Parasites in raw nuts

[MissKat]

Years ago a gal once told me that raw nuts contain parasites, in particular walnuts. She said that soaking nuts help to rid the nuts of parasites. Where she got her information, I do not know. And I never gave much thought to this as I rarely ate raw nuts. But now that I'm venturing into the raw side of veganism, and from now on will only consume raw nuts, her info is ringing through my head.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Is it true that raw nuts contain parasites?

2) Is it true that soaking nuts will remove parasites?

Any other information I need to know/consider?

Came back to edit ...

FYI ... That gal was *not* a raw foodist, she's an omni. She used raw nuts in a nut crunch she use to make. I asked her why she used raw nuts vs. roasted and she said it was what the recipe stated. So she didn't use raw nuts for health reasons, which is why I'm questioning the info she told me. And I would like to hear from actual raw vegans.

[Risker]

A quick search led me to a person caled Hulda Clark, a naturopath with a strange obsession about parasites. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulda_Regehr_Clark

[Clueless Git]

.. she's an omni ..

Omnis say dumb things.

[MissKat]

Omnis say dumb things.

LOL ... I thought the same thing.

[mark k]

Paul Pitchford has written one of the greatest books about using food to heal the body and it is heavily geared towards vegans. On page 534 of "Healing with Whole Foods" he writes, "Walnuts may harbor parasites; roasting and other methods of cooking make them safe to eat." (He does not state that any other type of nut may contain parasites.) Recently I have been having some intestinal probs and it so happens that I have been having a handful of walnuts every morning. So I have started roasting the walnuts for a few minutes (putting them on a cookie pan and turning stove on broil). Will have to see if that makes a difference. I do know that if you pour some hydrogen peroxide on almonds or other nuts, nothing happens, but if you pour it on walnuts, there is intense foaming. One last thing: Pitchford does warn about possible carcinogenic fungus on peanuts called aflatoxin. He recommends buying organic peanuts which also contain fewer chemical residues.