I went to a local health market last night and bought a pound of almonds. I toasted a quarter pound at 350 on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes (Careful not to burn...I did this w/some). They are awesome.

Does anybody know if toasting almonds destroys any of the beneficial nutrients in them? I searched on the web for a couple of minutes but have to run to work.

Talk to you much later tonight... DJ

I assume they were raw almonds you bought? You have to check because nowadays they pasteurize some almonds first and still call them raw. Raw almonds can carry salmonella.

But, yeah, like anything, raw is probably better (except tomatoes for some reason). Heating does destroy some beneficial compounds but it's not like an all or nothing type of deal. Some people even germinate all their seeds and nuts before eating them which activates certain enzymes that aren't available unless germination has started. I would imagine that a good explanation would be something like:

eating germinated nuts: 100% of the nutrients
eating raw nuts: 95% of the nutrients
eating toasted nuts: 90% of the nutrients

So is that 10% going to do anything for you? Maybe, if all you eat is nuts and seeds. If your diet is balanced I wouldn't sweat it, eat them whichever way you prefer.

Interesting about the salmonella...I bought organic raw. I'll have to look into this a little more.

Thanks Splint.