Pumpkin
Seeds
PUMPKIN SEEDS Raw, shelled pumpkin seeds are dark green and
absolutely delicious. Until recently they were difficult to find, but
have become more plentiful due to government effort. The U. S.
Department of Agriculture combined the flavor of a good tasting
pumpkin seed with the genetics of a shell-less seed variety, resulting
in a gourmet pumpkin seed that does not have to be dehulled.
Pumpkin seed oil is dark green with a full bodied
butter-like nutty flavor. It can now be purchased cold-pressed in dark
bottles in the refrigerator of your local health food store. Always
check the expiration date. Pumpkin seed oil contains both omega 3 and
omega 6 fatty acids making them a delicate oil. Pumpkin seed oil is a
tasty replacement for flax seed oil and delicious over fruit or
vegetable salads. Pumpkin seed is a high source of vitamin A, calcium
and iron, containing small amounts of protein, B1, B2 and B3.
Each nut carries the
blueprint of a living monolith that will stretch to the heavens and fill
the sky with a canopy of green. Giants that will stand outstretched in
worship, bringing glory to a Creator who is not small. When we harvest
nuts we gather a blessing of highly concentrated nutrients. Little
packages of proteins, oils, vitamins and minerals essential to growth
and germination.
Fresh raw nuts in their
shells make the best snack food for two reasons. First, the oil will be
fresh because of the natural protection of the outer shell. Secondly,
cracking open the shell forces you to eat more slowly instead of
handfuls of nuts that are improperly chewed and swallowed. You have time
to mix this concentrated food with ample saliva, making it much easier
on the digestive system. We eat food far too quickly and this is
unhealthy, especially with highly concentrated foods. Chewing nuts
slowly will help to eliminate the heaviness in the stomach. Mixing nuts
with dried fruits increases their digestibility and the combinations of
flavors are splendiciously delicious.
It is easy to overeat
this luxurious treat. Learn to be content with small amounts, unless you
are a serious bodybuilder or active.
Peanuts, which are not in
the nut family, are 26% protein, compared to 20% lean beef. Snacking on
the variety of raw nuts available to us is far more desirable than the
average 4 to 6 billion dollars per year North Americans spend on snack
foods. Nuts as a snack food are filling and satisfying, being slower to
digest than fruits and vegetables. The high oil content wards off hunger
pains for hours.
Do not be beguiled by the
flavor of roasted nuts. They may taste delicious, especially when they
are coated with salt and monosodium glutamate, but the delicate oils
have been transformed into cancer-causing compounds. It will not take
long for you to readjust your taste to the delicate, fresh flavor of
salt-free, raw nuts. Once you do, you will never go back.
Raw food lends itself
well to a disciplined life. When nuts are roasted and salted, they
become addictive. In one evening, you can munch down a one pound
container without a thought—until you go to bed and your stomach
hurts. Yet, when the nuts are raw, a couple of handfuls are completely
satisfying and can actually contribute to weight-loss.
Unshelled nuts should be
purchased and stored in the refrigerator. There are many nut butters
sold in health food stores but are completely useless because the nuts
have been roasted, exposed to light, air and heat, the three culprits
that transform essential oils. Besides, why not make your own nut butter
fresh every day? It’s simple and easy.
First of all, let us take
a look at some individual nuts. We left ourselves out!
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