Friday, November 28, 2008

"If you wish to know if your food rotted whilst still inside you, use your nose when you see your food for the second time."

Grain Damage by Douglas N. Graham, D.C.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Part VI Raw Food Diets

3.6 Raw Food Diets
A diet much closer to the Life Science regimen is the raw food vegetarian diet. People who are "raw fooders" eat a variety of foods, but all are eaten uncooked.

Some raw fooders eat uncooked grains, and others include raw milk, raw cheese, and raw cream in their diet. Many times raw fooders will concoct entrees and main dishes that contain 15 to 20 ingredients, all chopped and mixed together. They often overeat on salads and raw vegetables and neglect fruits. They consume salad dressings, raw oils, and various nut butters with their plates of raw vegetables.

They rely heavily on avocados, dried fruits, and nuts, sometimes to excess. They are often enamored with raw juice therapy, and drink pints and quarts of fresh-squeezed juices each day.

One of the main problems with the raw food diet followed by most people is that its adherents eat far too little fruit and far too many nuts, fats, oils and seeds for their fuel. Raw fooders who do not make fruit the major part of their diet will overeat on nuts, oils, salad dressings, or other concentrated foods.

They are on the right track, but may fall short when it comes to food combining or avoiding inappropriate raw foods (such as onions, garlic, raw cheese, raw honey, etc.).

Advantages: The raw food diet, when it does not include dairy products or other relatively-indigestible foods, can promote the highest level of health. The diet is supers charged with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids—all in an easily-digestible form. By eating foods raw, you avoid totally-inappropriate foods such as meats, junk foods, breads, and so forth.

Disadvantages: The raw food diet may still include certain noxious vegetables such as garlic and onions. Honey and raw dairy products may be included. An over-reliance on salads, salad dressings, and nuts is common. Weight loss may occur too rapidly if not enough fruits are included.

Compared to the Life Science Diet: The raw food diet comes very close to the Life Science diet. If all herbs, spices, and seasonings are avoided, as well as all animal products, the raw food diet can be said to be 90% similar to the Life Science diet. When raw foods are eaten in proper combinations and according to our fruitarian biological heritage, then this diet closely approximates the Life Science diet of raw fruits, supplemented by vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-vegetarian-diet/the-types-of-vegetarian-diets.html
Part V The Macrobiotic Diet

3.5 The Macrobiotic Diet
The macrobiotic diet is not strictly vegetarian, although most people regard it as such. Fish and seafood are often a small but frequent part of a macrobiotic diet.

Grains form the bulk of foods eaten by a person on a macrobiotic diet. In fact, most macrobiotic supporters recommend a diet that is at least 50% whole grains, and it is not at all uncommon for a macrobiotic diet to be 80% grain based.

The second most important foods on a macrobiotic diet are legumes (10 to 15% of the diet), followed by seaweeds and hard vegetables. Nuts and seeds are rarely eaten, and usually salted and roasted when consumed. Fresh fruits are almost never eaten by a person following such a diet; indeed, apples are about the only raw fruit eaten, and other fruits are usually cooked and sweetened as a dessert.

Salts, salted foods, pickles, tamari (soy sauce), and miso are used heavily in the diet. The Japanese, from whom the macrobiotic diet was chiefly imported, eat more salt than any other population in the world. Even their plums are preserved and heavily salted. Nothing escapes salting in a macrobiotic diet.

Strangely enough, the macrobiotic health seeker avoids most fresh fruit and vegetables. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and other raw vegetables have no place in the macrobiotic diet. In fact, someone once said as a joke (but which is true) that a macrobiotic person is "someone who would rather eat a fish than an orange."

An avoidance of fresh fruits and vegetables occurs on a macrobiotic diet due to application of the mystical "yin-yang" outlook. Fresh fruits are considered too "yin" to eat, and they are often categorized in the same department as white sugar and artificial sweeteners. Most meat is considered too "yang" to eat, and grains (especially brown rice) are said to have the perfect combination of "yin and yang."

Besides the overuse of salt and the avoidance of fresh fruits and vegetables, the major drawback of the macrobiotic diet is that it is so heavily grain dependent. Dr. Shelton, when discussing grain diets, stated: "A cereal and pulse (legume) diet with a deficiency of green foods and fresh fruits is obviously inadequate. It is deficient in alkaline elements and Vitamins."

Another health pioneer, Dr. Densmore had this to say about the grain-based macrobiotic diet: "I object to bread, cereals, pulses and grains not only because of the predominant proportion of starch in them, but also because their nitrogen is distinctly difficult of digestion and the cause of unnecessary waste of vitality."

The macrobiotic diet has a strong appeal for those changing over from a conventional meat-based diet. Heavy grains tend to be as constipating and acidic as the meat that has been left behind. The heavily-salted foods exceed the high-salt American diet. The avoidance of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet certainly finds a kindred soul in the processed food diet of most Americans.

Yet it is an undisputed fact that people who follow a macrobiotic diet enjoy better health than those on a typical American diet. Why is that? Primarily because the macrobiotic diet is largely vegetarian. It avoids all dairy products and eschews white sugar. Simply the elimination of red meat, sugar, and dairy products will greatly increase one's health and vitality, and this is the strong point of the macrobiotic school.

Advantages: The macrobiotic diet is largely vegetarian. It eliminates many of the harmful foods present in the modern diet. It has a well-established history and provides an easily understandable dietary framework with specific recommendations and rules. It provides an easy transition for those breaking their addictions to white sugar, red meat, junk foods, and heavily-processed foods.

Disadvantages: The macrobiotic diet relies too much on grains and grain products which are third-rate foods. Salt is used in large amounts, and foods are almost always cooked. Fresh fruits, salads, sprouts, and nuts are rarely eaten, and never make up more than 5-10% of the overall diet.

Compared to the Life Science Diet: The macrobiotic diet is only similar to the Life Science approach in that junk foods, white sugar, red meat, and dairy products are eliminated. Other than that, 95% of the macrobiotic diet is unrelated to the optimum foods eaten on the Life Science diet—fresh, raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-vegetarian-diet/the-types-of-vegetarian-diets.html
Part IV The Vegan Diet from Raw Food Explained

3.4 Vegan Diet
All vegans are vegetarians—not all vegetarians are vegans. Life Scientists or Natural Hygienists are usually vegans—not all vegans are Natural Hygienists. Confusing? Let's explain:

A vegan is a vegetarian that does not consume any animal products whatsoever. A vegan diet does not include eggs, meat, milk, cheese, or any other animal products. The vegan diet even eliminates honey, an animal product used in many vegetarian diets. The vegan is the true vegetarian. Those vegetarians who continue to eat eggs or drink milk are really just nonmeat eaters. Estimates have placed the number of vegans at about 10% of the vegetarian population; in other words, only one out of ten vegetarians strictly avoids eggs, milk and dairy products.

The vegan diet, like so many other vegetarian regimens, however, usually relies upon grains and beans for a large portion of its calories. Foods are often eaten in poor combinations and in large amounts. Vegans often substitute processed and refined soybean products in place of dairy and meat. Soy milk, tofu. tempeh, soy ice cream, and soy meat substitutes are the darlings of the vegan diet.

A heavy reliance on soy products, due in part to a misplaced concern about protein, is the major drawback to the vegan diet. Soy products cannot be completely digested due to enzymes present in the soybeans, and soy foods also inhibit iron absorption. Still, the soy foods are superior to the milk and eggs used by other vegetarians and to the meat consumed by flesh eaters.

Advantages: The vegan diet completely eliminates some of the worst foods in the American dietary—meat, milk, eggs, and junk foods. It also eschews honey, a food often abused and overused by vegetarians and other health seekers.

Disadvantages: Vegans still use sweeteners such as maple syrup or molasses. They consume too many soy products, and eat a preponderance of grains and legumes. They often worry about "complete" protein combinations, and often eat a majority of the foods cooked or otherwise processed.

Compared to the Life Science Diet: The vegan diet can be easily adapted to the Life Science diet. All the vegan must do is to eliminate all processed foods, such as soy products, sweeteners, etc., eat more foods raw, and watch food combinations. If you follow the Life Science diet, you may also be considered a vegan, or "true" vegetarian, at well.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-vegetarian-diet/the-types-of-vegetarian-diets.html
Part III The Lacto-Vegetarian Diet from Raw Food Explained

3.3 The Lacto-Vegetarian Diet
The lacto-vegetarian diet is the most popular vegetarian diet in the world. This diet avoids all animal products except for those made from milk. Eggs, lard, and the most blatant junk foods are avoided. Yogurt, butter, cheese, cream, and milk, however, are consumed in unrestricted amounts.

Many people follow a lacto-vegetarian diet for reasons convenience or nutritional "safety." Again, a lacto-vegetarian diet makes it easier to dine out and eat conventional foods. Some people use milk products in a vegetarian diet in order to meet the inflated Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) calcium standards. Milk and cheeses are used in such a diet so that enough calcium may be consumed.

Calcium requirements, however, can be easily met and exceeded on a vegetarian diet that includes absolutely no dairy products. In fact, there is much doubt that calcium from pasteurized and heated milk products can be absorbed by the body at all. Calcium requirements on an alkaline vegetarian diet are far lower than for a meat-eating, acidic diet. In other words, meat-eaters need larger amounts of calcium than do vegetarians.

If you know vegetarians who use milk products as a matter of convenience, there is probably little you can do to enlighten them. If, however, they are adding dairy products to their diet solely to meet calcium requirements, then tell them the truth: It just isn't necessary.

Advantages: The healthy lacto-vegetarian diet does eliminate many of the harmful foods eaten today: meat, animal products, eggs, junk foods, white sugar. It is a relatively easy and simple diet to follow, and may be conveniently adhered to by those who do not wish to make major changes in their lifestyles.

Disadvantages: Most lacto-vegetarians greatly overeat on dairy products. It is a fact that lacto-vegetarians generally eat more cheese and drink more milk than many meat eaters and those on conventional diets. Dairy products are often used as a high-protein substitute for meat, yet they too are full of hormones, additives, and pesticides.

Compared to the Life Science Diet: Like the LOV diet, this diet has in common with the optimal Life Science diet the avoidance of meat and many substandard foods and junk foods. Eggs, too, are eliminated as in the Life Science diet. Yet the lacto-vegetarian diet still includes many, many foods not considered natural to our dietary heritage. Cooked grains, legumes, onions, garlic, spices, herbs, and foods eaten in poor combinations are all present in the lacto-vegetarian diet. Although another step in the right direction, the lacto-vegetarian diet still slops short of embracing the full principles of Natural Hygiene and Life Science.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-vegetarian-diet/the-types-of-vegetarian-diets.html

Monday, October 20, 2008

Part II The Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian diet, from Raw Food Explained

3.2 The Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian Diet

Like the unrestricted vegetarian diet discussed, the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet is a very liberal dietary approach. Both diets include all dairy products and eggs in the foods eaten. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian (abbreviated as LOV) eats cheese, drinks milk, and uses eggs as part of the regular diet.

Unlike the unrestricted vegetarian diet, the LOV diet generally excludes junk foods, white sugar, white flour and other widely-known debilitating foods. The LOV dietary approach, then, is a health-minded way to a better diet.

People who are lacto-ovo-vegetarians ("lacto" for milk, "ovo" for eggs) usually are former meat eaters who have decided to eliminate meat and, at the same time, substitute more whole and natural foods for processed foods. People follow a LOV diet for two reasons: 1) They are not yet confident enough or nutritionally educated enough to give up all animal foods and products. They continue to eat eggs and milk to "make sure they get plenty of protein," or whatever. 2) They do so for social and family convenience. A LOV diet allows a great deal of latitude in dining out, and it may be followed with a minimum of inconvenience.

Advantages: Meat is eliminated and a gradual trend is started to a better, more wholesome diet. The LOV diet is socially convenient, nonthreatening. and requires a minimal amount of change in lifestyle.

Disadvantages: Milk, milk products, and eggs are totally unnecessary in the diet. These foods are constipating, acidic, and full of pesticides, hormones, and growth additives.

Compared to the Life Science Diet: The LOV diet has only two things in common with the Life Science diet—it too avoids all flesh, and it also emphasizes more whole and natural foods over processed and refined foods.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-vegetarian-diet/the-types-of-vegetarian-diets.html

Friday, October 17, 2008

Revisiting information about vegetarian diets from Raw Food Explained. Today will go over the "unrestricted vegetarian diet"

---

3. The Types Of Vegetarian Diets
Although we can strictly define what a vegetarian is, there is not a standard vegetarian diet. Some vegetarians eat everything but meat; others eat cheese and eggs. There are vegetarians who eat only raw foods and vegetarians who eat strictly cooked foods. There are even vegetarians that never eat vegetables, and those that eat fish and still call themselves vegetarians.

Clearly, there is no one vegetarian diet and there are several dietary approaches to vegetarianism. The only thing common to all true vegetarian diets is a strict avoidance of flesh. Since vegetarian diets are so popular among health seekers, you should know the different types and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

For the sake of convenience, vegetarian diets have been divided into six general categories. Each category of diet is explained, and its strengths and weaknesses are noted.

3.1 The Unrestricted Vegetarian Diet
This particular form of vegetarianism is simple to describe: its adherents eat everything but meat. Vegetarians who follow an unrestricted diet consume dairy products, eggs, and even animal fat in the form of lard occasionally. They eat sugar, white flour, salt, fried foods, fast foods, and junk foods.

They eat just about anything that cannot crawl, swim, or run. And they are often very unhealthy.

I met a man and his wife who had been vegetarians for over ten years. They were both fighting a serious weight problem.

"I never thought I'd be an overweight vegetarian," the man joked with me, "but Susan and I each weigh nearly twenty-five pounds more than when we got married ten years ago."

I worked with the man, and had a chance to see how he became a fat vegetarian. His diet was unrestricted to say the least. He continually drank soft drinks with sugar because he didn't want those "artificial sweeteners." He certainly enjoyed ice cream, and ate many of his lunches from vending machines in the form of snack cakes and cookies.

His wife and himself enjoyed cooking gourmet vegetarian meals, and they used eggs, butter, and cream in all of their cooking for a rich taste.

One day he told me: "You know, I hate to say it, but I think Susan and I are going to have to start eating meat again."

I was astonished. After ten years, he and his wife were going back to eating animals. Why, I asked him.

"Well, we read a book that said some people are probably not meant to be vegetarians. It has to do with the pituitary gland, and how it needs animal protein to be stimulated. When your gland is stimulated by eating meat, your metabolism increases and you lose weight. We keep getting fat on a vegetarian diet, so I guess we'll try something new. Susan's fixing fish tonight, and it'll probably be pretty strange eating meat after all these years. Still," he said as he patted his stomach, "I'll eat anything to get rid of this."

Of course that was exactly his problem. He had been eating "anything" and everything on his vegetarian diet. Listen to what Dr. Herbert M. Shelton has to say about vegetarians who follow such an unrestricted diet:

"Vegetarians often have the erroneous idea that the rejection of meat is all that is required to carry them into dietetic heaven. They do not know that a vegetarian diet may be even more dangerous than a properly-planned mixed diet. Indeed, the eating of most vegetarians is so abominable that one cannot blame people for not following them."

The unrestricted, eat-anything-you-like vegetarian diet is indeed poorer than the diet which includes meat but rejects other unnatural foods. Meat eating, for example, has been around much longer than white sugar, white flour, preservatives, and other junk foods. There is more in man's background that predisposes him to a raw hunk of meat than to a sugary ice cream cone.

This is not to say that we should consume meat in preference to vanilla ice cream; neither has a place in the healthful diet. Some vegetarians have only seen half the truth, and remain "ice cream" vegetarians—addicted to junk foods and sugar, while proudly rejecting meat.

The unrestricted vegetarian diet has little to recommend it. It is certainly better than an unrestricted meal diet, yet it cannot be depended upon to build and maintain health. In summary, the unrestricted vegetarian diet can be evaluated as follows:

Advantages: All flesh and meat products are eschewed which reduces the level of toxicity in the diet.

Disadvantages: Old and poor diet habits are maintained. Junk foods are often substituted for the missing meat. The person is deluded into thinking that he has improved his diet, when in effect, only a small portion of the harmful foods has been removed.

Compared to the Life Science Diet: The only thing the unrestricted vegetarian diet has in common with the recommended Life Science diet is the mutual avoidance of meat. Other than that, the unrestricted vegetarian diet is more closely aligned with the traditional American diet than with the Life Science diet.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-vegetarian-diet/the-types-of-vegetarian-diets.html

Sunday, September 21, 2008

If Scientists says it's safe, it must be okay

Watch out for upcoming articles supporting the use of irradiation of our produce supply. It's happening now with a few select fruits and vegetables but don't be surprised if it starts happening across the board.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410153655.htm

Irradiation will derange essential nutrients in fresh produce, which may compromise our immune systems. Because a small percentage of individuals with poor immune systems have gotten sick from some stray bacteria, the general public will suffer with irradiated produce.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008



I'm in the process of obtaining my black belt in Taekwondo. I wonder if my boy hips would allow some of these moves!

Anybody out there in Martial Arts land looking for an excellent board holder check out MA Toolz - It could have been your fingers!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Runner's Protein


Thursday, April 17, 2008

Are Supplements Damaging?

There's a new "study" out about how supplements could shorten one's life span. Here is a link to one of the articles:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7349980.stm

Another article debunks this study claiming that the participants were probably dying from a disease anyway and they were just taking the supplements on their way out.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023034.html

My opinion? Most supplements are useless to people. Many people go out and take multivitamins and other supplements because they think they need them. A lot of it gets wasted down the toilet in expensive bright colored urine. Much of it is toxic and unrecognizable to the body, getting stored as toxins and may never leave the body if not given the chance.

"Whole Food" Supplements:

In the past 2 months, I was asked the same question about a certain supplement that claims it's made with tons of fruits and veggies, making it a sort of "whole-food" supplement. They claim that taking their supplement is the next best thing to give you a full daily serving of fruits and vegetables. The problem with some of these whole foods supps is that they are made with a ridiculous array of fruits and vegetables that no human would eat in a sitting.

It just isn't natural to be eating 17 different varieties of plant food which has been concentrated, powdered and stuffed into a single capsule. Humans naturally eat one, two or may three types of fruits and veggies together. I personally believe we were originally created in a way to enjoy them that way, not to gather fruits and vegetables in humongous bunches, perhaps even from around the world to enjoy in a single meal.

The problem with the supplement industry is that they try so hard to convince us that we need such a huge variety of nutrients, beyond the scope of what is already available to us in fresh plant foods, that we end up believing it and spending oodles of money on something totally unnecessary.

Are supplements always unnecessary? Maybe not.

Maybe if one is living in an area where fresh plant food was never available, then the purest or least processed, most raw and naturally made food supplement should be taken.

OR if a person is indeed deficient in a nutrient then supplementation could be a temporary solution until the body is clean enough to repair itself.

OR if there is a genetic condition which a supplement would help with, rather than taking risky pharmeceuticals.

No other diet or supplement will give you more useable nutrients than a fresh plant food diet!

Monday, April 07, 2008

Turning the tables

People have some pretty valid fears about going all raw.

"I'm afraid I will be missing an important nutrient"

"I'm afraid that my body will become too sensitive & pure"

"I'm afraid that my family and friends will make fun of me"

Now what if the tables were turned?

What if every person on an all raw diet were to start eating the standard, processed cooked way again?

What could their fears be?

Some that come to mind:

"I'm afraid that I will lose all my energy."

"I'm afraid that all my discomforts and diseases will return."

"I'm afraid that I'll have to start taking supplements again because I won't be getting all my nutrients natural and first-hand."

"I'm afraid that I'll have brain fog."

"I'm afraid that I'll start drinking/smoking/taking drugs again."

"I'm afraid that I will have to go back on medication."

"I'm afraid that my blood pressure will rise."

"I'm afraid that my cholesterol will get high."

"I'm afraid that I will develop heart disease and have a heart attack or stroke."

"I'm afraid that I will have bad breath."

"I'm afraid that I'll have to start wearing deoderant again."

"I'm afraid that because of the way I'll smell, that I'll have to start using all my toiletrees -that I gave up on raw - so that I can hide the smell from eating cooked food again."

"I'm afraid that my husband/wife will be put off by my smell."

"I'm afraid that my cellulite will return."

"I'm afraid that I will watch more television."

"I'm afraid that I'll spend more money eating out in restaruants again."

"I'm afraid that I'll spend money for Girl Scout Cookies."

"I'm afraid that I won't have any more energy to keep up with my kids."

I'm afraid I have run out of the desire to keep this list going, but it could be miles long!

We should fear more of what we are doing on a standard cooked diet than moving over to a fresh whole foods diet.

Would you agree?



Sunday, March 16, 2008

Being a Nag

Sometimes I turn into a nag which brings my family down. I see them eat a bunch of junk, which I know how bad it is for them and I just go on and on and on about it, driving them crazy.


I must have gotten this from my mother, who mutch-ered me to stay kosher and eat right for my cholesterol, but thinking back it only annoyed me and drove me to eat a lot of fast food, processed food, bacon and pepperoni, and other such evil food-stuffs.

In turn I mutch-er my mother about eating animal products and bread.

So why would nagging be affective? It isn't.

Thinking hard about this, I haven't noticed anyone who is successful in a healthy food program nagging others. What I have noticed is that they inspire others to eat and live better.


Also, thinking hard and thinking back to people who inspired me, people I really looked up to, set examples with their happy, free, fun lives!

I don't ever remember wanting to be like anyone who nagged me, ever!

When I ate nothing but bananas for a whole week, I was very surprised by something. My whole family wanted to drink my banana-only smoothies. Many times I have to remind my kids to "finish your shake" in the morning. But they absolutely loved the banana smoothies and banana milks I made. When I fast or go on a juice or mono diet, I don't usually say much about what everyone else is eating or doing around me. However, oftentimes when I'm rolling up and down the raw food roller-coaster ride of life, I can get irritated by the temptations around me and many times will voice my opinion about the harmful food my family seems to enjoy eating.


We hear that we can catch more bees (flies?) with honey. We hear that a positive attitude brings forth an open mind. People don't like to be judged or looked down upon about their lifestyle choices.


If you are living with cooked folks - try to set an example and be positive and enjoy your raw food lifestyle. Sooner or later they will follow because happiness is contagious!


Wednesday, March 05, 2008



Is Chocolate Really Healthy?

As a chocoholic, I have to constantly remind myself that there really is nothing health promoting about the stuff, and when I succumb to it, it's all about the taste!

Here's a great article about chocolate.

Coincidentally, cacao is really the same as cocoa...they all come from the same bean and what chocolate, raw or cooked is made from. Cacao is the revisited term for cocoa, which is how the trendy raw crowd refers to cocoa.



Is Raw Chocolate Healthy Or Even Raw?

Dear Friend,

First of all I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year. I look forward to sharing lots of powerful new information with you in 2006.

Have you been convinced that raw cacao is some kind of superfood or food of the gods? Below I'm going to share with you a number of resources that thoroughly discuss this issue. That way you can better make up your own mind.

I have tried raw chocolate or cacao nibs. From the first one I ate, I immediately felt a sense of stimulation. Stimulants like caffeine, drugs and even vitamin supplements are not things that promote health.

If you are being stimulated, your body is at the same time being enervated. A stimulant is simply a toxin to your body. The reason you feel the extra energy is because your body goes into a heightened elimination mode. You're body requires extra energy to eliminate this toxin and it releases reserve sugar into your bloodstream to provide it with the extra energy to eliminate the toxin.

** You Don't Get Energy from Caffeine and Stimulants, You Actually Lose Energy **

With caffeine for instance, the body is able to completely rid itself of the caffeine within two hours of ingesting it. All the extra energy you feel is literally robbing you of minerals, nutrients and energy so that you're body can eliminate this very toxic substance as quickly as it can.

This is the problem with so many claims to the health benefits of certain foods. These superfoods, may have some valuable nutrients in them, but their overall effect on your health might be more negative than positive. You always have to look to the overall effect of a food on your health, not just to a few nutrients in the food.

In my research of the nutrients in chocolate, there is no valuable nutrient in it, that isn't easily available in a variety fruits and vegetables. Remember, raw fruits and vegetables are the real superfoods for humans.

You can confirm this for yourself by using this great nutritional website:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html

You can put in any nutrient and it will tell you which foods are highest in that nutrient. Plus so much more.

*** Is Raw Chocolate Even Raw? ***

This is an interesting topic that has been highly debated. There are some experts who claim there is no way to make cacao taste like chocolate unless it is heated to cooking temperatures. This even goes for those so-called raw cacao companies that ferment their cacao beans. Supposedly they still have to heat the beans in order for them to taste any good at all.

I've read about this from several sources. Here's a post by Dr. Douglas Graham about this topic.

*~*~*~*~*~*
From: Dr. Doug Graham (DrGraham.vegsource.com)
Subject: Chocolate
Date: June 7, 2005 at 3:49 am PST

In Reply to: Naked Chocolate posted by Jamie Clark on June 5, 2005 at 5:35 pm:

Briefly, ever so briefly,

First, there is no raw chocolate being sold, anywhere. In order to taste like chocolate, cacao beans must be heated. I have lived in the tropics and have tried to bring out the chocolate taste in other ways, it simply cannot be done. There is no such thing as raw chocolate.
Even the chocolate that is fermented so said to be raw is eventually heated, and high enough to be cooked.

I am sure you know that heating the proteins in chocolate denatures them and causes them to become carcinogenic. I assume you are aware that heating the carbohydrates caramelizes them, adversely affecting their GI rating and also creating carcinogens. It made worldwide headlines three years ago that heating fats, even the fats in chocolate, results in the production of carcinogens, so that is no news to you, I am sure. It also results in the production of enzyme resistant protein bonds that are a causative agent in conditions ranging from arthritis to allergies, leaky gut, and many others. The double bonds of the fats in chocolate become triple bonds under the influence of heat making them physiologically nonviable for humans and adversely impacting upon our cholesterol levels.

As far as the components of chocolate, essentially it is a cocktail of toxic chemicals and drugs.
Cacao beans contain:
methylxanthines such as the stimulant drugs known as caffeine, theobromine, and theophyllin, all of which are known to produce permanent degenerative alterations in cellular protoplasm.
More tannin than tea.
Oxalic acid
Cannabinoids
Aflatoxins

There is not the time to go into the toxic impact of each of this drugs, but if you want such information I can supply it via a consultation. I am sure you can do a search on these substances to find their debilitating effects on human health.

So, chocolate is not raw, is defintely not health food, and cannot be considered a superfood. There is nothing about marketing chocolate that can be considered a positive except for the possible bottom line profits that it may offer.

Hope this helps,
Dr D

Here's the direct link to his post:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/messages/15852.html

This is a very informative post:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/messages/15839.html

For the whole discussion, you can continue reading here:

http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/messages/15830.html

From Another Forum:

http://snipurl.com/l6nq

Plus if you'll discover proof that a major raw food author plagiarized his first book.

*~*~*~*~*~*

*** Is Raw Chocolate Healthy? ***
Raw Cacao: another stimulant disguised as a healthy food

by Frédéric Patenaude

Many of my readers have been asking me what I think of the whole raw cacao craze. For those who don't know, raw cacao beans are now sold by different raw-food companies as the latest "superfood." Cacao beans are traditionally roasted and used to make chocolate. Now, raw-foodists have found a raw version of the beloved bean and are apparently using it for its magical properties.

First, let me start by explaining what my own personal use of cacao is. I've known for a long time that cacao is a stimulant. Not as strong as coffee, but its stimulating "qualities" are easy to spot when your body is not used to eating such foods. Because of this, I often used carob powder in my recipes. Carob powder is made from a fruit and has a taste that reminds of chocolate. It is naturally sweet. Instead of being a stimulant, carob is a mineral rich food and has a calming effect. So, like most raw-foodists, I used carob powder in my recipes. But, then one day, I decided to use cacao powder. I figured: if I'm going to make something that tastes like chocolate, why not use the real thing? I've noticed that cacao has a stimulating effect, but since I was using it occasionally (i.e. less than once a month) and just for fun in some recipes, I was not too bothered by that little indiscretion. However, I never considered it to be a health food.

Now, cacao beans are sold to us at an exorbitant price under the assumption that it's one of the best things we could ever eat. I couldn't disagree more.

First of all, cacao beans are not really food. If you found them in nature, you wouldn't eat the seeds. You would eat the fruit, which is apparently delicious, and throw away the seeds. Even if you wanted to eat the seeds, they would not taste like chocolate. In order for the cacao seeds to taste like chocolate and become the cacao beans that we know, they have to be fermented first. They are fairly bitter, indicating the presence of a poison. And when I say a "poison," I'm not making this up. Just do a little research and you'll discover that cacao contains many chemicals with a stimulating effects, such as theobromine and caffeine.

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A popular article on raw cacao beans claims that cacao "increase(s) your focus and alertness and contains nutrients to keep you happy."

My answer to that is the same as has been said and is being said about coffee. The fact is that what people actually confuse with "alertness" is actually an adrenal response to the stress that the body has to deal with when eliminating the toxins found in cacao beans. What you get is NOT energy. What you experience as energy is actually your body working hard to establish balance (homeostasis) again! It's like whipping a horse. Eventually, it will fall down.

Here's an excerpt from Neal Barnard's book, "Breaking the Food Seduction":

"Researchers at the University of Michigan brought out the truth about chocolate. In a research study, they gave 26 volunteers a drug called 'noxalone.' They then offered them a tray filled with Snicker's Bars, M&Ms, chocolate chip cookies, and Oreos. Normally, these snacks would have quickly disappeared. But, the drug knocked out the desire for chocolate. A candy bar was not much more exciting than a crust of dry bread.

“Noxalone is an opiate blocker. That is, it stops heroin, morphine, and other narcotics from affecting the brain. And, it blocks the effects of chocolate, too. This research study showed that chocolate's appeal does not come from its creamy texture or deep brown color. Chocolate stimulates the same part of the brain that morphine acts on. For all intents and purposes, chocolate is a drug - not necessarily a bad one and not a terribly strong one, but strong enough, nonetheless, to keep us coming back for more."

Many people would argue that when cacao is not cooked, these chemicals do not have the same effect on the body. But yet, those same people who say that actually admit to eating cacao beans for their stimulating effect! Many people have reported not being able to fall asleep if they eat cacao beans late at night and that they are still looking for the "best" time of the day to eat them. Others tell me that when they eat cacao beans, they get so much energy, but then have a "down" later on. Does that remind you of something?

If you like the taste, you could use some cacao once in a while in a recipe. But don't fool yourself into thinking that there's somehow something really good about this. Personally, I would consider using cacao when making a special desert for a special occasion. I don't recommend eating cacao otherwise. I don't find anything special in it. I don't buy the whole raw cacao craze and I don't think it is worth the price that is charged for it.

Remember: A rose by any other name is ... just as thorny. Have fun! ;-)


From: http://thinkandgoraw.com/IsRawChocolateHealthy.htm

Monday, January 21, 2008

Rawisms

Q: “My hair is falling out, what do I do?”
A: “You need to eat more fat.”

“I’m raw now and after eating SAD all my life. How to I make sure I get all my nutrients?”

“The raw police aren’t going to hunt you down!”

Q: “I’m not losing weight, what should I do?"
A: “You need to eat more fat.”

“I eat cacao every day because David Wolfe said so.”

“Now that I’ve been juicing I’m going to eat all this pulp in a recipe.”

Q: “I’m breaking out all over the place, what can I do?
A: “You need to eat more fat.”

“If Alissa Cohen uses it in her recipe I know it’s really raw.”

“I’ve been making nut milk and going to use this pulp in a recipe.”

Q: “I’m addicted to chocolate, what can I do?"
A: “Eat raw cacao.”

“This food makes me feel sick. Does this mean I have to stop eating it?”

Q: “My cholesterol is too high – what should I eat?”
A: “You need to eat more fat.”

“If I drink tea every day, what percentage raw does this make me?”

Q: “I’m so tired, what can I do?”
A: “You need to eat more fat.”

“Are Lara Bars really raw?”

“I want to get all the benefits of eating raw, but I still want to eat a few cooked things.”


Note: These are supposed to be funny, please don't take any of the Q & A's seriously!

Monday, January 07, 2008

Funny stuff from Tim Hawkins...

Tuesday, January 01, 2008



“There are so many appliances and equipment that I feel I should get – it’s overwhelming and expensive. What are the most important appliances of all when starting on a raw food diet?”

No appliance is worthwhile unless it is being used. So the question is, what kind of food person are you?

Do you eat simple foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and salads?
Do you plan on making a lot of gourmet recipes?

So...

If you are planning on eating fresh fruits & salads:


~Good quality knife (I love Santoku and ceramic knives)


~Bamboo cutting board - 1 extra for garlic, onions and ginger


~Salad Scissors


~Microplane or ginger grater


~Garlic press, I like Zyliss


~Magic Bullet, Tribest or other personal sized blender for dressings






If you are planning on making smoothies, soups & puddings:


~Good quality high speed blender, such as a Blend Tec or Vitamix







If you are planning to make all kind of gourmet recipes:


~ 11 or more cup food processor. High end would be a Kitchen Aid, more affordable would be a Black and Decker or Hamilton Beach


~Food dehydrator, high end and dependable would be Excalibur, also it is best for breads and no 'hole' in the middle, more affordable round with hole in the middle brands could be found at Wal-Mart, make sure there is a thermostat or it's no good.


~Veggie spiralizer for making zucchini pasta - Joyce Chen Saladacco for angel hair size noodles, Spirooli for spaghetti size noodles


~High speed blender










For Nut Milks:


~ Blender and nut bags or paint strainer bags from a home improvement store


-or-


~ A soy milk maker that has the option to make raw nut milks without heat

-or-

~ A Magic Bullet or other personal sized blender to make small amounts that don’t need to be strained using nut butter and water






For opening young coconuts:


~ Large, heavy wide butcher's type knife with a strong corner - for whacking out the shell


~strong paring knife - to help with prying off the shell


~ metal pierced or slotted serving spoon - for spooning out coconut meat


~I use a dead head mallet sometimes if the paring knife needs assistance getting through the shell






For soaking & sprouting seeds/nuts/grains:


~Large bowls or mason or quart jars


~Cloth and rubber bands or string for covering jars


~Mesh strainer




For making nut & seed yogurts and cheeses:


~cheesecloth & string for straining and hanging


~glass jars or containers




For juicing:


~Basket style juicer for most fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apples, celery citrus, etc. (firm to soft) - I have gone through quite a lot of juicers and have found Breville Juice Fountain Plus to be excellent. The lower setting is for your juicier fruits like oranges and grapes, higher setting for harder foods like apples and carrots.


~Citrus juicer – in the summer months when thin-skinned Valencia oranges are in season I use my OJ-ex juice press. All you have to do is cut oranges in half, instead of cutting the skins off when using the electric juicer.


~Twin gear juicer more specifically for greens and wheat grass. This juicer is slower and I don't have the patience, plus I throw my greens in my smoothies in the blender. Good brands are the Green Star, Green Life and Solo Star. These are excellent for making nut butters and fruit ice cream as they have a homogenizing feature.