have raw cake and eat it
Many of the fats we think are healthy are in fact rancid as they have been stored to long or heat treated and not so great after all. Polyunsaturated vegetable fats are not thought to be health giving and in fact when heated form harmful trans-fats which are thought to be carcinogenic. Monounsaturated fats such as cold pressed coconut and cacao butters as well as fresh cold pressed oils such as hemp and flax with their Omega 3 content are much better options.
According to Cousens (2008), coconut oil has anti-parasitical, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties and can benefit people suffering from candida. Oils that are heated or rancid are also unhealthy and carcinogenic, with the exception of coconut oil which remains stable at high temperatures, so it is the only oil we cook with.
It is important that seed oils are freshly pressed to avoid rancidity. Cousens (2008) suggests that cold pressed flax oil should be used within 3 weeks of pressing and hemp oil within 6 weeks of pressing to avoid rancidity.
Whole nuts and seeds are also high in oils which can become rancid once their protective hulls or shells have been removed. We prefer to use unhulled seeds and shell our own nuts as much as possible. Once nuts and seeds are unshelled or unhulled they should be kept in the fridge and used promptly. Pitchford (2002:530) suggests that ‘it is better not to eat nuts and seeds at all than to eat rancid ones’ and explains this clearly:
NUTS/SEEDS, OILS AND RANCIDITY
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•‘Nuts and see become rancid and lose their nutrients when they are hulled or shelled. Deterioration begins immediately and continues, somewhat, even when vacuum-packed without oxygen
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•Rancidity causes irritation to the linings of the stomach and intestines
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•The pancreatic enzymes that digest oils in these foods are retarded. Thus the oils cannot be digested or assimilated efficiently.
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•Can contribute to poor immunity, cancer and other chronic diseases.
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•Destroys vitamin A, E and F in the food, plus those stored in the body.
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•A cause of gall bladder and liver complaints
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•Store hulled seeds in dark bottles in cold places. Heat and light speed up oxidation.
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•Poisons and toxins tend to accumulate in all seeds, so it is important to buy organic, non sprayed ones.
We have found that nuts with a very high fat content such as pecans, walnuts, macadamia and brazils are definitely better bought in shells. Macadamia and brazils will have their white flesh exposed immediately after shelling which will mean they deteriorate rapidly. Because of their shape and softness, buying a batch of totally unbroken pecans or walnuts will be very difficult and once broken they will start to become rancid.
Almonds are one of the few alkalising nuts, (in act they are actually seeds). As almonds have a brown protective ‘skin’ inside the shell, this will protect to some extent against rancidity if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. However, the brown skin of almonds contains tannic acid and enzyme inhibitors which are removed by soaking them for around 8 hours before use. If you have a great nutcracker that can shell almonds without breaking them, then buying unshelled almonds might be a great idea. However, if you break them when cracking them (like I do), then soak and dehydrate them to make them crunchy again for grinding,they might end up more rancid than shelled almonds with their skin on. Buying them from a supermarket is not recommended as they have often been stored for a long time. We buy ours direct from a wholesaler with a high turnover and store them in an airtight container in the fridge as soon as they arrive here. If the flesh is not white inside, they are rancid and it is best to discard any broken ones. If they smell bitter, they might also be rancid.
References
Cousens, G, MD, (2008) There is a Cure to Diabetes, Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books.
Pitchford, P. (2002) Healing With Wholefoods, Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books.
