Green Harmony Living

Hello Everyone!

Have you ever eaten nuts or seeds that were not fresh, had no flavor, not a good quality, had many broken pieces, or were just plain rancid? Have you ever noticed that is often hard to find good quality nuts and seeds? Have you ever eaten really fresh, not just goof, but great quality nuts and seeds? Maybe you are like most people and you have gotten used to low quality nuts and seeds since that is what is available at most stores. Yes, even at Whole Foods! I have not been impressed with the quality of nuts and seeds sold there.


Did you know that manufacturers will “hide” the poor quality nuts and seeds by roasting them and also by added other herbs and spices, or coat them with yoghurt and chocolate? By hiding the inferior quality nuts and seeds by cooking them and with stronger flavors, and then can charge you more for the extra ingredients, manufacturers can make more profit and sell some nuts and seeds that would otherwise be unsaleable. For example, nuts and seeds in broken pieces are hard to sell since nobody wants to eat them. But, once you mix them with a special ingredient like chocolate, or grind them up to make a nut butter, like peanut butter, they instantly become saleable and actually increase in value.

Did you know most nuts and seeds in stores are not fresh and often sit out in warm air, turning rancid (decomposing)? That is because nuts and seeds are properly stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator or even freezer in order to keep fresh for longer periods. Of course, fresh is best. It is important to not eat rancid nuts and seeds since they lose their nutrient content once rancid and they taste horrible too, meaning we should not eat them.

Did you know that many nuts and seeds that are often labeled as “raw” are not really raw or uncooked? That’s right. For instance, often cashews are labeled as raw, but during the typical processing, they are boiled to remove their toxic shells. A new occurrence has been the recent mandate by California almond growers to pasteurize all of their almonds, meaning most almonds in the US are not raw even if labeled as such. Almonds from Europe may still be raw. The way to test them is to try to sprout the nuts and seeds. If the nut or seed will sprout and start to grow into a seedling, then it is raw, if not, then it has been cooked.


We have tried many types and brands of nuts and seeds during the course of running our online store business. We have found that the best flavored, freshest, best quality nuts and seeds with no rancidity and all whole pieces are sold by Blue Mountain Organics. And they produce an extensive line of products, such as, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, sea vegetables, raw ice cream, raw snacks, cookies, cakes, bars, cereals, brownies, and so on. Since we sell their products at our store I have talked to them many times and I have learned some things. I was startled to learn that Blue Mountain Organics actually hands picks each nut and seed as they package them up. I get the feeling that other manufacturers just shovel the nuts and seeds into the bags and have no quality control. This became apparent to Naoko and I as we have eaten another manufacturer’s Pistachio nuts. Very often, every time we would eat them, there would be a rancid nut in your hand full of Pistachio nuts that would taste horrible and ruin the whole eating experience. Do I need to tell how many times I had to spit out the nuts and rinse out my mouth in order to rid myself of this terrible taste? Too many times inn my mind! I want to be able to eat nuts or seeds and to enjoy eating them every time! I don’t want to have to check every one before plopping them in my mouth, like I have been doing with the Pistachio nuts. That is not enjoyable!

Another thing I learned, is that Blue Mountain Organics does not by in huge bulk quantities like many retailers do in order to simply save costs. This practice will save money, but will mean lower quality nuts and seeds since it means you are storing them for longer periods during which their freshness will disappear and then you have rancid nuts and seeds. On the contrary, Blue Mountain Organics buys in smaller quantities in order to ensure freshness in all of their products, all the time! You might pay a little more, but you are guaranteed freshness and more nutrients for you body! I think this is much more important! After all, do you want to spend your whole life eating old, rancid nuts and seeds, or do you want to eat the freshest, most nutrient dense nuts and seeds on the planet!

So, you can imagine how happy we were to find Blue Mountain Organics. We noticed right away at how much better the quality was in their products. Blue Mountain Organics has two brands of nuts and seeds: Love Raw Foods™ (LRF) and Better Than Roasted® (BTR). Love Raw Foods™ nuts and seeds are organic, raw, vegan, fresh, whole pieces. Better Than Roasted® nuts and seeds are the same except the nuts and seeds are soaked and sprouted and then dehydrated.

This makes a huge difference in terms of taste and nutrient availability. Sprouted nuts and seeds will often taste better since the bitter tasting enzyme inhibitors found on nuts and seeds have been washed away. Enzyme inhibitors are on most nuts and seeds in order to prevent the nuts and seeds from sprouting until there is adequate moisture, which makes sense for survival of the nut or seed. Soaking and rinsing with water will simply wash these inhibitors away allowing the true nut and seed taste to shine through. Sprouting, that letting the germination process just start to begin, changes the chemical composition of the nut or seed, making more easily digestible and with more vitamins and minerals available to our bodies. So, BTR means more flavor and more nutrients! And Blue Mountain Organics is the only company with such a high commitment to quality and selling such a wide range of sprouted nuts and seeds.

The Better Than Roasted® brand includes many types of nuts and seeds including almonds, Italian almonds, apricot kernels, Brazil nuts, truly raw cashews, Extreme Nut Mix, hazelnuts, Just 4 Nuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and black sesame seeds. BTR also includes even more nut butters, Love Bites (snack food), and trail mixes.

Love Raw Foods™ brand includes in addition to the nuts and seeds listed above, almond meal, chia seeds, brown flax seeds, golden flax seeds, and hemp seeds. LRF also makes an extensive range of nut & seed butters, dried fruits, spices, chocolate products, sproutable beans & seeds, sea vegetables, sproutable grains, superfoods, oils, and sweeteners.

This is only the tip of Blue Mountain Organics iceberg! Did I mention that they also make organic, raw, sprouted flours, have a whole line of raw “baked” products in the Raw Bakery™, and offer the world’s best ice cream that is raw and vegan in their Blue Mountain Cashew Creamery brand. You may view their extensive line of products here(Click Here)

In conclusion, after some bad experiences with rancid, old nuts and seeds from average manufacturers, I have come to trust and depend on the ultimate quality and taste of sprouted organic, raw, vegan nuts and seeds from Blue Mountain Organics’ Better Than Roasted® brand. Or if I want to save some money, I use their Love Raw Foods™ brand of nut and seeds and soak and sprout them myself. I dare you to try them today. You might not believe how good they taste! What have you got to lose except a lifetime of eating bad tasting, low nutrient nuts and seeds!

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Thank You and Make Today a Wonderful Day!
Roland and Naoko’s Websites:
Green Harmony Living – Planet friendly website
Green Harmony Living Store – Raw, Vegan, & Organic Foods & Products
Green Harmony Design – Beautiful, Edible, & Sustainable Gardens
Green Harmony Tours – Sustainable Ecotours to Germany