Traditional Okinawa = one of the world's "Blue Zones"
"While the average life expectancy in the United States is 76.4 years, it’s 84 years old in Japan – and five times as many people from Okinawa live to be 100 years as their peers in the rest of the country" (Link). The traditional Okinawan diet includes soy, beans, sweet potatoes, green tea and fish (among other foods).
How much fish do Okinawans eat?
"The traditional Okinawa diet actually only includesthree servings of fish per week.Consuming these omega-3s boasts many anti-inflammatory benefits, including supporting healthy blood pressure, heart health, and brain function" (Link).
Omega 3 deficiency problems:
Now let's look at a single case study of a long-term raw vegan who had a stroke (anecdotal evidence, I know). When they looked at his blood, they found that his omega 3's were incredibly low. Here's the video.
At about 30 minutes into the above video, Mr. Norman discusses how algae supplements are often inferior, simply because it's hard to find the deep sea types of algae that salmon often eat. Also, hexane is often used in processing the oil from the algae. Of course, some algae supplements are better than others.
Humans have eaten fish throughout history, evidenced by our need for omega 3 fatty acids, B12, iodine and many other foods. Sure, some people do great on a vegan diet. However, others do far better eating our ancestral and "species specific" diet that includes some animal products (such as wild caught fish).
Here's a link where RFK talks about eating Northern Pike on a daily basis.
1) Eating wild caught fish can improve mood. Wild caught fish is high in B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, iodine and Omega 3 fatty acids. All of these things work together to improve mood (Link).
2) Eating wild caught fish can improve libido. (Link)
3) Eating wild caught fish can improve your eyes. (Link)
Do you like whales?
Did you know that whales eat roughly 5,500 pounds of fish per day (link)? Now that you know this fact... do you still like whales? I guess my point is that eating your ancestral diet (for health reasons) does not inherently make you "evil."
All of the following people have found success on a high raw diet. Basically, most of their food is uncooked and vegan, yet they also tend to include some cooked foods. While fruit is a part of their diets, they do not eat fruit as their primary source of calories. Instead their diets tend to focus on foods like avocados, salads, vegetable juices, cooked beans, green smoothies, nuts, seeds and even some oils.
Annette Larkins, Born in 1942: "She's been a vegetarian for 54 years, but over the last 30 years she has perfected her raw vegan diet. Her plant-based diet does not include any animal products. The food she eats is unprocessed and uncooked. Her dishes include vegetarian nut loaf, zucanni chips, and savory okra crisps. Annette says it's never too late to reap the benefits of a vegan lifestyle." (Link)
Mimi Kirk, Born in 1938: “I’ve been a vegetarian or vegan for the better part of 40 years. However, when I turned 69, I became a raw vegan because my blood pressure and cholesterol were up and I was starting to feel arthritic pains in my joints. Six months later, at my doctor’s appointment, everything was normal. And the best part: I didn’t have to start taking any prescriptions drugs.” (Link)
Generally speaking, the more that a food is processed, the less the human body recognizes it as food. "Many processed foods are stripped bare, rendering them of little or no nutritional value" (Link). Raw fruits and vegetables are the least processed foods on the planet. They have not been preserved, canned, boiled, sliced, or irradiated. "Cooking for long periods of time can destroy some of the vitamin content of produce. This is well-established in the scientific community" (Link).
"Living Foods for Living Bodies"
Raw foods are also living foods. For example, if you cook a sunflower seed, that seed is now dead, and cannot grow. Literally, the life is gone from that seed. Raw food author and speaker Jay Kordich is now 90 years old (in 2013). He says that raw foods helped cure him life-threatening cancer in his 20's. He documented his experiences in an excellent book called "Living Foods for Living Bodies".
Then Why Not 100% Raw?
"Most adherents of the raw food diet strive for 75 to 95 percent compliance. For most people, this would require too much effort and too great a shift in dietary habits and desires. For this reason, dietitian and raw food coach Linda Ruff encourages people to adopt a 50 percent raw diet. This half-raw diet ensures adequate intake of enzyme-rich foods while leaving room for the cooked foods familiar to most people. A 50 percent raw diet may be your final goal, or a transitional step toward a more fully raw diet" (Link). A half raw diet also allows for very healthy cooked foods such as beans, stir fry, soup, rice, potatoes and many others.
What Else is Allowed on a "'Half Raw Diet"?
Your remaining food can include more fruits and vegetables if you want. Or it can also include healthy vegan foods such as potatoes, rice, beans, grains, nuts, seeds, soups, stir fry, healthy cereals, healthy breads, hummus, nut milks, healthy oils, etc. Non-vegans can also include organic and humanely attained eggs and dairy. Personally, I currently promote a vegetarian diet, but non-vegetarians can include wild caught fish and even organic meats if they choose. But again, on a Half Raw Diet, you want to make sure that at least half of your calories come from raw fruits and vegetables.
What are Some Great Raw Foods?
Salads
Fresh Juice (I recommend purchasing an affordable juicer at your local Wal-Mart or similar store)
Fruit Smoothies (I also recommend purchasing an affordable blender)
Green Smoothies (75% fruit, 25% green vegetables of your choice)
Fresh Fruits and vegetables
Avocados
Raw nuts and seeds
I usually try to follow a "Raw until 4" diet - meaning I don't eat any cooked foods or animal products at least until dinner. However, this morning I was really craving some free range eggs, cooked sunny side up. I think it's important to listen to your body, as it often tells you what you may be deficient in. Since I believe in the importance of being flexible, I enjoyed some eggs with my breakfast today.
It has been proven that if chickens are treated humanely, their eggs are much healthier. I always try and buy certified humane free range eggs, or local free range eggs. Humanely raised hens have full access to the outdoors, and do not have their beaks cut off, etc.Ideally, roosters also shouldn't be viewed as burdens, but rather as companions and protectors of hens. Some people are of the misconception that fertilized eggs all eventually hatch. This is not at all the case, as modern hens usually don't sit on their eggs (Link). It should be noted that fertilized eggs have been eaten and enjoyed throughout history.
Ideally I'd like to be "off" all animal products (vegan), as I believe that's possibly the healthiest approach for me (as followed by healthy long-term raw vegans such as Jay Kordich, Karen Calabrese, Lou Corona, Markus Rothkranz, Brian Clement, Gabriel Cousens, etc.). I also notice that I crave eggs less when I am consuming a vegan protein powder in the morning. I've been out of vegan protein powder lately, and plan on purchasing some on my way home from work today.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is an absolute powerhouse of most of the essential B vitamins. Usually, nutritional yeast is also fortified with B-12.
Supplements:In today's highly sterilized world, vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal products such as milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt and meat. Therefore, it is wise for vegans to consider taking a supplement and / or consider eating B12 fortified foods. Fermented Foods: Fermented foods such as kombucha, rejuvelac and sauerkraut are said to contain B12. In her book, "Soak Your Nuts," popular raw vegan author Karen Calabrese says, "I have been a vegan for over thirty years and rarely supplement with B12. I believe that the fermented foods, like sauerkraut and rejuvelac, in my diet are to credit". Popular raw vegan Jay Kordich also promotes tempeh as a source of B12.
Vegan Yogurt: Most vegan yogurts are fortified with B12 now, and they're a healthy and delicious way to get your B12.
Kombucha: You can check the labels for Kombucha, and you'll see that many brands contain a good amount of vitamin B12 (Link).
Vegan Milks:
Cereal: Many cereals are vegan by default, and they're usually fortified with B12.
Organic Produce: One significant study reveals that plants "grown on soil fertilized with cow dung showed substantially higher levels of B12 than those grown without cow dung, the increases for barley and spinach being statistically significant" (Link).
Just as humans can get B12 from organically grown greens (especially greens fertilized with manure), cows that are pasture fed are also able to get enough B12 without the need of a supplement. However, when cows are taken off the pasture, they must get their vitamin B12 from supplements (again, this is similar to humans).
Of course, cows do not wash, sterilize or spray pesticides on grass before they eat it. As a result, they have no problem getting enough B12 from organic pastures.
Natural Drinking Water: "Adventist health scientist Matt Steele wondered about this for a long time. Vitamin B12 is almost the universal product of bacterial action. So it dawned on him that it might have come from natural drinking water -- which would have had many bacteria in its catchment area. He tested the water in the Yarra River near Warburton Adventist Hospital in Australia. The river water there is good drinking quality. When he tested it, he found one litre (two pints) of the water contained the Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin B12" (Link).
"Mud Baths" and Bare Feet:While I don't recommend bare feet because of the possibility of stepping in infected animal feces, soil is one common source of B-12. "Recently, I met with a Jain Saint who has been living Vegan life for last 6 years. He was not aware about B-12 bacteria. I suggested him to take B-12 dosages. What he told me is unique way to take b-12 by putting legs inside soil (as you know B-12 bacteria are there in soil) for at least 2 hours, so that body skin will absorb all essential bacteria and minerals. According to him, like our body absorbs oil while massaging with it, our body will absorb what it needs. He also said that bare feet walking on the earth also helps. According to him, we should live as much as close with earth, sunlight, fresh air, fresh and organic food, less and less artificial food" (Link).
Eggs and Dairy: Another option (that is not vegan) is to add grass fed dairy and/or free range eggs into your diet.
In the "Blue Zones" study by National Geographic, Deborah Kotz from US News and World Report says that the Adventist church has one of the healthiest diets, and therefore one of the longest life expectencies. "It's pretty accepted now in the medical community - with all of the scientific research that's been looking at Adventists - that they live longer than their peers." On their website, the Adventist church recommends "A generous use of whole grains, vegetables and fruits; and a moderate use of low fat dairy products (or nutritional equivalent alternatives), legumes, and nuts; a very limited use of foods high in saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt; abstinence from tobacco, alcohol, and coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages."
One study found that people who ate a plant-based diet most of the time "decreased their risk of developing heart failure by 42 percent over a four-year period compared to people who ate a plant-stingy diet" (Link).
In one study from 1999 Meta-Analysis concluded that "Lacto-ovo vegetarians (23,265 people) had a 38% reduced rate of dying from lung cancer, a 34% reduced rate of dying from heart disease, and a 15% reduced rate of mortality (Link).
Many studies have confirmed that eating fresh (raw), unprocessed whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables can dramatically improve your health. And so a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is rich in fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, raw nuts, raw seeds and legumes. Because a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet also includes grass fed dairy and free range eggs, it is also rich in vitamin B12, Omega 3 (DHA),vitamin D, vitamin K2, vitamin A, iron and protein.When done correctly, a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet does not harm or kill any animals.
In addition to his salads, Hof's meal might include vegetable soup and pasta. "During the day, he drinks green tea, coffee, water, and snacks on fruit and nuts. He might sometimes enjoy a beer in the evening. His diet is low in calories and he engages in intermittent fasting" (Link).
________________________________________________
Dr. Ben Carson is the former American director of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as well as a world famous neurosurgeon. He is a 7th Day Adventist Christian and follows the vegetarian recommendations of the diet (Link).
________________________________________________
Long Term Raw Vegan Drops to 96 lbs.
Heals with Eggs and Dairy
After almost dying as a long-term raw food vegan, Matt Monarch added eggs and dairy back into his diet. As a raw vegan, he dropped to 96 pounds and almost died from a problem with colitis. Check out his story below!
Gandhi tried a vegan diet, but ultimately started drinking goats milk again because severe deficiencies threatened his life (Link).
Raw Goat Milk Heals 20 Year Vegan of Back Pain
John from http://www.okraw.com/ interviews Jeremy Saffron on how he healed a ruptured disc in his back by drinking raw goat milk and consuming other raw dairy products. In this episode, John visits 20 year long-term raw foodist at his 30 acre farm to share with you why a 20 year strict raw foodist would turn to eating raw dairy products for their benefits.
Medical Doctor and long-term raw foodist Stanley Bass switched from a vegan diet to a vegetarian diet after experiencing deficiencies.
"The solid proof of the great potential of this basic raw food vegetarian diet which has been proven successful with the mice, clearly indicates that humans now, for the first time, have a 100% raw food program which they may go on safely, free from all deficiencies.I know of no other raw food program in existence which is totally free from deficiencies at present...With the addition of raw egg yolk, and possibly raw milk cheese or Ricotta (or instead of cheese, a small amount of raw or steamed fish once or twice a week of about 3 1/2 to 4 oz. a serving), we should have an ultimate raw diet, or near one" (Link).
"Dr. Stanley S. Bass speaks on a Raw Vegetarian Diet."
____________________________
Dr. Robert Cassar doesn't eat meat, and he practices intermittent fasting daily. He recommends avoiding all alcohol and processed foods. Most of his diet is raw foods, with some cooked beans, avocados, olive oil, free range eggs and many other organic vegetarian foods. Dr. Cassar tends to recommend higher fat foods over higher sugar foods.
____________________________
"Nazariah"
"I’m 46 now and I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 17. At that age, I not only became a vegetarian but also a raw foodist. I included raw dairy into my diet because I had met an elderly Essene teacher who recommended that. Historically, that used to be the Essene diet. The Essenes, for the most part, were not vegans. They were vegetarians and many of them were raw foodists, but they ate fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir. So that was my diet was for 7 years. During that time, I did great — no problems at all.
Then, when I had moved to another location, I became very attracted to the vegan philosophy, because it is a beautiful philosophy. I then became a raw vegan.
After 5 years on a raw vegan diet, I lost the ability to walk. All of my extremities — my hands, my fingers and my feet — were in such pain that I couldn’t move. I had central nervous system problems and I was B12 anemic. All of that happened after 5 years on a raw vegan diet.
So I switched back to eating the raw fermented dairy products. At that point, being as nerve-damaged as I was, I also included eggs. I healed myself by reintroducing those products." (Link)
In his words, Nazariah now says that the world's healthiest diet is... "A vegetarian diet that’s not a junk food vegetarian diet — but one based good, whole, organic foods.
The healthiest diet would have one meal a day that is a raw vegetable salad — a major vegetable salad, not a little iceberg lettuce, but with romaine lettuce, broccoli, etc. — a real heavy-duty salad.
Another meal would be cooked and feature things like steamed veggies, or a stir-fry, so it would have a lot of cooked vegetation in it.
A third meal simply would be fruit, like a fruit breakfast or a smoothie.
In there, somewhere, you’ve got to get your protein. So either with your salad, or with your cooked meal, you want to have yogurt or kefir, or hard-boiled eggs on your salad, or something.
Could that be beans?
It can some days, but if it were going to always be that, then that would be vegan, and the whole point of everything I’ve just told you is that it seems that the vegan diet isn’t beneficial in the long-term. If a person were going to be a vegan, they could be having some tofu, tempeh, or some sort of a bean-type protein with their steamed veggies. That diet would be a healthy vegan diet, as far as vegan diets go. But what I’m saying is that the latest research is that the vegan diet itself is deficient in the long-term" (Link).
After serious B12 deficiency and desire to avoid long-term B12 shots, long-term raw vegan adds animal products back into diet:
In the below video, Natasha St. Michael details how a vegan diet left her severely B12 deficient. So she is now eating animal products such as fish and eggs on a daily basis, though she is still eating many raw fruits and vegetables. She stated in other videos that she only eats meat because she has no access to dairy.
Some People Thrive as Vegans. Others Don't
Many studies, such as the China Study, have suggested that the world's healthiest diet is a whole foods vegan diet. Today, we also have healthy examples of long-term vegans such as Karen Calabrese, Jay Kordich, Lou Corona, Dr. John McDougall and Dr. Gabriel Cousens (link). However, on a vegan diet, some supplements are essential - especially B-12. Yet some people don't absorb B-12 supplements well and ultimately add milk and eggs back into their diet simply to survive. A lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is a predominately plant-based diet, yet includes grass fed dairy and/or free range eggs for B12, omega 3, protein, vitamin D, etc.
Note: I promote eggs and dairy only as a backup plan to a vegan diet. I believe that eggs and dairy are healthy only when they are free from factory farming and raised in a natural, humane way. Vegetarianism has a rich history throughout the world, especially in India, and can even be ethical in my opinion, especially when compared with the meat industry (Link). That being said, I think it's easier to find humane eggs than humane dairy, simply because unfertilized eggs will never hatch. If these eggs aren't eaten, they will simply absorb into the soil and provide fertilization for plants.
1) Try to avoid combining fruits with fats during a meal. Because fruits are fast-burning sugars, they do not mix well with slow-burning fats. Combining them can create digestion discomfort.
2) To avoid fast food places such as McDonalds and Taco Bell, consider traveling with some water, a cutting board and a knife. This way you can stop at any grocery store and eat "fast food"... the raw way!
3) If you have trouble eating 100% raw foods, try going "raw until dinner".
4) Find a friend or two who will encourage your "healthy habits". Joining a raw food meetup group (www.meetup.com) may be a great place to start!
6) "Supplements" is not a bad word. Deficiencies are common in any diet and can be easily avoided through some simple supplementation. Check out my list of beneficial supplements Here (This website makes no money from promoting any supplements).
7) Avoid stomach discomfort by limiting your intake of nuts to a handful or two per day.
8) Forgive yourself if you "mess up" by eating unhealthy food sometimes. While raw foods do help increase our health and vitality, it is also helpful to not freak out about maintaining complete perfection! That being said, lots of "cheating" on any diet will likely delay the positive results we are looking for.
9) Finding enough calories on a raw food diet can be tricky. Some great raw, vegetarian calorie sources include:
- fruits (bananas, dates, figs, mangoes, watermelon, cantaloupes, apples, pineapple, etc.) - green smoothies (50% fruit and 50% greens plus water, blended). A green smoothie makes a great breakfast (and lunch if you want)! - salads (click Here for many different salad ingredients!) - juices (carrot celery juice, apple cucumber juice, etc.). - fats (Up to 1-2 avocados daily, nuts, seeds, etc. For Ovo Lacto vegetarians: raw milk cheese, raw free range eggs, etc.) 10) Variety helps. A balanced raw food diet includes fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Also, people on a high raw vegan diet should include healthy foods such as beans, rice and baked potatoes.Ovo Lacto vegetarians can also consider grass fed dairy and/or free range eggs.
Fast food and processed foods have become so common that they have become the norm in our society. As a result, eating natural, unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, wild caught fish, etc., can make a person stand out and even be labeled as "weird". Yet those who are quick to use the term "health nut" should also remember that 2/3 of Americans are overweight (Link) and over half of Americans are on chronic prescription medications (Link).
In other words, there are far worse things than being labeled a "health nut". The research proves that our bodies do much better on a whole, natural foods diet (Link). And - contrary to popular contemporary opinion - there was life before the 1950's emergence of fast food chains, preservatives and artificial ingredients.
In keeping with "Raw Until Dinner", my first two meals today consisted of 100% raw vegan foods. So for dinner I decided to have some cooked foods with my raw foods. This fits in with the "High Raw Diet", though every day may look different for different people!
Wild Caught Salmon - $1
Fresh Organic Carrot Juice - $1
Grapefruit - $0.75
Organic Salad with Organic Blue Cheese Dressing - $1
I write this post now guilty of unhealthy holiday eating. "You've gotta let your hair down sometimes," is a common reason given for holiday overeating. Yet between Christmas, New Years, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Valentines Day, birthdays, sports games, graduations, etc, there is always a reason to party. In other words, I feel like we let our hair down a little too much. I don't want to be satisfied with a status-quo that has 2/3 of American adults overweight (Link) and over half of us on chronic prescription medications (Link). Also, unhealthy eating has been linked with increased risk of depression (Link). Below are a few tips to avoid the often present temptations of holiday overeating.
1) Eat beforehand if possible. Being surrounded by unhealthy foods on an empty stomach is usually not a good idea for those of us trying to remain healthy during the holiday season.
2) Eat healthy party foods first. Most holiday parties offer some healthy foods to enjoy. Focus on salads, vegetables, fruits or nuts first. You may find that these healthier options are filling enough. And even if they are not, they will leave less room in your stomach for unhealthy foods, which means fewer belly pounds to work off the following week.
3) Postpone eating until later if necessary. At holiday parties, we are all bound to eat foods we would not normally eat. Yet we all have our limits. For example, if the only food options available are chips, cookies, pop and beer, learning to say "no thanks" might be the best option. It is better to go hungry for an hour or two than eat foods that sap us of our energy, strength or vitality.
4) Forgive yourself. Expecting perfection is neither realistic nor helpful. I believe there is a time for occasionally "coloring outside the lines." The problem is when we form unhealthy food addictions or engage in binge eating. Still, we can not effect the past, only the future. Enjoying the journey is just as important as reaching the destination!
'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food'
(Hippocrates - Father of Medicine)
1) One very large international study has found that people eating a plant based diet live an average of 8 years longer than those eating a diet with a lot of animal products (Link 1)(Link 2). 2) "Combined data from the EPIC-Oxford cohort and the Oxford Vegetarian Study (including 31,470 meat-eaters, 8,516 fish-eaters, 18,096 vegetarians and 2,228 vegans) found that, compared with meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans had around 50 per cent lower mortality from pancreatic cancer (Appleby et al., 2016). When they excluded those who changed diet group during the study (possibly reflecting the onset of illness), compared with regular meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans had around 50-60 per cent lower mortality" (Link).
3) T. Colin Campbell is an American biochemist who specializes in the effects of nutrition on long-term health. He is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and the author of over 300 research papers. Campbell wrote the ground-breaking book called "The China Study," and he recommends a plant based diet that focuses mainly on whole foods (cooked and raw). Campbell says, "It’s not because we have data to show that 100 percent plant-based eating is better than 95 percent. But if someone has been diagnosed with cancer or heart disease, it’s smart to go ahead and do the whole thing. If I start saying you can have a little of this, a little of that, it allows them to deviate off course. Our taste preferences change. We tend to choose the foods we become accustomed to, and in part because we become addicted to them, dietary fat in particular" (Link).
Referencing the above study by T.Colin Campbell, former U.S. President Bill Clinton decided to eat a plant based diet after being confronted with heart disease (link). 4) At 1:15 in the following video, Deborah Kotz from US News and World Report says that the Adventist church has one of the healthiest diets, and therefore one of the longest life expectancies. "It's pretty accepted now in the medical community - with all of the scientific research that's been looking at Adventists - that they live longer than their peers." On their website, the Adventist church recommends "A generous use of whole grains, vegetables and fruits; and a moderate use of low fat dairy products (or nutritional equivalent alternatives), legumes, and nuts; a very limited use of foods high in saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt; abstinence from tobacco, alcohol, and coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages."
5) "A few years ago, scientists identified five groups of long-lived elderly people (aged 70 and older) – Japanese in Japan, Swedes in Sweden, Anglo-Celtic people in Australia, and Greeks in both Greece and Australia – and observed them for the next seven years, tracking their health status and food choices among nine different categories: vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, cereals, dairy products, meat, fish, and monounsaturated fats. A total of 785 elderly people were followed.
The researchers found that legumes were the most important dietary predictor of survival among the elderly, “regardless of their ethnicity,” they wrote. For every 20-gram increase in daily legume intake (20 grams is about three-quarters of an ounce), 'there is a 7 to 8% reduction in mortality hazard ratio.'" (Link)
6) According to the US National Cancer Institute, "People whose diets are rich in plant foods such as fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of getting cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, and there is some suggested evidence for a lower risk of cancers of the colon, pancreas, and prostate. They are also less likely to get diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. A diet high in fruits and vegetables helps to reduce calorie intake and may help to control weight. To help prevent these cancers and other chronic diseases, experts recommend 4 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, depending on energy needs. This includes 2 to 5 servings of fruits and 2 to 8 servings of vegetables, with special emphasis on dark-green and orange vegetables and legumes" (Link). 7) "An interesting new study...found that avoiding meat, fish and poultry leads to more frequent reports of positive mood. The researchers, from Benedictine University in Illinois and Arizona State University, noted that in general, vegetarians report better mood than omnivores (those whose diets include meat, fish and poultry)" (Link). 8) The following is from Dr. Oz's website: "Red meat is still linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but it’s not just from the fat. New research points to a substance found in red meat called L-carnitine. This new research suggests that L-carnitine, either from red meat or taken in supplement form, poses a threat to your heart" (link).
9) This is from NBCnews.com: "A startling study shows men who have the highest levels of these compounds [from fish oil] – the kinds found in fish but not in vegetable sources -- have a higher risk of prostate cancer. Men with the very highest levels had a 71 percent higher risk of high-grade prostate cancer – the kind most likely to spread and kill, they report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute" (Link). 10) Another in-depth 500-participant survey of those eating a raw food diet included people who followed an 80 to 90% raw foods diet for 2 years. Those reporting “a lot” of stress in life after transitioning to live foods dropped from 56% to 20%. 81% felt they had developed emotionally “quite a bit” or “tremendously”. Also of great significance was the reduction in the number of respondents reporting chronic fatigue (from 16% to 3.6%), candida (from 21% to 5%), depression (from 27% to 7%), anxiety (from 22% to 8%), weak immune system (from 17% to 0.2%), hypoglycemia (from 15% to 2.6%), fibromyalgia (from 5.6% to 1.5%), osteoarthritis (from 4.8% to 2.8%), and cancer (from 2.7% to 0.4%) (link).
11) "One study of 141 American long-term (mean time 28 months) adherents to a raw foods diet found self-reported improvements in health and quality of life after adoption of the diet" (link)
12) In one study taken at the Department of Physiology, University of Kuopio, Finland, "quality of sleep and general health improved" for those following a vegan raw foods diet (Link). 13) One study confirmed that "Uncooked food can be seen as a useful adjunct to drugs in the treatment of allergic, rheumatic and infectious diseases" (link).
14) "A large, cross-sectional study conducted by investigators at the University of Melbourne in Australia shows that...the Western diet was associated with a 50% increased likelihood of depression. 'Simply put, if you habitually eat a healthy diet that includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality lean meat, then you may cut your risk of depression and anxiety,' principal investigator Felice Jacka, PhD, told Medscape Psychiatry." (link)
15) A BBC News article reports that "Those who ate the most whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who at the least whole foods. By contrast people with a diet high in processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods."(link) 16) "A new study from England found that depressive feelings were more common among those who ate more processed foods, and less common in those with a diet consisting of 'whole foods' (i.e. fruits, vegetables, minimally processed grains)." (link)
17) "It can be concluded that vegan diet had beneficial effects on fibromyalgia symptoms at least in the short run" (link). 18) According to another BBC News article, 9 volunteers who ate a raw vegan diet enjoyed "good energy levels and mood", lower cholesterol and lower blood pressures (link). 19) According to a recent BBC News article, "People who follow a raw food vegetarian diet are light in weight but healthy, according to US researchers" (link). 20) "According to Dr. Greger (nutritionfacts.org), prescription drugs are actually the 6th leading cause of death! (Most could be avoided on a nutrient-denseraw vegan diet.)." (link)
Note: For a realistic, balanced approach of adding raw foods into your diet, check out the "High Raw Diet" by clicking HERE.
This woman claims to have beaten lymes disease on a high carb, raw vegan diet.
Jay Kordich claims to have beaten cancer on a raw food diet. He lived to his late 90's on a mostly raw, fully vegan diet.
Audree Lee claims to have utilized a raw vegan diet in her journey of surviving and even overcoming cancer.
John Rose has been on a raw food vegan diet the majority of his adult life. In this video he explains how it changed his life.
Markus Rothkranz is 50 years old but looks 30. He says a raw vegan diet saved his life. Markus also supplements vitamin B12.
Philip McCluskey lost over 200 pounds on a raw vegan diet. He says the diet also helped heal his depression and renew his confidence and love of life.
Many studies over the past 25 years have detailed the benefits of eating mostly uncooked, plant-based foods. However, some people find that 100% raw vegan foods does not work for them. But is there a more practical way to eating raw foods than "Fully Raw 100% of the time. No exceptions"? Jay Kordich - The Father Of Juicing
From the FAQ section of his website, 88 year old Jay Kordich details how he follows the high raw diet:
You speak about the 75/25 principle. What does that mean?
"It basically means that most of our foods should be living, raw, unadulterated, sunbaked foods. Then the other 25% can be in either soups, sprouted grains, legumes or steamed vegetables. In our book, "Live Foods - Live Bodies" we have an instructional diagram of these food groups that's easy to follow. Also, we eat more cooked foods in the fall and wintertime. Unless you live in a very warm area, where the temperature does not fall below 45 degrees throughout the year, you should be consuming warmer foods in the fall and winter, then more living foods in the spring and summer." LINK
Are canned foods the same as fresh foods? In the following video, Dr. Eric Bakker talks about the differences between canned and fresh foods.
Kevin Gianni - High Raw Diet
In his book titled, "High Raw", nutrition specialist Kevin Gianni defines a high raw diet:
"The concept of High Raw is hardly new. A High Raw food diet includes 75%–95% raw foods.
(1) Eat 75%–95% whole, raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
(2) Eat 0–20% cooked vegetables, steamed vegetables, cooked legumes and cooked grains.
(3) Use the remaining 5% for FUN! You decide what fun means to you. Whether it means more raw food, animal protein or dessert, this is your time to play and enjoy yourself."
Gianni continues: "Here’s the simplest approach: in order to eliminate a lot of confusion around nutrition and science, the basis of your entire diet should be whole foods. Not super foods, not supplements, not anything else but whole foods — ripe, raw, uncooked, whole foods."
Paul Nison discusses the High-Raw Diet
Philip McCluskey - From 100% Raw to High Raw
Philip McCluskey lost over 200 lbs. on a raw food vegan diet. Yet after living for over 4 years as a raw food vegan, McCluskey added some cooked foods back into his diet. Why? To gain muscle mass. Basically he encourages personal experimentation with possibly adding healthy, unprocessed cooked foods to an already high raw diet: LINK
"Raw Til' Dinner"
If you are looking for a practical way to begin a "High Raw Diet" or even just add more raw foods to your diet, I think you will find great advice in my other post, "Raw Til Dinner". 100% Raw Diet = High Failure Rate
Author Tom Billings from "Beyond Veg" details some common issues that many of these people run into. "Readers should be aware that 100% raw vegan diets have a dismal record of failure in the long-term. Surprisingly, mixed diets (i.e., raw plus cooked) have a better record of success, in the long-term, than do 100% raw diets." He then encourages "a DIVERSE diet that includes raw vegetables, fruits, sprouts, nuts, avocados, seeds, and if you are open to the possibility, other foods as well (e.g., cooked foods, raw dairy, raw honey, and even animal foods if you have no objections)...Diversity in diet is an important part of the solution to the calorie paradox, and food phobias or food obsessions (common problems in raw) are to be avoided." LINK
Whenever possible or practical, I like to follow a 95% raw until dinner diet. This means that 95% of the foods I eat until dinner are raw and vegetarian. It also allows for some flexibility with non-raw things like organic vegan salad dressings, nuts, seeds and even multi-vitamins. Heck, I'm even open to the possibility of green tea or organic black coffee in the morning. However, the point is to eat vegetarian, 95% raw (uncooked) foods until dinner. I'm a firm believer that this will boost the joy of most people who try it.
For those who can't eat raw foods for whatever reason, a whole foods vegan diet is another great option. However, remember that we as humans are the only animal that regularly cooks its food. For most animals, there is only raw food. We as modern humans have been a bit spoiled with the convenience of portable fire and fuel. But, just because it's convenient doesn't mean it's optimal.
One example of a raw until dinner approach is eating fresh fruit, a fruit smoothie and/or raw oatmeal for breakfast and a salad, raw lettuce wrap or raw soup for lunch while enjoying whole foods - raw and/or cooked - for dinner.
In her book titled the Raw Food Detox Diet, nutritionist Natalia Rose talks about the "raw til dinner" diet. "Some of my more advanced clients find that eating only uncooked plant foods until their dinner meal works very well for them. They segregate their day into two parts and know they can have a broad range of choices for a cooked dinner every night after eating a storehouse of enzymes all day. I call this 'raw til dinner'" (p. 45, The Raw Food Detox Diet).
Rose emphasizes the value of eating fresh fruit for breakfast: "Eating only fruit in the morning is the best breakfast for a number of reasons. First, it enables you to eat one purely raw food meal in the day, which means that without much effort you could reach a minimum of 30 percent raw foods... Second, with only twenty to thirty minutes transit time in the stomach, fresh fruit delivers energy to the body without wasting digestive energy" (p. 47, The Raw Food Detox Diet).
Another author named Nathalie Lussier also discusses the "raw til dinner" plan on her website: "One of the simplest ways to add more raw foods into your diet, is to go raw until dinner. The idea is that you eat raw meals for breakfast, and lunch, and your snacks are raw. Then dinner is up to you, you can choose to eat the foods that you always eat, but you’ll notice that soon enough you’ll be attracted to eating more healthful foods even in the evening" (link).
Success Story
Lastly, check out this amazing video of a woman who helped heal her eczema, psoriasis and allergies by eating a "raw til dinner" plant-based diet:
1) Processed Sugars
2) Fake Sugars (aspartame, etc.)
3) Fried Foods
4) Artificial additives (preservatives, flavors, colors, etc.)
5) Hydrogenated Oils
6) Avoid eating non-organic animal products such as dairy, eggs or meat. Many healthy people (Jay Kordich, Karen Calabrese, Markus Rothkranz, Matt Monarch, John Kohler) avoid all animal products.
7) Excess amounts of sodium and table salt
8) Pasteurized juice
9) Gluten (wheat) rich foods
Foods to Eat
Fruits
Raw sweet fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, pineapples, etc.)
Freshly squeezed juice
Olives and extra virgin olive oil
Avocado
Red wine (small amounts with meals)
Coconut milk
Coconut oil (for cooking)
Organic apple cider vinegar (A great salad dressing)
Vegetables
Raw vegetables Steamed or grilled vegetables
Vegetable soups
It is a little known fact that people still ate lunch before fast food chains emerged in the 1950's. Even since the dawn of fast food chains, many brave souls have opted to save money and eat healthier by packing a lunch. One problem that many people have when trying to pack a lunch is that they don't have time in the morning. In this case a good option is to pack a lunch the night before. Doing this saves gas money, gives you more time to enjoy your lunch break and lets you choose healthier options that many fast food chains might not offer (or will charge more for). That being said, if packing a lunch is not an option for you, check out these healthy fast food options!
