After Dr. Rick and Karin Dina’s video on whether or not coconut oil is healthy, we got a lot of questions about what fats are really healthy…
Today, I address them all! Plus my thoughts on tamari (whether or not it contains gluten as well), agave, flax oil and whether it goes rancid when dehydrating, irish moss and what to do with kelp powder.
I know it’s a marathon, and there’s a TON of great info… 
Your question of the day: What do you think about tamari (and do your fingers get swollen like mine)?
Click here, scroll down to the bottom of the page and leave your comment now!
BTW: Check out the EFT world summit and learn everything you can about how to release fear and emotional blocks! It’s FREE! Click here.
Live Awesome!
Kev
8:43 pm on April 20th, 2009
is this meant to be a private video?
9:00 pm on April 20th, 2009
Question…
Why was the video marked “private”? Just curious.
I was not able to view it.
Best wishes,
10:04 pm on April 20th, 2009
I can’t view it either.
10:11 pm on April 20th, 2009
Having trouble accessing the video. It indicates it is private. ??
10:13 pm on April 20th, 2009
I can’t watch it either. Says it’s private.
10:15 pm on April 20th, 2009
How can we accept and see the video ?
10:15 pm on April 20th, 2009
same here – could not start video!
10:18 pm on April 20th, 2009
Private video??!!
10:18 pm on April 20th, 2009
interested in watching this but apparently i dot have permission. Way to tease us Kevin!! lol
10:23 pm on April 20th, 2009
I can’t get the video to work. Says it is a private video for #290
10:24 pm on April 20th, 2009
it says we have to be friends in order to view. I am bummed, I thought we were friends!
10:30 pm on April 20th, 2009
no go with the video?
Is this a teaser for what’s to come?
10:30 pm on April 20th, 2009
Having trouble accessing video
10:49 pm on April 20th, 2009
make your video public please. go to youtube and change your settings
10:50 pm on April 20th, 2009
Ditto to the above…………. I really want to see this one! I do like tamari… and my fingers don’t swell when I use it, however I’ve been using more Bragg’s Aminos lately because of the lower sodium content.
Looking forward to the video….
Enjoy the Rocky Mountains! They ARE truly majestic!
10:55 pm on April 20th, 2009
Same here…couldn’t start the video
10:56 pm on April 20th, 2009
me too!
10:59 pm on April 20th, 2009
Couldn’t access the video. Tamari doesn’t make my fingers swell. My question to you is this: Does agave increase blood sugar levels? Can diabetics use it? I understand that it has a low GI (lower than sugar or honey)
11:00 pm on April 20th, 2009
I also get the message about being a private video, and it won’t open to view.
11:23 pm on April 20th, 2009
same here…
11:55 pm on April 20th, 2009
accept friend request to view video?????
12:13 am on April 21st, 2009
ditto on the video problems
12:22 am on April 21st, 2009
Same here…..having trouble accessing the video
12:23 am on April 21st, 2009
Unable to see video from email link…Help!
Joe and Fran
2:39 am on April 21st, 2009
It took a while fpr the video to start, but I let it sit for a a few seconds, and then it started!
6:02 am on April 21st, 2009
it’s not completely free…..
6:05 am on April 21st, 2009
Great video, thanks Kevin!
I try to stay away from Tamari, since nobody explicitly researched and said there is no bad stuff from soy in fermented products- such as estrogen.
Gabriel Cousens in his book “rainbow green cuisine” is using miso made of barley and chick peas, and doesn’t mention tamari at all. He also advises against nama shoyu becuse “soy is difficult for the body to process and it is likely to be contaminated by GMO…and it has naturally occuring MSG.”
6:09 am on April 21st, 2009
What is a good source for sun dried black olives?
6:28 am on April 21st, 2009
hi kevin, you look so cute with your red nose!!!!and yes my fingers get swollen with tamari, or salt,actually all my joints so i had to stop it and i am fine now.
6:52 am on April 21st, 2009
I couldn’t access it last night but by next morning I can. I use tamari some in certain recipes. I never noticed swelling but maybe just didn’t notice.
7:53 am on April 21st, 2009
Hey Kevin! Thanks so much for the show! Y’all do a great job of bringing pertinent up to date information all the time. What do you think about Yacon syrup? My roommate asked me about it yesterday and I couldn’t find much on it. Is it another agave or any better? I’ve read that it is high fructose like agave and that it is usually made through an evaporation process which seems like it would make it cooked. Let me know what you think.
Also, I have been on a candida fast for an entire month and completely blew it last night with a wild blackberry coconut pie. Do you know if that set me back to where I started? THANK YOU!!!
8:21 am on April 21st, 2009
Never got swelling from tamari but it does given me a lot of mucus. Kind of like when a lactos intolerant eats cheese or drinks milk. Also I have noticed that it doesn’t really appeal to me much any more. I would rather have some nice dulse, spirulina, or unpasteurized miso to bring some saltiness in.
9:09 am on April 21st, 2009
Tamari…I could never understand how it made it’s way into ‘health’ food. The sodium content is ridiculous. Results from google, per 100 grams, Sodium 5,586 mg! Enough to put this chiquita in a coma!
I say use marine phytoplankton instead!
Enjoy Colorado…
Cheers,
Stephanie
9:53 am on April 21st, 2009
I use both tamari and soy sauce. I don’t really notice a difference other than I have a favorite brand of soy sauce that tastes better.
Kevin, could your hands swell up just because the tamari is salty/water retention?
Great video—lots of interesting information!
9:54 am on April 21st, 2009
Kevin, In regard to flaxseed/oil. I respect the work of the Gerson Clinic, but I have been doing some research and I’m not sure what to believe. I understand it was never a human food or medicine until recently. The Martindales Pharmacopoeia catagorizes it as a emetic for cattle and contraceptive/abortifacient. Dr. Mercola states he was caught up in the hype 10yrs ago about it (omega-3′s ALA) being cancer reducers….which flaxseed is high in but it’s the EPA’s and DHA’s that are more effective…the cancer center at the University of Virginia and the American Institute of for Disease have nine published studies in regard to ALA and all point to increasing your risk of cancer…I have read that Archer Daniels Midland and Monsanto are big backers of soy and flax….WHO AND WHAT ARE WE TO BELIEVE?????
9:57 am on April 21st, 2009
Question????
My husband feels best on lots of raw fruit.
I feel best on lots of sprouted beans, sprouted almonds & wild peanuts & ground seeds.
Comments as to why???
10:40 am on April 21st, 2009
Hi, it is called Mt. Evans. It has a road that goes all the way to the top. I wouldn’t drive an RV up around those curves, though.
10:46 am on April 21st, 2009
I love tamari. I love soy sauce, but have a really big wheat and gluten issue. I have no reaction to tamari as long as it claims no gluten on the lable.
11:17 am on April 21st, 2009
Hi Kevin ,
I don’t have swelling with Tamari. I use the organic gluten free less salt San-J brand. But I do know what you are talking about. For me it seems that I am dehydrated and I am eating salty things that I would not normally eat, like being on vacation or at my parents house. In those situations I am not drinking enough good water and then an unusual amount of processed salt and being in a hotter climate would make me swell up. I think lots of good water is the key to not getting swollen.
11:52 am on April 21st, 2009
not to be a stickler kevin but if lauric acid is in coconut oil and it doesn’t melt until 111 then why is it that ALL of my coconut oil is liquified at 76? wouldn’t the lauric acid in the coconut oil still be solid at 76? i dunno. i still don’t quite get that.
flax seed is my primary oil of choice, too. i’ve been using coconut oil off and on for years and my blood works shows no issues with cholesterol, etc from using it. tamara and soy products def make my fingers swell. i’m not a fan. thanks for the show.
1:37 pm on April 21st, 2009
I use Braggs instead but am trying to use less and less. I’m substituting dulse for my salty flavor on my salads. I’ve found that as time goes on I’m drawn only towards foods that are in their whole form. Too bad Braggs doesn’t drip out of a tree like sap.
2:35 pm on April 21st, 2009
On kelp. We received a newsletter from Shaklee company. We use their basic H for dishes and shampoo.
Out of the 9 different sources of kelp only 1 was free of toxic chemicals (they did state which one, but I’m not remembering) that they had tested.
Annette
2:47 pm on April 21st, 2009
Hi Kevin,
We generally use Tamari rather than Nama Shoyu when a recipe calls for it….never have any problems with it…enjoy Colorado..
Cheers,
Michael & Tracy
2:57 pm on April 21st, 2009
Kevin,
YOU SHOULD HAVE CHECKED MORE CAREFULLY, IMPORTANT ERROR:
STANDARD TAMARI CONTAINS GLUTEN. You can look for and find “gluten free tamari” but the bottle must so state otherwise, there is gluten in tamari. Please correct this misinformation on your next broadcast.
I like (gluten fee tamari), and also Braggs Amino Acid. But Braggs Amino Acid, for your info, turns into an MSG product in some people’s systems. My boyfriend had a bad skin break out from Braggs. Me, I love it, and use it regularly.
3:08 pm on April 21st, 2009
Never had tamari. Am a Nama Shoyu girl. It’s yummy stuff! Never noticed the fingers swelling but when I’ve eaten very high sodium foods in the past, and had to sit for long periods of time following, my ankles would swell like balloons.
3:14 pm on April 21st, 2009
I grew up w tamari and slightly traumatized by the experience. Havn’t dared since I moved out
3:42 pm on April 21st, 2009
Mt Evans yes.I think haha. Funny you have not said much about any scenery where you travel, until you got to Colorado..beauty place huh?
5:29 pm on April 21st, 2009
No nothing about Tamari since I do not use it.
This is shopping week for supplies.
So I am going to hopefully get a bottle of flax oil.
Been wanting to try it for a while now just hard to find around here.
6:10 pm on April 21st, 2009
Good topic with the fats, tend to get confused in the well of information when it comes to health food..
I’ve never had tamari, so i have a question for you instead;
What do you think about detoxification through your feet? I read an article in my local paper at home couple years ago, and i thought it seemed pretty cool. And then the other day i stumbled over an ad for detoxifying foot patches – what are your views on these sort of things?!
ps: you went skiing?! im very jealous, i bet u had superfun!
6:36 pm on April 21st, 2009
Hello Kevin and Ann Marie!
Love your show!!! Speaking of flax and the rancid factor–if I grind my flax seed and put it in the freezer for future use, will that go rancid? If so, how long before it does so?
By the way, I have my first colonics appointment scheduled this coming Friday. Shea’s site is great! Thanks so much!
Happiness and Joy to you!
Shawna
7:43 pm on April 21st, 2009
I have used low sodium tamari but only 2 table spoons to cook with instead of oil. Had not problems with it.
8:14 pm on April 21st, 2009
Personally don’t like food very salty and don’t use tamari, nama shoyu or bragg but instead use seaweeds (kelp granules, dulse….), some days a pinch of Celtic or Himalayan salt + I eat olives and many of them have salt. Yet my favorite are the sundried Peruvian olives without salt, wow! rawguru.com, sunfoodnutrition.com… carry them
Celery has lots of organic sodium too and juice + eat some daily.
Blessings on your travels!
8:33 pm on April 21st, 2009
Really appreciate your travel school for all of us! Just wanted to mention: consider that the oxidation of oil causes rancidity and is a cell destroyer in the body, so maybe it is best to grind the flax seed onto cereal right before eating it..
Marla
10:55 am on April 22nd, 2009
Hey Kevin & Annmarie,
Love your show! Thanks for the advice today. I just transitioned to 100% Raw and am looking for tips. Your show has given me many so thanks! Okay, so the post just informed me to stay away from my “comfort” foods:( What is your biggest, gotta have, staple food? I have been craving vinegar, avocados and tomatoes lately and I hope that’s okay. I have a bottle of Nama Shoyu to try so I’ll let you know if I have a reaction. Thanks again for all your hard work:)
1:31 pm on April 22nd, 2009
I’m with the above post that says: WHO AND WHAT ARE WE TO BELIEVE?????
Below are 2 links; #1 discusses Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, #2 FAQ for San-J Organic Tamari:
http://www.raw4life.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=81
http://www.san-j.com/faq.asp#2
I try to stay in the “moderation in all things” camp.
~Sylvia
2:22 pm on April 22nd, 2009
Hi
Never have any mal functons with Tamari.
I buy them in my home country the Netherlands and is ecological….maybe different!
So I am a happy user and now swoolen hands ever from his product.
Bye
3:26 pm on April 22nd, 2009
The more I watch your videos, the more curious I am about what your daily diet looks like. I know that you don’t eat much fruit (currently), and you just said to use nuts and seeds minimally and some sunflower.
What’s a typical daily menu? Where do the bulk of your calories come from? How many calories do you eat in a day?
9:50 pm on April 22nd, 2009
Kevin and Annmarie,
Enjoy your show whenever I get the time. Thanks for putting out all that great energy!
Am quite pleased you’re helping work up all the excitement over this truly healthy way to eat. I’ve been a 100% rawist now for almost 33 years, so have lots of good – and not so good – things I’ve encountered within that experience, as you might expect. I also raised two raw food and home-schooled youngsters during all that time. Terrific experience.
But, Tamari in a live food diet? This one provoked me to drop this note. Not sure how it even came up, but it’s certainly not a truly raw item. It’s also dangerously high in NACL (salt), which can cause all sorts of problems, likely best known of which are, of course, edema and hypertension. While sodium is necessary for human health, sodium chloride is an entirely different matter. I agree with Dr. Henry G. Bieler on the toxic nature of table salt (whether “sea salt” or not). And, it’s an extremely addictive compound.
Most Raw Fooders I know either use, instead, a “raw” equivalent of the Tamari, such as Nama Shoyu, or Patti Bragg’s “Liquid Aminos,” both of which seem fairly readily available, but, which also contain a high portion at that nasty NACL.
In my case, however, like you, I don’t use either of those seasonings very often because I also get adverse effects from the high sodium content they contain. I’d venture that neither of them is a genuine “health” food item, anyway, since both of them are quite highly processed – raw or not.
If you’d like a supply of trace minerals that can also help season your dishes, then, as has already been suggested, why not use some flaked or ground seaweed, such as Dulse, which you might discover to be absent the fishy flavor for which Kelp is so well known.
As for oils, most of the serious raw fooders I’ve known, don’t use any fractionated oils, whether common olive or flax. There are so many oily nuts – and our trusty old avo – upon which one might rely, why use a processed or fractionated food, anyway?
While I am really excited to see so many young people getting involved in healthy life styles and eating, it is sometimes disappointing to see so many of them not grasping the bottom line of importance – to consume foods in their most natural and freshest possible state – and to thereby enjoy the long term benefits, along with the immediate and almost infinite number of sensible yet aesthetically pleasing dishes that one might prepare in the meantime.
Keep up the great work.
ric lambart
4:21 pm on April 23rd, 2009
Kevin, PLEASE could you take another round on the Tamari/Nama Shoy issue!
Just because some company named San-J disrupts the whole meaning of Tamari (as being the name of wheat free soy sauce) by labeling it “gluten free” does not mean other Tamari contains gluten!
And please clear out the raw/non raw issue, too!
To my knowledge ALL soy sauce is made out of cooked soy beans?! (That is fermented and aged, and so in a sence revitalized to life.)
There is so much confusion here, and so many seems so misinformed…
7:40 pm on April 23rd, 2009
Kevin, did you know that sesame seed oil is a natural sunblock. Try and use it the next time you and Ann Marie go skiing.
10:57 pm on August 6th, 2009
I have found that my hands turn red and swell up from time to time. I have always suspected it was from too much sodium. which would implicate your Tamari… But I really have no idea. I do know that if I watch my salt intake really carefully it doesn’t happen.
8:45 pm on September 12th, 2009
I have a question but couldn’t find a place to put it, I recently started having brazil nuts, and while searching the benefits of it, I learned they have very high amounts of selenium, almost dangerous. Which is my question, are brazil nuts dangerous? That would bring up the question, does the RDA matter in that case, since one brazil nut contains the RDA of selenium?