Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Had a (non)-Paleo dinner with a friend of mine who used to be into Raw Food and things of that ilk -- as we discussed matters Paleo, coconuts came up as a topic of conversation.

As he remarked on the recent growing popularity of coconuts and their quasi-omni-presence in all sorts of other related food products -- he mentioned that there had been word/rumor/urban legend that a kindergarten teacher would dip whole (unbroken) young coconuts in dye and upon being broken open, the coconut water would have taken on the color of the dye i.e. demonstrating the permeability of the young coconut shell. This is notable, because, allegedly, coconuts are being dipped in formaldehyde for purposes of preservation.

This could very well be nothing more than typical toxin du jour urban legend or on the other hand, there could be something to this story.

I have taken a quick look-see around on the net and find conflicting stories. Anyone have anything definitive on this?

PS Yes, I know Matt Amsden had a batch of Thai young coconuts tested and didn't find anything.

flag	asked Mar 16 2010 at 5:32 Patrik♦♦ 12.1k●4●29●81

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I remember when I was a raw vegan this made the rounds and never amounted to anything... – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 16 2010 at 10:13

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We need Snopes.com to get on the case. – David Csonka Mar 16 2010 at 19:04

Acton · Answer 1 · 2010-03-16 16:25:35Z UTC

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I know that they don't really dip young coconuts in formaldehyde, because if you leave them at room temperature inside their plastic wrap long enough, they grow mold.

answered Mar 16 2010 at 16:25

Acton
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Dylz0r · Answer 2 · 2010-03-16 17:04:32Z UTC

Here is some of the info I found just by looking around: (4th Post Down) http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=34284

FUNGICIDE DIP. Some coconuts are dipped for 5 minutes in a fungicide solution (such as formaldehyde or sodium metabisulphate) before exporting. This is to eliminate mold and bacteria during the "6-week" shipping process.

IRRADIATION Many feel that they may be irradiated during shipping process.

pjnoir · Answer 3 · 2010-03-27 03:34:47Z UTC

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I only want to say is that Raw Food diets are not the best thing for you. Cooking was a major turning point in the development of mankind, especially with meats. Not all veggies need to be raw all the time.

answered Mar 27 2010 at 3:34

pjnoir
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Leo A Blair II · Answer 4 · 2012-05-03 23:10:20Z UTC

Wow! Hard to believe that one needs to cook anything other then water for tea and then you have sun tea. I love that we all have opinions about our experiences as we travel around the world, the beautiful earth that we must preserve or lose it to unthoughtful greedy people about us. Maybe there are tooooo many people and toooo many ideas of greed. I leave it up the the researcher's at our most prestigious educational institutes to solve our problems. Amen and blessings to all!!

Formaldehyde in young coconuts?

4 Answers