Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi, I have a mold allergy, and I believe I have candida (only the mold allergy is 100% certain as my doctor did a blood test, I also have low blood sugar, but he said he was jealous of my cholesterol levels and kidneys).

I've been eating nuts for a while, I soak them, but today my father got mad because he saw that my soaked hazelnuts (forgot to put them in the fridge) had quite some mold. That could explain my sinus aches when I eat them. On the other hand, if I don't eat nuts I don't know how to get enough calories (unless I eat 5 avocados and 5 eggs every day).

My question is : how in the world do I remove mold from nuts and be sure there is none left? Can cooking nuts help? I wouldn't mind doing that, then I'd finally get a snack in front of the TV again :). I could eat quinoa instead, but I'm trying to do very low carb.

Thanks!

flag	asked May 28 2011 at 16:25 Korion 9,588●2●18●61

Kelly · Accepted Answer · 2011-05-28 17:23:50Z UTC

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Do you have a food dehydrator?

I always soak my nuts but always dry them afterward. You can dry them in the oven but its an all day event (as low as your oven goes 150F for 10-12hrs) Mine wont go that low so I do it at 170 pretty much all day.
I'm working on getting a dehydrator as it'll be much easier.

If they are dried they shouldn't mold.

answered May 28 2011 at 17:23

Kelly
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oh and for adding more calories if you eat some dry coconut or us coconut oil, olive oil, butter or any nut butter you should be able to up your calories easily. I make my own version of a protein bar with dark chocolate, coconut, nuts, nut butter and protein powder and eat 1/2 bar to a full bar for added calories and fat. – Kelly May 28 2011 at 17:25

Thanks again for the response, it helps me out a lot. I've never thought about making protein bars, that should be handy. I'm think it's time to invest in a food dehydrator and a blender :D. – Korion May 28 2011 at 18:21

Kashkillz · Answer 2 · 2013-01-27 15:18:13Z UTC

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I believe I read somewhere that shelling them yourself is the best way to avoid mold in nuts. I'm also pretty sure I've read that all bulk nuts are contaminated.

answered Jan 27 at 15:18

Kashkillz
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tory · Answer 3 · 2013-01-27 14:45:50Z UTC

I have a severe allergy to mold, and my immunologist told me emphatically that peanuts and pistachios are the moldiest, followed by almonds. Sorry guys.

I'm hoping that soaking and then dehydrating is the answer, but I'm still looking for a medical or nutrition professional to verify this.

djkvan · Answer 4 · 2012-12-13 06:46:41Z UTC

I react to mold/yeast in a rather unique way. As an initial symptom of food-borne exposure mold causes my periodontal ligaments to weaken allowing me to move my teeth slightly with my tongue. Based on my experience the only nuts that aren't really susceptible to mold when in their whole form (shelled or not) are almonds. Pistachios are a close second (i.e. there is only very slight contamination)- likely because they are processed quickly and coated with salt. I have tried walnuts in the shell before, but even if they aren't rattling around there still seems to be some contamination occurring, likely through the hole at the apex of the shell (plus I can usually see bloom on the shell - ick!). Almonds - yes. Toss the rest.

patty · Answer 5 · 2012-05-28 01:16:37Z UTC

Here is an easy way to treat almonds or any nuts -- let them soak over night in water and vitamin c (ascorbic acid) if you don't have it powder form crush some in a grinder. Make sure it is pure ascorbic acid you would be amazed the some Vitamin C has lots of other fillers. Anyway let them soak, rinse off and pat dry and then lay them out on cookie sheet or roast them.

When all cool then store them in a air tight container. You can use Vitamin C powder on anything and I have not gotten in the habit of sprinkling on fruit and salads. For example, if you wash strawberrys for example and then sprinkle some vitamin C, not only does it taste great the Vitamin C acts like a preservative and they last a bit longer staying fresh.. just a sprinkle or 1/8 tsp is fine.. You can read her book or down load for free the PDF written by Dr. Hulda Clark. She was amazing (she passed away a few years ago.)

Chris · Answer 6 · 2011-06-20 03:19:52Z UTC

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I put my nuts in the freezer and that always keeps them fresh.

answered Jun 20 2011 at 3:19

Chris
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Haha funny phrase, I stopped eating nuts because I want to clean my system first. – Korion Jun 26 2011 at 18:01

Yeah, I didn't realize how badyl it sounded until after I sent it haha but it's true! I also second cleaning your system out first. – Chris Jun 28 2011 at 2:55

Rogue Nutritionist · Answer 7 · 2011-05-29 03:13:48Z UTC

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Raw nuts should be our purchased from a cooler to ensure freshness, soaked overnight, then thoroughly dehydrated. If you notice nuts triggering blood sugar symptoms, ditch them ...as others have stated, there plenty of tasty ways to get fats!

answered May 29 2011 at 3:13

Rogue Nutritionist
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	It's not really blood sugar that I'm worried about now, my mood is even all the time (used to get angry or sad or frustrated very very easily, now I'm calm), I'm worried about my mold allergy. The fact that there was mold on soaked nuts after only 2 days was just... frustrating. I need calorie-dense foods. I'm thinking of eating zero fruit and using sweet potato fries and quinoa to fill me up. I bought avocados yesterday, they were not ripe, so I still had nothing to eat. – Korion May 29 2011 at 8:48
	It sounds as if your nuts didn't dry out enough. If they had, and were stored in a dry, cool, dark place, they shouldn't mold...maybe give it another try with extreme caution? Do you follow body ecology? – Rogue Nutritionist May 29 2011 at 19:33

g. · Answer 8 · 2011-05-29 02:30:04Z UTC

First of all, THROW THE MOLDY NUTS AWAY. They are poison now.

Soak yr (new) nuts in the fridge, and rinse them a few times..at least every 6 hours, i guess. And then dry them in the oven like Kelly says. Frankly, i've actually always felt like hazelnuts have a moldy vibe anyway.. maybe they are more mold-prone than some other nuts? I really don't know. I usually feel okay about almonds - rarely any funky flavors there.

And fwiw, I do think you SHOULD maybe try to eat 3 eggs a day, if not 5... I saw your post yesterday about the meat/fish restrictions and stuff (although 200g is prolly enough IF you can get other food in you.) ...i mean honey, you gotta EAT.

I also struggle with mysterious supposedly-candida problems, and I also know what it's like to sometimes obsess over and/or fear food. It can be really overwhelming. But avoiding eating isn't an option. I hope you can work through this rough time -- I mean, you totally can, and you will! I like Kelly's advice about the fats to get calories up, and I'd also add actual whole coconut to the list of possibilities for filling, nutritious, things to eat- if you can get them where you live. Big ol' nuts that you don't have to soak! Getting one open might take just as long, though. :)

p.s. bone-broth bone-broth bone-broth

Jeff · Answer 9 · 2011-05-28 18:51:51Z UTC

You don't need nuts. While they can be damn tasty, I'd bet that a lot of people on this site recognize the array of gut issues they can cause and generally stay away from them.

As for getting enough calories, I don't see what's wrong with 5 eggs, and you can add things like butter, coconut, meats, etc. to make up more calories.

If you want a good homemade 'bar' option, I have one on my site that comes in quite handy.... (its on the top right of the page)

http://hungryforreal.net/Recipes.php

Almonds and mold

9 Answers