Denis PEYRAT <[log in to unmask]>
>I would like to react to this article in my ever euphemistic tone. Clearly
>the only fermented foods that raw fooders should allow themselves is
>unassisted fermentation, exemples of which are fermented coconut drinks,
>fermeneted palm oil, fermented fruits under the fruit trees, fermented comb
>honey...Not at all the kind of stuff that we are hereunder brought to
>consider as potentially edible.

Tom:
I was writing for the general raw/living foods audience, at least some of
whom consume fermented foods.  By the way, fermented palm oil? Palm oil
must be extracted from the palm oil seeds, so that sounds like a "processed"
food product.

Denis PEYRAT <[log in to unmask]>
>The term living food is a most unfortunate one. One which can lead to
>useless misunderstnding on account of its elusiveness.

Tom:
Agreed. The term "living food" is used in different ways by different
people. In a few weeks, I will post an old article that directly addresses
the topic of what constitutes a "living food".

>Tom:
>Note that only lacto-bacillus based FF are of interest; yeast based FF
(e.g., alcoholic drinks) are ruled out
>and are not relevant.

Denis PEYRAT <[log in to unmask]>
>That looks to me like unjustified ostracism. Either you reject all or you
>accept all.

Tom:
Yeast produces alcohol, which is known to be toxic. Fermented foods that contain
substantial amounts of alcohol should be rejected. In eating fruit, you would
reject any that are known to be toxic (e.g., the 'manchineel' fruit of the
Caribbean; also the 'akee' fruit of Africa is toxic if picked at the wrong
stage). If you reject certain fruit for toxicity, then it is quite legitimate to
reject certain fermented foods for the same reason.

Denis:
>The flatulence is no disgrace. It 's just a manifestation  of the relative
>unedibility of cabbage and it's high toxic content (most notably goitrogenic
>compounds ... )

>Fermented cabbage should be reserved to populations where either cabbage is
>a natioanl dish (Korea, Finland) or where it constitutes a staple for lack
>of any other agricultural alterantives  (Bhutan); we have  so many other
>things to eat that whatever quantity of cabbage we eat by instinct, we will
>not have to bear the significant drawbacks following from the consumption of
>cooked and/or fermented cabbage.

Tom:
Due to the painful flatulence associated with raw cabbage, and the fact that
the flatulence is a mildly toxic gas and is actually harmful to you in the
long run, the consumption of fermented cabbage (IF you insist on eating cabbage)
offers a raw alternative to cooked cabbage. I would agree with you that there
are lots of other things to eat instead, but some people want to eat cabbage.

Regards,
Tom Billings
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