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Why do people eat so many dates, cashews, dehydrated foods?

Just a observation and question for EVERYONE, I noticed a lot of people’s recipes on Goneraw.com all have dates, cashews and dehydrating. None of my recipes uses any of those, no dates I use Agave, no cashews I use every other kind of nut, and no dehydrating in ANY of my recipes so they are really raw, fresh, hydrating, (dehydrated and also Autobiography with step-by-step how-to become a successul raw chef/author/selfpublish/marketing is both coming out soon!).

Ok my question is would you prefer recipes that uses Agave over dates? Dates are SUPER EXPENSIVE I don’t know how you all buy and use it so much, plus it is VERY HIGH in sugar content and glycemic index where Agave is very low sugar, easy to use and is cheaper. I hardly eat dates when I do it is 1 or 2 max a day because they are so super sweet but mostly super expensive!

Also Cashews I have my reasons for not eating them I read The Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens MD he CLEARLY WARNS the raw community why or why we should not eat Cashews(I am sure in moderation it is ok but most raw recipes there are tons of Cashews in like everything and a lot even if they were ok it is still A LOT OF ONE KIND OF NUT!), he did the lab research, medical and scientific research with data to back it up, so either people have not read this, do not care for the research, ignoring it, or most people tell me “Cashews is so inexpensive and easy to use” yeah and I tell them your health is your most valueable thing and should be promoted and protected it should not matter how inexpensive or easy something is to use or eat if it isn’t the most healthy or good for you why would you do it?

Same with nama shoyu, with Dehydrating I do it for fun but I know people who eat a lot of dehydrated foods and they are very dry, dry looking, dried out, aged, this is because we are supposed to HYDRATE more not DEHYDRATE MORE, meaning we should get more water and liquids from our food not less, most of us are dehydrated and may not be drinking enough water as is, when you eat dehydrated foods you are supposed to drink MORE WATER to compensate…I do make and eat dehydrated foods but only a little and only for fun once in a while…

Just wanted to ask and see people’s answers…

Bryan Au http://www.RawInTen.com

24

Comments

  • I prefer dates because its the whole fruit intact and has the fiber. But I dont eat them everyday. I dont even make recipes from here or my cookbooks every day. Often days are just salads with simple flax or olive oil and/or fresh lemon juice, etc. Or a simple blended vegetable soup.

    But I don’t need recipes for those.

    I don’t really know, but I have read that if agave was really raw, the enzymatic activity would turn it into tequila in your cupboard.

    I am not really a nazi about the small stuff though. I use my agave, but not as much as the raw honey and dates. I actually fine all of them are useful and more preferable depending on what it is I am making.

    I made brownies for this week’s sweet recipe. And agave would not have worked as the binder.

  • rawlizardrawlizard Raw Newbie

    rawbryan, cashews have mycotoxins?? I didn’t know! Do you have more info about that? I would love to read more. Thanks.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    I own a dehydrator and was all gung-ho about it when I was warming (pardon the pun) to the concept of raw living. I’m finding that I use it less and less. I’m happy to have it for making dried tomatoes and grawnola for my boyfriend’s breakfast cereal, but for the most part, I’m loving the high water content fruits and veggies and the raw nuts and seeds. I’ll have to read more about raw cashews before deciding to chuck them from my repertoire. They’re so damn tasty. As for dates, I don’t go near them. I’m recovering from an eating disorder and for me, dates are trigger food candy. I’d eat an entire bag in a sitting, whether there were 2 dates or 200 in the bag. I have similar issues with all sweeteners, except those that don’t taste good in large quantities. I’m not sure I’ll use agave again after reading about the starving fruit bats in another thread. Besides, if I have agave syrup (or raw honey) around, I find myself eating it off the spoon. I keep yacon syrup around for sweetening acidic salad dressings and making the grawnola, but it’s definitely not something I’d care to eat off a spoon. It just isn’t that good. Needless to say, I’m not a dessert and treat eater. I’m trying to eliminate the bad stuff bit by bit. At this point, my weaknesses are: aged balsamic vinegar and nama shoyu. I also eat miso occasionally, but I believe it is quite healthy and alive, despite not being raw.

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    Rawbryan likes to sell stuff.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Ya think? ;-)

  • Everyone sells stuff, RAW is my job and career I do not do anything else or other job, also I find it odd that it is “wrong” to promote, or sell raw things? Shouldn’t that be encouraged and more people I wish would do it, I understand everyone wants everything for FREE but often times FREE things are not well researched, thought out or scientific, you get what you pay for, not to say FREE is bad but selling good raw organic products that helps people get into raw and stay raw is not bad so I wish people would stop commenting on my job and career I don’t say OH such and such likes to do real estate, or she likes to work at McDonalds! So I find it odd people are making me a “bad guy” when I promote good raw organic things and products, shouldn’t this be encouraged? Also don’t other people have FULLTIME RAW JOBS am I the only one? And am I bad or should be looked down on because I do?

    I knew that my info would make some people upset or not happy, whenever you tell people something is good or bad they tend to not like that, I am NOT the one telling people this but I have obvserved a lot of dates, sugar, cashew, nama shoyu and dehydrating in a lot of the FREE Recipes here, nothing wrong with that and moderation is key and good for anything. I am just asking questions and pointing out things and sharing what I have learned.

    In Gabriel Cousens MD’s book The Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine he points out in a medical, scientific and spiritual way what RAW Organic Ingredients have THE HIGHEST MYCOTOXINS, what to eat what to avoid, of course everyone has their own goals and also choices, and everything in moderation is ok. But for me personally if I am going to go RAW I want to do it correctly and right with medical, scientific and spiritual proof, research, lab reports, thousands of evidence from thousands of patience, and that type of info. Too often I meet people that assume anything everything that says RAW ORGANIC is automatically good for you and this just is not that case, I wish it were but fact is some commonly used RAW Organic ingredients are in fact very bad for you if eaten a lot and over a period of time I have seen what it does to people and the result you might not have and it may not have happened to yet but I have seen what can and does happen to people who eat the wrong raw organic foods or ingredients. I am just saying read The Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens MD and educate yourself, become aware, I care not if you ever buy anything from me ever, if you do you will get the best price, highest quality, and true loving healing intentions but if you do not that is ok but I would ask that you not make it “Bad” for someone to have a FULLTIME RAW ORGANIC JOB I think it is a good honorable thing. Thanks.

    I also have Really Raw Agave, they have a special patented method of extracting the Agave in a way that is really raw and also they are able to supress the fermentation process naturally so it does not turn into Tequilla there is one actual truly really raw source of Agave and I use it and recommend it in my book, it is also available on my website online store for the best price, I don’t make hardly any profit from selling the Really Raw Agave with postage/handling there is hardly any profit but I am here to help people enjoy RAW, become RAW, stay RAW and in fun affordable way so if people want to belittle me, make fun of me, call me a spammer go ahead I know the truth and what I am doing and my real intentions, if people want to be mean, negative that is their choice or judgemental, I tend not to do that with anyone and certainly not anyone in the RAW Community, the world is watching and if we don’t even like or support each other why should they?

    Anyways I find it strange the judgements…here is info on Gabriels Book we ARE ALL HERE TO SUPPORT, LEARN, SHARE, UPLIFT so please keep your negativity or judgements to yourself thanks, I am here to love, share, learn, uplift only so would appreciate the same energy, I am not here to judge, belittle or make fun of anyone so I find it strange some choose that, I don’t know maybe I am reacting to comments negatively but still, I don’t go around judging or be negative on what other people happen to sell or their job that is not fair and if it is raw it is all good:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556434650?tag=raintem…

    Bryan Au http://www.RawInTen.com

  • As for me Bryan, I am very glad you are on goneraw now and I hope you stay and share for a long time. I can’t buy all the books and stuff I would like or need but it is nice to be able to find info online by people like yourself. People have always been able to promote themsleves here if it is done tastefully and I don’t mind at all so carry on!

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    yes, but. people are here as friends. a community. non-professionals and beginners for the most part and we talk to one another, discuss things and share information, triumphs and tragedies, hair loss and bowel movements and how to get green juice stains off your countertop without bleach (anybody? the stuff will not come out)

    I’m not even reading all of that up there because i know there is a sales pitch in it. So whatever vital information may have been in it is lost because i know all you are trying to do is sell, sell, sell.

    Do what you will. I’m just saying, your delivery is a little aggressive, in my opinion and I needed to get that off of my chest for whatever it’s worth.

    I don’t eat nuts or dates, either. Too much prep work, too many processing variables and too heavy for my tastes. Seeds and figs do it for me if I need that kind of treat.

    Peace.

  • randommararandommara Raw Newbie

    It’s always hard to see someone making money off of other people wanting to be healthy. It seems like health should be a right and helping others should be the payoff. However if people weren’t motivated by money then there might not be as many good quality resources for raw foodists. The ideal would be to completely withdraw from the financial system but life as a freegan is not for everyone and in my opinion totally inappropriate for someone with children. Personally I would never sell health information. I’d rather work a productive job that helps others and then offer my health information and advise for free but to each his own.

  • Thanks Rosehebrew I know that some people view how I do it to be “aggressive” but once they meet me or get to know me in person as many have at RAW SPIRIT FEST 2008 I had a booth and fun RAW Food Demo. People all said oh wow Bryan Au is love and just very passionate about RAW…they totally understand me and where I am coming from. The danger of the internet is we can assume things or make judgements on people without ever getting to know them in person or know what they really are about, who they are. Even though the Internet bring us closer together and the world together in some ways it also may keep us apart and create “problems” that normally would not happen if you meet someone face to face, talk to them, find out what they are about, ask them questions…

    For me I am SO SUPER PASSIONATE about RAW ever since I got into it 10+ years ago I have seen everything, the changes, the fun, the community spirit, but now RAW is in growing pain stages it is about to emerge from the fringe into Mainstream, there is TV, money, books, websites, everything and everyone is RAW or has that word in their name or domain, to me it is ALL GOOD AND POSITIVE the more RAW people the better. I would just ask that we try to preserve the RAW Community spirit of fun, joy, sharing, laughter, love and try not to judge or demean someone regardless of their job or what not. If you don’t like what someone has to say or post can’t you just ignore it or message them or e-mail them personally? At least that way you may start some conversation and get to know someone before judging them right away for the world to see.

    This can create negative vibes, reputation, energy, rumors and this creates more of the negative and I think this is happening more in RAW as more people are “selling” or trying to “make it”. So there can be some jealousy energy or competition energy….for me RAW is fun, rewarding, enjoyable I like to provide good products at a good price so everyone has access and can enjoy and benefit from it like my ceramic knives before I was not able to afford any they were all too expensive so I was able to find a ceramic knife maker to make the best designs and at a very high quality at the lowest most affordable prices. I can understand people get “tired” of everyone trying to “sell” things or advertise but I am trying to share info, create awareness and provide what I truly believe is a great raw product at the best prices. I am not trying to “sell” or “push” or “market” anything that is opinions or what people label or use as labels…

    But anyways people who meet me, talk to me, ask me questions or e-mail me all become my friends forever they recognize my true intentions and loving healing intentions that might not come across in some things I write or post, there is only so much you can write in these postings! But thank you Rosehebrew I hear you and appreciate your comments, I try to keep all my products at the absolute lowest prices many of them I don’t make hardly any profit at all but want to help provide and make RAW fun and affordable for everyone. I will try to share as many FREE things as I can but at the same time RAW is my full time job, career it is how I pay my bills and what I live off of, I do not have any other job and do not do anything else I made this choice about 5 years ago and never turned back so I would hope people can encourage me on my chosen spiritual loving healing path and not make it thorny, unenjoyable or a decision I have to regret or get bad vibes from.

    I will try to keep my postings and product info to a minimum but at the same time I would like to share info and awareness and respect the vibe and not be too pushy or too much perceived “selling” but lets at the same time learn from each other, love each other, be nice, and uplift too ok? Thanks!

    I did offer my free RAW TV SHOW Download where I teach 4 recipes:

    http://www.sendspace.com/file/sjqwts

    But at the same time if I do over do it or am too annoying just e-mail me at RawBryan@hotmail.com I would appreciate that more than being judged or criticsized on here and I would ask people get to know me, ask me questions, meet me in person, or something and don’t just go on rumors, vibes or other people judging me get to know me first! Also I am not trying to be negative on people who say I am selling or love to sell fact is YES I DO LOVE TO SELL RAW ORGANIC PRODUCTS AND THE BEST PRICES people enjoy it, it makes me happy to promote RAW!

    SO just be LOVE THANKS! HUGS TO EVERYONE :D

  • Ok thank you that was a very fair statement. I understand that this is a FREE RAW COMMUNITY and you want to keep it that way, I am definitely not here to sell, sell, sell, I can see how that you may view me as such, I am here to share, share, share info I will try to do it in a less aggressive way thanks for pointing that out and I totally see your view point, people don’t want to have to hear about what is being sold or new product…but sometimes if you open you may discover something very cool, beneficial and wonderful too so don’t just think anyone with something “to sell” is bad or the product is bad, for me I find it interesting how people promote RAW what they are selling at least if it is different or a better price…but thanks for sharing your advice and I will do my best to tone it down and respect the FREE Community I totally hear you thank you! :D

  • Also we are spiritual beings living in material world and a system that we did not get to vote on or agree to we were sort of “born” into this world and system that was chosen for us. For me I am not into money and love the barter system, I say we all live off the grid, grow tons of organic goodies and just share and barter and party everyday like RAW SPIRIT FEST. But the world is not this way as such and so for some people we chose to honor spirit and our true loving healing intentions by “working” in the “Raw Industry” or making it into one so that we are doing what we love and are truly passionate about, I do have to apologize if I am too agressive in sharing my info or products, I am just SO SUPER EXCITED AND PASSIONATE about what I do, always have been since 10+ years ago or 5+ years ago when I decided all my other office jobs were not healing, not creative, that RAW is what I wanted to do FULLTIME I love it and enjoy it so much, maybe too much? But I am just here to learn, love, share too…thanks! :D I also think if there were more RAW jobs and RAW careers it would be a much better world, if people can make a living and career out of what they are truly passionate about, enjoy and care about that is why I do it but for me my #1 reason it is my chosen loving healing spiritual path….

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    Raw Industry

    I will cry for days over this. You just broke my heart with those two words. You just put me in a cage like a veal calf and sold me to a butcher with those two words.

    I am not SUPER EXCITED about raw, I live raw. It’s not an industry. ugh.

    Excuse me, I have to go before I say something I will regret.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    oh my gosh i am SO with you. and about doing what you love, yes, i’m a musician.

    anyway, i think the main problem is that SO many recipe books use cashews, dates and dehydrated foods to get people interested in raw foods. so it becomes like the “alphabet” of the raw sentence, and everyone uses it to speak thereafter… we NEED a new wave of raw ideas.

    mediterranean cuisine would make a very good model for how i conceive of raw… actually, olek’s recipes are a shining example of this. (did you check out his sauteed veggie recipe?)

    anyway, i’m glad you are here as well, because, like zoe and chris, i really respect your opinions. many people give advice on this site, but few people have much “longevity” on the raw path. i for one have been doing this for 1 and a half years but i still consider myself transitioning…

    thanks!

  • I understand how people don’t want RAW to be a “business” or “industry” but I think it is a good thing, why does McDonald’s or Atkins get to have all the fun? Never once did I see a meat eater go online and say, “Hey why do you sell burgers or promote meat?” Not once! In fact McDonald’s is BILLIONS SOLD, so why not have RAW be the same? Be an Industry? Be Mainstream? But each to his own…I think we would have more RAW choices, restaurants, cafes, people, communities, I think it would way more positive and more fun but maybe not everyone sees this! Also there are many Industries like WAR, Weapons, processed foods, why do they get to be mainstream and and “Industry” and we don’t?

    I just got off the phone with my friend and totally funny true story: She is in Phoenix, Arizona on a business trip she is raw and loves to try to find raw organic foods in cooked restaurants if she can’t find a raw or vegan restaurant. She was super happy to find a salad type of place and when she saw the green peas she wondered and aske the waiter if it was “RAW”. He looked at her and said “Why yes it is RAW! We just opened the can and poured it out into the salad bar, we didn’t even have to cook it!”. :D Totally funny true story that happened today, I laughed SO SUPER HARD that was like the most hilarious thing I ever heard, because it was not frozen, or because they did not have to microwave or “cook” it the waiter considered the peas to be “raw” from the can….

  • I am personally happy when someone succeeds and has a RAW Career or job, it gives me hope for the future, it makes me happy, the only “negative” that can happen is people can get mean or competitive but that happens in any “industry”. Also you should try to look at the positives and not negatives all the time raw foodists tend to do that more…but if we have more raw businesses, more raw industry then ideally prices all drop and go down because we have more money and support everything is expensive because of the law of supply and demand, supply is the same or less and demand is not as high as if when RAW goes Mainstream thus lowering prices on everything.

    One example is my Ceramic Knives most are $100, $200 or $300 each by non raw companies or people mine are only $25, $45, $55 each and are the best quality and it keeps your food fresher longer, with many other benefits so saves you money, keeps your food pure and really raw because it won’t react with metal or metal knives, ceramic is inert. This is not me “trying to sell something” but an example of how RAW people, RAW Jobs, RAW industry is a GOOD POSITIVE THING it allows prices to be low, affordable, and more people can have access, awareness and choices I think those are all good things so try to be positive and look on the bright side…:)

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Wow, I think you over-reacted, there, rawbryan. I don’t think anyone is judging you or attacking you. Actually, people have pointed out the number of recipes using sweets and dehydrated foods before. But as I said earlier, they are recipes, not neccassarily a guide-line for daily living.

    To be honest, I don’t find that “most” of the recipes call for this sort of thing, as you claimed. The majority of the recipes I got from this site have no sweetners or dates or nuts. But it could be because I look for non-sweet and non-fatty recipes.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Interesting. Some people eat dates, cashews & dehydrated foods because eating those things makes them feel amazing & alive!

    As for the raw industry, I was out with a friend the other night & I wished there were raw eating places around so we could go eat before our movie started. If people can do what they love & make the world better for others by doing so – hooray!

  • beanbean Raw Newbie

    I think the main reason I love raw is its beautiful simplicity. I would love it to become more common, and more widely accepted, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be based on profit. Nature is beautiful, and it is nourishing, and it doesn’t try to be better than anything else, or more popular. It just is, and if it were all about money it wouldn’t be so natural.

  • I agree about the cashews and think dehydrated food should be used only occasionally, but as for the DATES, Dates ROCK. they arent all processed like agave, and contain a pretty decent nutrient profile because they are a whole food. they have fiber and bulk to them as well as sweetness, and they are much more natural than agave. they also dont necessarily come packaged in plastic, which means they require less resources and produce less trash/packaging. If you get them direct from a farmer, such as the date people, they are also cheap, and there is no doubt about their rawness or processing as they are unprocessed and come from a trustworthy source. they also come in a cardboard box packed in paper, instead of all the plastic or glass jars that agave requires. Id take dates any day over agave. sorry.

  • carrie6292carrie6292 Raw Newbie

    I just thought i’d add my $0.02 here. (I hope you don’t mind Bryan) I bought Bryan’s first book (my first raw book) about a year ago. Ever since, he’s been answering my questions and helping me out – for FREE. I’m sure that if he could “sell” books and products for free, he would. However, that’s not realistic for someone to survive in this world. I’m just glad that there are people out there who are willing to help others and enjoy doing so. If i could find the means, i’d be doing the same!

  • Ok thanks everyone for your comments they are all very thoughtful and yes I wish I could do everything for free but as you all know we all have to make a “living” I just happen to have chosen RAW as my path and way in this life. Thank you Carrie see people who communicate with me or know me they understand…also I get the whole “oh you sell or too agressive thing WAY TOO MUCH” so I am kinda really not into that scene. Before many years ago it was all encouragement and everyone being excited and uplifting each other, now a days it is like oh you are selling something boo! Or oh it is a job or oh an industry…things have changed! But that is ok I am not taking it personally people have a right to their beliefs, judgements and each website is different too perhaps I am too agressive but in my world I see McDonalds, Atkins, Dupont, Super Markets and that to me is MUCH WORSE than anyone selling something raw organic or making a living from it!

    I think a lot of people come here for humor fun and don’t want to learn about products I can dig that…so I will try to tone it down.

    Also about Dates I like dates not saying they are bad, but for me they are expensive, they are sticky and not good for teeth, high sugar, Agave is low sugar, yes Agave does come in glass or plastic but dates often does come in plastic too, no they are not processed but the reall raw agave I get is not either although there is a “process involved”, what I like about agave is it is cheaper, easier to use, less sugar, low glycemic index, if you are into Dates great I just don’t use them or are into them. Also I hear ya about these recipes being for fun and not everyday eating I mostly do green smoothies, salads and make these recipes for fun or to fill up or bulk up when I feel the need, food is fun!

    Thanks everyone for their info and comments I learned a lot and I am still very new to this website so I will tone it down, be more funny ha ha and light hearted too. :D

  • ajchanterajchanter Raw Newbie

    Yay, oh good. I don’t feel bad after reading your post as I don’t eat dates or cashews! Mostly because I can’t get truly raw cashews without ordering of the internet… what a pain! Yeah, but I had also heard that they had something bad in them, but I don’t know for sure…(: But I don’t use agave either… how do you know it’s raw?

  • dates have a very high glycotic rate. agave is lower on the index, but still not truly raw and growing agave cactus is rough on the land. most agave is grown for tequila. wild habitats have been destroyed for this. honey is by far the best sweetener for your health and the environment. only eat honey from isolated geographic ares and make sure its totally unheated.

    as for cashews; they quickly break down into mold, fungus, yeast within the body and contain a strange undigestible protein, like that found in grains, beans, and milk (gluten, glutenen, casein, gliadin).

    if you really want to be strict about eating the healthiest raw food avoid the following: raw grains, beans, legumes (peanuts, alfala, clover), carrot, beet, date, banana, pineapple, nama shoyu, braggs, miso.

    although, if you are going to prepare a special meal or you are just getting into raw foods, eat whatever you like. it is good to be informed.

  • 1sweetpea1sweetpea Raw Newbie

    Rawbryan, the problem is not that you’re passionate about being raw. That, we love. It isn’t that you’re a talented chef and write books. That’s fantastic. The problem is that this free advice that you’re sharing with us positively drips of self promotion. Until you felt “attacked” by us, every one of your posts was naming your new book, your website and/or products you hawk (knives, BlendTec, etc.). In your very energetic rebuttals to critcism, your backpedaling is well crafted. You’re a bright and interesting guy. I have no doubt that you are a great entrepreneur. I’m sure I’d be wowed to talk with you in person at a raw food fest of any kind, but the difference between you launching sales pitches at me in that forum vs this one is that here, I’m hoping to connect with other like-minded people and share experiences, with no strings attached. There, I’d be fully expecting your generosity of spirit to come with a price tag. You’re a fabulous communicator and could be a worthwhile addition to this community, but stop pushing your products and just hang with us and you’ll be more than welcomed with open arms. You’ll notice that I answered your initial thread topic quite honestly, despite having seen your simultaneous posts in virtually every thread. If you had stayed on topic and left out the sales spiel, all would have been swell. If I met you at a party and we started chatting, I’d expect you to tell me what you do, at some point, then I’d tell you what I do, then we’d move on to more casual topics, but I’d walk away pretty fast and find someone else to talk to if all you did was try to sell me stuff when all I wanted to do was mingle and meet nice people. Anyway, I’m done chastising. Be the nice guy that you are and leave your job at the “office”, like we all do.

  • What 1sweetpea said, exactly.

  • thecavsmanthecavsman Raw Newbie

    Honey isn’t vegan and comes from inside a bee so that throws me off.

    Agave isn’t raw and doesn’t make you feel good.

    So I use dates to sweeten my daily mango sorbet. I mean what am I supposed to do? It is the lesser evil, in my opinion, between dates, agave, and honey. So I probably have a decent amount of dates each week, but I am still banana and pineapple free…dates are my only sugary hybrid and they are pretty small in quantity for the whole week.

    There will always be a sweetener argument as none of them are perfect.

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    Exactly, sweetpea and the others. Don’t forget, Bryan, that dates are a fruit and no matter how sweet they are they are still fruits. Fruits are benign, even though eating many dates does sicken me. But it’s the healthiest of all sweeteners out there; I use agave but dates as well, even though we all have no idea whether the agave is raw or not. Whether cashews contain a mytotoxin or not I am still eating them because I don’t really believe anything in a small amount is bad as long as it’s not cooked. Bryan, you’re forgetting that raw recipes are not meant as basic foods; they are just additions as treats or snacks to a raw diet. Most would probably agree that a raw diet should consist mostly of fresh fruits and greens.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    Dates are really cheap. Here in England I buy 500g of fresh dates for £1.50. They are gorgeous, and from Iran. I don’t suppose there’s much trade going on between America and Iran, so maybe that’s why USA dates are expensive?

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