and the addition of sodium chloride (salt) is sufficient cause for inducing indigestion for even cast iron digestion."
Steer clear of roasted nuts and seeds because the oils that are present in these foods become rancid when heated.
John Harvey Kellogg, M.D., inventor of (you guessed it!) Corn Flakes wrote;
"Nuts are free from waste products, uric acid, urea and other tissue wastes which abound in meat. Nuts are aseptic, free from putrefactive bacteria and do not readily undergo decay either in the body or outside of it. Meats, on the other hand, as found in markets, are practically always in an advanced stage of putrefaction. Ordinary fresh dried or salted meats contain from three million to ten times that number of bacteria per ounce, and such meats as hamburger and steak often contain more than a billion putrefactive organisms to the ounce. Nuts are clean and sterile. Nuts are free from trichinae, tapeworm and other parasites, as well as other infections due to specific organisms. Meats are not."
Soaking raw nuts that have brown skins is a good practice if one has the time and is seeking optimum digestion. For example, the skins of almonds contain enzyme inhibitors but these enzyme inhibitors are mostly inactivated when submerged in water for at least six hours. The almonds swell up and become sweeter. Since almond skins are indigestible, I sometimes go one step further and peel the skins. Just place soaked and chilled almonds in very hot tap water for 1 minute. After doing this most almond skins can be removed by pinching the almond between the thumb and forefinger. In the ancient Indian system of Ayurveda, it is recommended to soak almonds. In the United States, raw almonds are pasteurized before reaching the marketplace; they are not technically raw.
Walnuts leave a brownish color to the water after they have been soaked and also taste much better. Nuts without brown skins such as pine nuts and macadamia nuts do not contain enzyme inhibitors, so there is no need to soak them.
Have you ever eaten a raw chestnut? They taste better raw than roasted! I can't figure out why people roast them.
Sesame seeds have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. They are listed in the Chinese pharmacopeia for the treatment of dizziness, blurred vision, and tinnitus (ringing noise in the ears). Sesame seeds have also been used in the treatment of lack of milk in nursing women and general weakness after an illness (Leung pg.136). They are highly nutritious, especially the black variety which have been used in the treatment of prematurely graying hair. Researchers at Chung Yuan University in Taiwan tried feeding a few tablespoons of ground sesame seeds to people every day for a month. Not only did it significantly lower the subjects' cholesterol (bad LDL cholesterol down 10%) but dramatically improved the antioxidant status of their blood. I consume raw unsalted tahini (sesame seed paste) on a regular basis.
Peanuts are not a nut but a legume. I do not suggest the consumption of peanuts because of the possibility of consuming a mold called aflotoxin. When consumed, aflotoxin must be detoxified by the liver, causing this organ to work overtime. If you do choose to consume peanuts, check each and every one for mold.
Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, an immune system boosting mineral. Raw pumpkin seeds, well chewed, are effective in driving parasitic worms out of the intestinal tract. I say, "A handful of raw pumpkin seeds a day helps keep the doctor away."
The Nutrient Data Table on the following page is reprinted from The Cracker, January 2000, published by the International Tree Nut Council.