Sesame seeds occupy a complex and cautious position within the Primal Diet framework. They are not among the preferred or frequently recommended seeds, and they stand apart from the softer nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds, that form the basis of the Nut Formula. Sesame seeds are classified as seeds, and as a general category, seeds present significant digestive challenges for the human body. Within that category, sesame seeds are specifically called out as among the most difficult to digest.

That said, Aajonus does not issue an absolute prohibition against sesame seeds. His position is that if you genuinely crave sesame seeds, there is likely something in them that your body needs at that moment, and the craving itself carries biological information that should not be dismissed outright. The key is that sesame seeds can only be made bioavailable and digestible when properly prepared, specifically, when blended with the correct combination of raw animal products that neutralize their enzyme-suppressing properties.

Tahini as a commercially available product is not a recommended food in this framework. The sesame oil used in virtually all commercial tahini products, as well as commercial sesame oil by itself, is heated to temperatures well beyond what the body can utilize without toxic consequence.

---

Sesame seeds are specifically identified as "really difficult to digest." The particular mechanism Aajonus cites is the sharpness of the fiber in sesame seeds. There is something about the fiber composition in sesame seeds that sets them apart, the fiber is described as "so sharp" that it creates exceptional difficulty for the human digestive system to break through and access the nutritional content inside.

This is distinct from the general digestive challenge posed by all nuts and seeds, which is rooted in phytic acid and enzyme suppressants.

Like all nuts and seeds, sesame seeds contain phytic acid and enzyme suppressants. The enzyme suppressants in seeds prevent proper protein digestion. The mechanism Aajonus describes is a cascading biochemical chain reaction:

• Phytic acid prevents the proper utilization of minerals
• Those minerals, when unavailable, prevent the utilization of proteins
• The prevention of protein utilization then blocks the digestion of fat
• This is described as a "whole chain reaction"

This is why sesame seeds, like all seeds and nuts, should not be eaten raw and alone. Eating nuts or seeds without the proper animal-fat combination can interfere with protein digestion of any food consumed within 48 hours after eating the seeds.

In a more specific and technical statement, Aajonus identifies that sesame seeds (whether hulled or unhulled) "contain enzyme retardants that prevent protein digestion for up to 36 hours, unless mixed with raw egg, honey and butter (or other animal fat)." This is one of the most precise and critical statements in the sources about sesame seeds. The 36-hour window represents the duration of the inhibitory effect if sesame seeds are consumed without the neutralizing combination of egg, honey, and animal fat. This is not a minor inconvenience, a 36-hour disruption to protein digestion has wide-reaching implications for the entire metabolism.

Aajonus distinguishes between seeds and nuts in terms of their suitability for the human body. Seeds work for birds, birds have a gizzard and are naturally built to digest seeds. They break seeds down with no problem. Human beings do not have this mechanism. What humans appear to digest from nuts and seeds, when examined through fecal testing, is primarily the starch component. The protein and fat from nuts and seeds are largely undigested even by humans on the Primal Diet. This observation is based on Aajonus's own examination of feces from nut and seed eaters.

Seeds, as a general category, are described as something he had "not found a good thing" for in human nutrition, despite experimentation since his books were published. The statement is: "Seeds, I still have not found a good thing. You know, they work for birds, but not well for the human being."

While this is discussed in the context of seeds broadly rather than sesame specifically, Aajonus references research from the New York City University Medical Center regarding advanced glycation end products (AGEs). A healthy human body stores these at a rate of 70%, and an unhealthy body at 90%. This is part of the reason he has "turned against high carbohydrates of any kind," and seeds fall into the category of high-carbohydrate foods that carry this risk, especially when consumed improperly or in cooked form.

---

The critical distinction for sesame seeds is raw versus any processed, heated, or treated form. Commercially processed sesame seeds are problematic. In the context of a listing of food ingredients found in commercial products, Aajonus specifically identifies sesame seeds as a concerning ingredient, particularly whether they are hulled or unhulled, and notes that they "contain enzyme retardants that prevent protein digestion for up to 36 hours, unless mixed with raw egg, honey and butter (or other animal fat)."

Sesame oil is addressed directly and unambiguously. When asked about sesame oil, specifically whether it can be obtained in a cold-pressed form suitable for consumption, Aajonus states flatly: "Sesame oil, you cannot get it pressed below 160 degrees." This means that all commercially available sesame oil, regardless of how it is labeled, has been heated to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit during pressing, which renders it damaged and unsuitable for the Primal Diet. This applies both to internal consumption and, notably, to topical use on the skin.

For comparison, the oils Aajonus identifies as acceptable because they can be pressed below 96 degrees Fahrenheit are: peanut oil (when the oil is very light yellow and clear, indicating it comes from the correct peanuts) and olive oil (stone-pressed). Flax oil is pressed between approximately 82 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Sesame oil does not meet any of these thresholds.

The heat ranges associated with commercially processed sesame oil are documented: sesame oil is "heated between 170–210 degrees F." This places it well above any threshold at which nutritional integrity can be maintained. Sesame oil is listed alongside other problematic commercial ingredients in the context of a carob-based commercial product, where all listed ingredients are identified as having been heated to damaging temperatures.

Aajonus explicitly addresses germination as a potential workaround for the digestive challenges of nuts and seeds. He states that germinating (soaking) nuts or seeds "throws it off into many more enzymes that are like phytic acid that prevent the utilization" of the seed's nutritional content. Once you germinate seeds, you turn them into a vegetable, and you do not digest them very well. The specific recommendation against soaking/germinating applies here: the egg-fat-honey combination is the correct method, not germination. Germination, contrary to popular raw-food belief, makes the situation worse in terms of the enzyme-suppressing compounds produced.

---

When asked specifically what kind of sesame seeds to use in dishes with carob and other ingredients, Aajonus identifies organically grown sesame seeds, such as Wild Oats' organically grown sesame seeds, as the right kind. So the recommendation for sourcing is: organic, raw sesame seeds.

Raw sesame seeds on their own do not produce a strong or distinct flavor. This is noted in direct correspondence: the seeds "do not taste of much," and this is confirmed as normal. Getting the distinct, recognizable sesame flavor out of them "is not easy." The method for unlocking that taste is the blending procedure described below.

The correct preparation method for sesame seeds, the one that both develops their flavor and begins to neutralize their enzyme suppressants, is a two-stage blending process:

1. First blend: Blend the sesame seeds alone into a fine powder 2. Then add: Egg, cream and/or butter, and honey 3. Second blend: Blend again after adding the animal products

This procedure is presented as the answer to both the taste problem and the digestibility problem. The act of reducing the seeds to a powder mechanically breaks down the sharp fiber structure that makes them so difficult to digest, and the subsequent blending with raw egg, raw cream or butter, and honey provides the biochemical environment that neutralizes the enzyme suppressants.

As noted above, because sesame oil cannot be obtained pressed below 160 degrees Fahrenheit, there is no viable commercial sesame oil for Primal Diet purposes. This includes both the oil itself and any products made from it, such as commercial tahini, which is made from sesame seeds processed into paste and typically involves heated oil or itself produces heat during processing.

---

This is non-negotiable when consuming sesame seeds. The specific required pairing is: raw egg, honey, and butter (or other animal fat). This combination is what neutralizes the enzyme retardants in sesame seeds that would otherwise prevent protein digestion for up to 36 hours.

The general Nut Formula framework applies here as well, though sesame seeds are not listed as a standard ingredient in that formula (the formula specifically includes pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, hazel nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds, not sesame). The formula for unlocking digestibility of sesame seeds specifically is:

• Blend seeds to powder first
• Add raw egg
• Add raw cream and/or raw unsalted butter
• Add unheated honey
• Blend again

The raw fat component, whether butter, cream, or other animal fat, is essential. Animal fat provides the medium through which the enzyme suppressants are bound and neutralized. Honey plays a biochemical role in neutralizing phytic acid. The egg provides additional fat and protein that assist in making the overall mixture digestible.

Without this combination, sesame seeds consumed raw and alone will: - Prevent protein digestion for up to 36 hours - Trigger the phytic acid cascade (blocked minerals → blocked protein utilization → blocked fat digestion) - Cause the sharp fiber to create digestive irritation without yielding meaningful nutrition

The combination of egg, animal fat, and honey is the mechanism by which these suppressants are neutralized. Aajonus states this "took years to come up with", it was developed through long experimentation and represents a formula that "neutralizes the enzymatic suppressants in nuts without germinating them."

---

The specific culinary context in which sesame seeds are discussed is in sauce preparations involving carob. The question of what kind of sesame seeds to use in dishes with carob, and how to get their flavor to emerge, is answered with the following approach:

To make a sesame-based sauce or pudding-style preparation:

1. Take organic raw sesame seeds 2. Blend them alone into a fine powder (this is the key first step, it develops the flavor and breaks down the sharp fiber) 3. Add egg, cream and/or butter, and honey 4. Blend again

This preparation is described in the context of making a "pudding treat", the same principle used with other nuts (carob powder, blend with egg, cream, butter, honey).

Raw sesame seeds on their own taste of very little. The distinct sesame flavor people associate with the seeds emerges through the blending process. Getting that familiar, strong sesame taste "is not easy" and requires the proper blending method described above. Simply adding whole raw seeds to a dish will not produce meaningful flavor.

---

All commercially available sesame oil is heated to temperatures of 170–210°F during the pressing process. This is not a labeling fraud in the way irradiation is obscured, rather, it is simply the technical reality of sesame oil production. Sesame oil cannot be pressed below 160°F, making it structurally impossible to obtain a cold-pressed, raw sesame oil that would meet Primal Diet standards. This is why sesame oil does not appear on the list of acceptable oils, which is limited exclusively to peanut oil (light yellow, clear, Spectrum brand when it was available) and olive oil (stone-pressed), with flax oil (Barleyens brand, pressed at 82–86°F) as the acceptable option for omega-3 purposes.

In the context of analyzing commercial food products (specifically a carob-based product), sesame seeds are listed as an ingredient of concern, identified with the question of whether they are hulled or unhulled, and flagged for containing enzyme retardants that prevent protein digestion for up to 36 hours unless properly combined. This listing appears alongside other commercially processed ingredients (barley syrup, raisins, heated honey, soy flour, natural vanilla, carob coating, coconut butter, sesame oil) all of which are identified as having been subjected to damaging heat treatment during processing. The presence of sesame seeds in such a product, regardless of the other concerns, would require the user to consume them with raw egg, honey, and animal fat to avoid the 36-hour digestive disruption.

---