> Carol:
> >(2) Don't the various things grouped under the common term "nuts"
> >    actually come from different botanical groups?  Almonds, peanuts,
> >    and cashews, for example, grow in such different ways.
>

Alan:
>Whether legumes or whatever, they are all seeds (and delicious when
>fresh and ripe in as far as "nuts" are concerned). Many people
>forget that beans (also legumes) are also seeds.

Tom:
True, but Carol did not ask if they were all seeds. Her question
was whether they were in the same botanical groups.

Alan:
>COOKING??? So you reduce the enzyme inhibitors whilst at the
>same time destroying the enymes and many vitamins??

Tom:
My answer was general. This list is for a wide variety of diets and
preferences; it is not solely for the "obsessive/militant 100% raw"
types.  Quite a few folks here eat some cooked food.

Alan:
>Why bother when the natural "self-protection" mechanism is known?

Tom:
Because some anti-nutrients actually increase when soaked and sprouted
(canavanine - spelling may be bad - in alfalfa is an example). Other
anti-nutrients are very heat resistant. One must look at the specific
seed, and intended processing method (soaking, sprouting or even cooking)
to have definitive answers. Simplistic generalizations - so common in
raw - often leave much to be desired.

Alan:
What, pray Tom, should I need to know about nuts if you disregard the most
important aspect, i.e. the enzyme inhibitors???

Tom:
Read it and you will find out.

Tom Billings