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Reasonably Raw
Eating Your Way to Health, Happiness, & Wholeness
Dr. Frank J. Ferendo
Printed in the United States of America . except brief quotations. photocopying. More information may be found at frankferendo. The author may be contacted at fjferendo@cox. electronic.net. cm. recording. I. No part of this publication may be reproduced. R. 02891 Cover and book design by Jill Shorrock Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ferendo. The book is not intended as medical advice. Happiness.I. Westerly. Raw food diet. ISBN-978-0-9795180-2-7 LCCN: 2008933869 Library of Congress subject heading: 1.com. Title. and Wholeness By Dr. Disclaimer: This publication contains the ideas and opinions of the author.Copyright © 2008 by Frank Ferendo All rights reserved. 2. Frank J. or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Ferendo p. Videos for recipes and inspiration may be accessed at reasonablyraw. mechanical. Published by Process Publishing Company 10 Sunny Dr.com. It is intended to provide helpful information only. Raw foods. stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means. The author disclaims any responsibility for liability or loss incurred as a result of the use and application of the contents of this book. Frank Reasonably Raw: Eating Your Way to Health.blogspot.
This book is dedicated to my children: Gina—the inspiration for this book and so much more. You are the true loves of my life and my precious teachers! . Frankie—creative passionate wild genius. Angela—so much like her dad.
I would like to thank Gina and Steven Law for getting me started on the raw food journey and keeping me inspired. I would like to thank Frankie and Angela for their inspiration— and you too, Megan and Andy. I would like to thank my editor Cherie Gingerich and book and cover designer Jill Shorrock.
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1. The Long-Living People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 2. The China Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 3. Victoria Boutenko and Green Smoothies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 4. Climate Change and Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 5. Victoria Boutenko and 12 Steps to Raw Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 6. Carnivores, Omnivores, and Herbivores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 7. Ann Wigmore and the Hippocrates Health Institute . . . . . . . . . . . 61 8. Brainwashed! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 9. David Wolfe, Superfoods, and the Best Day Ever
10. The Ethical Considerations of Eating Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 11. Douglas Graham and Natural Hygiene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 12. Gabriel Cousens and Conscious Eating
13. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 14. The Change Process: Becoming Raw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 15. Recipes to Live For
16. A Holistic Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Our bodies work hard and get little. our body thinks it has an infection and begins making white blood cells. and putrefies. Our ideas of what is good and bad for us come from corporations that benefit financially from our eating their foods and not eating others. We have been taught (brainwashed is more accurate) by these companies since the 1940's. Much of what we believe about food is wrong. You should know that from scientific research (unbiased research) we now know that eating cooked foods causes our stomachs and intestines to have coatings of thick mucus to protect against toxins and acids. Cooking destroys the nutrients in foods. But you probably already know that. Ever since then. Raw foods contain enzymes that survive the 11 . Cooked food fiber passes slowly through our digestive system and partially rots. the food industries have used all their power and resources to convince us otherwise. When we eat cooked foods. What I have learned has so changed my life that I am extremely excited to be sharing it with you. ferments. Our pancreases have become about twice the size of that of a horse. The ideas in this book can make you healthier and happier than you ever thought possible.PREFACE I'd like to share with you some things I've learned over the past several years that are quite amazing and can bring you much happiness and health. when it was first discovered that eating animals was maybe not such a good thing.
These enzymes act as catalysts to feed our cells. You can visit my website. www. and see how to make many of the recipes in the book. and discussion groups. you will be glad that you took the time to consider being reasonably raw. I have purposely kept this book short. just google "raw foods" and you will find many more helpful websites. You can also go to my youtube channel. and find much more information and many more resources. and written down the essential facts and truths about healthful cultures around the world. frankferendo. I've waded through many books and articles. as demonstrated by the videos. I highly recommend using youtube to find plenty of interesting raw food recipe demonstrations.youtube. along with the organic vitamins. They will inspire you! Becoming more aware of how your food and diet beliefs have been carefully cultivated by the food industry will open you up to the possibility that there may be a better way to eat. the food industry. I have added much more information on my website.com. Becoming more aware of how good you can feel eating more raw foods may inspire you to give it a try. blogs. 12 . In addition. While keeping this book short. weeded out the extra verbiage. newsletters. proteins. and the raw vegan diet. I have included what I felt was the best of the best and what works. and fats found in uncooked foods. minerals.hydrochloric acid of the stomach and enter our blood and organs.com/user/frankferendo. And seeing how easy it is to gradually add raw foods to your life.
in 1977. barely making a mile. which is one of the raw food branches covered in this book. Eventually I worked up to my current practice of jogging five miles a day. wheezing. I've since added some weight training. In 1987 the book Fit For Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond became a best seller. the Diamonds encouraged people to eat lots of fruit on an empty stomach. Jim Fixx's The Complete Book of Running came out and I got serious about exercise. I came home coughing. And then during college I began a daily running routine. My first experiments in improving my diet involved making a breakfast drink of brewer's yeast and milk. The soul must see through these eyes alone. and coughing up phlegm. Based on the principles of Natural Hygiene. Several years later. and if they are dim. My upbringing would not have suggested it." –JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE I am not sure how or why I became interested in healthy living. The only thing that comes to mind is that it must have been through reading some book or magazine.I NTRODUCTION "Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. as well as eating live high-water content 13 . The first time I ran. the whole world is clouded.
She looked years younger and told me of her thirty-year-old boyfriend who could not keep up with her. She said that yoga was her secret. The end result was that ever since then I have always eaten fruit for breakfast. I felt guilty about the slaughtering of animals. My daughter Gina became one permanently. So I started doing yoga. (I also forced carrot juice on my kids. I kept buying them until I was convinced I had the best one. with uncertain results.foods. along with proper food combining (an example would be not eating a protein and a carbohydrate together in one meal). I desperately wanted to stop eating animals and dairy products. but I did not have the will power. 14 . but my desire for hamburgers was greater. the Juiceman. Then in the late 80's I met a woman well beyond seventy years old. So convincing was the book that I became a vegetarian for one year. I knew that the animal food industry was a significant polluter of our environment. She also told me to read John Robbins's Diet for a New America. I heard him on the radio and promptly bought a juice machine.) I was getting the message about health everywhere I turned. came through town telling his story of how juicing raw fruits and vegetables saved him from cancer. I juiced carrots everyday for about ten years. The book tells of the horrors of the meat and dairy industry and advocates a vegan diet. Still. Two years later. I didn't stop at one juicer. I read the Diamonds' book and tried to follow its teachings. Jay Kordich. although all three are health-conscious now and my oldest daughter makes juices for my grandchildren. I couldn't make myself change my diet.
but will it make me healthier? If I don't change my diet. and all one gets is the false sense of security that you have done something when in reality that isn't the case. have I really made things better or have I just masked the problem? It seems to me that drug companies make a lot of money. I ran every day. There is no way I am going on a drug. that my cholesterol was 242. I ate my fruits and vegetables. Lipitor may make my cholesterol level go down. If you can't get your cholesterol down by changing your diet."Transformation is through the body." –ECKHART TOLLE For nearly twenty years I did not make any more health changes. Meanwhile. And then I went for a physical and the doctor told me. practically with glee in his voice. Eliminating the symptom doesn't get rid of the cause. we'll have to put you on Lipitor. I should have been very healthy. not away from it. "It's probably your genes. my vegetarian daughter Gina informed me that she 15 . I eat healthy foods. I was doing much better than the average American." To which he replied. I was very conscious of what I put into my mouth. I thought. Putting a foreign substance into my body is not natural." You have got to be kidding me! I am not taking a pill. How could this be? "Doc. I run.
ice cream." She tried my other arm. I decided I had to do something. Now I was interested. That was it. I decided to take my chances—but the seed had been planted. there is no way I can have heart disease.and her husband were "going raw. I run five miles a day. A month later I saw her and my son-in-law Stephen—they were literally glowing. but I walked away thinking that she had gone too far. Now I have high blood pressure along with the cholesterol. I could not stop eating hamburgers and French fries. and you name it." "What do you mean? You're not eating cooked foods anymore? Gina. pizza. I could not believe it. I'll live with the high cholesterol. "Your blood pressure is 160 over 100. I still had problems. Since I refused to start taking pills." 16 . I read the book. but this is crazy. There was no longer any denying that. I asked her for a book on this raw food stuff (of course. The nurse took my blood pressure. In the spring of 2007 I came down with a cold that just wouldn't go away. I began reading and everything I read pointed to "going raw. I need a book) and she gave me Victoria Boutenko's Green for Life. given all that I was doing for my health. fooled around for a bit with green smoothies and salads. but then gave it up. Just as bad. I've always admired you for not eating meat. They were radiating health. I thought. Finally I went to a doctor for an antibiotic to put an end to it. I knew I shouldn't have made her drink carrot juice. What will you eat?" I forget what she said.
Here I discovered how many of our food attitudes and beliefs are controlled and influenced by big business interests. We as a country are suffering from a national eating disorder. We move little by little. We don't eat what we would naturally eat. and the ethics of eating animals. There is a reasonable way to go about making changes. I was confronted with the impact of my food choices and how they affected people. and Carlo Diclemente explained to me that change is a process. John Norcross.In the beginning it wasn't even about being raw that got me thinking and motivated. and helping relationships. So before I even began the process of trying to eat raw foods. animals. The book that kicked me over the edge into action was The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason. And then I found myself reading Michael Pollan's bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma. in all its wisdom. enjoying the rewards of change. expressing and accessing feelings and emotions. Change involves consciousness-raising. animal-based diet and taught me about how to go about making these changes. Changing For Good by James Prochaska. we eat what we have been manipulated into eating. Three books ended up on my desk. the universe. taking action. There are stages of change. and the planet. how the food industry in America works. Singer and Mason describe 17 . finding alternatives to old behaviors. gave me a few tools to turn away from a cooked. it does not come all at once through will power. and it is fueled by the marketing of corporations and their influence over the legislative process through lobbyists. They were about how to make changes.
They reveal the lengths that the food industry goes to hide what actually goes on in those farms. I wanted to discount what was motivated by what people were selling. and people do have products to sell even in the raw food movement. I was ready to change. I read everything I could get my hands on. Now I was ready to begin reading and experimenting with the raw food diet. I felt I had to write a book so that I could put all that I learned in one place and get my thoughts around what the best 18 . this was a life and death situation. the oil saved would be like taking every car in America off the road. living-foods diet. (I had to escape and have a burger late at night when no one was looking!) Ultimately. I soon found that I needed to determine who was helpful and who wasn't. I needed to find out what was scientifically based and what was just self-promotion and marketing. my emotions had joined what I knew in my head. I wanted the truth. I went to the Raw Spirit Festival in Sedona." There are numerous people promoting various programs for eating a raw. and many of them don't agree with each other on what is best.the incredible cruelty that factory farming inflicts on the animals we eat. To me. Arizona and saw firsthand enough marketing and contradictory approaches to health to make my head hurt. I did more than experiment. I used the skills that I acquired in getting my doctorate to research what was out there on becoming a "raw fooder. (If Americans gave up eating animals.) By this time. Most alarming of all was the destruction to the environment caused by the food industry and the amount of natural resources consumed.
why not take what makes sense to you from everything that is out there? That is what I have done here. This book is the result of what I found out as I made a serious commitment to change my diet. I really wish I had taken better care of myself. And I've tried to point out the best that each person has to offer. give you more energy than you ever dreamed. 19 . "Geez. The answers to life's challenges are not black and white. I know I do. I've tried to assemble the best of what is out there in this book. I think an eclectic approach works best. you will certainly smile a whole lot more than you ever did. I've tried to find the common thread that runs through all the approaches to raw food. and if you learn how to make some of the cacao recipes. I am totally convinced that eating raw food is the way to go." Eating more raw foods can save your life.approach to getting my health back was. I hope it works for you. and to change my mind about what it is to live a healthy life. In the following chapters I take information from all the many books I read and all the experimenting I did and try to give to you a simple guide to beginning a raw food journey. to change my thoughts about food. Does that mean going 100 percent as most advocate? That is something you have to decide for yourself. I've tried to inspire and motivate so you don't have to one day be on your deathbed saying.
The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World. M. by Joel Fuhrman. by Michael Pollan. Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. Brown and Company. 2003. by Peter Singer and Jim Mason. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.Reasonably Raw Books to Get You Motivated: The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter. Conari Press. 2006. by John Robbins.D. 20 . The Penguin Press. Little. 2006. Rodale (Holtzbrinck Publishers). 2001.
the primates. and there's nothing unusual about men and women enjoying vigorous life at the age of 100 or 120?" –JANE KINDERLEHRER Considering the natural diets of our closest relatives in the wild. It seems logical that a natural diet would be best.Chapter 1 The Long-Living People "How would you like to live in a land where cancer has not yet been invented? A land where an optometrist discovers to his amazement that everyone has perfect 20-20 vision? A land where cardiologists cannot find a single trace of coronary heart disease? How would you like to live in a land where no one ever gets ulcers. In the next two chapters we will do exactly that. 21 . First we look at four cultures where people live to be extremely old and healthy at the same time. is one way to think about what we would eat if we were not influenced by culture or people selling a product for profit. We will explore that in several chapters. appendicitis or gout? A land where men of 80 and 90 father children. Then we will examine one of the largest studies concerning the relation of diet to health ever conducted—the China Study. but for now I'd like to look at people and societies that live the longest and have the healthiest lives.
cornmeal porridge. Breakfast consists of fresh salad. Between meals they eat a great deal of fruit. Few needed glasses and most still had their own teeth.Reasonably Raw The Abkhasians In the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia live the Abkhasians. The Dannon yogurt company went out there and made a popular commercial featuring a 110-year-old mother telling her 89-year-old son to eat his yogurt. In the 1960's the Soviets made claims that the people there were living to be well into their 100's. There is no question that physical activity is essential. 22 . The Abkhasians do not eat yogurt despite the Dannon commercials. What was their secret? How did they keep healthy into old age? The Abkhasians get a lot of exercise living in the mountains. One Abkhasian got his picture on a postage stamp for being 168 years old. Nuts are also an important part of their diet. They maintained their physical fitness into old age by not retiring and working in the orchards and gardens. The other factor contributing to their health is diet. or butter. More important than their years was their physical fitness and mental alertness. sugar. They eat almost no meat. Only the very oldest had wrinkles. Overeating is considered socially inappropriate. salt. Researchers found them to be enjoying extremely good health. It turns out that these people were not as old as they claimed. They were probably "only" in their 90's and early 100's. and a fermented drink made from goat's milk. They do not eat fatty foods.
and nuts. vegetables. fresh fruit and vegetables are available year round. and whole grains. Ecuador. no processed foods. No heart disease or high blood pressure. Overweight people cannot be found in Vilcabamba. beans. Because of where they live. Their fat comes from avocados. No cancer.L I V I N G P E O P L E The average cholesterol level of those over age 100 is below 100. 23 . There is one more thing that may contribute to their long productive lives— the elders are respected and revered simply for being old. and beans. seeds. no diabetes. Here the inhabitants frequently live into their 100's with youthful vigor and vitality. no Alzheimer's. Vegetables and fruits are picked fresh daily and eaten on the spot. it is also called the Valley of Longevity. There are no supermarkets in Vilcabamba. but their diet is essentially fruits. seeds. They do not consume a large amount of calories compared to American standards. nuts. Degenerative diseases do not exist there. no osteoporosis.Chapter One – T H E L O N G . It is interesting to note that their protein comes from vegetables. Occasionally they have milk or eggs. The Vilcabambans Three hundred miles to the south of Quito. is the village of Vilcabamba. International scientists have studied the Vilcabambanas for half a century and the conclusion has been that their health is the result of their diet and high levels of physical activity. whole grains. high in the Andes mountains.
no cancer. vegetables.Reasonably Raw The Hunza Twenty thousand feet up in the Himalayan Mountains in northwestern Pakistan is Hunza. no taxes. High up in the mountains there isn't a lot of wood for cooking 24 . They swim in ice-covered streams." They call it a bread. and a lot of sprouts. no banks. The Hunzas and the other long-living people didn't eat a mostly raw vegetarian diet because they wanted to—they didn't really have a choice. Probably the most famous of all for being a place where the people live well past 100 and where they have perfect eyesight. (Also. No food is processed and it is all fresh. Served at every meal is their bread called "chappti. no money. What makes them so healthy? A look at their diet shows that it is quite different from what we have been told is necessary for health by the food industry and our government. they knead it with only water. And it all comes from fruits. and no crime. but it is not really baked.) It isn't that these people just are not sickly. just long enough to warm it. barley. no yeast. The Hunzas eat a lot of apricots. no heart disease. or millet. They eat less than half the protein and a third of the fat that we do. and then place it on a grill for a moment. they are strong and active their whole lives. and no stores. They do not eat animals. they play wild games of volleyball and polo. and grains. They have a law against spraying their gardens with pesticide. After grinding fresh wheat. The closest they come to processing is drying their fruits. they build retaining walls for their gardens.
or do they not retire because they are so healthy? According to researchers there are four reasons for their extraordinary well being. and religious beliefs. The Abkhasia include about 10% animal products. poor eyesight. Every city and town has a family register dating back well over a hundred years. diet. high blood pressure.3 million. and exercise. and whole grains). it's that they are diseasefree that is most impressive. 25 . Very much like the people of Abkhasia and Vilcabamba. or obesity. The old do not suffer from fatigue. vegetables. Almost no salt is used and there is no use of sugar or processed food. Besides extraordinary good health their diets are quite similar. 20% from fat (from nuts and seeds). Approximately 70% of their calories come from carbohydrates (in the form of fresh fruits.Chapter One – T H E L O N G . and 10% from protein. It isn't just that these people live to be old. And since 1975 the Japan government has been studying the health and longevity of these people. but the Vilcabamba and Hunza only 1%. Okinawa Birth records have been meticulously kept in Okinawa since 1879.L I V I N G P E O P L E and food to keep animals. So the ages of these long-lived people on this southernmost Japanese island chain are not disputable. So. Until relatively recently Okinawa was a separate country from Japan and evolved with a different culture. they mostly eat plants and eat them raw. Social support. Is this what keeps them healthy. There are 800 centenarians out of a population of 1. diet. psycho-spiritual attitudes. The Okinawans do not retire.
The Okinawan diet consists of a lot of sweet potato. Eating a plant-based diet is also essential. diabetes. green leafy vegetables. The Okinawans also have a strong sense of responsibility and hold themselves accountable for their lives. and other diseases are rare among these people. and similar to the other long-lived people in this chapter is that the Okinawans do not consume a lot of calories compared to the standard American diet. Having some kind of spiritual practice is important. Living Long Maybe we could learn something from people who live long. and grains. vegetables. None of these alone is sufficient.Reasonably Raw And their incidence of disease is also different from Japan (and the West). and the Hunza. Probably more than anything. But diet alone is not the secret to their success. It seems to me that exercise and working outdoors is primary. cancer. It only makes sense to pay attention to others who are succeeding at something. All of the long-lived peoples 26 . disease-free lives. By consuming mostly fruits. They get a good night's sleep. They do eat fish. In this case it is something near and dear to all of us—our health. Like the Abkhasians. And staying connected to other people is also important. and protein from soy foods such as tofu and miso. That may be related to what they eat because it is hard to sleep well when your stomach is busy digesting a heavy meal. heart disease. Vilcabambans. active. they get the nutrition they need without the calories.
Additional Reading on the Long-Living People Healthy at 100: How You Can—at any age—Dramatically Increase Your Life Span and Your Health Span by John Robbins. A life-style based on these principles. 2007.Chapter One – T H E L O N G . would surely be an improvement for all of us. 27 .L I V I N G P E O P L E of the world incorporate all of these components into their lives. Ballantine Books. and not on those of advertisers and promoters.
28 .
T. As the New York Times article states. and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. and the results became known as the China Study. Campbell became involved in a twenty-year research project. Dr. it is "the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. eggs." –THE NEW YORK TIMES He began his career as a researcher at MIT promoting better health through eating more meat." 29 .Chapter 2 The China Study "…the Grand Prix of all epidemiological studies…the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. a partnership between Cornell University. But later on. Oxford University. while researching why so many Filipino children were getting liver cancer. Colin Campbell discovered that the children who ate the most protein were the ones contracting the cancer. The study researched the connection between diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan. Growing up on a farm. and milk. he believed that high quality animal protein was necessary for good health.
the largest ever of its kind. People in the study were chosen from rural and semi-rural parts of 30 . it's animal protein. This suggests that cancer is caused by lifestyle and environmental factors and not genetics. and 880 million citizens. It's not fat. it's not carbohydrates. What makes this study so significant is that those being studied came from similar genetic backgrounds. In China many diets include mostly plant-based foods.000 people worked on the project. The most important finding out of Dr. More than 650. That includes chicken and fish and dairy. The China Project The China Project studied the death rates from twelve different kinds of cancer in more than 2. It is unique because diet as studied in the West usually involves the contrast between those rich in animal-based foods and those very rich. comprising nearly 96 percent of the population of those counties.400 counties. Campbell's research is that the greatest threat to good health is animal protein. The people who ate the most animal-based foods got the most disease. The people who ate the most plant-based foods got the least. more than 8.Reasonably Raw The findings were startling. What makes this study so useful is that within China there are wide ranges of diets. This led to comparing incidence of disease in China to the West. In some cases cancers were found to be 100 times greater in one county compared to another. The results showed massive variations in the cancer rates among the different counties.000 statistically significant associations between diet and disease.
You think you are eating healthy by eating lean chicken. Lower blood cholesterol levels indicate lower rates of cancer and heart disease. but animal protein is even more effective at doing the job. That's what we've been told. yes. raise cholesterol levels. The average level in China was below 130. It's the protein that is responsible for cholesterol more than the fat. We have been told that saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. the first several years. we all need lots of protein to build strong bodies. It is interesting that when the human body is at its most active stage of growth. In America we are told to keep it below 200. What was very interesting was that low cholesterol in China is not what we think of in America. heart disease. In some areas women had cholesterol levels of below 90. Protein Protein. Other studies show that the consumption of animal protein increases blood cholesterol. which is true. it is 31 .Chapter Two – T H E C H I N A S T U D Y China in order to be assured that the participants lived in the same area for most of their lives. and diabetes in each county studied in China with lifestyle and diet indicated that blood cholesterol is linked to these diseases with more than a 99 percent certainty. Blood Cholesterol A comparison of the prevalence of cancers.
when fed a diet of 20 percent protein. First the seeds get planted. If a baby doesn't need all that protein. 32 . That in itself does no damage to the body and goes on all the time. predisposed to get liver cancer by being given aflatoxin. he came across an Indian research paper that pointed to protein as being the answer. Cancer grows like a lawn. Let's go back to Dr. I believe that we have been brainwashed and conditioned to think we need huge amounts of protein our entire lives. The typical American diet contains three times as much. then they sprout and mature. Campbell's work. Laboratory rats. why do adults? The answer probably does not have anything to do with good health.Reasonably Raw feeding naturally on breast milk. all developed cancer. The seeds are there in our bodies ready to germinate. The protein percentage of breast milk is about 7 percent. While trying to find out why the more wealthy children in the Philippines were getting cancer and the poorer were not. let's look at how cancer develops. This led Dr. Campbell to examine more closely the diets of the Filipino children. Cancer and Protein To get a better understanding of this. and then they spread and go wild. Carcinogens mutate healthy cells into cancer-prone cells. It turns out that the more "wellfed" children consumed considerably more protein than their poorer counterparts. Only 7 percent of a baby's diet consists of protein. Those rats fed a diet of 5 percent protein developed not one case. When we ingest carcinogens we plant the seeds of cancer.
carcinogenic foci did not develop until protein levels reached 10 percent. Campbell and his associates found that low protein diets protected against cancer growth by allowing fewer carcinogens into cells. called foci. It is also known that. low protein diets actually reduced tumors. creating tumors and moving to other tissues in the body. Below that level not one rat developed cancer. Even the consumption of carcinogens did not result in tumors unless there was sufficient protein. the American Cancer Society. the cancer will not ever sprout. This is critical to our understanding of cancer and how to prevent its taking hold. What does all this have to do with protein? Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In their tests with rats. cancer also needs the right ingredients. if the right conditions are removed.Chapter Two – T H E C H I N A S T U D Y The germination stage can last a long time. are entirely dependent upon protein to grow. Further studies showed that not all proteins had the same effect on 33 . Cell clusters that are precursors to tumor development. like in the growth of a lawn. without the right conditions. the growth can be stopped. Furthermore. and the American Institute for Cancer Research. In fact. This is what they found: Protein creates the conditions for the germination of the cancer seeds by increasing enzyme activity that allows carcinogens to bind to and mutate DNA. Campbell and others have spent the last twenty years studying cancer and nutrition. If the favorable conditions persist we have cancer cell growth spreading out of control. Above that level tumor development took off. Just as grass seeds need water and warmth to grow.
even at high levels. Diet So where does all of this leave us? Quite simply: the food we eat and our nutrition play a very big role in the triggering of disease. however.the cancerous cells. Fats and Cancer In America we consume more than 35 percent of our calories from fat. Higher blood cholesterol is related to higher rates of disease. Studies show a close correlation between fat intake and breast cancer. did not promote growth. And even at that level there was a significant reduction in risk at the lower levels. . Dr. Doug Graham. We will be discussing this in a later chapter. and 10 percent fats. The China Study disclosed that fat consumption varied between 6 and 24 percent of calories from fat. Plant protein. Protein from cow's milk. Animal based foods increase blood cholesterol. teaches in his books that a healthy diet consists of 80 percent carbohydrates. Scientists have been saying that this is too much. was the worst. Lower blood cholesterol is related to lower rates of disease. to be protected from risks of cancer. In other words. 10 percent protein. But they haven't pushed to go much below the 30 percent figure. a proponent of raw food. dietary fat needs to be down to around 10 percent. Plant-based foods lower blood cholesterol. Why have we not heard of this until now? I would suspect that the cattle and dairy lobbyists are doing their job.
We have to stop eating animals. It is also interesting that the Chinese in the study. lean chicken. In fact. The lesson of the China study suggests that we need to eliminate protein from our diets. The problem isn't in the fat. A salad before a meal and bowl of fruit for desert does not begin scratch the surface. they lower your risks of heart disease and cancer. but what we miss in all of this is that it is the animal protein that we bring into our bodies that cause fat and cholesterol to be there in the first place. are good for you. Fat and cholesterol are factors in all kinds of illness. it's in the protein.Chapter Two – T H E C H I N A S T U D Y What the China Study points out is that it is not enough to simply eat more fruits and vegetables…and keep eating our burgers. and salmon. and lean fish in the world is not going to protect you. were ingesting more calories per pound of body weight than us Americans— and they are slimmer. Why? Because a plant-based diet allows the body to burn calories as body heat instead of storing them as body fat as do the calories from an animal-based diet. By the way. Protein has to be reduced to prevent cancer. carbohydrates from plants provide more energy fuel than a more heavy and fatty food 35 . Even a little animal protein can trigger cancer in humans. plant protein and plant fat. and chicken. consuming a plant-based diet. and steaks. All the lean hamburger. Blood cholesterol has to be drastically lowered to prevent heart disease. That just is not possible. The meat and dairy industries want us to think we can lower our fat and cholesterol and eat their products at the same time. In addition. In order to enjoy the protection of good nutrition there needs to be a radical change.
need less sleep. they work in concert.Reasonably Raw from animals. Isolating nutrients will not provide the benefits that whole foods provide. It is no wonder that when you read about people turning to a more live food way of eating they proclaim they have so much more energy. it is too simplistic to think that one specific nutrient by itself will provide a benefit. 5. Nutrition trumps toxic chemicals. 2. 4. Nutrition can halt or reverse disease in its later stages. 3. Cancer causing chemicals are all around us. Principles of Good Health In summary. But research shows that nutrition determines if the chemicals cause disease. 6. That is why supplements will not save you. 7. 36 . The nutrients in food are packaged together. have fewer aches and pains—the human body likes the lightness of a plant-based diet. Good nutrition supports health across the board. Dr. Research shows that genes do not determine disease alone. Plants provide all their nutrients in a more absorbable and useful way than animals. In most cases it takes poor environment and diet to express and trigger them. Campbell promotes eight principles for good health as a result of his years of scientific research: 1.
Weight Loss and Long. II.Chapter Two – T H E C H I N A S T U D Y 8. the caring for emotional and mental needs. (2004) Benbella Books. and Campbell. Thomas M.D. by Campbell. and concern for the places where we live.Term Health. 37 . Good health is a holistic undertaking: it requires exercise. T. To learn more about The China Study: The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet. Colin. Ph.
Chapter 3
Victoria Boutenko and Green Smoothies
"Even if you are eating Snickers and Mountain Dew…you can still benefit from a green smoothie…get on board!"
My daughter Gina and son-in-law Steven had been eating raw for several months and I had seen the difference it was making in their health. I asked Gina to recommend a book to get me started and she suggested two books by Victoria Boutenko, 12 Steps to Raw Foods and
Green For Life. The Green For Life book was shorter and had a more
interesting cover so I chose that one. Plus I wasn't really trying to step into raw foods. It turns out that that book was the ideal place for me to begin.
Green For Life by Boutenko is not about giving up cooked foods
and only eating raw; it is not about giving up anything, only adding green smoothies to one's daily diet. While I wanted to get healthy, as were my children, I did not want to give up my hamburgers and french fries. Boutenko and her family started eating raw foods back in 1993 when they all were experiencing major health problems at the same
Reasonably Raw
time. Victoria herself weighted 280 pounds and suffered from arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Her husband had hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and a constant heartbeat of more than 140. Her daughter Valya had asthma and allergies. And her son Sergei was just diagnosed with diabetes. It was the thought of insulin shots and the eventual side-effects (kidney and eyesight failure) that pushed Victoria over the edge. She searched everywhere for an alternative for her son. Several months later she found out about raw foods from a woman who claimed to be cured of cancer twenty years ago by changing her diet. This was enough for Victoria and after overcoming her husband's initial resistance (he refused to give up eating his meat and potatoes until his doctors told him that he needed to have his thyroid removed, otherwise he would die—he decided to try raw foods instead) she threw out all of their cooked and processed food and the whole family ate only raw food from then on. Obviously it was not easy going cold turkey, but the seriousness of their illnesses was a great motivator and they have continued to eat only raw food ever since. Victoria has written several books about her family's experience, all of which I highly recommend. Which brings us back to Green For Life. While eating raw foods is a good thing, it is not easy to transition into, of course, unless you and your family are facing life and death health issues. Most of us are not motivated enough to give up the foods we have enjoyed all our lives. While I certainly wanted to enjoy the health that I was seeing my daughter achieve, I did not want to change
Chapter Three – V I C T O R I A B O U T E N K O
my diet all that much. And that is why I feel that I was fortunate to begin my raw food journey with the Green For Life book.
Green For Life is not about giving up anything. It is about making
one simple addition to your diet—a green smoothie. The Boutenko family had been eating raw for about ten years, but they began to experience a plateau. While their old illnesses never returned, they felt that they could be healthier. Victoria began researching ways to improve their diet even more. She wanted to find out if there was anything missing from her raw diet that could make a difference. Her search led her to investigate the eating habits of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. Chimpanzees share more than 99 percent of our DNA sequence. Believing that humans have lost their natural way of eating, maybe chimpanzees could point her back in the right direction. It turns out that a chimp diet in the wild consists of roughly 50 percent fruits, 40 percent greens, 7 percent seeds, nuts, pith, and bark, and about 3 percent insects. This was not how the Boutenko family and most other raw foodists were eating (particularly the insects). Many people in the raw food movement tend to eat fewer greens and more nuts, seeds, and oils. Boutenko also discovered that chimpanzees mostly feed on fruit in the morning, take a nap or play, then eat mostly greens in the afternoon. They stop eating for the day by late afternoon. This is a pattern that I am sure would benefit most of us. How many overweight chimps have you seen lately? I found it interesting that I had without thinking
Just chewing them would be a lot of work. She stopped craving fatty foods and salt. as we age our bodies produce less hydrochloric acid. and a quart of water. The smell and taste were just too nasty. eating fruits for breakfast and having most of my greens in a salad as part of dinner. Once Victoria understood the importance of getting more greens into her diet. it was not about giving up anything that I was eating. They all began to see a difference. As you can see. many people have low levels of hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. her nails became stronger. For weeks Victoria lived on nothing but green smoothies. However. Besides the fact that they require being ground into a creamy consistency to become absorbable by the body. the problem became how to do it. four bananas. In the end she lost all cravings for unhealthy foods. The result was impressive.Reasonably Raw fallen into a similar pattern. Instead of trying to eat large quantities of greens Victoria experimented with "chewing" them in a blender. She and her family loved them. Years of eating processed foods make this pH level unlikely. Boutenko claims that wrinkles disappeared. Initial results were disastrous. she tried adding some bananas to the mixture and the fruit changed everything. That was my introduction to raw foods. I simply added the green 42 . Also. Nutrients cannot be assimilated without both thorough chewing and a stomach pH level of between 1 and 2. Her first green smoothies consisted of one bunch of kale. her energy increased and she felt lighter than she had in years. her vision improved.
and maybe some frozen blueberries or whatever else was in the house. Ideally that would be for breakfast. For me this was easy. a handful of kale. 43 . Now all I had to do was adjust the fruit a little and add greens. it was simply that they were less attractive by about a half. and spinach. I slowly began to lose interest in them. four bananas. I soon was making fruit smoothies every day for breakfast. Spinach and romaine lettuce are pretty tasteless. here is the good part. I didn't want fried food as much either.Chapter Three – V I C T O R I A B O U T E N K O AND GREEN SMOOTHIES smoothie to my diet. For years I ate only fruit for breakfast. that your first step be that of having one green smoothie a day. romaine. knowing that it is best to eat fruit on an empty stomach. While not trying hard to give up eating meats and fish. I strongly suggest that if you are considering raw foods or any healthy change in your diet. I just began to feel a little better and the whole experience made me more interested in seeing what other improvements I could make to my diet without causing myself any pain or giving up favorite foods. I could never taste the kale. Other lettuce may change the fruity flavor so I mostly stuck to the kale. if possible. Now. My original green smoothies were simple: two cups of water. At this point I was by no means a raw food person or advocate. I knew that blending ruptures plant cells at the microscopic level. This high-powered machine is an essential kitchen appliance for the health conscious human. otherwise it tends to ferment behind other slow moving food. making them more available for digestion and more absorbable. It wasn't that I didn't want to eat hamburgers anymore. too. Several years ago I bought a Vita-Mixer blender.
Reasonably Raw but it could be later in the day. and you will feel better by just making that one change. It's painless. 2005. 44 . Additional Reading: Green For Life. it tastes great. Victoria Boutenko. Raw Family Publishing. just try to drink it on an empty stomach because of the fruit.
and deforestation (South American rainforest in exchange for American hamburgers). being the ruminants that they are. trucks. Cows. Cows.3 billion of them on the planet. airplanes. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation. and trains combined? Did you know that livestock now use up more than 30 percent of the planet's entire land surface? And I bet you didn't know that producing animal products is damaging the environment through land erosion by overgrazing. cattle produce more global warming greenhouse gases than all the cars. This is the equivalent of 5 billion tons of CO2." –HENNING STEINFELD. Every time a cow burps and farts. Methane is 50 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. water pollution. 45 . SENIOR UN FAO OFFICIAL Did you know that. according to a United Nations report issued in 2006. depletion of scarce fresh water sources. there you go. buses.Chapter 4 Climate Change and Diet "Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems. all 1. methane. produce more than 100 million tons of the stuff every year. break down their food by fermenting it.
but this gives you an idea of the amount of food we are wasting. it's about destroying the planet that we live on. The overuse of antibiotics is generating a new class of superbugs that are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Eating animals contributes to the deforestation of our planet. Eating animals has become more than an ethical choice regarding cruelty to other sentient beings. we would save enough food to feed the 60 million people who starve to death each year on this planet—ten times over! Granted. What happens when antibiotics are no longer of any use? If we in America stopped eating meat. The average non-vegan requires 100 times the amount of fresh water to raise the livestock that they will eat. And eating animals contributes to the pollution of our waters. Eating animals contributes to the destruction of farmland that could be used for feeding human beings. there are political problems to be overcome. 46 .Reasonably Raw Eating animals contributes significantly to global warming. If all of this were not enough. Isn' this a good reason to at least consider changing your diet? The average person who consumes meats and dairy products requires 20 times the acreage of that of a vegan. This is necessary just to keep them alive long enough to get to the slaughterhouse after we have confined them for so long in our factory farms. consider that two-thirds of all antibiotics in the United States are given to animals.
try giving up cooked foods cold turkey for a day and see how fast you start craving your favorite cooked foods. I enjoyed the simplicity and inspiration of Boutenko's first book so much that I decided to give her raw food book a try. One doesn't have to give up cooked foods entirely to benefit from including more raw foods in their diet. whether we know it or not. any cooked foods. I knew from going to my doctor for a physical that my cholesterol was 47 . I think I was in a good place to begin considering incorporating more raw foods into my life. I knew I needed to lose some weight. If you don't believe me. It is kind of like a 12-step program for food abusers. The subtitle of her book is How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Food. Not that I was intending to become a raw food person.Chapter 5 Victoria Boutenko and 12 Steps to Raw Foods "…I did not fully understand the addictive power of cooked foods.D. but I was interested in improving my eating habits. do eat food the way addicts consume drugs and alcohol. M. And most of us." –GABRIEL COUSENS.
diabetes. Part one of Boutenko's book is about how cooking food destroys nutrients and increases the risk for heart disease. She explains how cooking creates advanced glycoxidation end products (AGEs). All this protein is dangerous. In part two of her book Victoria discusses how we have become addicted to food. Salad and fruit and that's about it for most of us. and those are only side dishes in our diets. These days I have to laugh to myself when I hear someone describe to me their healthy diets.Reasonably Raw high. reduce flexibility in tendons and ligaments. the rice is cooked to death. I say to myself. too? Of course. They'll say "I have hot oatmeal for breakfast with berries on top. Besides. and speed up the aging process. don't they understand that the oatmeal is cooked to a mush. very toxic molecules that get absorbed by the body and do such nasty things as stiffen muscles (including the heart). cause inflammation. I was amazed at how little I was eating was a living food anymore. pasteurized drinks. and cancer. the chicken is filled with antibiotics. 48 . I had seen what it was doing for my daughter and son-in-law. and the fish is most likely farmed and they have antibiotics (along with other things). Our main meals are almost always cooked foods. grilled meats and fish. We have become dependent on processed cereals and breads." Or something like that. Then I have a chicken salad for lunch and fish with rice for dinner. And I wanted more energy in my life. What makes all of this even more frustrating is that the so-called nutrition experts on television reinforce this fake healthy diet idea.
Cooked foods are an addiction.Chapter Five – V I C T O R I A B O U T E N K O AND 12 STEPS TO RAW F O O D S The realization that eating cooked food is an addiction is a major contribution to understanding how to improve our dietary habits. alcohol. No one would think that the typical diet is an addiction. and not being hungry at all. doing so is actually easier in the long run. When I began adding raw foods to my diet it was not the raw food that caused me problems. but try to go one day without cooked foods and you will see what I mean. not absolutely raw. My salads and the interesting dressings that my daughter gave me were totally satisfying. Knowing this will help you to make healthier food choices. You may be thinking at this point that the analogy that food is 49 . and realistically raw. rationally. the more fun I had. And I think for some people that would be the way to go. And the mock tuna salad. and cauliflower "mash potatoes" tasted wonderful. I don't think I could bring myself to the point where I would never ever want a hamburger again. This is a very important point that should not be missed. drugs. The more recipes I tried. I am trying to be reasonably. and relationships can be. the flaxseed crackers. But even with all of these foods. I still wanted to have something cooked at the end of the day. Victoria does argue that just like an alcoholic we should give up cooked foods entirely. the processed fatty. I also craved snacks in the evening. After all. but for me knowing that if I really want cooked food I can have it without feeling guilty is important to my sense of freedom. salty kind. even if it was only a piece of toast and butter. just as powerful cigarettes. My smoothies were delicious. I may not eat one. I cannot do this.
meats. Take the 50 . don't think about giving anything up and depriving yourself. Victoria points out in her book that plenty of research shows that cooked foods contain opioid peptides that reach the opiate receptors in our nervous systems. Buy a good blender and dehydrator. Get the tools for making raw foods. I recommend reading the book itself. 3. adding some of my own observations and trying to be brief. and fish. Don't judge yourself or others for not eating raw foods. Greens are the most nutritious foods on the planet. but a little of an exaggeration. 12 Steps to Raw Foods Here are Boutenko's 12 steps to transitioning to a raw food diet. Many of our food cravings develop because we do not get enough nutrients. These opioid peptides are particularly present in dairy products. Learn how to prepare raw food recipes. Add a green smoothie and a large salad to your daily diet. 1. Ask around for good ideas on what to eat. 4. Can you get through a day without cooked foods and not feel those cravings? Try it. I have altered them a little.) Believe it or not. cooked foods are at least somewhat physically addictive. poultry. Get some raw cookbooks. Be honest. Add healthy foods to your diet. (Another reason to eat a vegan diet. 2. Well. You probably already have a food processor.Reasonably Raw addictive is helpful. Become aware that you do have an addiction to cooked foods. Find out what other people do.
not taking anything away. Forgiveness is essential. and attending festivals. Think of this as adding something to your life. We may slip at times. You will have 51 . if it is in the house I will most likely eat it. The encouragement and ideas from my daughter Gina have helped me every step of the way. I also find that I am a lot less tempted on a stomach full of my green smoothie.) 6. Be thankful for learning about this healthy way of living. If you are going somewhere where you know you will be tempted—eat first. Get support. We know about raw foods. 5. so if I don't want cooked foods I don't buy them. It's the same with restaurants. Support also comes from reading books. You can only order salad so many times a week. 7. You are going to feel happier than you have ever felt before. I could not have made the changes to my diet without her support and help. raw web sites. Gratitude and forgiveness. newsletters. I can't help it. 8. but at least we are on the path. Avoid temptations. most people are not even aware of what they are doing to their bodies by eating cooked food all the time. Your life is going to change. It is hard to make the right choices when we hold grievances against other people…and ourselves. Have fun. family. too. Actualize your dreams. and friends. Be reasonable. (If you can't be raw.Chapter Five – V I C T O R I A B O U T E N K O AND 12 STEPS TO RAW F O O D S pressure off yourself. at least be vegan. For me this means not keeping cooked foods in the house and not going out to eat very often.
Meditate. read. Now you can live your dreams. True happiness comes from helping others. When you help others you are helping yourself. We can't live a healthy lifestyle alone. Utilize other healthy practices. Where is your passion? What is it that truly gets you excited? Almost every person I know who begins eating a raw vegan diet finds a new sense of spirituality in his or her lives. learn to live in the present moment. I also attended a food preparation demonstration given by Victoria's son Sergei. Spend time with yourself just being aware. Exercise is essential. I learned from Victoria Boutenko early on in my raw food journey 52 . Your life becomes so much richer. and we talked about how different people experienced healing from various illnesses. you learn it all over again. Discover what you are meant to do. do yoga. Move your body. Get some sunshine. 11. Run. Victoria gave an inspiring talk on how she discovered the benefits of green smoothies.Reasonably Raw more energy and need less sleep. I met Victoria and her daughter at the Raw Spirit Festival in Arizona in 2007. Her daughter Valya was working on a raw food documentary. swim. What does this mean for you? 12. 10. 9. And the best dreams are those that give back to others. walk. Find your mission in life. incorporate some form of exercise into your daily routine. Give support to others. Every time you share what you have learned. Gain clarity. The children are adults now and were looking quite healthy. only better.
Chapter Five – V I C T O R I A B O U T E N K O
the importance of adding healthy raw foods to my diet and not to think of this as giving up foods that I loved. I would not have taken the first step had someone told me that I had to give up cooked foods all together. But I could make a green smoothie, and by experimenting they became so enjoyable I had to keep myself from drinking them too fast. By eating more green leafy vegetables my body became more nourished and being more nourished desired less and less of the junk food and animal foods that I was used to eating. Slowly my tastes we changing. A raw food diet didn't sound quite so strange. Additional Reading:
12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Food. Victoria Boutenko. 2007. North Atlantic Books.
Chapter 6
Carnivores, Omnivores, and Herbivores
"Just because we can digest animals, that does not mean we're supposed to, or that it will be good for us. We can digest cardboard."
What foods should we eat? How can we know the truth about which foods are healthiest for us? To whom do we listen to when there are so many contradictory voices? Scientists? Nutritionists? Advertisers? Who can we trust? Ultimately, we have to trust ourselves. We cannot rely on anyone else to give us the answers, because other people and their corporations have their own motivations and agenda. We must think for ourselves. Finding answers always begins with good questions. Here is a good question to ask regarding which foods might make us healthy—for what kind of foods is my body designed? "We are meat eaters, why else do we have canine teeth." I've heard that said often enough. And, "We are omnivores because we can eat all kinds of foods." That is the most common perception about human
true canine teeth. are made up of sharp pointy molars and fangs. The urine and saliva of carnivores is acidic. They have rough tongues. In nature. That is what I believed until I began my research into how the human body is designed. Their diet consists mainly of meat. Canine teeth. Carnivores have multiple teats. Guess where they get their vitamins and minerals if they don't eat plants? Two places—the intestines of the animals that they eat is one. They sleep between 18 and 20 hours a day. they lap it up with their tongues. They have four feet and tails and claws. The jaws of a carnivore have no lateral movement. and acid pH levels in their stomachs more than ten times that of humans. problems digesting sugars. Carnivores have proportionally large livers. They have a high tolerance for fat. carnivores prey on other animals. The intestines of carnivores are short and smooth. Carnivores don't drink water. The other is the herbivore dung that they also eat! Do either of those sources appeal to you? Thankfully there are other ways to get your nutrients.Reasonably Raw beings. that we are omnivores. They also have a high tolerance for microbes in their intestines. 56 . this is so that flesh does not rot inside them. Natural Carnivores Carnivores have certain characteristics. They perspire through their tongues. as opposed to grazing on plants. A true carnivore (or "obligate") must eat meat to live.
they cannot digest many of the substances in grains or plants that do not produce fruit. differing from carnivores they have no incisors on their upper jaws. omnivores are quite similar to carnivores. have a four-compartment digestive system. A subgroup within herbivores is frugivores. Frugivores Primates (apes. They do not chew their food but tear it into chunks and swallow it whole.) Herbivores. chimps. Omnivores are designed to eat both plants and animals. But unlike herbivores. (Primates are frugivores. Natural Herbivores Herbivores are animals adapted to eat plants. which mostly eat fruit. which is needed to digest green leaves and vegetation. not including frugivores and horses.Chapter Six – C A R N I V O R E S . man) do not really fit comfortably into any of 57 . Herbivores have intestinal bacteria that aid in digestion. Bears are a good example of an omnivore. AND HERBIVORES Natural Omnivores Omnivores share many design features of carnivores. They have claws and talons. And. As far as physical capabilities. They are capable of running down their prey and eating it raw with their bare hands. O M N I V O R E S . The diet of an herbivore is known to vary depending on the season and availability of food.
(David J. Seasonal variations in the food supply most likely forced our ancestors to add meat to their diets. Symposium on Nutrition of Non-Ruminant Herbivores. they needed alternative sources of nourishment. Design or not. The Early Humans There is no question that early human beings ate other animals. It is easily digested and supplies easily assimilated protein. They are not adapted to eating significant amounts of animal or plant matter. 1988) Humans would be more properly categorized as frugivores rather than as omnivores or herbivores. microwear on the teeth of specimens show that humans consumed meat. the first true humans appeared and so did some kind of meat eating. All frugivores supplement their diets with foliage. Their digestive systems are not designed for meat or grass. But fruit is another thing altogether. there is a question that should be asked—why? Was it out of natural need or was there something else going on? If we look more closely we find that once humans left the tropics and moved into less hospitable lands. Prior to the changing global climate and change of address. But. leaves and fruits.Reasonably Raw the above categories. Somewhere between 1 and 2 million B. Chivers. It is not known whether they killed their prey or scavenged for it.C. vitamins. hominids ate diets consisting of plant matter. 58 . and minerals.
Jared Diamond tells of his "hunting" trip with a tribe in New Guinea that hunts with Stone Age weapons. which leads us to believe that back in the day hunters could not have been much more successful. and 59 . unless you are a grizzly bear. and a whole lot of mushrooms. While we know that humans ate other animals out of necessity. we have confused the verb "to be able to" with the verb "to be. probably after watching other animals doing it.Chapter Six – C A R N I V O R E S . several frogs. O M N I V O R E S . The stone tools used in the hunt were far more advanced than tools found in prehistoric sites. I say a lot of stupid things. this is rarely the case. that doesn't mean I am a stupid person. (Is this not typical of us men?) The day's hunt resulted in killing two baby birds. while the men boast of killing large animals. AND HERBIVORES In his book The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee. Basically. Apparently." Just because we can eat animals doesn't mean that we are animal eaters. The Omnivores Dilemma? So what is all this talk about humans being omnivores? It's simple. There is no omnivores dilemma. the human body evolved over millions of years to eat primarily fruits and tender green leaves. hunting more likely meant finding carrion (road kill).
No. 60 . human beings have a body designed for mostly eating fruits with greens thrown in for vitamins and minerals.Reasonably Raw even then you eat what is available.
juices made from weeds and grass. she began research into improving her health. This led her to creating the Hippocrates Health Institute with the help of Viktoras Kulvinskas in Boston in 1958. 61 . and fermentation. Suffering from gangrene in her legs after a car accident and colon cancer as well. Doctors wanted to amputate her legs.Chapter 7 Ann Wigmore and the Hippocrates Health Program "Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food. she needed help. Ann experimented with various grasses and live foods and eventually healed herself of both the gangrene and the cancer. Not satisfied with overcoming her illnesses. she remembered how her grandmother treated wounded soldiers returning from World War I with herbs and weeds. Born in Lithuania. Guided by the saying of Hippocrates. Wheatgrass became the major element because it was the easiest and cheapest to grow." –HIPPOCRATES OF COS At midlife in the 1950's Ann Wigmore was a mess. She wanted an alternative." Ann went to work using living foods such as sprouts. "Let food be your medicine. and raised partly by her grandmother.
Enzymes found in living foods are the cornerstone of a healthful diet. and seeds. Fermented foods were part of the Hippocrates program under 62 . Florida. The sprouts are used in salads and juices. especially when fasting. which is considered the blood of the plant and has characteristics of human blood. To get the most out of fruits and vegetables without stressing the digestive system. grass grown from wheatberries being the best. The Hippocrates Health Program The Hippocrates approach has developed over the years but has primarily remained faithful to Wigmore's original research. grains. The juice most associated with Ann Wigmore is wheatgrass juice. Sprouts are grown from beans.Reasonably Raw Wigmore died in a fire at her institute at the age of 83. Since enzymes are destroyed when food is heated to over 117 degrees. and the Hippocrates Health Institute. raw uncooked foods are essential. Vegetables play a key role also. can be acquired in concentrated quantities through juicing various grasses. the Ann Wigmore Foundation in New Mexico. more so than fruits in this program. juicing is often utilized. Chlorophyll. which she founded and is currently under the direction of Brian Clement in West Palm Beach. Young vegetables such as baby greens and sprouts are highly recommended. Her work continues through institutes such as the Ann Wigmore National Health Institute in Puerto Rico.
the faster one dies. Then the digestive system does not have to work so hard. Cleansing is needed to rid the body of toxins acquired through years of eating the standard American diet. disease. The faster one uses up one's enzyme supply. A deficiency in enzymes brings about many kinds of health issues such as heart disease and certain cancers. Wigmore called enzymes the body's labor force. Enzymes are the life energy that is metabolism at work. According to the Hippocrates theory. making more energy available for living and protection from illness. although they have fallen out of favor recently. By eating raw foods we are able to replenish enzymes and rebuild our bodies. Cooking food kills the enzymes in the food. Enzymes Probably the best reason for wanting to eat raw foods is the enzymes. Rejuvelac.Chapter Seven – A N N W I G M O R E AND THE H I P P O C RAT E S H E A LT H P R O G RA M Wigmore's direction. is still widely consumed. When a person eats a primarily raw diet. he or she is making it 63 . Besides this selection of foods. We lose enzymes when our bodies fight illness. the Hippocrates program includes ideas regarding the proper combining of foods in a meal and cleansing. By predigesting and breaking down foods in the stomach. people are given only a certain amount of enzymes at birth. and stress. a fermented drink made of wheatberry. Eating certain foods together can cause digestion problems and nutrients not to be absorbed properly. Wigmore wrote that enzymes were the key to the Hippocrates Diet. nutrients are more readily absorbed and utilized by the body.
Raw fruits. It may also cause cancer. And enzymes are the reason. Diets high in fat and protein cause blood to be depleted of oxygen. repair. Chlorophyll helps to oxygenate blood.Reasonably Raw easier on themselves to cleanse. and weaker immune systems. By not cooking food you preserve the enzymes. juices. Grasses have been used for centuries as medicine in Eastern and Western cultures. The grain that we make bread from comes from the seeds of grass. which are needed for good health. Wigmore discovered that one of the best sources of chlorophyll was wheatgrass juice. 64 . and sprouts contain chlorophyll. vegetables. poor digestion. of course. the chlorophyll in wheatgrass is good for cleansing the blood. Exercise certainly is important to get oxygen into the blood. But foods too can help. This in turn causes people to have less energy. According to Wigmore's writings. and rebuild their bodies. Most of us do not know the major role that grass has and still does play in the development of life on this planet. He dried the grass and sold it in cans. Wheatgrass When you think of Ann Wigmore. (Wheatgrass itself is too fibrous to eat. you have to think wheatgrass. Chlorophyll is the key ingredient in grass that makes it so valuable. so many animals survive on grass. which is nearly identical to human blood in the sense that it carries oxygen. And.) Agricultural chemist Charles Schnabel did the original research back in the 1930's.
writes that wheatgrass chlorophyll cleanses the body of toxins and suppresses bacterial growth. The Chinese discovered them thousands of years ago. The red blood cell count is increased. and when included with other foods make them more nutritious. It also lowers blood pressure by dilating arteries. Historically. 65 . minerals. Wheatgrass juice is not very stable and should be consumed shortly after preparation. Wigmore used it to treat ulcers and colitis. enzymes reach their peak activity between the second and seventh day after sprouting.Chapter Seven – A N N W I G M O R E AND THE H I P P O C RAT E S H E A LT H P R O G RA M internal organs. Also. because it is so strong it may cause nausea or indigestion. Brian Clement. sprouts have been used in various cultures to heal many illnesses. Sprouts Another key contribution that Ann Wigmore made to a better understanding towards the components of a healthier diet is that sprouts are a source of super nutrition. She also used other grasses and seeds to extract chlorophyll from plants. and living enzymes. and metabolism is stimulated. Sprouts contain significant levels of amino acids (the building blocks of protein). the current director of the Hippocrates Institute. cleanse the colon. and the digestive system. high levels of vitamins and minerals. Wheatgrass chlorophyll is concentrated with vitamins. According to her theory. and strengthen the immune system.
66 . which begins the germination process. These inhibitors make the seeds less useable by the human body. Seeds contain metabolic inhibitors that protect it while in its dormant state. depending on the particular type of enzyme and the variety of seed being sprouted. The period of greatest enzyme activity in sprouts is generally between germination and 7 days of age. NATUROPATH The germination of seeds. I soak various nuts and seeds. and fats become soluble fatty acids." –ISABELL SHIPARD. and legumes. Soaking.Reasonably Raw "Being eaten whilst extremely young. removes the inhibitors and the seed begins to grow. There are even automatic sprouters available making this facet of building a healthy diet quite painless. and I can tell you that they taste much better after soaking. grains. sprouts have been acclaimed as the "most enzyme-rich food on the planet". The only thing is that they turn moldy quicker when traveling if you don't keep them refrigerated. "alive" and rapidly developing. The best thing about sprouts is that they can be grown at home cheaply and easily. Estimates suggest there can be up to 100 times more enzymes in sprouts than in fruit and vegetables. nuts. proteins become amino acids. At this point starches become sugars. is a simple first step in the sprouting process that anyone could easily incorporate into their eating habits.
The benefit in juicing is that vitamins. Juicing is one way to supplement your diet without using supplements made in a chemistry lab. It is recommended that large salads be eaten. and sugars can be consumed without putting a lot of stress on the digestive system. according to Wigmore. Wigmore was one of the first to actually include juicing in her diet. and protein. amino acids.Chapter Seven – A N N W I G M O R E AND THE H I P P O C RAT E S H E A LT H P R O G RA M Juices While other people are more famous for promoting the value of drinking fruit and vegetable juices. In fact. Juices make the perfect drink to have when fasting. minerals. minerals. Sprouts are considered the ultimate living food to juice because they are the most alive of all living foods. vegetables make up the largest part of the diet. Fruits and Vegetables The Hippocrates Health Program places a much greater emphasis on vegetables than on fruits. What I mean by large salads is that. Vegetables are added for flavor. Wheatgrass was not the only thing that she extracted juice from. vegetables provide the natural fiber needed to exercise the colon and 67 . Juicing also adds electrolytes and oxygen to the blood. enzymes. it should take a half hour to eat! Besides the obvious benefit of vitamins. vegetables and sprouts make an important contribution to the Hippocrates diet. Besides juicing fruits.
Dulse and kelp can be used to replace salt in your diet. Wigmore does recommend fruit. put them in a couple of jars full of water. This. Ann Wigmore recommended that eight to sixteen ounces of this fermented beverage be consumed every day. A couple of tablespoons would be enough. 68 . and others should be eaten daily. especially bananas. however. Sea vegetables play an important role in the Hippocrates diet. has fallen out of favor at the Institute today. Dulse. kelp. cover with cheesecloth. and let it sit for three or four days and you have Rejuvelac. significant consumption of fruit isn't discouraged. Rejuvelac Grind up half a cup of sprouted wheatberries. If you follow the Hippocrates plan you will not be eating a lot of fruit.Reasonably Raw remove waste from our systems. to lose weight. Wigmore felt that fermented foods were good for the colon. Because they are grown in the ocean. Baby greens are probably the best of all vegetables to eat. although Rejuvelac is still popular among many raw fooders. My understanding is that while the emphasis is placed on eating vegetables. nori. wakame. However. they are able to make minerals and trace elements available to humans which are not available from land-grown plants. only two to five pieces a day are recommended.
sea vegetables. I don't know how. in the beginning. Years of eating foods that shouldn't have been eaten leave it clogged up and in poor shape to extract vital nutrients. and stretching. while not originally recommended by Wigmore. Rather than fast on 69 . walking. well. and green drinks made of sprouts and vegetables. Wigmore was a big fan of enemas. but to hear them talk about it. they go through a cleansing period and feel sick instead of better. let's not go there. wheatgrass implants. Rejuvelac or juices between meals. Besides eating raw foods. fruit. in addition to supplementing the diet with wheatgrass juice. A fast of one day a week on juices and purified water is part of the detoxification process.Chapter Seven – A N N W I G M O R E AND THE H I P P O C RAT E S H E A LT H P R O G RA M Cleansing and Fasting It often happens that when people begin eating a mostly raw food diet. and colonics. Fasting. were also included. This is just the discomfort of a lot of accumulated waste leaving your system. most people have little healthy bacteria and lots of the bad kind due to taking antibiotics by prescription or consumed in the meat that we eat. The colon is the primary organ of solid waste disposal for the body. and two large salads a day. As the body rids itself of toxins many symptoms of illness arise. Cleansing the colon is a big part of the Hippocrates program. This is the cleaning stage. is part of the Hippocrates program today. In some parts of the raw food movement this has been taken to the extreme and it appears that some people even get addicted to them. Rest. Wigmore recommended watermelon and watermelon juice for breakfast. In addition.
Reasonably Raw just water. When both kinds of foods enter the stomach together. known as food combining. they have to be eaten in a healthpromoting combination. Most of us eat more than one food at a time. One objective of the Hippocrates diet is to allow foods to be quickly and easily utilized by the body and then eliminated. 70 . The other aspect of digestion is that different foods digest at different rates. Foods entering the body have to be digested to release their nutrients. the faster food will not digest properly. and then we will not absorb all the nutrients that we could from what we are eating. making the faster more comfortable and in a less weakened state. If a food that digests at a faster rate comes in after one that digests at a slower rate. a fruit and vegetable juice fast slows the process down. while starchy foods need alkaline juices. Two aspects of digestion are affected by how those foods are combined. It is not enough to eat living foods. can cause the digestive process to become derailed. it also involves when you eat it. An understanding of proper food combining will help this to happen. which will release massive amounts of toxins from their stored places in the body. Food Combining A healthy diet is not only about what you eat. Eating certain foods together. One is that protein foods entering the stomach require acidic juices to be digested. they tend to cancel out each other's digestive juices.
4. 6. 5. Fruits come in three categories: acid. Eat raw foods before cooked. 3. mind. 71 . and sweet. Proper food combining includes the following guidelines: 1. Mono meals are the best. 2. Food combining is also a part of the Natural Hygiene approach to raw foods. Some of this may sound familiar to you if you have ever read Fit For Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. This means eating only one food at a sitting. The Diamonds popularized the idea of proper food combining back in 1985.Chapter Seven – A N N W I G M O R E AND THE H I P P O C RAT E S H E A LT H P R O G RA M causing digestion to slow down and poor absorption of nutrients. The Three Phases Part of the Hippocrates Health Program today includes the concept that becoming a living-foods vegan is a twenty-one-year journey. should always be eaten alone. but acidic and sweet should not be eaten together. Subacid fruits can be eaten with acidic or sweet. Don't mix fruits and vegetables. 7. because they are digested so much faster than any other food. All melons. Don't drink with a meal. Watermelon for breakfast makes a great cleansing mono meal. subacid. and spirit. They have different amounts of sugar and water and are digested at different rates. Don't mix starches with proteins. It is holistic in the sense that the program involves the body.
Ann Wigmore's focus on the benefits of sprouts is something that most people overlook. Once physical problems have been overcome. Again. It's simple and quick. I know intuitively that raw is better than cooked. proper weight. It makes 72 . Physical changes include more strength and flexibility. one can begin a spiritual journey. including myself. it could be questioned whether it is necessary to wait fourteen years before considering spirituality and health. but why? It's the enzymes. a person can then work on the mental aspect. Some. The Best of Ann Wigmore and the Hippocrates Health Program Ann Wigmore has to be appreciated for being a pioneer herald of raw foods and living enzymes. The third phase asks the question: Why am I here? This is the spiritual phase. I believe that Brian Clement developed the concept of the three phases and I am not sure that Ann Wigmore supported the idea. the practitioner works for the next seven years toward better emotional health.Reasonably Raw Phase one answers the question: what am I made of? During the first seven years you rebuild and energize your body. Phase two concerns the mind and answers the question: who am I? After achieving a more comfortable physical presence. and excellent health. Germinate seeds and get greater nutrition from them. Knowing this makes it a little easier to…digest. would argue that the mental should come before or at least at the same time. Grow your own sprouts. and now that mind and body are healthy. a better digestive system.
Jay Kordich. Three Rivers Press.Chapter Seven – A N N W I G M O R E AND THE H I P P O C RAT E S H E A LT H P R O G RA M sense to germinate and sprout seeds right in our own homes. Clement with Theresa Foy DiGeronimo. 1984. But Wigmore explains why we should juice all kinds of vegetables as a healthy supplement to eating them. Ann Wigmore. (Brian Clement has been the director of the Hippocrates Institute for more than twenty-five years. and possibly most important. is the benefit of drinking vegetable juice. (This book is an excellent introduction to Ann Wigmore's philosophy of health. 1998. The consumption of green leafy plants cannot be emphasized enough. and many of her own recipes. gardening indoors. Sprouts are a living food at its peak. Brian R. While I can't say that wheatgrass juice is something everyone should be drinking. Lastly. I had been a big juicing fan back in the 1980's thanks to The Juiceman. It also contains instructions for growing sprouts. but I stopped juicing a number of years ago. I got tired of drinking five pound bags of carrots every day. Avery. I also very much like the idea of fasting one day a week on juices to give the digestive system a rest. Further Reading: The Hippocrates Diet and Health Program. 73 . I do applaud Wigmore for calling attention to the benefits of chlorophyll.) Living Foods for Optimum Health: Your Complete Guide to the Healing Power of Raw Foods.
74 .
Ever since the 1940's. among others. in order to develop a specific belief or motivation. there has been a concerted effort on the part of the food industry to brainwash the American people. when Danish scientists discovered a link between the consumption of animal products and disease. spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year with the express purpose of increasing the demand for animal products. such as an advertising campaign or repeated suggestion. emotionally charged word. the Cattlemen's Beef Association." –THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY Brainwashed is a strong. The American Meat Institute.Chapter 8 Brainwashed! "Brainwashing: The application of a concentrated means of persuasion. the National Dairy Council. They do this in incredibly devious ways. 75 . But it is appropriate when we consider our beliefs about food. the National Dairy Promotion Board.
In one issue. lies a glossy 243 page magazine. Bimbo (sugary pastries).Reasonably Raw "For modern animal agriculture. Later in the publication.000 family doctor's offices in the United States. The hideousness of the work being done to convince you and me to eat more animals is executed behind the scenes. the better…" –PETER CHEEKE. published by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Pepsi. 3-A Day (pushing the benefits of three servings a day of milk. Logging into the Family Doctor's web site you will find "proud" sponsors such as the Atkins diet people (eat lots of meat and fat). Too Tarts (selling spray candy of all things). opposite an article on "Pregnancy and Newborn" is an ad touting the benefits of eating tuna fish. Cheetos and Doritos). PROFESSOR OF ANIMAL SCIENCE The obvious advertising that we see on television and in newsprint is only the tip of the iceberg. PepsiCo (selling Lays potato chips. the less the consumer knowsabout what's happening before the meat hits the plate. Did you know: In the waiting rooms of nearly all 50. It is called Family Doctor: Your Essential Guide to Health and Well-being. you will find an ad for McDonald's. on pages two and three. cheese. in the committees that make up the reports that make advertising more convincing and make the truth about what is healthy to eat and what is not more confusing. sent free. and yogurt) and Wyeth 76 . Sinfully Delicious (candy without calories).
The Food and Nutrition Board publishes highly respected findings telling the American people what is good to eat and what is not. You might suspect that this is a payoff for his 77 . I started with the board chairman. Nestle." Here is one area in how this brainwashing works: An Act of Congress created the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 1863. He is now a senior executive for a large food corporation. Mars (the candy people). NAS created IOM (Institute of Medicine). which has the role of advising the government on issues of health. which makes recommendations concerning food. We grew up with their published reports informing everything and everyone about nutrition. and McDonald's (you know who they are).Chapter Eight – B R A I N W A S H E D ! Pharmaceuticals (selling Advil and the antidepressant Effexor). All of this from the people who claim to be "your essential guide to health and well-being. and Dannon. Bier consults for ConAgra Foods (they produce many brands of processed foods and meat products). Just for fun I googled several of the current members of the board. pediatrician Dr. nutrition. They have been doing this since before many of us were born. The previous chairman was a paid consultant for the National Dairy Council. Dennis M. Bier. and health. This is what I found in his conflict of interest statement for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Dr. Since 1940 the FNB has been establishing principles and guidelines for adequate nutrition and the relationship between food and health. A part of the IOM is the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB).
and agriculture. nutrition. these academics serving on the FNB board can. DEPT. While government scientists cannot receive personal compensation from the food industry. he has received numerous grants from the American Meat Institute and is a paid consultant of Kraft Foods. Jim Riviere is a paid consultant for numerous drug companies. OF FOOD AND NUTRITION. NYU 78 . and health." –MARION NESTLE." "Although sponsorship by food companies is ubiquitous among academics and practitioners in the fields of nutrition. According to Integrity in Science. Like drug and tobacco companies.Reasonably Raw good work on their agenda. our community has paid scant attention to the conflicts of interest that might arise from this. And these are the people given the responsibility to "render authoritative judgment on the relationships among food intake. food. food companies often sponsor academic work (and in fact many drug and tobacco companies own food companies). Six of the eleven members have direct ties to the dairy industry. Conflicts of interest abound. Fergus Clydesdale receives funding from Kraft and owns stock in several food companies. I looked up vice-chair Michael Doyle. Next down the line.
20% to 35% from fat. upon finding out that I don't eat meat or anything coming from an animal. and other sweets. They establish the Food Pyramid. the Food Stamp Program. Essentially. Approximately thirty-five million Americans are provided food by 79 . "My eight-year-old stepson. INTERNET E-MAIL POSTING The FNB and committee members affect how people eat in a variety of ways. That means that you could have a bowl of Fruit Loops and a Snickers bar for breakfast. They influence the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs.Chapter Eight – B R A I N W A S H E D ! It was this committee that in its most recent report made recommendations stating that for good health adults should get 45% to 65% of their calories from carbohydrates. and pizza and soda for dinner. and still be within the FNB guidelines. candy. pastries. and 10% to 35% from protein. and the Women. Infants and Children Supplemental Feeding Program. they're telling you to eat whatever you want." –KIRSTEN. We are told that by following these guidelines we will minimize the risk for chronic disease. told me that I will never develop any muscles because muscles come from animals. a cheeseburger for lunch. They also said that it was okay to consume up to 25% of total calories from added sugars found in soft drinks.
In addition. They have major incentives to keep their mouths shut. Travel funds. heart disease.Reasonably Raw government programs based on what the Food and Nutrition Board recommends. and other food companies. The entire system of official information about food is under the control of the food industry. Nutrition journals take money from the food industry and companies through corporate sponsorships. otherwise they would be out of work. The American Dietetic Association receives significant funding from McDonald's. and Pop-Tarts. At the same time big medicine is kept in business. Is there any wonder why in America cancer. diabetes. Kellogg's. The brainwashing doesn't stop there. gifts. Fruity Marshmallow Krispies. The Dairy Council and the National Cattleman's Beef Association sponsor research sessions. the health care system will (the third leading cause of death in the US). and meals are used to gain influence and interest in products being sold. what we eat in hospitals and nursing homes is determined by FNB. The food companies also sponsor nutrition conferences and the publication of academic papers. and then gives its seal of approval on foods like Frosted Flakes. and the food industry profits from our illness. Associations themselves cooperate. 80 . The American Heart Association receives money from Kellogg's. and obesity have become epidemics? And if that doesn't kill you. We are being brainwashed into eating foods that are killing us. Sponsored papers are not even subjected to peer-review. The food industry has its hands in many other important avenues of influence.
their sponsors would stop advertising with them. the chicken. somewhere can make a buck. Just being aware of how you have been lied to and used all of these years will free you from much of the misinformation that you have been fed. We select what we want to see and hear and believe. We want to believe that the big steak we are about to eat is good for us.Chapter Eight – B R A I N W A S H E D ! The human mind is an interesting thing. providing us with protein. The only place we find real research answers is where there is no influence from money—books and unsponsored Internet sites. You will never hear the food experts on the Today Show or Good Morning America tell you the truth about nutrition. If it isn't the steak. It is my hope that after reading this you will open your mind to some new possibilities. pizza is a health food. well then. Let's get at the raw truth. Now we will get to ideas that are not being forced upon you so that someone. Hey. 81 . Even here the food industry manipulates the truth. or the fish. after all it contains all the food groups. It is capable of believing whatever it wants to. Why? Because if they did.
David Wolfe is raw foods on steroids. the groupies (Goji Girl. the nickname (Avocado). 83 . and the Best Day Ever "Life is generous to those who pursue their destiny. You have to like a guy who has made chocolate into a health food and always celebrates the best day ever. the unusual hairstyle. etc. Superfoods. the relentless promotion of products (the world's largest distributor of anything to do with raw food). Wolfe is probably the best overall resource and inspiration when it comes to raw foods.). and the creator of the Sunfood Diet Success System. He is the rock star (drummer in the Healing Waters Band). He not only covers most aspects of becoming a raw foodist.Chapter 9 David Wolfe. For all the hype (he claims to be the world's leading voice on raw nutrition). His book The Sunfood Diet Success System is one of the most comprehensive books on raw food available." –DAVID WOLFE David Wolfe may very well be the most important figure in the raw food movement. but he offers plenty of motivational material besides. the super food king (Sunfood Nutrition).
is "to become the greatest promoter of The Raw Food Diet in the history of the world. in his own words. or what the Aztecs called cachooatl and the Spaniards called cacao. and 5 percent nuts." He maintains at least three different web sites to do this. Wolfe quotes Stephen Arlin. He promotes a modified fruitarian diet and the more wild food. The cacao nut was so important in ancient Central America that it was used as money. According to Wolfe in an interview on the Living and Raw Foods website. Cacao is the bean that chocolate is made from. the better. his diet tends to conform closely to its precepts. This is easier than becoming raw slowly. Workers were paid in cacao. Chocolate You cannot talk about David Wolfe without first talking about chocolate. Cacao was used as standard currency in Mexico until 1887. But it isn't chocolate itself that raw foodists are interested in. To his credit he seems to draw from many different raw food authorities and teachers.Reasonably Raw Wolfe gives nearly a hundred lectures a year along with raw adventure retreats throughout the world. 84 . According to Wolfe magnesium is the most deficient dietary mineral in America." Better to get cooked food out sooner rather than later. "You crave whatever is in your bloodstream. His goal. Magnesium is the main reason for eating cacao. his diet is made up of 80 percent fruit. While not being a Natural Hygienist. it is the cacao bean and its amazing health properties. He also believes in just going raw cold turkey. 15 percent vegetables.
and good bowel movements. S U P E R F O O D S . Sea vegetables are basically seaweeds. goji berries. sea vegetables (kelp). They are neither plant 85 . enzymes. They eliminate the need for food supplements. aloe vera. far superior to blueberries. AND THE BEST DAY EVER Cacao is the major source of magnesium in nature. a healthy brain. antioxidants. and transition to a raw food diet. In a sense. and proteins. Superfoods Cacao is a superfood. Tryptophan is necessary for the body to produce serotonin. maca. The cacao bean is one of the best sources of antioxidants. hemp seed. In one form or another. protein. and Incan berries.Chapter Nine – D A V I D W O L F E . minerals. Wolfe calls cacao nature's Prozac. Superfoods are special because they contain high concentrations of vitamins. bee products. they are food supplements. muscle relaxation. algae should be a daily addition to every diet. and omega 3 fatty acids. Algae is also a source of B12. The soft cell walls make it easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Others include fresh water algae (spirulina and blue-green algae). Magnesium is necessary for strong heart muscle. which is a wonderful mood enhancer. trace minerals. bone formation. Algae may be the most nutrient dense food in the world. It also contains tryptophan in large quantities. they make it easier to detoxify. Fresh water algae (Spirulina and Blue-Green Algae from Klamath Lake) is a concentrated source of chlorophyll. maintain ideal weight. According to Wolfe. but not the only one that Wolfe considers important to human health.
and wakame. known as wolfberry in America. Maca is a superfood that is found high in the Andes of Peru. Some sea vegetables are kelp. improved memory. It also improves fertility. It is a root vegetable and considered to have medicinal qualities. endurance and libido. increased stamina.) In the Chinese system of herbal medicine. Sea vegetables help cleanse the intestinal tract and lymph system. sea lettuce. In tests mice have shown that it reduces enlarged prostates. They also promote healthy thyroid functioning. stabilize blood sugar levels. (I think he says this about a lot of fruits and vegetables. The essential elements and trace minerals found in sea vegetables are important to our endocrine system and the regulation of the body's metabolism. Goji berries. are touted by David Wolfe as possibly the most nutritionally dense food on the planet. Sea Vegetables are the foundation of the food chain and probably led to the formation of the first invertebrates. and help in overcoming depression. increase energy. purify and alkalize the blood. The major benefits of maca are reduced risk of prostate cancer.Reasonably Raw nor animal and are another form of algae. and inhibit cancer cell growth. dulse. and have been shown to be anti-inflammatory. Powdered sea vegetables can be used to replace table salt and are excellent sprinkled on salads. Maca is similar to a radish or turnip. Consumption of the maca root powder is shown to strengthen the immune system. stress relief. Goji berries rank number one out of more 86 . Maca is touted as an alternative to Viagra. nori. reduce cardiovascular problems.
sweet fruits." The Food Triangle David Wolfe teaches that the secret to succeeding on a raw food diet and achieving high levels of health is a balance between three essential classes of foods. They have been used for healing for over two thousand years. And for the best results. and fatty foods. AND THE BEST DAY EVER than eight thousand. The three essential foods are green-leafy vegetables. In Wolfe's travels. David personally suggests having sweet fruits as the main meal in the morning. Lacking any of these foods results in nutritional imbalance. chlorophyll is the 87 . This makes the berry "the world's greatest anti-aging superfood. sugars. Green-leafy vegetables provide chlorophyll. The three provide chlorophyll. green-leafy vegetables at lunch. he discovered a pattern. According to Wolfe. S U P E R F O O D S . Those classes make up the raw food triangle. In most cases Wolfe calls for the three foods to be eaten in equal quantities. The goji berry is a complete source of protein. Through his experiences of meeting hundreds of raw foodists and studying what works and what doesn't. all successful raw foodists followed this pattern. containing all eight essential amino acids. Goji berries have twice the amount of antioxidants as blueberries.Chapter Nine – D A V I D W O L F E . and fats in the evening. People lacking one of these food groups always ran into trouble. goji berries are the only food known to stimulate the human growth hormone. and fats. all three food classes should be eaten every day.
This is avoided with lots of dark green-leafy vegetables and exercise. is that the fat slows the release of sugar into the digestive track. seeds. Just like in the old Popeye cartoons. Sugar comes to us through sweet fruits. (This is something the natural hygiene people would disagree with. Therefore. nuts. balancing acid-forming minerals found in nuts. etc. They alkalize our body chemistry. They also are critical for skin and hair beauty. fruit needs to be balanced with green-leafy vegetables and fats. dehydration. Greens help detoxify the liver.Reasonably Raw "blood" of plants. or fatty fruits like avocado. which should not come as a surprise. oranges. and other minerals. These plant foods also contain omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. contain sugar that can act like processed sugar. too much fruit can overstimulate the endocrine system and acidify the blood. grapes. avocados. This makes for a longer release time and more energy over a longer time. we get our strength from spinach (and other greens). and a slightly diabetic situation. Natural raw fats are the third part of Wolfe's health equation. Seedless bananas. Plant fats contain no cholesterol. and animal products. Raw plant foods such as avocados. watermelon. young coconuts. We need fruit for energy. and oils provide essential fatty acids needed to lubricate mucus linings and the body joints. However.) Wolfe warns us to avoid refined sugar. seeds. Sugar is the fuel that runs our bodies and brains. They provide us with calcium. One benefit of having fat with fruits. iron. A diet high in these fruits can lead to constipation. magnesium. durians. Raw plant fats help the body 88 . but he also points out that hybrid fruits (seedless) should be avoided.
The following recipe is taken from an interview demonstration Wolfe gave on the Internet television show Healthy Living shown on Supreme Master Television. Plant fats insulate the nerves and counteract against environmental pollution. S U P E R F O O D S . AND THE BEST DAY EVER access and absorb the minerals in green-leafy vegetables. Here is something that those of us new to the raw vegan diet need to understand: when you are feeling hungry and feel the need for heavy protein food. Wolfe uses about a tablespoon of the cacao nibs. Next comes cacao. In a number of videos and interviews he discusses his daily smoothie and how he makes it. is a superfood smoothie. or even coffee.Chapter Nine – D A V I D W O L F E . in his own personal life. As an alternative you could use spring water. Wolfe states that plant fats are an excellent bridge from cooked foods to a raw food diet. a half tablespoon of the powder. it is best to soak them first. it's fat. tea. And if you are going to be eating nuts and seeds. Superfood Smoothie The cornerstone to David Wolfe's raw food diet. Along with the water of the coconut Wolfe adds the meat to the drink also. Following the base of water and cacao Wolfe includes two cups of 89 . their coverings that prevent them from sprouting. and a half-tablespoon of the cacao butter. At times like these it is not protein that your body wants. The smoothie begins with a base of coconut water taken from a young Thai coconut. They will not cause excess weight gain as cooked fats do. that is not what your body is asking for. This removes their enzyme inhibitors.
The Best of David Wolfe Chocolate. In addition to the frozen fruit. David usually has this as a late morning breakfast. raspberries and/or wild blueberries. maca. and dulse in addition to lots of green-leafy vegetables and I feel that I cover all my bases. nuts and seeds. hemp seeds. He suggests that including foods of the full spectrum of color is best because that provides all of the possible antioxidants. Superfoods. Finally. A little spirulina. and juices in between. Passion. In the past I took supplements in the form of pills. acai and goji berries are used. And that is it— David Wolfe's superfood smoothie. and spirulina. He has a large salad at 7 pm for his other meal of the day and snacks on fruits. not a substitute. The addition of superfoods to my smoothies is another part of my diet that David Wolfe has changed. When I began adding raw cacao powder to my afternoon smoothies I simply began looking forward to them as if I were having a real milk shake treat. I can't talk about David Wolfe without talking about passion for raw food. Now I take them in the form of superfoods. the addition of cacao to my smoothies and the raw ice cream that I make with durian (another fruit introduced to me by Wolfe) has made eating raw foods so much more enjoyable. Listening to him or watching him is inspiring to 90 . Wolfe then puts in a handful of cashews for fat and flavor along with superfoods maca. Chocolate added to a superfood smoothie is heaven.Reasonably Raw frozen berries—strawberries. While I don't want to overdo it with cacao.
2006. Additional Reading: Naked Chocolate. Maul Brothers Publishing. AND THE BEST DAY EVER the point of making one get up and doing something. David Wolfe.Chapter Nine – D A V I D W O L F E . If raw food can make David so energetic. why can't it do the same for me? I've sat through one of his four-hour lectures and he just does not want to stop. S U P E R F O O D S . David Wolfe and Shazzie. He is doing something right. Maul Brothers Publishing. 2005. 91 . The Sunfood Diet Success System.
Chapter 10 The Ethical Considerations of Eating Animals "If man's aspirations towards right living are serious.. Yet another may do it accidentally with a drug overdose..killing. 93 .. he was sacrificing his life for a greater cause. a Buddhist monk. When Thich Quang Duc killed himself. Was the monk's suicide an immoral act? An ethical discussion is not about the absolute rightness or wrongness of an action." –LEO TOLSTOY On June 11. burned himself to death protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government. because each act's judgment is determined by the intention of the person and the content of the situation. he will first abstain from animal food because.. Another person may be in so much pain that they cannot stand to live for another day and therefore decide to commit suicide. as it requires the performance of an act which is contrary to moral feeling . And still another may have a well thought out plan to just end their life. 1963 in downtown Saigon. its use is simply immoral. Thich Quang Duc.
When we consider the ethics of eating animals. and an occasional insect or two along with bark and other plant matter.Reasonably Raw All with different intentions. they did it to survive. In America. They were probably starving and had seen other animals doing it. then we have to ask the question if this is ethical. What was it like to go from this to eating that very first carcass? A question more appropriate to our discussion would be—why eat an animal in the first place? The answer probably wasn't because of being in the mood for a nice prime rib. We know that primates evolved eating mostly fruits. a modest amount of leaves. the average American ate 195 pounds of red meat. even though we don't need to. And since humans could eat meat. they did. 94 . When there are alternatives to eating other animals. let's think about the first time a human being took a bite of an animal. no one could fault eating animals under these circumstances. Over time a way to make fire was discovered and cooking animals must have made the experience much more palatable. in 2000. They probably didn't have a choice. Ethically speaking. As the human population increased and moved out into less hospitable lands. but within a spectrum of colors. Human beings became meateaters. poultry and fish. Fast-forward to today and wealthy societies eat more animals than ever. as there are now in America. Ethical actions are evaluated not as black and white. eventually they needed another source of food. a number of considerations and circumstances must be taken into account. For a moment. all with different contexts.
But maybe there are better ways of eating. Other people have thought about it and decided that there is nothing wrong with killing other animals to eat them. She would say. Some people just don't think about it. you could argue this point. Our purpose here is just to consider the 95 . and best. that's-a-good. My ex-wife's great aunt Zia used to ask me if I liked to drink wine. Is it better to eat 100 pounds of animals a year than 195? Is it better to eat 100 pounds of shrimp than of veal? The philosopher Ken Wilber says that it is better to eat a carrot than a cow. but if your food is coming from the supermarket… The purpose of this chapter is not to tell you what is right and wrong. that's-a-better. If-a-you don't. "If-a-you drink wine. End of story. they have never even considered if it was wrong to eat hamburgers or Chicken McNuggets. If you are getting your animals the old-fashioned way. hunting. Why? Why is it better to eat a carrot than a cow? It's better to eat a carrot than a cow because there is less suffering involved." Maybe eating animals isn't the worst thing in the world to do. Instead of an all-or-nothing decision. better.Chapter Ten – T H E E T H I C A L C O N S I D E R A T I O N S OF E AT I N G A N I M A L S Again. And if the killing of animals because we enjoy the taste of meat is accepted. It's better to eat a scallop than a chicken because there is less suffering. There is no intention there to do wrong. You must decide that. there is no black or white answer. I'd like to make the stories that we tell ourselves so that we will not feel guilt about it a little more complicated. why not look at our choice to eat animals as one of good. Certainly it's not a crime.
seeds. We were. leafy greens. some nuts. there is a mental and spiritual side of the human experience. How we think and behave ethically most assuredly shows up in our bodies." –MAHATMA GANDHI Why is it that dogs get Christmas presents and pigs get to be Christmas ham? Factory Farming The earliest humans picked their food from trees. then we learned to 96 . naturally frugivores. this paradise could not support so many people. We had no other choice. As the population grew. by then our digestive systems were already formed. Living in the topics. and still are. which brings us unwanted consequences. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. we began eating wild animals. To survive. However. The health of the body is not only about the physical components. and we began to expand into less hospitable territory. and a few insects.Reasonably Raw possibility that eating animals may be an unconscious conflict with our moral precepts. It was at this time that we began eating other types of food. they comfortably ate wild fruit.
And most recently. is dirt-cheap. we learned to cultivate animals as well. and need more medication to fight respiratory disease.) Why are cows fed corn? Economics. they breathe in air thick with bacteria and particulate matter. which contains fecal matter. Under pressure not just to feed a population but to also make a profit. Cows Since the 1980's the beef industry has been run by four huge corporations. Instead of grass. Since there is no federal law governing the welfare of farm animals. beef blood and fat. (They are also pumped up with synthetic growth hormones. By the time they go in for 97 .Chapter Ten – T H E E T H I C A L C O N S I D E R A T I O N S OF E AT I N G A N I M A L S cultivate grains (the seeds of grasses). This opens the door to the hideousness of factory farming. they must be kept alive by injecting them with antibiotics. as long as you are a farmer. with its government subsidies. Corn. The average cow gets to eat over sixty pounds of this chicken litter. along with chicken litter. The only problem with this is that since cows are not designed to eat corn. cattle are shipped to feedlots where they will spend the rest of their lives eating unnatural food solely for the purposes of marbleizing their flesh with fat. humankind developed what is now called factory farming. After spending the first six months of life on the range feeding on their natural food—grass. (Their feed also contains chicken and pig meat. cattle in feedlots are fed corn.) Stuffed into crowded feedlots. the cattle sleep in their own shit. cruelty is perfectly acceptable.
they cannot get away from more aggressive animals. Beef. Sows are kept in stalls so small they cannot even turn around. I wonder which is worse. They are kept in cages and allowed to live in a space the size of an eight by eleven-inch piece of paper. If you would like to see what does go on in the slaughterhouse. contained in steel pens. sensitive.Reasonably Raw slaughter. and social animals. They have nervous systems similar to ours. Chickens Ninety-five percent of all chickens are raised under factory farm conditions. which is so bad that they will not let anyone in to see what they are doing. Factory farmed pigs (ninety percent of all pork comes to us from these meat factories) spend their entire lives inside. These are intelligent. Next time you order baby back ribs or bring home the bacon. Is it any wonder that microbes like E. 98 ." but it's a really miserable life if you happen to be one. watch the youtube video entitled "Earthlings. Coli are found in beef? Now they are irradiating the meat to kill the microbes. They cannot move. consider the suffering of these animals. may be "real food for real people. No straw." Pigs Pigs do not have it any better than cows. We won't get into the slaughtering process. They stand or lie on concrete floors. nothing to do all day long. the manure is caked into their hides.
they live in dirt lots. Dairy Cows Do you think that dairy cows live the idyllic lives depicted on milk cartons? Think again. a genetically engineered growth hormone. When kept outside. is seared off with a hot blade to prevent fighting and pecking. They become so big their bones cannot support their own weight. The birds are pumped with antibiotics to keep them alive. They are given shots of BST. They are not allowed to graze on grass. they stand in their own shit all day long. When they can't produce milk anymore. bovine somatotrophin. full of nerve endings. Seafood I bet you didn't think that your wild Atlantic salmon was factory 99 . The natural life span of a cow is twenty years. every other week. High intensity farming like this is a breeding ground for illnesses like the avian flu.Chapter Ten – T H E E T H I C A L C O N S I D E R A T I O N S OF E AT I N G A N I M A L S The ammonia levels in the buildings cause respiratory disease. but are kept indoors. When it comes time to die. low-paid workers soon become desensitized and treat them terribly. Unskilled. many of them are scalded alive. They are bred to produce as much milk as possible. Like cows. Dairy cows don't make it past seven. they are sent out to become hamburger for fast-food restaurants. The sensitive beak. They are in constant pain because they are bred for fast growth.
Ethical Arguments Peter Singer. Producing animal products is a big business. I bring to your awareness the incredible cruelty towards animals being produced to become food. they must have some property. the famed animal rights activist. If eating animals causes you ethical concern. Fish farming is the fastest growing form of food production in the world.Reasonably Raw farmed. senile) ethical argument for not eating animals. that only humans have. and given antibiotics and pesticides to reduce disease caused by such crowded living conditions. it is the system that pits profitability against animal welfare. Fifty-thousand salmon are confined to a cage in the ocean. it is an industry driven by the need for companies to make profits for their shareholders—just like any other business. there you have a good reason to think about the benefits of raw foods and healthier eating choices. P. It goes like this: In order to conclude that only humans have the ethical right to live. These thirty-inch salmon live in a space the size of a bathtub. There are properties that only humans have. not to cast judgment on the industry. but to give you one very good reason and motivating factor to consider turning away from eating animals and consuming a plant-based diet. And there is no way to avoid this—except by not eating animals in the first place. The question of ethics here isn't about farmers treating animals cruelly. They are artificially colored. but not all humans 100 . has put forward the marginal (newborns. fattened on fish meal and oil.
we cannot conclude that only humans have the right to live. we should be respecting them. takes a different approach. In other words. Tom Regan. By eating animals we are using them as a means to an end. so do most animals. the animal rights argument. if newborns and senile people have the right to live.Chapter Ten – T H E E T H I C A L C O N S I D E R A T I O N S OF E AT I N G A N I M A L S have them. Any property that all humans have. What about whales? And dolphins? Horses? Why not cows and pigs? How can we choose some and not others? Can you not see the disparity of thought? Ethical considerations comprise many reasons to be motivated to eat a vegan diet. 101 . Why do humans have the right to life and animals don't? We give dogs and cats rights. so do animals because they share the same properties. Therefore. another intelligent writer on the topic of animal welfare. A reasonably raw diet makes being a vegan easier. Animals should be treated as ends in their own right. We should not be using animals.
103 . To isolate one vitamin or mineral and think that more or less of it will improve health is to ignore the natural package that nature has provided. intellectually. In addition. It draws upon our natural diet and instincts rather than what the human mind has determined appropriate to eat. we need to understand that health-promoting food comes packaged in a combination of elements more numerous than we can know. Natural Hygiene makes a lot of sense to me. work in conjunction with each other. many not even discovered yet. the Natural Hygiene people. take a strongly holistic approach to nutrition." –DR. Micronutrients. and instinctually. DOUGLAS GRAHAM As an approach to health. The holistic view held by Graham and the Natural Hygiene movement questions the value of isolating nutrients and their effect on health. Douglas Graham in particular. its appeals to your senses and palate—the only criteria that guided our food selection in ages past.Chapter 11 Douglas Graham and Natural Hygiene "Your instincts will reject or embrace each food on its merits— that is. Instead. rationally.
Reasonably Raw
It is possible that we have only discovered about 10 percent of the plant nutrients in existence. This means that our health depends on a lot more than getting what we often think of as all our vitamins and minerals. For Graham, only a diet of whole foods will bring about a healthy body. Supplements may reduce and relieve symptoms, but only whole foods create health. Eating By Design Natural Hygiene makes the case, and a convincing one, that if you want to know what you should be eating, consider what you are designed to eat and what you would be eating naturally without cooking or altering the food. Douglas Graham, in his book The 80/10/10 Diet, points out that if you offer an animal all kinds of foods, in their natural state the animal will eat what is best for itself. The same should hold for humans. In Graham's book he explains that if we were carnivores, we would relish the idea of catching an animal with our bare hands and eating it, entrails, fat, blood, bones, flesh, and all. Also, our bodies would be designed to eat other animals. (We've discussed this in a previous chapter.) So much for being a carnivore. But what about the other "vores?" Herbivores forage on grass, weeds, and leaves. Unless that greenery is flavored with a great dressing, we do not find it particularly appealing. And it looks like it's by design we are not really made to eat them either, lacking the proper enzymes for digestion.
Chapter Eleven – D O U G L A S G R A H A M
Likewise humans, unlike birds, are not all that attracted to grains, the seeds of grasses. We also don't get all that excited about eating raw tubers and legumes. Starches are just not very digestible by human beings. How about milk? Surely dairy products do taste good, don't they? At least in the form of ice cream and cheese. True, but when was the last time you had the urge to suck on the breast of a wild animal, or even a cow or goat? That aside, milk contains casein, possibly one of the most active agents in the cause of cancer and heart disease. No other animal in the world drinks the milk of another animal. Dr. Graham also takes a swipe at nuts and all high-fat plants. Humans have a difficult time digesting them and the fats are trapped in the intestine for long periods of time, causing all kinds of problems. Everyone knows that humans are omnivores. We can eat just about anything. Yes, that may be the case, but a true omnivore thrives on everything just mentioned. As was stated before, being able to do something doesn't mean it is the best thing to do. Just because I can eat all of the above doesn't mean that I should. So, given that all of these foods are unnatural to humans, what then are we to eat? Fruit. Fruit is the only food that in its natural state is appealing to us. And, best of all, we are designed perfectly to digest and utilize the plentiful carbohydrates in fruit. Fresh, ripe, raw fruit comes wrapped with digestible fiber, making sure that the fruit sugars enter our system gradually and for longer periods of time. Humans, according to Graham, are frugivores, designed to live on
Reasonably Raw
fruit and tender greens. Think about it, fruits are the only food that all on its own can attract human beings. We see fruit growing and eat it just as it is. Certain greens have the ability to attract us also. In my garden, I go for the tomatoes, a fruit. At the same time that we are naturally attracted to the sweetness in fruit, we just happen to be biologically designed to utilize and absorb the nutrients in fruits. This is the argument that really gets me. Of all the diets out there, the fruit diet makes the most sense logically and instinctually. We are naturally attracted to fruit and our bodies easily digest and utilize fruit. Fruit: Facts, Fears, and Fats Large quantities and even small quantities of fruit consumption are feared. Fruit is believed to cause high blood-sugar, which can cause diabetes, candida, chronic fatigue, and other illnesses. Eating fruit puts too much sugar into our blood. But Graham argues that fruit is not the problem, but fats. Fruit, when eaten naturally, becomes a sugar in our body and then goes into the blood stream quickly and out of it into our cells, where it provides us nourishment. No problem. Primates eat enormous amounts of fruit in their natural habit. The most significant contribution that Dr. Graham makes to our conversation here is this: a high-fat diet, one which nearly all of us have, makes it nearly impossible for fruit to get out of the blood stream and into our cells. Too much fat in the blood makes it difficult for fruit sugars to get out of our blood, causing high blood sugar.
The whole process can take up to twenty-four hours. Too much sabotages the essential work of fruit. It may still have fat floating around if I haven't gotten my consumption down to the level that Dr. longevity.Chapter Eleven – D O U G L A S G R A H A M AND N AT U RA L H Y G I E N E Fatty food. Without healthy carbs all sorts of disease and distress occur. The thing is. and energy. I used to think that I was safe if I ate fruit on an empty stomach. and we all need lots of fruit. My stomach may be empty. and sugar molecules themselves. 107 . proteins. If you remember anything at all from this chapter it is this: be very careful about how much fat you eat. if in the past you have had problems with fruit. Fats take a long time to pass through the intestines. So. We get our calories from carbohydrates. blood-stream. That ratio should be 80/10/10: a minimum 80 percent calories coming from carbohydrates. by making a thin coating of fat on the blood-vessel walls. cell receptor sites. we need the wonderful carbohydrates that fruit gives us to do most of the things we do. That is what we are designed to eat. and fats. The fats in our diets prevent the fruit that we eat from doing its job. it wasn't the fruit. Graham's approach to excellent health is the need to balance the source of calories in one's diet. but my blood is not. Wrong. The ratio of these three nutrients is vital to health. in essence. And then fruit gets all the blame. gum up the whole works. and into the cells. it was probably the fat. Graham recommends. Balancing Calories: 80/10/10 The cornerstone of Dr.
like glucose. This is the ratio that results when humans eat a mostly fruit diet. In fact. these are the carbohydrates that most people think of when they think carbohydrates. Carbohydrates Our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars. potatoes. and the Hunza all consume around 70 percent of their calories in carbohydrates while obtaining about 15 percent from fat and 15 percent in protein. Whole wheat bread is better than white bread. We need carbohydrates for energy and health. Fresh fruits are the optimal source. tubers. wheat. are the fuels that run the engines of our bodies. all make up a significant part of the American diet. is 88/7/5. There are other ways of obtaining carbohydrates.Reasonably Raw a maximum of 10 percent coming from protein. Many people are even aware that complex carbohydrates are better than processed. Corn. The Abkhasians. and legumes being the most obvious sources. bonobos. In the wild. carrots. Another argument for this ratio is that the longest living peoples approximate these percentages. rice. Simple sugars. and orangutans (our closest cousins genetically). and a maximum 10 percent coming from fats. According to Graham. primates like ourselves thrive on mostly fruits and tender greens. such as with grains. The water-soluble fiber in fruit allows the sugars to be absorbed slowly into the blood stream. this ratio for chimps. There 108 . the Vilcabambans. beans.
fruit should make up 80 percent of our calorie intake. Protein The protein myth. it is a baby when growth is at its greatest. but we are in danger of getting too much. Refined carbohydrates are essentially junk food. If anyone needs protein. whole fruits provide carbohydrates without the problems. Human beings originated in the tropics. fruits. where we evolved eating tropical foods. arthritis. And the only reason it is as low as that 109 . Grains. the baby's natural source of nutrition? Only 6 percent of its calories come from protein. three times as much as we need. our natural diet. Gluten intolerance is involved in the development of diabetes. we must have our protein. primarily wheat. asthma. We are not in danger of getting too little protein. constipation. Where do I get my protein if I'm a vegan? The thing is: most of us eat way more than is good for us. These empty calories simply accelerate the aging process. fibromyalgia.Chapter Eleven – D O U G L A S G R A H A M AND N AT U RA L H Y G I E N E is a problem though. This is what we are designed to eat. Easily digested and utilized. cause all kinds of illnesses. If we do not need a lot of protein as infants. Fresh. So how much protein does breast milk contain. Protein. and autism. why would we need more as adults? How much does the typical diet provide us? Around 15 percent. A need created by the meat and dairy industry. Fruit is the least toxic and most nutritious source of energy for the human body. providing empty calories and leaving the body with no nutritional value.
What is a surprise is how low low is. have even more amounts of fat. sulfur. more of what your body really needs. but from amino acids. The body has to break down what is left into amino acids. The advantage of getting protein from fruits and vegetables is that the body doesn't have to break down the protein. The body doesn't make protein from animal protein. This results in arthritis. Fat It is no surprise that a low fat diet is healthy. According to the USDA. osteoporosis. to restore this balance. autoimmune problems. The overconsumption of protein is a serious problem. Too much protein causes too much acid to form in the human body. You are not adding more toxicity to your body in the form of hormones. meats and dairy products. an alkaline mineral. it is already there in the form of amino acids. liver and kidney problems.) The body wants the bloodstream to be in balance between acidity and alkalinity. The thing is. (This comes from acidic minerals: chlorine. from our bones and teeth. When we cook meat. we destroy half of the protein. and the drugs given to the animals that you eat. The best part of plant-based protein is that you can eat a lot less of it to get a lot more. and premature aging. Protein throws the balance off and so the body takes calcium. animals are a bad source of protein anyhow.Reasonably Raw is that the high protein foods we eat. Eat your fruits and vegetables and you don't have to even think about protein again. phosphorus. 20 to 35 percent of our calories 110 . antibiotics.
It prevents fruits from delivering the sugars that we need for energy and healthy bodily functions. If you are going to consume fat. the Pritikin Longevity Center. and avocados. Dr. This negates all the benefits of eating raw foods. Instead of feeling energized and healthy. their bodies become clogged up with too much fat.Chapter Eleven – D O U G L A S G R A H A M AND N AT U RA L H Y G I E N E should come from fats. they tend to eat a lot of food with fat in order to feel satisfied. Oil is a processed food providing empty calories.) Making It Work Natural Hygiene and the 80/10/10 diet are the most radical of all the 111 . Also. by eating so many fatty foods they end up not eating as much fruit as they need to. Graham recommends no more than 10 percent. Oil is stripped of the fiber which keeps fats from going rancid. Oil is pure fat. It is best to get your fats from fresh nuts. Besides causing weight and cholesterol problems. He is supported in this by Dr. Dean Ornish. seeds. Graham takes a chapter of his book to warn that many people who eat only raw food eat way too much fat. it should come from whole foods and not oil. Many raw food recipes use nuts and seeds to mimic cooked foods. The only reason the USDA recommends more is a result of the influence of the meat and dairy industries. why should we limit our fat intake? Because fat in our blood makes it difficult for oxygen to reach our cells. Colin Campbell in his book The China Study. T. Dr. When people convert to raw food diets. and Dr. (Many vegetarians are not all that healthy because they consume a lot of dairy products.
Fats do hinder fruits from providing the fuel that our bodies need. At the same 112 . They also eat a whole head of lettuce at dinnertime. besides causing all kinds of problems with too much acidity in the blood and the depletion of calcium. There is great controversy in the raw food movement regarding Natural Hygiene. There is one problem in this. How does one do it? According to the Natural Hygiene forums and testimonials it is done by gradually increasing the amount of fruit consumed at every meal. Eat much more than you think you should. Protein. I believe that Natural Hygiene may be the healthiest way to go. a person trying to eat this way will starve and find it nearly impossible to do unless they significantly increase the amount of fruit eaten. There is one other word of caution I want to mention. While at the Raw Spirit Festival in Arizona. is a major factor in heart disease and cancer. Since they require the reduction and elimination of so much protein and fat. as proven by the China Study. And fruits and vegetables are what we humans are designed to eat. Always eat your fruit first so it doesn't get stuck fermenting behind the heavier foods. I met a number of people who had been on the diet and had health problems and had to go back to a more conventional form of raw foodism.Reasonably Raw approaches to raw food. They are the most difficult to implement. Getting rid of fats and proteins and living on only fruits and vegetables is an incredibly difficult task. Successful people on this type of diet typically eat two pounds of fruit at a meal.
The less our bodies have to work on digesting food. the more energy we have left over to live our lives to the fullest.Chapter One – T H E L O N G .) make fruit the central and largest part of your diet 2. would be so attractive. the ideas in this program are valuable. Dr. All I can say is try it and see how you feel.) seriously keep your consumption of fats to a minimum 3. Further Reading: The 80/10/10 Diet. We need to eat a lot more fruit than we think. Whether you incorporate the whole 80/10/10 diet or not. While following Graham's 80/10/10 diet may be hard to accomplish. especially as I get older. We probably are eating a lot more fat than we should. and body-clogging fats. 113 . Douglas Graham. FoodnSport Press.L I V I N G P E O P L E time others swear by it. is better than being ignorant of the ideal. 2006. based on easily digested fruits. I could see a time in my life.) avoid meats and dairy because they contain too much protein and fat. And a vegan diet is best because vegans do not stuff their bodies with animal protein. at least seeing it as a goal to reach. or an incentive. where a light diet. toxic hormones. The Best of Douglas Graham The most important lessons from the writing and research of Dr. Graham are these: 1.
" –GABRIEL COUSENS Gabriel Cousens has an M. Arizona.D.Chapter 12 Gabriel Cousens and Conscious Eating "The art of conscious eating lies in creating an individualized diet that reflects and supports one's realization of the highest state of awareness. there isn't anyone more qualified to make statements and recommendations. Cousens has been a raw food vegan since 1983. Besides his medical background Cousens has spent numerous years studying spirituality with indigenous teachers (both Native Americans and Indians). medical researcher. Ayurvedic practitioner. acupuncturist. and a D. When it comes to the science of living foods and health.. He is a psychiatrist. 115 . He is also the founder and director of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia. as well as one's need to function in the world of everyday life. (H). and he is an ordained Essene teacher. Reiki Master.D.D. and author. an M. Dr.
Bechamp theorized that microscopic and colloidal elements. which we know is relatively large. lack of oxygen. Cousens' search for extraordinary health begins with a close look at blood. mycotoxins. live-food. fungus. antibiotics. and animal products. non-acidic diet can turn off the self-composting process. environmental toxins. He begins by drawing on the research performed by Antoine Bechamp in the early 1900's. the body is essentially composting itself and a cycle of degeneration initiates. yeast. all play a part in distorting what Cousens calls the "subtle organizing energy field. In a healthy state this goes on undisturbed. and mold." This energy exists in the space between cells. alcohol. Acid foods. along with acid thoughts. Looking closer at this system. But when fermentation begins. When the natural fermentation process speeds up due to excess sugar in the system. And that is when health degenerates. These toxins are the forerunners of degenerative disease—illness. The body is continually recycling itself. refined foods. This microscopic digestion produced toxins. smaller than cells. and canned foods. We need to remove the causes of yeast and fungus. allowing chronic disease to get a foothold. This means eliminating junk food. were living in our bodies and fermenting sugar in our blood. These acid-promoting foods create 116 . That means steroids. and concludes that the human body's blood is not so much a liquid as it is a flowing tissue.Reasonably Raw Self-composting Taking a medical doctor's approach. Cousens teaches that a low-sweet. birth control pills. these microzymas turn into bacteria.
Dried fruits are high in sugar content. mangoes. anxiety. as Cousens writes. High sugar fruits include melons. microwaved foods. heartburn. In the end we are left with a greatly weakened immune system. bananas. and honey are to be avoided. and food cravings to name a few. White flour. depression. pineapple. and white potatoes raise blood glucose. vaginal yeast infections. table salt. sorbital. mushrooms. and saturated vegetable oils. asthma. Anything with a high sugar content contributes to self-composting. colds. soy sauce. and apricots. According to Cousens' theory. The results: allergies. papaya. white rice. joint pain. foods high in sugar should be avoided more than any other type of food. The Culprits There are certain foods that contain large quantities of mycotoxins and fungus. diabetes. poor mental capabilities. maple sugar. Sugar substitutes such as corn sugar. dairy products. kiwi. a pre-cancerous condition. The central concern of Cousens' diet is to eliminate foods that 117 . Not a good system for delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Other foods include animal fats. This includes not only processed white sugar but also fruits with a high glycemic index. fatigue.Chapter Twelve – G A B R I E L C O U S E N S AND C O N S C I O U S E AT I N G the conditions for mold and fungus to turn healthy blood into oxygen-deprived clumps. Apple juice is the most dangerous of all because it contains a mycotoxin that research shows to cause mammary tumors in mice.
animals are fed fungally infected feed. tobacco. Keep in mind that this composting process thrives on sugar. While sugar is found in the obvious places like sweets and sweet fruits. Animal products are another breeding ground for mycotoxins. and coffee. meals consisting of animal products contain more than a million times the pathogenic microorganisms found in vegan meals. Grain causes food to move too rapidly through the intestines. breeding mold and fungus. brewers yeast. All cooked foods should be avoided. yeast (baker's yeast. we know that meats and dairy acidify the blood. and wild rice. Other foods high in mycotoxins and fungi are corn. oats. This is because they are stored for long periods of time and begin to ferment. Grains also contain coarse non-soluble fiber. The flour used to bake many products has been sitting around for more than a year. spelt. and nutritional yeast). peanuts. Grains are acid-forming. not a good thing. processed flours and grains are easily converted into sugars. Secondly. and molds.Reasonably Raw stimulate the production of yeast. Non-stored grains. And we know that the government allows a certain percentage of insect parts and rodent fecal matter. grains come in second. are not a health hazard. fungi. which drives our food cravings. caffeine. is an irritant to the colon. such as quinoa. which while being good for adding bulk to the diet. millet. cashews. Third. First. High sugar foods and fruit are at the top of the list. The fungus living in our bodies creates the 118 . buckwheat. reducing nutrient absorption.
This is born out in the long-living peoples such as the Hunzas. By switching to a live-food. we have to eat more food to give our bodies what it needs. where they attempt to build the soil and compost exclusively with plant materials. They live on roughly half the calories of the typical American. the Abkhasians. First. At Cousens' Tree of Life Center they practice what is called Nature Farming. and the Vilcabamban Indians. there are key principles to healthy eating. There is a great deal of evidence showing that longevity is linked to living on significantly fewer calories than we are used to. This will reduce consumption of genetically modified organisms and toxic chemicals. Eliminate the fungus and we eliminate the cravings. according to Cousens' research. However. we will eat less because we 119 . The second aspect of a healthy diet is that it restricts calories. taste better. and others. The Optimal Diet While no single diet is best for everyone. eat organically grown food if at all possible. These foods contain more vitamins and minerals. raw diet. and have more phytochemicals. So we crave more food. My first thought about this is that I'd have to starve myself and I'll be hungry all the time. modeling natural forests and prairies. the reason we consume the calories that we do is that cooking destroys more than 50 percent of the nutrients in our foods.Chapter Twelve – G A B R I E L C O U S E N S AND C O N S C I O U S E AT I N G food cravings that many of us suffer from. They are also better for the environment.
This is one of the most significant reasons for converting as much of your diet to live-food as possible. grapes. Fruits containing high quantities of sugar. nori. cucumbers. strawberries.Reasonably Raw will want less. apples. and zucchini are good to eat along with all vegetables (especially green leafy ones). the optimal diet. pears. nuts. We become aware of how our food choices affect other human beings. pineapple. vegetables. and the entire planet. and nutrition. cherries. and sea vegetables (dulse. and most dried fruits. according to the Cousens program. goji berries. Of course. Carrots are good. grapefruit. Cousens' approach to conscious eating expands nutritional awareness to include elements of the Hindu health care system known as 120 . and spirit. such as melons. sea vegetables. seeds. Conscious eating involves an awareness of the Divine. these include oranges. Conscious Eating In Cousens' tome Conscious Eating he offers his insights into a more spiritual approach to eating. health. these are all prepared without cooking. tomatoes. kiwi. He writes that conscious eating is being aware of how our food affects us holistically— body. as well as fresh coconut (both water and meat). Low-glycemic fruits include blueberries. Finally. nuts and seeds. kelp). is primarily one that includes low-glycemic fruits. should be avoided or eaten in moderation. mango. and plums. and lemons. animals. and algae. mind. bananas. Moderately glycemic fruits are allowed also. emotions. peaches. Vegetable fruits like avocados.
2003. experimenting. and the Tree of Life Café Chefs. Conscious eating is the act of individualizing one's diet. but also one that promotes a clear mind and unfettered spirit. must find a diet that works for ourselves. and contributes to peace on the planet.Chapter Twelve – G A B R I E L C O U S E N S AND C O N S C I O U S E AT I N G Ayurveda. homeopathy.D. both human and animal? Can we expect health when we do this? We will reap what we sow. meditation. I have attempted in this book to provide a sampling so that you could be exposed to a number of paths to healthy eating and find one or more.D. Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine. Each of us. North Atlantic Books. We want a diet that is in harmony with nature. and acupuncture. and using our intelligence to find the foods and their combinations most helpful to healthful living. Gabriel Cousens. M. 2000. and other spiritual practices have a place in acquiring a more healthy way of eating. M. There is no one diet that applies to everyone. especially when it comes to food. the very most basic element of life. or a combination. Yoga. In presenting a broad range of the most successful raw food leaders. naturopathy. For Additional Readings on Conscious Eating: Conscious Eating. Creating a diet that works for us is helped by trial-and-error. North Atlantic Books. that is best suited to your needs. Gabriel Cousens. considerate of animals. Does it make sense to add to the misery of sentient beings. It is helpful when considering our diet to honor not only the needs of our body. breathing exercises. 121 . being unique.
That is why I am going to help you get started with this chapter. good karma. you really don't want to make any drastic changes to your life at all. We are going add things to your life." –MARK TWAIN You want to change your diet. It makes sense that living beings live better on living foods. and a cleaner planet. ever. You know that eating animals is not a good thing. I am going to show you a painless and fairly simple way to get on the path to great health. We are not going to try go give up anything. In fact. And this you can do. or for the planet. for them. think about giving up the food that you love. But you absolutely do not want to give up the foods that you love. Don't feel bad—that makes you like everyone else. Trying to stop eating foods does not work. 123 . for you. You know now that cooking foods might not be a good thing. and then starting on the first one. Above all else remember this—never.Chapter 13 Getting Started "The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks. ever.
I put in twice that amount and cannot taste it. and strawberries. Put some frozen fruit in last. Eat your fruit first. I have found that the best fruits for smoothies are oranges. Make your smoothie so good that you can't wait to have it. Maybe some water. and keep you 124 . In the beginning add only a small amount of dark leafy greens. or coconut water (my favorite). Put in fruits that you love. pineapples. As a treat. or a handful of spinach. You want to start your day with the perfect food on an empty stomach— fruit. Two or three kale or romaine leafs. Then put in your fruit (pineapple goes well with oranges and berries). a few times a week I throw in the water and meat of a young Thai coconut. blueberries. fresh squeezed orange juice. change it around the next time. I make mine so good that I have to pace myself otherwise I will drink it down too fast. and I have them everyday.Reasonably Raw First Things First The first thing to add to your diet is a delicious green smoothie. I like strawberries and blueberries. Your smoothie should be delicious. Later on you can add more. If your first attempt isn't great. You want to put a little liquid into the blender first. Make your smoothie delicious for you. It is important to experiment a little when you begin making your smoothies. try different combinations. We always want to eat fruit on an empty stomach. blend it up. bananas. refreshing. otherwise it gets stuck behind slower digesting foods that cause the fruit not to be absorbed very well. We all have different tastes and likes. watermelon. mangoes.
something interesting happens.) Remember. (There is a video on my blog—reasonablyraw.com—showing how I make my smoothies. along with fruits. you do not have to have an early breakfast.Chapter One – T H E L O N G . If you are eating healthier. but that is not true. you most likely will begin sleeping better and not wake up hungry. but enough for you to notice. The cravings for meats and processed foods diminish just a little.L I V I N G P E O P L E full way past lunchtime. This gives your body more time to digest yesterday's food. It is actually healthier to eat. the key to health. later on. But your body is changing.blogspot. you have not thought about giving anything up at all. And there are lots of other videos on youtube demonstrating many other possibilities. Just type in "green smoothies" in the search. Your body begins to feel better and very subtly starts asking for more of this good stuff. Green leafy vegetables are. You are ingesting and your body is utilizing nutrients that you haven't had before—even if you thought you were eating healthily. I usually make a quart and I am not hungry until one or two o'clock in the afternoon. Most of us think we have to eat first thing in the morning. 125 . Now remember. Your Tastes Change Once you have made green smoothies a regular part of your life. And you'll have more energy early on an empty stomach. You are just adding smoothies. Now you are going to make another easy little addition to your eating habits—a really big salad before dinner. You have gotten a small but potent dose of them in your morning smoothie. or drink it.
By adding a green smoothie for breakfast and a large salad before dinner. as I am inclined. The addition of a green smoothie and a big salad is really not a big thing. No one has asked you to give up anything. Keep searching until you have at least three or four dressings that you can't live without. only the dark leafy kind. You will have less and less physical craving for dead food. you have given your body an incredible amount of nutrients. my daughter Gina has given me four recipes. There is no pain here. and celery. Make the dressings yourself at home with fresh ingredients. No problem. No iceberg lettuce here. And not a little bowl but a good dinner-sized salad. Suppose you don't like salad. experiment until your mouth waters at the thought of the big salad you are going to have tonight. I rotate them around. never use the store bought. Again. Homemade dressings are so much better. Years and years of eating animals and processed foods are ingrained into your body and psyche. And you still have not tried to give anything up. Some of them I also use as a veggie dip for broccoli. carrots. I am a very fortunate man. peppers. However. Once again you will experience a subtle change in your food desires. 126 . The secret to a great salad is finding a dressing that you love. your body is feeling different. You are feeding your body real food. you will find that while those foods still strongly dominate your mind. which I include in the back of this book. that I totally love. Do whatever it takes to love your big salad. Not that you will want to give up all your old foods.Reasonably Raw and now you are going to perfect that with a wonderful evening salad.
It is absolutely essential to take the time to learn a few good dishes. otherwise you will never get past always having to have a cooked dinner. Raw Dishes Okay. Not a lot. Durian is a tropical fruit that comes from Southeast Asia.) Or you can go on youtube. (Alissa Cohen's book and DVD Living On Live Food are excellent. you've made it this far. The recipes are amazing. and a mock tuna salad. The biggest weapon I have in my arsenal is my durian ice cream and mousse.com and you can find just about anything there for free. Cohen's crepes. and I've got a delicious guacamole. I've learned to make a raw marinara sauce.Chapter Thirteen – G E T T I N G S T A R T E D It doesn't get much easier. what's next? First you get more recipes for raw food dishes. You can buy it at most Asian markets. this is much easier than reading from a book and much more inspiring. No calories to count. You are naturally going to make better food choices because your body is feeling better. Often I will just mash up an avocado and add a heaping spoonful of the marinara sauce. but four or five that you can use for lunch or dinner. I suggest buying a DVD demonstrating raw food preparation. Durian is the perfect substitute 127 . cauliflower mashed potatoes. There is no diet to go on. Several of my favorite dinner time foods are guacamole. It takes all of two minutes to prepare. Once you learn a few recipes you will be amazed at how good and filling they are. For me just one DVD gave me the confidence to experiment on my own.
The key here is to make this smoothie taste significantly different from the first one. coconut butter. Why not a second smoothie? Blending foods certainly makes it easier on the digestive system. With my fruit smoothie and superfood smoothie. I find this convenient and enjoyable. My smoothie. milky. dulse or kelp powder. allowing you more energy to do want you want to do. one heaping tablespoon of raw cacao powder for a delicious chocolate flavor. And even by then I'm not all that hungry after feeding my body with so many absorbable nutrients. Then. along with a little bit of greens. The breakfast smoothie gives you a great shot of fruit to begin your day. powers me till dinnertime. It tastes totally different from my morning one. I use a base of water and bananas. hemp seed. I let the ingredients sit in the refrigerator and it becomes a mousse. That is the key to eliminating overeating and eating junk food. and agave. I have found it 128 . I use the durian as a base for my chocolate ice cream.Reasonably Raw for anything creamy. A Second Smoothie Another step towards a more raw and healthful diet is the option to add a second smoothie for lunch. spirulina. Warning—durian has a unique flavor and smell and it takes two or three times eating it to get used to its specialness. most important of all. I make my afternoon smoothie into a "superfood" smoothie. This tastes like a chocolate milk shake. I add in maca. and if I don't want to be bothered with using the ice cream maker. filled with superfoods. or custardy. it's more like a shake.
I promise that you will succeed. That leaves me with plenty of options for dinner.Chapter Thirteen – G E T T I N G S T A R T E D so easy to stay raw all day. The best thing is that I have more energy and I have given my body so many nutrients. Approach raw eating from the perspective of adding healthy habits and not trying to deny yourself the foods you think that you cannot live without. or fish. Do not even worry about it. As strange as it sounds you will find great pleasure in fruits and salads.) This does not mean there will not be times when you feel miserable and want that greasy burger and fries. and take it with me. It is all part of our journey. Both of my smoothies taste so good that I absolutely look forward to drinking them. while we can make healthy living easier. Little by little you will find that your tastes change. This is the human condition. Ever so slightly you will notice that you don't need or want to eat as much meat. Go Slowly – Have Fun If you focus only on adding healthy foods to your diet and not taking anything away. (The only pain comes when you try too hard to make yourself stop eating things that for years you have been used to eating and found pleasure in them. How easy could this be? As your smoothies and salads and raw dishes nourish your body. we cannot make it easy. This can be a totally painless process. I pour my second one into a quart mason jar. And they are both easily portable. put it in a small cooler. Sometimes 129 . or dairy. it will crave less and less the dead foods. So. You will take steps backwards.
I work better. water the tomatoes.Reasonably Raw we have to hoe the garden. I sleep better. you will wonder why everyone doesn't live like this. 130 . be good to yourself. I have found that by reading books on raw foods. visiting raw food web sites. So. the better I feel and the less I want to eat junk foods. more inspired. and you will wake up one day feeling so light. The more living foods I put in my body. talking to friends about their successes and difficulties. so cheerful. and so refreshed. I play better. I get more motivated. Be patient. slowly add smoothies and salads and raw entrees to your diet. pull the weeds.
nor the most intelligent. You want to change. 131 . You want to try eating more fruits and raw vegetables. COMMONLY MISATTRIBUTED TO CHARLES DARWIN "If you would attain to what you are not yet." –AUTHOR UNKNOWN. but the one most responsive to change." –SAINT AUGUSTINE You think you want to become a raw vegan. you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained." –AUTHOR UNKNOWN "It is not the strongest of the species that survive.Chapter 14 The Change Process: Becoming Raw "If nothing ever changed. there'd be no butterflies. You want to convince your friends and family that raw food will make them healthier.
This all too easily leads to frustration. I hope to increase your chances of success by sharing with you my research on the change process. This does not need to happen. who doesn't want to change some aspect of themselves? Change is a lot of hard work and commitment. together we will explore the stages and processes of change. Do you know anyone who is satisfied with who they are. I have included this chapter on change so that you may find it easier to implement what you have learned in this book and be able to share your new insights with others in a more thoughtful and intelligent way.Reasonably Raw You know your past failures. and reducing the suffering of other sentient beings is a sacred and noble undertaking. energetic body. One of the biggest obstacles that we face when we want to make changes in our lives is to underestimate the difficulty in changing and not understanding the change process. 132 . pain. But. and it can be made easier. comes at a price. and the end of putting into place the changes we want to make. including excellent health. there is hope. it deserves a serious and well-planned attempt. saving our planet. So don't complain. Attaining a healthy. It is not easy to change. I am here to tell you that anything worth having. just reach into your pocket and pull out your wallet. if it were everyone would be just the way they want to be.
and mental health. Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island. In this chapter I draw from the work of James O. and that we should focus on adding raw food into our diets and not to be concerned with giving foods up. Prochaska. Much of the study in this area is focused on behavior involving drug abuse. Victoria Boutenko says that we should go cold turkey to change our diet. But the lessons learned there are fully applicable to changing eating patterns. Who is to say which way is best? We need to take into consideration that change is seldom a linear process. smoking. most of the time it is cyclical. we change. Changing For Good. you will most likely take two steps forward and 133 . and circular." –HENRY DAVID THOREAU In the raw food world. spiral. If you are a "normal" human being. "Things do not change.. describes one of the most successful programs for implementing personal change ever developed.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W The Stages of Change There has been a great deal of research committed to the understanding of how people are able to successfully change their behavior. And David Wolfe likes to encourage raw food progress by suggesting that we do it "little by little". His book.
but it does help a lot if you are aware that relapse and setbacks are common and that you expect your journey to health to be a spiral one. There is no sense in fighting it. and termination. on life problems and finding their solutions. We will be discussing each stage and its corresponding process shortly. Sometimes you may take two steps back and one step forward. The six clearly-defined stages of change are: precontemplation. The experiences at each stage are predictable for all people. consciously or unconsciously. emotional arousal. social liberation. Some of the processes that match certain stages of change are: consciousness-raising. if we understand the stages and processes useful in each one. by determining where we are (or where someone whom we want to help make changes is). We become who we want to be by working. and environmental control. Each stage has its own task to be completed before moving on to the next.Reasonably Raw one step back. we will move 134 . preparation. Warning! It is possible to get stuck in one stage. Each stage of change has its own process of change. countering. demands a different approach. maintenance. we can match the appropriate efforts and processes to work through that stage to the next one and eventually reach our goal of healthful eating. However. What I want to stress now is that by understanding each stage. contemplation. The reason that understanding the stages of change is important is that each stage requires a different tool. action. That is the way we learn and grow. Change happens through a series of stages. commitment. as we will see shortly. self-reevaluation.
"I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. the environment. and have only chicken and fish for protein. There is no problem as far as one who is in precontemplation is concerned. I first wondered how that could be. You will experience less guilt. Precontemplation The precontemplation stage is characterized by denial. A person in the precontemplation stage will deny having a problem. My doctor said that if I couldn't get it down by eating better I'd have to take medication.) Then I went online to satisfy myself that 242 wasn't all that bad after all and it was just the drug companies trying to sell more drugs. and pain. what it does to them. Total oblivion. It wasn't until my blood pressure became hypertensive that I finally admitted to myself that I had a problem. even if it is brought into their awareness. the suffering caused. 135 . What more can I do?" When I was told that my cholesterol was 242. is not even on their radar screens. The food they eat. I said I already am eating better. (This was before I started eating raw. anxiety. If they do not totally deny the problem they will at least minimize it.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W through more quickly and easily. shame.
they feel hopeless. you want 136 . Consciousness-raising You have discovered the joy of raw food and the health that comes with it. (Yikes. The goal of social liberation is to increase social alternatives to the old ways of living and eating.Reasonably Raw "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. "How can one live on just raw food? Where will I get my protein? What is the use in living without the enjoyment of a good steak. you are at least at the contemplation stage. Since there is no possibility for change. the reader. You want to share this with friends and family.) What to do? There are two processes of change that work for helping the person in the precontemplation stage—consciousness-raising and social liberation. (You. will be in this stage. are most likely not. or lobster. If you are reading this book you and have gotten this far." –EPICTETUS Besides resistance. or hamburger?" Most people. what the heck is social liberation?) The goal of consciousness-raising is to increase information about the self and the problem. precontemplators are often demoralized. when approached with the proposition that a raw food diet would be good for them. Heck. and the planet as well.
the health benefits. "Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.) When we increase the level of awareness. This is the goal. we become informed or we inform others. Why not? So. we are bringing new information to ourselves and others. FLIGHT OF THE BUFFALO In short. assume that everyone you meet is a precontemplator—at least as far as raw food goes. Mental health is all about this and increasing awareness. increasing the possibility of making better choices regarding what needs to be changed. how do you do this? First.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W to save the planet. I strongly believe that our eating habits affect our spirituality. (It is no coincidence that meditation practices and spiritual development also center around consciousness-raising." –JAMES BELASCO AND RALPH STAYER. The first step in change at this level is to bring into awareness the 137 . in this stage we are increasing knowledge about nutrition. the differences between cooked food and raw food. In psychology we talk about making the unconscious conscious. the joy of eating raw food (and all the available options).
it is essential not to rush anyone. Besides the excellent food at these raw dinners. However. A raised consciousness about raw food does not mean we are ready to change. That being said. The second step is to simply provide information about what happens when we eat the Standard American Diet and what happens when we begin eating more and more raw food. I remember meeting my first raw food person while I was away at a colloquium beginning my Ph. studies. I enjoyed talking to 138 .Reasonably Raw defenses of precontemplation—denial. along comes my daughter Gina. including yourself. several years later. Gina made me a number of tasty raw food treats. The idea of just eating raw food sounds so utterly boring. At the potluck dinner I was able to experience and enjoy foods that were totally satisfying and were every bit as tasty as the old cooked foods I was so used to eating. She was the first person to tell me about the benefits (consciousness-raising) of raw food and the first person to invite me to a raw potluck dinner party (social liberation). projection. toward action. minimization. D. Social Liberation Part of sharing the newfound joys of raw food involves sharing the alternatives that are available. rationalization. "What in the world is there for him to possibly eat?" Eating raw was the last thing that I wanted to do. The research on successful change makes it clear that change must proceed through the stages. So let's be patient with ourselves. and internalization. It means we may be ready to think about change. I thought.
and that is the necessary requirement to begin work in this stage. However. Sometimes we try to change prematurely. Faced with the facts of my high blood pressure. there remains resistance and ambivalence—fear of the unknown.) Openness is the essence of contemplation. we might see something positive that awakens us. In some way we become aware that maybe the food we are eating is not all that healthy. Being part of a small community like this also makes starting out on the raw journey seem not so crazy. There is a sense of wishing we could change. Talking to my daughter nearly every day about some aspect of being raw helps to keep me motivated. but not quite enough motivation to change. For me. or minimize. and that can lead to failure and guilt. It is in the admitting process that the emotions kick in. seeing my daughter and son-in-law after they had been on a raw diet for one month. Contemplation We reach the contemplation stage when we realize that we have a problem. Or. the sight of my daughter looking so healthy and beautiful makes me smile and thank God for the raw food movement. We may have a health crisis. This leads us to the next 139 . while we may want to change.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W other people about their experiences. We become curious. I had to admit that something was not right. The evidence is too strong to deny. The key to contemplation is that the contemplator begins to acknowledge that there is a problem. made me stop and think—they were literally glowing! (Even today. or rationalize away.
" –MAHATMA GANDHI Fear is not often a good motivator—it is easily dismissed by our defenses—so I do not recommend focusing on that. having more energy can be inspiring. become involved emotionally with the positive side of changing your diet. polluting the planet less. For many people. Instead. Nothing gets you emotionally aroused liked pain. The feel of my clothes and a slimmer body motivate me still. "Be the change you want to see in the world. 140 . fitting into better looking clothes and. the fear of death. the fuel that gets us ready to prepare and then take action. The thought of losing weight. coming face to face with a health crisis jump-starts our interest in raw food. reducing the suffering of animals. or even just looking fat.Reasonably Raw process of change—emotional arousal. The loss of youthful energy can inspire people to consider making changes in their lives. It is the motivating force. I like to think about not supporting the meat and dairy industries. Emotional Arousal Emotional arousal is the impetus to push along the change process.
or a life with barely enough energy to get by? "It is not necessary to change. At this stage it might be good to watch movies and documentaries about the effects of an animal-based diet or the benefits of eating raw food. Even better. more personal level. Self-reevaluation is a time for asking tough questions. Do I really want to contribute to the suffering of animals? Is that the kind of person I am? Do I really want to contribute to the unnecessary waste of natural resources and the harming of this planet? Is eating so much cooked food worth an early death. Learn how to become motivated. Self-reevaluation Self-reevaluation also involves the emotions and deep personal feelings. Consciousnessraising will only take you so far. if you remain at the intellectual level you will never take action. emotional arousal is consciousness-raising but on a deeper. It involves an honest look at the life you are living and determining if how you are living corresponds to your personal values." –W.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W In a sense. Survival is not mandatory. go to a raw food festival. Emotional arousal comes with whatever motivates you. EDWARDS DEMING 141 .
even develop 142 .Reasonably Raw If we are in the contemplative stage we will use this time to consider the pros and cons of making the change. you are not totally sure you can do this. Research shows that it is best to do a little planning. there is a little ambivalence. a better physical appearance. are the benefits and rewards of change? Some of the pros are: having more energy. Contemplation has brought you to the point where enough is enough. Preparation You have decided that it is time to change. Considering these tough questions will prepare one for the time of action that is coming. This need not involve beating ourselves up for what we have been doing. we can look at the future and see how we can make our lives better. then. But more than looking at the pros and cons. we take stock of ourselves and honestly examine who we are and if we are living in accordance with our values. but you are ready to try. having to think about and plan meals in advance. dealing with temptations at restaurants. admit it. Instead. These are all ideas that arise in the contemplative stage of change. clearer thinking. What is the cost of change? Some of the cons of increasing the consumption of raw food are: having to learn new ways of preparing meals. What. not eating all of the foods we have grown up loving and. less pain from disease or worry about getting an illness. We think about the consequences of eating differently. Hold on. you are committed to making changes in your life.
Make change a priority. I am a big fan of meditation and relaxation practices. Read more books on raw food. be clear in your mind what to expect and how to succeed. now you must remove any ambivalence so that your commitment will be firm. you are emotionally involved. explore interesting recipe books. Your consciousness is raised. The most important concept and idea that you must get into your head is this— make eating healthily the most important thing in your life. Think about all of the benefits and let them motivate you. Plan how you will succeed. You are at the intersection of contemplation and action. and making this change comes first. Before jumping into the raw food world. Find out the pitfalls. Prepare yourself mentally. Commitment As I said before. very hard. Nothing is more important than your health. everyone would be living wonderful lives—and most people are not. be certain of your commitment. Nothing helps commitment like stepping out on a limb and exposing yourself. If it were easy. stock up on delicious raw foods and spices. be prepared. But most of all.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W a scheme for action. Some of the steps of preparation and commitment involve going public (tell people your intentions). change is hard. 143 .
In the action stage we actually change our behavior. by having educated yourself about the stages of change. Closely related to this are online articles and online discussion groups. Just reading this book will make a major difference in your chances of success. We have learned that consuming more raw foods will make us and the planet healthier. We have a plan to change what and how we eat. But. We change our surroundings and make the move. 144 . I highly endorse the yahoo group rawfood. you will be better prepared to deal with the inevitable setbacks and frustrations. We are ready for action. This is where we really have to be ready for problems." –AMERICAN PROVERB Probably more than anything. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.Reasonably Raw "It doesn't work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-foot jumps. I believe reading books provides more information about how to develop a plan of action than anything else. (Rawfood – Raw Food for Health and Happiness) Action We have stopped denying that we have a problem with the foods we eat.
there is no easy way to improve your diet. our self-images. Here are a few countering techniques: 145 . Change is a cyclical means of becoming someone new. we involve our emotions. our thoughts. Also. Countering Countering is simply substituting healthy responses for poor behavior. our actions are only part of the process. That being said. here are several more processes that will help. Countering is finding substitutes and healthy replacements. the action stage is only one stage in the process of changing and benefiting from a raw food diet." –AUTHOR UNKNOWN Remember. change costs. I can guarantee that you will curse the day that you ever heard about raw foods. It is also the most important tool in your change process toolbox. we continue to change our levels of awareness. It does no good to give up eating animals and cooking most of your food if you do not have something to replace those behaviors.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W "In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired. beware of taking the action step lightly. So. In fact. The fact that you are aware of the dangers inherent in trying to change does not guarantee that you will be successful.
Exercise. research shows that vigorous exercise is the one thing that can be guaranteed to 146 . there seems to be a symbiotic relationship going on between these two aspects of my life.Reasonably Raw 1. It is all about becoming more self-aware of who we are and what we are doing. (By the way. as it gives you the tools to eliminate negative thoughts and replace them with positive. Who would think that meditation and prayer would play a part in changing behavior? Certainly all of the people who have been helped by the 12-Step Programs. 2. Relaxation and yoga. This is the most important thing you can do to succeed. Don't let other people keep you in your old way of eating. Counterthinking. Eating more raw food has improved my meditation practice and my meditation practice has helped me improve my eating habits. Active diversion. Meditation is also an aid in counterthinking. etc. Find something else to do: read. Change your way of thinking. Whatever it is. Assertiveness. Either way. make love. walk. meditation and prayer. I am not sure what comes first. Get positive. 4. eating healthfully or a new interest in spirituality. 3. the two seem to go hand in hand. 5. Maybe both help me to see things more clearly. if trying to change your behavior makes you despair. Exercise is essential to good health—physical and mental.
I will not get in my car to go out and buy something. Make it a top priority in your life. and if I'm really hungry and not just bored. it is smart planning. you will let your emotions give you the strength you need to assert what you want. remove all the food that you have chosen not to eat from your house. if all I have is fruit. Instead. When we change our surroundings. environmental control is external. Environmental Control Countering is an internal process. I find that if I have only healthy food in the house. Active diversion is simple: keep yourself busy. It is not cheating to modify your environment.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W cure your depression. Replace the old recipe books with new ones on raw uncooking. External pressures have a way of helping us to slip back into our old ways. but after a few times of being frustrated by the results. I cannot imagine being healthy without a serious exercise program. we make it easier to change our actions.) I run five miles every morning before breakfast. Watching television is not a good choice here. I am sure that at first you will give in. I would not think of not running. Do you want to eat healthy food? Throw out the chips. Why rely on willpower? Avoidance is perfectly acceptable when you are 147 . If I eliminate junk food. at night if I have a craving for something processed and sugary. I'll eat that instead. I eat healthy food. Assertiveness is simply taking charge of your own life and not letting others get in the way. make your life interesting—otherwise you will eat poorly out of boredom.
Whatever it is. Habits take time to become ingrained. you can avoid people and places. join a yahoo raw foods group. We need to build on what we started with. don't forget to use the processes that got you here in the first place. go to a festival or retreat. and it takes time for them to be firmly established. Use all the strategies from contemplation to action. We may be motivated by fear. We might be experiencing renewed energy. read. First. Avoid people. To make change permanent we have to understand that this is a long-term effort. places. Second. too. Maintenance In the beginning we are really excited about raw foods and the changes in how we feel now that we are eating more healthily. If you slip. Keep up with the exercise. we are emotionally charged. We may be encouraged because we are losing weight fast. meeting with like-minded people. we've had a health scare. It is an exciting time. We are only halfway there. just start over again tomorrow.Reasonably Raw trying to change. realize that you will still be vulnerable. The changes we have made to our lifestyle need to be sustained. Third. But the war is not won yet. do not beat yourself up. keep controlling your environment. and things that will make it easier to fall back into poor eating habits. If you were giving up alcohol would you keep beer in the refrigerator? Avoidance is not limited to objects. 148 .
you might as well be prepared. it is not a very efficient way to change. Learn from your mistakes. Better to utilize the wisdom of those who have already made the change. Relapses. they do not just happen. remind yourself every day. The next day I tried something different.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W This is not a sign of weakness. You have a whole lifetime of being brainwashed to overcome. Besides learning new ideas. do not feel guilty. I looked at each slip as information. That is why I am always reading what others have written about raw food. Lastly. but one of intelligence. You have no idea how many times I have given in to my cravings. and fitness have to be worked at. Cultivate consciousness. Most importantly. as a lesson in what was not working. and Recycling It is going to happen. The only failure is to quit. It certainly helps to think about what happened when you do slip up. Understand that while trial and error will eventually get you there. radical change as in becoming a raw food person. as I do. Think about what you could have done differently. is more difficult than you expect in the beginning. Slips. Health. I have always had the attitude that my life is an experiment in living—healthy eating is no different. 149 . that this is the most important thing you can do for yourself. You should also understand that change. it is extremely motivating. do not let others make you feel guilty. Let your mind help you. energy. do not become discouraged. Do I feel bad? No.
I discovered a few things about 150 . I do not know this in the world of raw food. it is not just your body that benefits. writing. There will come a day when you do not have to think about how you are eating. and reflecting. When the food that you eat causes less suffering for animals. Termination A word on termination—don't worry about it. After a year of research. the essence of who you are. I went through them without being aware of what I was doing—imagine how much easier it will be when we have a ready-made outline of the course ahead of time. change has a spiritual dimension—it is about personal growth and transformation. it is an art. and more energy and health for you. It will be effortless. I did my doctoral dissertation on personal transformation. Looking back on the changes that I have made in my life I can see the various stages and processes.Reasonably Raw Willpower is not enough. but I do know it from changing other behaviors. Even more than that. you will need all of the processes discussed above and you will need them over and over again. You will become a different person. change is not a science. I think your soul. less destruction of the planet. will shine more and you and others will become aware of that. Personal Transformation Change is not just a mechanical "do this and this will result" kind of thing. In other words.
it is mysterious. I found that while we cannot control the processes and events of our lives. We can ask ourselves what is it that we are meant to be learning through this experience. on a deeper level. accepting what we can't. it was not eating that mattered. For this gull. it is not flying that matters. and it is multi-dimensional. I find that when I am in pain. changing what we can. we can chose to cooperate with them. We can surrender to the events and circumstances of our lives. paradoxical and transformational.Chapter Fourteen – T H E C H A N G E P R O C E S S : B E C O M I N G R A W the process of change in human beings. though. "For most gulls. We can learn to quiet our minds and become more aware—more aware of what is going on. Personal transformation is messy. FROM "JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL" 151 . but eating." –RICHARD BACH. I really try harder to be self-aware. Change is chaotic and mysterious. As much as we like to think we are in control of our lives—we are not. having more to do with attitude than with action. but flight. Pain is a wonderful motivator. We can learn through our suffering. Are we really running our own lives? The spiritual aspect of change is extremely significant. But there are things that we can do. We can surrender to the flow of life and the evolutionary forces at work on this planet. All of this points to life and our life experiences as what really changes us.
and Diclemente.. Prochaska.Reasonably Raw For Additional Reading on Change: Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward. Harper Collins. Carlo C. 152 . John C.. (1994). Norcross. James O.
After all. but is actually grown in a fish farm near the coast) contains all kinds of antibiotics and parasites. we don't want to think about how that salmon (which is advertised as Wild Atlantic. or filet mignon? What makes these foods taste good. My grandchildren have been raised as vegans and when they want a treat they ask for veggies. I just don't think about food the way I used to. 153 . We are just accustomed to it. I felt. for the first time in my life. and an assortment of other healthy foods. smoothies. or salmon steak.Chapter 15 Recipes to Live For "Once I went raw. nuts. Eating animal products is not an inherently enjoyable event. fruit-based ice cream. and we certainly don't want to know how that cow was slaughtered and cut up for our consumption. while most people do not get all excited about a tomato and romaine salad? We know that we really don't want to know what is in that ground up meat. what is so inherently tasty about eating a cheeseburger. completely liberated from food." –ALISSA COHEN Eating healthy foods is not as difficult as you might think.
is to have at our disposal a bunch of great raw food recipes. They are the advance army building an information network that will make the smooth transition to a healthy diet.Reasonably Raw From the look on their faces it is obvious that they are enjoying themselves. I often have both in a day. You could start out with one. Seeing is so much better than reading. The following recipes are a good start. Smoothies are the best way to get lots of fruit and green leafy vegetables into your diet without a lot of work. Smoothies Smoothies are the foundation and easy entrance into a world raw vegan delights. but I suggest several other books at the end of this chapter that I have found particularly helpful. Or have both. and happy. I offer two basic kinds of smoothies here: my morning green fruit smoothie and my afternoon superfood green smoothie. besides education. All of the following recipes can be found on youtube. It is only habit and custom that stop us all from eating foods that make us healthy. Smoothies nourish your body and begin the painless work of introducing your system to living foods. They would look on in disgust at a grilled sausage. 154 . Mix them up.com and my blog. alternate days. The key and essential element to changing our dietary habits. light. I am including in this chapter just those that I use for the main part of my diet. I also strongly suggest using youtube to search for recipes. These are my all-time favorites because they taste great and are easy to make.
This smoothie makes a great breakfast. coconut water. and put the frozen fruit in last. and you will find you can't live without it. 155 . or a handful or two of spinach ⁄2 ⁄2 ⁄2 4-5 You can add your favorite fruits and subtract whatever you don't like. greens. they will last forever. Experiment until the smoothie tastes great to you. I highly suggest investing in a Vita-Mix blender. but you will use them every day. then the soft fruit. Put the liquid in the blender first. kale. red or green leaf lettuce. They are expensive. or tea) oranges freshly squeezed handfuls of goji berries cup pineapple cup frozen strawberries cup frozen wild blueberries leaves of romaine.Chapter Fifteen – R E C I P E S TO LIVE FOR Green Fruit Smoothie 1 2 2 1 1 1 cup liquid (water.
then the bananas. kale. Stores well for days. goji berries. This makes a great lunch to go. tea. The ingredients in this smoothie are not cast in stone either. Then put in a dehydrator for about 24 hours. Try other super foods as well. Pour onto Excalibur Paraflexx non-stick sheets.Reasonably Raw Superfood Green Smoothie 2 3 1 4-5 1 1 1 1 1 cups liquid (water. and the frozen banana last. or nori. You now can take it with you on a plane or wherever you want to go. or Swiss chard TBS raw cacao powder TBS raw agave TBS Spirulina or Blue Green Algae TBS raw coconut butter TSP maca TSP dulse. collard greens. and blend in a food processor. or kelp TSP hemp seeds ⁄2 1 1 Put the liquid in first. juice. leaves. Experiment until you love the taste. Super Food Smoothie Leather (rollup) Take the ingredients for the above Super Food Smoothie. except for the water. etc) bananas (one frozen) celery stalk (optional) leaves of romaine. 156 . super foods.
Chapter Fifteen – R E C I P E S TO LIVE FOR Salad Dressings An arsenal of four or five delicious salad dressings is essential if you are going to have one big salad every day. This is my favorite salad dressing. An avocado will make the salad very filling. etc. cucumbers. ground flaxseeds. walnuts. You can add in whatever else you like: peppers. I don't do anything fancy because I don't want to spend the time. sunflower seeds. I don't know what I would have done without her and the dressings. As for the salads themselves. I usually throw in some baby spinach greens or arugula. or romaine. too much nutritional yeast can cause headaches) Put ingredients in blender and enjoy. Gina's Favorite 2 2 2 1 1 cups olive or flaxseed oil TBS Nama Shoyu or raw soy sauce TBS raw tahini piece of ginger. My recipes all come from my daughter Gina. too. 157 . tomatoes. about 2 inches long cup of lemon juice cloves of garlic ⁄2 6 nutritional yeast for flavor (amount depends on your taste) (warning. I use green or red leaf lettuce.
158 . Add water to achieve desired consistency. Creamy Balsamic Vinegar 1 1 1 ⁄2 ⁄2 ⁄2 cup tahini cup flaxseed or olive oil cup balsamic vinegar TBS lemon juice cloves garlic raw agave to taste (optional) raw mustard to taste (optional) 2 6 Put ingredients in the blender.Reasonably Raw Sweet Italian Dressing 1 1 1 cup olive oil cup raw apple cider vinegar cup raw agave TBS dulse or kelp Italian seasonings (optional) ⁄2 2 This is my favorite light summer dressing when the weather gets hot. This also makes for a great vegetable dip if served directly from the refrigerator.
then salads. This also makes for a great veggie dip. and fats. but that is how I eat them. seeds. As a general principle think of having fruits early in the day.Chapter Fifteen – R E C I P E S TO LIVE FOR Tahini Lemon Dressing 2 ⁄3 ⁄2 ⁄4 ⁄4 cup tahini cup lemon juice cup flaxseed oil cup water TBS raw agave clove garlic 1 1 1 2 1 Put ingredients into the blender. They are what I have after I've had my smoothies and salads to top things off for the day. These dishes tend to have more nuts and fats. then nuts. Entrees The following are not really entrees. which are better consumed at this time. 159 .
Reasonably Raw Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes 2 1 1 cups cauliflower cup cashews cup olive or flaxseed oil TBS dulse or kelp very small clove of garlic black pepper dill hot pepper sesame oil (optional) ⁄2 ⁄4 1 1 Throw everything into the food processor until it looks like mashed potatoes. This is one of my all-time favorites. 160 .
Chapter Fifteen – R E C I P E S TO LIVE FOR Chicken-Tuna Pretend Salad 1 1⁄2 1 3 1 cups soaked sunflower seeds cup cashews cup of coconut water (or plain water) cup of lemon juice stalks of celery. diced TBS dulse or kelp cup dill cloves of garlic TBS thyme TBS oregano TBS sage TBS ground mustard ⁄4 ⁄2 2 2 1 ⁄4 2 1 1 1 1 Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix till done. You can eat this plain or wrap in romaine leaves. 161 .
I put a zucchini through a spiralizer. 162 . making raw spaghetti and top it with the marinara sauce. They are good for you. Or. I often mix a couple tablespoons with a mashed up avocado to make a delicious guacamole and have it with my salad for dinner.Reasonably Raw Marinara Sauce 1 1 1 1 cup fresh tomatoes cup sun dried tomatoes yellow onion cup lemon juice dates TBS olive or flaxseed oil TBS soy sauce cloves of garlic TBS dulse or kelp ⁄4 ⁄2 3 2 2 3 1 Put all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. This sauce is a staple of my diet. Dessert The great thing about raw desserts is that you can eat them anytime and as a replacement for a main meal.
After the ice cream is made I add in cacao nibs that taste like chocolate chips and walnuts. chill. and then put into an ice cream maker. 163 . Another option is to skip the ice cream step and eat after chilling. the same thing) TBS vanilla extract TBS raw cacao powder TSP salt or dulse ⁄4 2 4 1 ⁄2 Put everything in the blender. and take this with you wherever you go. this makes for a great mousse.Chapter Fifteen – R E C I P E S TO LIVE FOR Chocolate Ice Cream and Chocolate Mousse 2 2 1 1 1 cups durian (a delicious fruit sold in Asian markets) cups cashews cup water cup raw agave cup coconut butter (or coconut oil. Cacao Durian Pudding 2 1 1 cups durian cup water cup pitted dates TBS raw cacao powder ⁄4 2 Mix in a blender. Variations are endless. chill.
Book Publishing Company. 2008. Cherie Soria. Gibbs Smith. 2005. Summertown. The Raw Revolution Diet. Kittery. Me. 2006. Matt Amsden. and Vesanto Melina. NY. Add in a banana. Jennifer Cornbleet. Brenda Davis. Everyday Raw. Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People.Reasonably Raw The options here are endless. Mathew Kenney. Healthy Living Publications. 2004. TN. Alissa Cohen. Cohen Publishing Company. 164 . or strawberries. 2008. My Favorite Raw "Cookbooks" Living on Live Foods. RAWvolution: Gourmet Living Cuisine. New York. HarperCollins Publishers.
We all know that chocolate enhances our moods and my superfood smoothies contain plenty of raw cacao powder. the reality of who you are emerges by itself." –ECKHART TOLLE Something interesting happens after your diet becomes more alive— you become more alive. I find that this is true. calcium has a wonderful calming effect on the body. you connect a bit more with other people. you become happier. and when it doesn't feel deprived of what it needs. Second. Besides building strong bones. you become more peaceful. but for many of the people I have met on this journey. First.Chapter 16 A Holistic Perspective "In the seeing of who you are not. There is scientific research showing that green leafy vegetables supply the body with lots of absorbable calcium. you will feel happier. And third. It relieves stress. 165 . I look back to how I felt before and how I feel now and I am definitely happier. I can't speak for everyone. Something very interesting and wonderful is going on. It makes sense that when you nourish your body. And it feels as if it comes from the food.
If it was already there. I am aware of the space inside my body. In addition. we can find pleasure in our eating and enjoy the benefits of creating a better place for all creatures. I rarely meet people involved in this raw food journey who do not share a sense of spiritual awakening and deepening. our vegan food choices result in less pollution and trashing of our planet. muscle tightness. must at some level come back to us as a sense of living more wholesome. it seems to open doors. then something new happens. I have also come to realize that while I like this 166 . If there was no spirituality to begin with.Reasonably Raw Another aspect of feeling happier. and the pleasure of stretching them out. My lighter body is a joy to carry around now. First. involves the karma (we reap what we sow) of a vegan diet. lightly. I think. too. I notice my feet and legs. This. While I have come to enjoy my body more. I enjoy yoga and feeling my body relax. Is it that our bodies are no longer weighted down with dead food particles? Can we see better. the spirituality seems to deepen. I feel what is happening inside more clearly. This sense of being happier seems to open people up to more spirituality. It is impossible to eat raw vegan foods and be fat. So what does this deeper sense of spirituality look like? For me it comes as awareness. a wider perspective. can we see more. I'm not as self-conscious of its aging. and happily. I am more aware of my body. now that our blood is purer? Is there an unconscious loss of guilt because we are contributing less to the suffering of animals? Whatever it is. awakening. As our food choices result in fewer animals dying and suffering.
if it is not in the body. So who am I? I have thoughts. Who thinks about thoughts? I'm hungry. I am not my body. Oh. Even better. Why am I in a hurry? Why am I driving so close to her? Do I really want to make her nervous? I am aware of my life and my thoughts. So. Something upsets me. then I must not be my thoughts. I also become aware that there is a part of me that is aware. all of me. I can choose not to have any thoughts and just 167 . what is this observing thing? Am I the observer (my true self ) or am I the observed (my body)? And this observing self.Chapter Sixteen – A H O L I S T I C P E R S P E C T I V E body. I can choose to have other thoughts. I can choose to enjoy the beauty of my world. I don't have to become sad because I am by myself today. and I become aware instead of just reacting. I now have choices. when I am aware of my body. I love it. When I look at my body. If I am aware of my thoughts. I am the thinker of my thoughts. Now. I have this body. where is it? It feels like it is everywhere. I can do this because I am aware of my thoughts. It feels like the little boy who loved making sandcastles at the beach and still wants to be where the ocean makes love to the seashore endlessly. that old woman in that car is going so slowly. I'm hungry and I think. Instead of just being driven by what happens outside of me. I sense my real self as something beyond my body. It feels like it never aged. Here we go again. that is observing. but I am not my thoughts. I eat. This sense of awareness extends to my mind and my thoughts. and I'm in such a hurry. but who I am is something so much larger than this physical living thing that I have always thought was me.
It feels like our spirituality. animals. and the spiritual aspect of my life as well. And this points to seeing the essence of spirituality itself. I feel connected to this planet. There is a transcendence going on. that does not feel accurate. Awareness of my thoughts is one of the most powerful skills I have ever been given. I am aware of my body and my thoughts. I am not aware of my spirituality because maybe there is no "my spirituality. Maybe I never will be. sunsets. my mind. That is okay because 168 . So. the plants. the observer in me does not feel like an isolated individual but a connected being. But this is where it gets interesting. Happiness is not a destination. My life has no bounds. It is the same with the thinker of my thoughts. loving all that is. this universe. how can one not be happy to discover all of this? This renewed sense of spirituality is about being connected. I feel connected to my neighbors." When I become aware of my body and how I am not my body. I am not a one hundred percent raw vegan person. That thinker does not feel singular but infinite. connected to everything in the universe. My family has no bounds. Is it that the "I" who we usually refer to as ourselves may not really be there at all? Maybe there is only "we" and no "I. here and on the other side of the world. but when it comes to my spirituality. accepting all that is. Awareness for me has become a discovery that happiness comes from being a part of all that is. it is a journey." there is only "our" spirituality. This raw vegan approach to life has helped me become more aware of my body.Reasonably Raw enjoy life as it is.
Chapter Sixteen – A H O L I S T I C P E R S P E C T I V E I am on the journey. 169 . Eckhart Tolle. I am sure I will have ice cream now and again. Frank Ferendo. that is where the fun is. 2007. Penguin Group. For Additional Readings on Holistic Perspectives: Holistic Perspectives & Integral Theory: On Seeing What Is. 2005. Process Publishing Company. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. be reasonable. and realistically raw. Don't worry. although my durian ice cream is exceptionally good. rational. Ph. I will make mistakes and will forget who I am. But life is a journey. just like you. Let's not be too hard on ourselves.D. That is what forgiveness is for. We learn by mistakes.
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