Runner's Protein

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!

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?

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!

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.

Frederic Patenaude has a free weekly e-newsletter filled with unique nutrition tips, informative articles and exclusive interviews for you.

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

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!

Funny stuff from Tim Hawkins...

“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.

So you wanna give raw food a try...

You may have a lot of questions, but here are some sure-fire tips to help you along the way.

1) Eat a lot or at least when you feel hungry. You may feel hungry when your stomach is empty, and even though it isn't true hunger, if you are like most people, the only time you allow your stomach to empty out is during sleep, so this may be somewhat uncomfortable to you.

2) Eat lots of FRUIT. Bananas are really filling and satisfying. Blend several bananas with water and ice for an amazingly simple banana shake. You'd be surprised how good this tastes and how filling it is. Sometimes blending fruit makes it easier to eat in larger amounts, if you cannot eat fruit whole.

3) Have a well-stocked kitchen. The day before the you start, which will probably be on January 1, hit the produce section and get LOTS of fruit and salad fixings. Buy some raw nuts and seeds as well. Go to the store hungry so that you will buy the raw food that looks good to you.

4) Aim for ALL raw. Some people say they will just do 80% or 90% raw, but that leaves the cooked door open and cravings will happen. So try going all raw and see what happens. At best, you will feel light, full of energy and lose weight quickly, at worst you may experience some detox symptoms.

5) Allow whatever raw you want for the first 2-3 weeks. Even though a lower-fat diet is healthier in the long run, you need the first few weeks of transitioning time to be easier on you, and if you have to eat extra nuts or avocadoes then don't beat yourself up about it. True there are people who start out eating a fruit and greens based diet, but not eveyrone can do that from the beginning. If you need to use bottled salad dressing because you are not used to eating your greens naked or making your own dressing, that is okay. If you need to use sea salt on something, that is okay. As long as you are focusing on being raw, that is the important thing.

6) Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning and in the middle of the day between meals. This not only helps to curb hunger but will assist in the detoxification process. If you develop a headache or any other detox symptom, drink a glass or two of water. I like to drink cool water without ice - it goes down more quickly that way. You don't want to overload on water, but have enough to take you through the first few days.

7) Move ahead - keep moving forward and don't worry about those slip-ups that might occur. Dont' forget, the long time raw fooders slipped up many, many times before their footing took hold so don't let a night of pizza or a cooked vegetarian dinner stop you in your tracks, just get right back on your horse.

8) Detox means it's working! You may get a slight headache or be down with full-blown flu symptoms - this means that your body is detoxing some old matter. Work through it and don't be tempted to go back to your old diet. Drink and rest lots and in a few days you'll feel amazing again.

9) Dont obsess over nutrients. If you weren't worried about where you got your potassium, protein and B-12 on your past diet, don't start now. After a month or so you'll be able to pick your diet apart, but for now just concentrate on STAYING RAW. Enjoy all the fruits and vegetables, try new ones and different ways to prepare them.

10) Keep it to yourself. I say this from experience. Dont' shout from the rooftops that you are now raw and that everyone is killing themselves with their knives and forks. You will be met with resistance and even some backlashing, and people will ask you where you get your protein or will tease you about eating like a monkey or eating rabbit food. If you can help it, don't eat out for the first week or two and if you do have to eat in a social setting, have a simple entree sized salad or fruit plate and if met with questions, just say you don't feel very hungry and leave it at that.

Most of all, just have fun!

Slipping up...

Some words of wisdom from Richard Blackman



You can find out more about Richard Blackman here:

http://www.realgainz.com/Fruitarian

and here

http://www.fruitarianfitness.com/