> 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