Just a quick question. Are individually quick frozen fruits (IQF), such as strawberries, blueberries, plumbs, cherries, mangoes, etc. considered a raw food? These are picked and frozen shortly thereafter, and it says it retains a large ammt. of the vitamins. They have these kind of fruits at Wal-Mart in big bags, and also this is the kind of fruit they use at Jamba Juice. So if I go to Jamba Juice and have a smoothie just made out of the fruit and water... is it raw? Thanks!

-Angie

I've seen this debated and discussed in several forums. The general consensus is that "living foods" are the best. It seems to hold that frozen foods are a step down the ladder from fresh raw, but still better than cooked/blanched foods.

One thing mentioned in the past has been that some of these "frozen" fruits are actually blanched before being frozen so that's something you'll want to watch for.

The reality is you're trying to improve your health and if this is a stepping stone that helps you transition into truly raw healthy foods then do what works for you that's within your budget.

I would like to stay 100% organic but it's not within my budget, so I look for "certified chemical free" as an alternative. If I'm out and about and the only option is to get a few bunches of bananas from the local store and there's no "organic" section, I'll be forced to get whats available. Choosing the lesser of two evils I'll go with the non-organic raw banana rather than eating too much cooked foods.

As a disclaimer I'm personally not 100% raw yet but striving to get there. I'm going to go on a 100% kick again here soon, I'm getting supplies and suppliers lined up so that my wife and I can try it together, but I'm not there yet .

I hope this helps.

[rawfoodtrip.blogspot.com]
[jugglingforjoy.com]

Don't get hung up on the word 'raw'. Think fresh, raw plant foods - and you'll be in the right ballpark. As noted above, frozen fruits and vegetables are a BIG step up from most processed crap - so they make a great transition food - and you have my 100% support.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Here are the codex requirements for frozen blueberries (the frozen berry I eat a lot of) I just skimmed the 6 pages but I didn't see anything about blanching.

[www.codexalimentarius.net]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2007 06:10PM by Lillianswan.

I put frozen berries in my smoothies sometimes, especially in the winter when the fresh ones are expensive and not so great either. I definately notice that I dont get the amazing boost from an 'all-live' smoothie, but I still feel pretty darn good. I agree with the above post not to get hung up on anybody else's definition of raw. How does it make you feel? What is your alternative? I would rather have a smoothie with frozen berries, than abstain and get so hungry I eat somthing cooked. Let your body tell you what feels right.

And also, some frozen is better than others. Some is cooked first, some not, some organic, some not. The better it is, however, the more expensive. The last thing you want to do is make yourself broke by trying to be as 'good' as possible. Raw should be a positive thing for all aspects of your life.

How about freeze-dried? i found amazing tasting Rambutan and Mangosteen at Trader Joe's (not expensive at all) that taste like chips. I had to watch it though, because they triggered cravings. Not sure if its something about the attitude of eating from a bag or the fact that they are very sweet and dry, but something raised an internal flag, which put an end to it for now. Am a total newbie, though, and my most important agenda is to stop the binge cycle. So far, only fresh fruit and veggies has done that.

David, i always enjoy your posts and contributions. i have learned so much here, many thanks to all
cocoa

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I will keep buying them, and it is good, Lillian, to know that the blueberries are not blanched. And yes, if it weren't for that I would be eating something cooked instead! We still have no Trader Joe's here.... but maybe hopefully someday!!

-Angie