No matter how long you've been following the Hallelujah Diet, you're bound to have a few questions along your journey to optimal health. A few weeks ago, we discussed a few of our team's most frequently asked questions to provide insight on how to best utilize our products. This week, we'll continue dishing out the raw facts!
Here are a few more of our frequently asked questions answered by our health expert Olin Idol:
1. What is the impact of refrigerating or freezing raw juice powders for short- and long-term storage?
The temperature at which you store your products has a large impact on its shelf life and quality, due to condensation, according to Idol.
"Long-term storage in the freezer is a very good idea," he said. "While it is quite stable at room temperature, the shelf-life can be extended in the freezer. Short-term storage is better at room temperature. A lot of water vapor is attracted to the cold powder when opened straight from the refrigerator. The resulting condensation can degrade the product."
So keep the jar you are using at room temperature and store the other ones in the freezer. Let the frozen jars come to room temperature before opening.
2. How long are products good for after their expiration dates?
Our products with expiration dates have been tested to reach label claims at least as long indicated on the date. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they've gone bad at that specific point in time. We just didn't test them all beyond that point. Some limited testing indicates that many of them have full potency beyond their expiration date. However, to ensure you're consuming them at their freshest state, it's best to finish them off before they reach the expiration date.
"For maximum benefit, all products should be used by the expiration date," said Idol. "Beyond the expiration date, the nutrient values will gradually be reduced but significant value will remain for six months and continue to diminish with time."
3. What nutrients are negatively impacted by heat in the processing of whole raw food concentrates that are inferior to BarleyMax?
As we continually suggest followers consider a primarily-raw diet, it's with good reason. Unfortunately, the heating process can damage fortifying vitamins and minerals and make even the healthiest foods less nutritionally dense.
"Heat-sensitive vitamins like vitamin C are damaged," said Idol. "There is a loss of nearly all of the volatile essential oils. Enzymes are completely inactivated by heat, as shown in our Raw Food Lab. There are likely other factors and qualities of raw foods that are also damaged that are not considered to be 'nutrients' like bio-photons, and energetics, but we don't know how to measure some of them or exactly what is their significance."
4. When making BarleyMax, wouldn't it be better to use whole leaf barley powder so I get the benefit of the fiber as well?
Because of the process through which BarleyMax is created, if whole leaves were used the nutrients would remain locked up inside of the plant cells and you would just be getting expensive fiber.
"Many enzymatically deactivated powder products are whole-leaf powders, made by drying wheat or barley leaves," Idol said. "It requires more heat or time to dry intact cells than it does to dry a juice already extracted from plant cells. When enzymes are exposed to elevated heat for too long, they are deactivated in these products, so you're paying for fiber that does no good."
Idol added, that while BarleyMax may be fiber free, there are plenty of other ways to ensure you're fueling your body with fiber.
"Fiber is important for optimal colon health and bowel movements, but you can get plenty of fiber from your raw food diet," he said. "You don't want fiber in your juice powder because fiber can diminish digestion of beneficial nutrients. With whole leaf/vegetable powders, the nutrients are locked inside the plant cells and inaccessible to our digestive system."
We hope these answers are valuable on your journey to optimal health. For more information on our plant-based lifestyle or any of our products, don't hesitate to contact us today.
