Organic Raw Almonds
Salmonella, everyone's favorite dessert, was linked to organic raw almonds in an unconventional and isolated incident, but it caused the California Almond Board to pass a ruling that requires all manufactured raw almonds to be pasteurized before hitting the supermarkets.
But in looking back to those 2 years ago, I’m sure we’d all posthumously agree: The jury’s out on this one. The ruling is just bizarre (for lack of a better word) and rather reflective of George Bush’ term at the White House (sorry, couldn’t help but take a dig) with the almond growers (who’ve undergone serious losses) and the customers (who have to look for outside sources for raw almonds) at the receiving end of it all.
Why? Due to two isolated cases of the salmonella infection…
And what’s hard to understand is that almost 40,000 Americans die each year from a salmonella infection and I fail to understand (if we go by the numbers) how banning the selling of raw almonds will make the situation any better! Methinks, a result of misdirected enthusiasm, perhaps! Or is it another conspiracy theory?
So, in using logic, does this mean that the government should ban all fresh produce?
Why I ask this is because tomatoes, spinach, green onions, peanuts, grapes, melons, lettuce, and sprouts have at some point or the other over the past ten years been involved in salmonella outbreaks and I’m sure some of us are looking for a little consistency here!
Benefits of Organic Raw Almonds
And the very reason why I’ve taken sometime to rehash this matter is because ‘raw almonds’ (just like all those fresh veggies mentioned above) are definitely beneficial (as if that it isn’t obvious enough). In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, it is considered to be beneficial for the brain and nervous system and to help build one’s intellectual levels and maintain it as well.
According to Western Medicine, it improves one’s complexion, improves movement of food through the colon and prevents cancer. Very importantly, it is proven to maintain good cardiovascular health due to the presence of monounsaturated fat (‘good’ fat).
Now, the reason why people are making a big fuss about why almonds are being pasteurized is because, first and foremost, they know (and feel very strongly about) their right to choose nutrition suited to their needs is being regulated by the government which is an open contradiction to their constitutional rights.
Most importantly, the reason why people are so upset with this mandatory pasteurization procedure is because one method involves the use of propylene oxide which was used earlier as an insecticide, a known carcinogen.
With the discovery that it can cause cancer, California officials terminated its use. And now, it’s being used to pasteurize almonds and can cause similar side-effects. The other two methods such as Steam pasteurization and High heat cause almonds to lose their nutritional value, which means that the nutritional benefits mentioned above are lost too.
It’s rather unfortunate but true, so let’s hope that common sense prevails in the near future and almond lovers are able to enjoy them truly raw, rather than being lied to about raw almonds being currently made available in the market although pasteurized through these methods.
Have you ever tried true organic raw almonds?
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