As a forward, this site does not claim to cure or prevent any disease. I am not a doctor or a medical professional.
With that being said, this is an amazing story this man is sharing about his plant based success story. Personally I do believe in a mostly plant based diet that includes some fish (similar to the Chris Wark diet). Anyways, here's his exciting story!
Bananas are an amazing source of several vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, iron, manganese, magnesium and potassium. Also, they are rich in digestive enzymes, fiber, electrolytes and water.
In today's era of keto and paleo diets, bananas generally get a bad rap, mostly because of the sugar content. However, let's look at the facts instead of the fads.
1) "Studies have shown nonsmoking Adventists who ate 2 or more servings of fruit per day had about 70 percent fewer lung cancers than nonsmokers who ate fruit once or twice a week" (Link).
2) One 13-year study in women determined that those who ate bananas 2–3 times per week were 33% less likely to develop kidney disease. Other studies note that those who eat bananas 4–6 times a week are almost 50% less likely to develop kidney disease than those who don't eat this fruit (Link).
3) "According to the New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can reduce the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40 per cent" (Link).
4) "One study published in the journal Molecules in 2014 specifically examined lectins in bananas. The authors reported that lectins have the potential for suppressing cancer cell proliferation" (Link).
5) "Higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to two studies published by The BMJ today. The findings suggest that even a modest increase in consumption of these foods as part of a healthy diet could help prevent type 2 diabetes" (Link).
After almost dying as a long-term raw food vegan, Matt Monarch added eggs and dairy back into his diet. As a raw vegan doing daily colonics for several years, Monarch dropped to 96 pounds and almost died from a problem with colitis. Check out his story below!
In November of 2019, one of the most popular and influential raw food icons, Matt Monarch, released a video of how he recently weighed 98 pounds and developed colitis on a raw vegan diet. He was on his death bed and was rushed to an emergency room, where they helped nurse him back to health.
This was personally quite heart-breaking, since I've been following Monarch's videos for about a decade now. He's one the raw food pioneers that transformed his health and helped many others along the way over the past 15 years or so. So to see him in such a debilitating condition - not looking like his old self at all - is really quite hard to come to grips with.
My personal theory about Matt Monarch has 2 points. First, he admits that he was doing coffee colonics on a daily basis for several years. While I do believe enemas and colonics have their place, I think it can be very dangerous to do them this often. Coffee enemas and colonics deplete nutrients and should be used sparingly, if at all. Monarch points to his overuse of colonics as the main reason why he lost his health, and I definitely agree.
Secondly, Monarch's extreme brand of raw veganism is more difficult to achieve than a normal, whole foods vegan diet. Monarch was following a fully raw diet, which avoids healthy vegan foods like beans, tofu, brown rice, quinoa, olives, legumes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Ezekiel bread, healthy oils and many nuts and seeds. It must be said that some people do thrive on a 100% raw vegan diet, yet I think more people are successful following a diet that incorporates some cooked foods as well.
While I do feel that a half raw or a high raw diet can be very healthy, I also think that intuitive eating is important. For this reason, I try not to judge people if they incorporate free range eggs, grass fed dairy or even other animal products into their diet (though I currently try not to). That being said, I do feel like a supplemented and balanced vegan diet can be very healthy for many people, especially if the focus is not on being 100% raw.
5 = at least 50% raw (uncooked) fruits and vegetables.
7 = at least 70% whole vegan foods (raw fruits and vegetables plus some whole vegan foods)
9 = 90% vegan foods
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
One argument against a raw food diet is that some people's stomachs may have more difficulty digesting raw foods. While I think this is rare, I do believe that alternative diets can be recommended for such people. That being said, I would also like to emphasize that, compared to our ancestors, humans have more access to instant fire and other cooking technologies today. As a result, we probably depend on cooking too much.
Here are some suggestions if you are having stomach pains on a raw food diet:
1) Make more smoothies. Famous raw foodist Markus Rothkranz lives almost entirely on green smoothies (half greens, half fruit plus water) (Link 1) (Link 2).Smoothies break down the fiber in your food, making it less work on the stomach to digest.
2) Drink more fresh Juice. Fresh juice is easily digested and extremely nutritious. Some super simple recipes include carrot/celery juice and cucumber/apple juice.
3) Consider a Whole Foods Vegan Diet. A whole foods vegan diet still includes fresh fruits and veggies. But it also includes foods such as beans, rice, potatoes, oats, soups, grilled and steamed vegetables, etc. Balance your raw foods and cooked foods with what makes you feel the best.
4) Exercise. Often digestion problems come from anxiety. One proven way to release anxiety is through exercise.
5) Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. No matter which diet you are on, chewing thoroughly is essential for proper digestion.
6) Determine the Source: Figure out which raw foods are causing stomach pain and temporarily eliminate that food from your diet (rather than eliminating all raw foods)
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.
When starting a raw food diet or a high raw food diet, one of the biggest mistakes people make is not getting enough calories. So I wanted to put together a list of some foods that will provide you with more than enough energy to continue with a raw food diet!
This is a simple snack that uses cucumber as "crackers" to make mini sandwiches. Add guacamole, sweet corn, hot peppers and sun dried tomatoes for a "zesty" dish - Or use other vegetables to create your own unique combination!
"Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness" - Ecclesiastes 10:17
"They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth." Philippians 3:19
"Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags." - Proberbs 23:20-21 (NASB)
"And put a knife to your throat if you are a person of great appetite" (Proverbs 23:2).
"But this kind [of demon] does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Words of Jesus found in Matthew 17:21). According to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, one definition of fasting is to "abstain from some foods".
"At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead" - Daniel 1:15-16
2) We should not test God with our health.
In Luke 4:12, Jesus says "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” This was a response to the devil tempting Jesus to jump off of a tall building, testing God and his angels to save Jesus from this unhealthy decision. Similarly, Christians are often tempted to destroy our bodies, not by jumping off a cliff, but by eating unhealthy and destructive "foods" and chemicals. Whether we test God by jumping off a cliff or by ingesting life-shortening foods and substances, it is still considered sin in the Bible.
3) Plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables and grains) were specifically designed for human consumption. Damaging drugs and dangerous chemicals are never labeled as food in the Bible.
"Then God said, 'Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.'" - Genesis 1:29 (New Living Translation)
"Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety." - Leviticus 25:19
"The fruit will be good food, and the leaves will be used for healing" - Ezekiel 47:12
"But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 26:4)
"On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations." - Revelation 22:2 (NLT)
Jesus almost certainly ate a kosher diet - rich in fresh fruits and vegetables - which is consistent with Jewish tradition (Matthew 5:18-19). Out of hunger, Jesus approached a fig tree for food (Matthew 21:18-22). Jesus often used fruits and vegetables as a positive metaphor (John 15:1-6, Luke 13:6-9, Luke 8:5-15).
"Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself." - Ezekiel 4:9
4)The Bible also declared certain meats OK to eat.
"Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant." - Genesis 9:3
"Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people." - Matthew 14:19
"And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you." (Leviticus 11:7). "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Words of Christ) - Matthew 5:18-19
5) The Bible speaks against animal cruelty.
"Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel." - Proverbs 12:10.
"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God." - Luke 12:6
6) Vegetarianism is not prohibited. However, being judgmental is prohibited.
"One
person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer
with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel
free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those
who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has
accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are
responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or
wrong." - Romans 14:2-4 (NLT)
"What
goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of
their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Matthew 15:11
"You may eat any meat
that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience.
For the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it." note: this was regarding meat (most likely kosher) that was offered to idols - 1 Corinthians
10:25-26
7)We should enjoy our food.
God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." - 1 Timothy 6:17
"There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God." - Ecclesiastes 2:24
"Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot." Ecclesiastes 5:18
"Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred". - Proverbs 15:17
"For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?" - 1 Corinthians 10:29-30
8) Our health matters to God.
"Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit." - 3 John 1:2
"[My words] are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body." - Proverbs 4:22
9) While drunkenness and gluttony are sins, alcohol in moderation is not sinful.
"No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments." - 1 Timothy 5:23
Jesus turned water into wine. - John 2:1-12.
"It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble." - Romans 14:21
10) We should be thankful for our food.
"God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth." - 1 Timothy 4:3
'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.
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:
I found out recently about a process that is legal in America called irradiation. Irradiation sends radiation into raw vegetables, fruits and nuts, which are then sold at grocery stores and restaurants. Irradiation is used to kill insects and bacteria, but sadly it also kills enzymes, good bacteria and nutritious values in the plant. Irradiation is known as "cold pasteurization".
I personally believe this process should be illegal. Here is a link on Wikipedia about irradiation: link. Here is another link about irradiated mangoes: link. The irradiated mangoes are smaller, less ripe and less healthy than the regular mangoes. Fortunately, irradiated foods have to be labeled as such unless they are sold in restaurants. The FDA's tolerance of irrdiation is motivating me to purchase more organic foods, as irradiated foods can not be labeled as organic. Also, I hope to eventually start growing my own food as well, probably starting with wheat grass.
I experimented with a "fruitarian" diet for a while and found that while my energy increased, in other areas, my health was decreasing. Among the side effects I experienced were frequent urination and a high level of heartburn. While I do believe fruit is an essential part of a raw or high raw diet, I personally prefer a more balanced approach. Instead of "30 bananas a day", as is promoted by fruitarians, today I might eat 5-8 pieces of fruit a day (for some daily meal plans, read my other post Here). Everyone is different, and I know the high fruit diet works well for some people, especially athletes. I do believe fruitarians get enough energy throughout the day.Yet one misconception is that we can get all of our essential vitamins nutrients from fruit. The truth is that it is important for all vegans, including fruitarians, to take a B12 supplement, as B12 is not found in a fruitarian diet. Most vegans should also be taking vitamin D and Iodine supplements (both of these supplements are added to cow's milk).
Pasted below is a critique of a fruitarian diet by a website called Beyond Veg. While Beyond Veg argues in favor of a high fat diet, fruitarians argue in favor of a high carb diet. Personally, I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle, with both fruits and fats (avocados, nuts, etc.) as major sources of energy. LINK
" There are a few things that raw vegans can do to reduce the impact of the calorie paradox. A partial list of these mitigations is as follows.
Include avocados as a regular part of your diet. To minimize possible problems from the insulin-inhibiting sugar in avocados, consume them separately from sweet and/or starchy foods. (Avocados are very popular with raw vegans; the calories here primarily come from fat.)
Consume calorically significant amounts of nuts and oily seeds, dry or sprouted, as a regular part of your diet--e.g., 1-day sunflower seed sprouts, sesame sprouts, almond sprouts, etc. Make milk substitutes/analogues from nuts and oily seeds, to increase your calorie intake. (The calories here are primarily from fat.)
Consume raw sprout breads, to increase your consumption of grain sprouts. Recipes for sprout bread can be found in a number of raw (recipe) books. (The calories here are primarily from starch.)
Adopt a combined raw + cooked diet, where the cooked food includes some starch foods, an easily digested source of calories, and/or some cooked legumes. Note here that one should just ignore the extremists who promote crank mal-nutritional claims that cooked foods, starch, and/or protein are poisonous. (The calories here are primarily from starch.)
If you eat sweet fruit, consume it in moderation. Modern fruit is so high in sugar that some authors (e.g., Brian Clement of the Hippocrates Institute) make the sensible recommendation that sweet fruit juices be diluted with water before consumption. Although they are higher in calories than a number of other raw vegan foods, the high sugar content of sweet fruits may promote cravings if consumed in excess. (The calories here are primarily from sugar.)
Blend coarse vegetable foods into raw soups; e.g., Ann Wigmore's energy soup or the blended salads suggested by Dr. Stanley Bass. This helps you to eat more of these foods. Note: this has limited utility calorie-wise, but is nutritious and worthwhile in its own right, as it provides ample vitamins and minerals. Also, you can increase the calorie level of blended foods to significant levels by including avocado or soaked/sprouted nuts. (The calories here are primarily from protein.)
100% raw diets that are most likely to be successful:
A diet in which raw fat (avocados, nuts) is the primary calorie source, and where sweet fruit has a very minor role.
A diverse diet in which raw sprouts (nuts/seeds and grains) are the predominant calorie source.
A raw diet in which starchy tubers are the predominant calorie source (though raw tubers are considered unappetizing by many).
100% raw diets that are most likely to fail:
A diet based on cucumbers and sweet fruit (this may, in effect, constitute anorexia--though the motivations are much different than "traditional" anorexia, of course--and/or the "expert" may be lying about his/her diet).
A diet that is predominantly sweet fruit.
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."
When eating raw foods, some people develop heartburn and high acidic levels. Below are some good tips to balance neutralize your PH levels in our bodies.
1) Drink more water. Water helps neutralize the acid in our bodies. Many times heartburn develops simply because we are dehydrated.
2) Eat acidic fruits in moderation. If you are experiencing heartburn, try cutting back a little on acidic fruits such as oranges, pineapples, lemons and grapefruits, focusing more on fruits with lower acid levels such as bananas, apples, watermelons, avocados, cantaloupes, honeydew, papaya, strawberries and mangoes. Other foods with high acid levels include hot peppers, dried fruits and salty foods.
3) Eat more greens. Most greens have high alkaline levels, and they can help reduce high acid levels in our bodies. "Taking green uncooked vegetables with a fruit meal is perfectly all right. Even though some charts state that subacid and sweet fruits combine fair to poorly with green uncooked vegetables, the feeding practices at the Health School indicate that these are good combinations, indeed, even enhancing digestion of the fruit in some conditions of impaired digestion."(link).
4) Eat more healthy fats. Healthy fats found in foods such as avocados, nuts, seeds, free range eggs, coconuts, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, olives and olive oil all help decrease the acid levels in our diet.
This Jack Lallane video may be old, but the concept still remains true. In this video Lalanne discourages a diet of processed sugars, encouraging instead a diet that includes many raw fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Lallane also stressed the importance of exercising daily. Lallane, who died recently at the age of 96, was a great example of somebody who embodied what it means to live in health, vitality and happiness.
Another method I find helpful is traveling with a salad bowl, fork, cutting board and kitchen knife in my car. This way I can stop at a grocery store and buy some produce and a gallon of water (for washing the food) and quickly prepare clean, raw salad, chopped vegetables or lettuce wraps on the go. This video from the "Raw Food World" shows how the Monarchs eat raw food when traveling (Skip to 4:00 in video if you want to avoid watching them drive):
Yet on the occasion that the above options are not doable, I wanted to provide some "high raw" fast food options. Some of the below options may include cheese, which you may want to order without.
Raw Fast Food
Whole Foods - Salad bar.
Sweet Tomatoes - Salad bar.
Old Country Buffet - Salad bar
Golden Corral - Salad bar.
Many Chinese restaurants have salad bars
Subway -Veggie Delight or veggie patty Salad (ask for extra spinach). Subway also sells apples.
Chipotle - Salad. Veggie Fajita Bowl. (no cheese or sour cream)
McDonald's - McDonald's chicken salads are all $1 cheaper if you order them without chicken. McDonalds also sells apples and fruit and walnut salads (walnuts are toasted).
Jimmy John's - Lettuce Wrap (minus the mayo)
Sit Down Restaurants
Order salads - Many restaurants serve Greek salads, chopped salads, house salads, etc. that you can eat alone or combine with sides, leaving certain ingredients out while adding others as you prefer. Order Sides - salads, soups, rice, beans, baked potatoes, corn and grilled veggies are all healthy options.
Vegetarian Fast Food
Burger King - Veggie burger. Side salad.
Subway - "Veggie Delite" or "Veggie Patty" subs
Taco Bell - "Fresco style" tacos with beans instead of meat (Taco Bell's beans are cooked in vegan oil).
McDonalds - Oatmeal
Starbucks - Oatmeal
Wendy's - Baked potato. Apples. Salads.
Since the beginning of fast-food chains such as McDonalds and Burger King, the "all-American" fast-food meal has been a burger, fries and a soda. While this meal may taste great, it is very unhealthy for many reasons, one being the soda. Reputable studies have linked drinking soda with cancer (link) and obesity (link). Yet drinking diet soda is not much healthier, as it has been linked with increased risk for both heart attack and stroke (link). Instead, take the money you would have spent on a soda and order a side salad, getting a (free) water to drink. According to a recent study, "People who eat salads, salad dressing, and raw vegetables are more likely to meet recommended intakes for vitamins C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, and folic acid" (link). This is an easy and practical way to cut your cancer, stroke, obesity and heart attack risk while improving your overall health and sense of well being!
Not long ago I met a 97 year old man who appeared to be happy, healthy, and said he's even still driving his car. Out of curiosity, I asked him what his secret was. He smiled and told me "No secret, but I do eat oatmeal every day."
Oatmeal has been proven to help prevent heart disease and cancer (link). As a result I have been trying to eat more of it. Yet I'm also trying to eat more raw foods, or foods that have not been heated over 118 degrees (for benefits of eating raw foods, click here). Most store bought oats are steamed at about 220 degrees. As a result these oats are not truly raw. So I wanted to share some links for truly raw oats. That being said, traditional unflavored oats such as store bought, Quaker Oats are not an unhealthy option if you can't find truly raw oats.
The first company I found is Blue Mountain Organics. They are certified raw vegan and organic. They can be purchased HERE or HERE.
A company called Goldmine sells organic raw oats. Check their store HERE for availability.
The third brand I found for organic, raw rolled-oats is Natural Zing. They are "cold rolled" and therefore truly raw, and when in stock, can be purchased from their website HERE.
Lastly, I've found that some people eat "sproutable oat groats" by soaking them overnight and then blending either in a blender or a food processor in the morning.I called "Whole Foods" and they said they sell sproutable oat groats. "Legacy Valley" sproutable oat groats can be purchased on Amazon here: Link.
What is your favorite raw oatmeal? Thanks for reading! Pete
