I think this totally makes sense, but I don't think the irradiated, pasteurized almonds would bring the same benefits.

I agree with Majikinetor. Despite high omega 6 concentrations in nuts such as walnuts, I don't think it's paleo at all to start demonizing whole organic foods because of one element in these foods. That's like saying let's stop eating red meat because it's high in iron and too much iron is bad. Man has been eating raw nuts for ages. The whole idea of soaking and drying and all other kinds of special processing I think is for people who do not digest fresh raw nuts well and still want to enjoy them. The phytate and oxalate arguments are theoretical -- show me one person who has died from phytate or oxalate "poisoning" from consuming raw nuts.

I think the omega 3/omega 6 test (omega score I think it's called) is interesting but some questions: - are the results reproducible? how do we "know" what ratio of fatty acids our paleolithic ancestors had? does the test take into consideration that temperature changes affect fatty acid ratios in membranes -- warmer temps equal more saturated fat in tissues etc? how "paleo" is it to repeatedly test and examine one's blood ad nauseaum and constantly tweak micronutrient ratios etc etc etc based upon lab tests?

I have read all the stuff by Peat but wonder whether it isn't a tad nutty (forgive the pun) to start demonizing walnuts. Next thing you know, paleos will be dressed as walnuts or other high omega 6 nuts on Halloween...

I don't have the exact answer you're looking for. I know a few massage therapists that use almond oil, and will add vitamin E to it to prevent rancidity. They say it will go rancid on its own, though there isn't a time line since it really depends on the conditions it's being kept in, how and when it was produced.

And in labs, they have a positive effect on your LDL. How this applies to eating them though, I'm not sure.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=20
""We have identified a unique combination of flavonoids in almonds," said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist and director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University. "Further blood tests demonstrated that eating almonds with their skins significantly increases both flavonoids and vitamin E in the body. This could have significant health implications, especially as people age."

Blumberg's team tested the effects of almond skin's flavonoids alone and then in combination with the vitamin E found in almond meat on blood samples containing LDL cholesterol. While almond skin flavonoids alone enhanced LDL's resistance to oxidation by 18%, when almond meat's vitamin E was added, LDL's resistance to oxidation was extended by 52.5%! "

Also see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17475462

I've been laying off nuts (mostly), but would buy the Italian raw ones, and soak and dehydrate them. I've stopped baking with almond flour too. Too bad, it tastes so damn good!

Pufas deplete the body's stores of vitamin e, so getting vitamin e with your pufas is good. Getting pufas from almonds as opposed to corn oil is obviously better for this and other reasons. I would guess that the vitamin e in almonds protects against a fair amount of oxidation in the almond, but less so in the body. Our tissues are almost 100 degrees and constantly flooded with oxygen. This makes for a prime environment for oxidation. An almond in its whole form is not 100 degrees and is protected inside its shell. So I don't think that it will completely prevent against oxidation as that just seems very improbable.

Even if vitamin e does protect against oxidation fully though, Omega 6 is still inflammatory and will throw your 6/3 ratio off.

Yes, E will protect them.

This is also the reason that in all liquid fish oils you have some E or ascorbyl palmitate. I put extra 200 IU mixed tocopherols in my fish oil and keep it in fridge.

About PUFAs in almonds, and nuts in general, they seem to be protective. There are number of studies claiming that. They seem to prevent galstones, Mg deficiency, diabetes, promote DNK repair, fiber, rasveratrol, arginine etc. If you eliminate industrial PUFAs, those that you consume in nuts aren't going to overload your system.

Alpha says 30g of most of the nuts have low amount of PUFA, except walnut.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=30g+almond+30g+brazil+nut+30g+cashew+30g+hazelnut+30g+walnut

(click on 'more' in fat section to see details and thank me later for letting you know about Alpha)

Brazil nut is, surprisingly, next on the list [looking at Quilt]. Not counting walnuts, you get at most 1 tea spoon of such non-processed oil so its easy to counter it with the same amount of w-3 PUFA.

However, young walnuts are rich source of Iodine and W-3 (ALA). In my country people make Rakija from young walnuts as Iodine supplementation which is very tasty.

To others that claim w-6 is inflammatory, keep in mind that w-6 IS essential fat. There are essential fats, amino acids AND probably carbohydrates on the long run.

Limit your industrialized food, not non-paleo-food whatever that might mean...

Don't forget about the different forms of vitamin E, the gamma form is apparently the most beneficial - If your going to do an E supplement I would recommend the gamma form be listed in there somewhere.