I have a new little experiment going on in my household and I am lov’in it…and I am not talking about McDonalds. It has been a long time since I have been THIS excited about an issue and that issue is raw foods.
It all started several weeks ago when I had some good conversations with readers after my post on vegetarianism and veganism that sparked so much controversy. It was suggested that maybe I might have felt different about my stint as a vegetarian if I hadn’t been killing the enzymes in my fruits and veggies by cooking them. Well, that got me interested in researching raw foods a bit more. Sure I had heard about raw food and read a few articles but never delved much deeper than that. But I ran across some great articles at NewsTarget that really got my attention and I have an enormous amount of respect for Mike Adams too. I got to see him in person awhile back and all I can say is “Wowsa!” He is a powerhouse of health and vitality. If he is eating raw then sign me up please! :)
Then as if reading my mind, he sent out a broadcast to his newsletter subscribers about his experience attending the Raw Spirit Festival in Sedona and he mentioned another raw foodist named Angela Stokes and her site Raw Reform. I was automatically enthralled with her story about losing 150 pounds on the raw foods diet. Her site led me to her numerous other raw food sites and blogs and I picked up half a dozen ebooks along the way.
Now for two weeks I have been devouring any book I can get my hands on about raw foods and I spent a fortune at Whole Foods buying up everything raw…and it is NOT that easy let me tell you. The amount of food that is processed and no longer in its raw state is staggering. For about 7 days I have been eating 80% raw and I am even more gung ho about it now than ever.
If you are not familiar with the concept of raw foods…it is basically a diet of completely raw, unprocessed, uncooked foods. Heating foods above 118 degrees is forbidden as it kills the enyzmes or “life force energy” contained in the food. Raw foodists generally believe that eating any food that has been cooked is eating a dead or decaying food and that it is therefore toxic to you. In fact many raw foodists refer to anything cooked as waste or garbage and perhaps it was that strong opinion that kept me from looking further into raw foods more closely in the past. Well, that and things like …. baked pies, breads, mashed potatoes, pasta, rice… I am rather attached to these things so this is going to be hard at times. But I have to admit there is some strange logic in eating food that has been devitalized.
I was also really hooked when I kept hearing about raw foods being a good way to detox your body. I desperately need this as I just spent the past year loading up on drugs meant to kill the cells in my body…the good along with the bad and filling up the remaining ones with toxic crap. I need a detox.
There is an obvious drawback though. Eating raw foods will make it much harder to eat locally and seasonally. If I am going to be eating more fruit then I will be eating more exotic fruits too and ones out of season for my area. Also, since canning would cook the food I can’t can for winter months. Guess I better think on that some more and get creative.
A lot of raw food enthusiasts are also vegan, so…does this mean I am going vegan after all? Nope. I will still eat dairy, meat, and fish…I am just going to be doing it raw. Raw milk and cheeses, sashimi, ceviche, and a good steak tartare…oh yeah. ;) I love this stuff anyway but now I have an excuse to eat it more often.
I hope to review some of the books I have been reading about the subject very soon because I have read some good ones. I also wanted to share a video (below) with you. If it doesn’t persuade you to at least take a closer look at raw foods then I don’t know what will. Not only is the man in the video HOT, he has some very excellent points about food, nutrition, and your body’s ability to heal itself. Enjoy!
Oh and be sure to comment and tell me what you think about all this…
Raw food sounds like it’ll help you poop really strongly. I like sashimi and steaks medium rare with some gravy on top.
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I will let ya know George! LOL.
Really nice post! I am on picky eater diet and it is not so easy but with recipes like that it will be real pleasure for me! I like the picture too! Thank you for the article!
I think that eating a larger percentage of your foods raw is excellent. I only buy raw nuts (and am also totally POed at the almonds thing) and my family and I strive to eat as many whole fruits and vegetables as we can in one day. We are omnivores, however, and that plays a big role in what we choose to eat. We do not eat any meat or grains raw but my goal is to get us at a level of about 80% in the summer months when we can take advantage of local food and 60% in the winter when we cannot. Because I believe that given the amount of nutrients lost by bringing certain crops from New Zealand it isn’t worth 1. the price and 2. the environmental impact.
What’s most interesting to me is the personal health vs. environmental impact argument. It’s a fine line to walk, especially as a mother.
Ashley,
I am confused as to the “fine line” between personal health and environmental impact. If you act in the best interest of both yourself and the environment, your diet choices align perfectly, as local, whole, raw fruits and vegetables are best for both! Incorporating meat into your diet negatively impacts your health, the environment, and the animals you eat.
What’s the conflict?
Excellent points Ashley. That very dilemma has me concerned..on one hand I am thinking that environmental concerns might be preventing me from eating a more raw diet…but then I think it might just be that we are spoiled. Hundreds or thousands of years ago people did not require or have as much variety as we do. But cooking AND mass transportation of food opened up a while new world to us. But do we need all that variety or were we designed to eat what we could forage for…what was available to us….
It is a fine line.
very interesting. good food for thought. ;) that video was a bit over the top, but there were some good points made, for sure.
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great video! I have been semi raw (with the addition of some cooked grains)for 2 months & am feeling fantastic. I’ve lost weight, have heaps more energy & my hair & skin has improved heaps. I became vegan 4 months ago and was continuously searching the web for info & recipes. Then I stumbled on Ani’s book (below) and it escalated from there.
Thought I would share a couple of books I’ve recently purchased. Angel foods from http://www.rawfoodchef.com/store/angelFoodsRawBook.html it has so many tasty recipes in it. It is not 100% raw as it includes a chapter on grains. This suits me as I live in Japan and there’s no chance I could get by without rice!!
Another great book I have is by Ani Phyo, she has a website also which has a few video recipes online. Again plenty of yummy food.
All the best on your venture..
PS I didnt receive the cleaning report is there a website I can goto to find this?
Many thanks
Thanks for the link Sarah..I will check that out!
Tiffany, this was great post. Now I am vegan but I have to admit that we don’t do raw as much as we should. However, I do juice often, cut up fresh veggies with my dinner, and try to eat a salad or two per day. I have been researching as well because I want to be as healthy as I can.
My husband has been wanting to do it for a while. I was the hesitant one, but now I am ready for this as my weight loss is slowing down and my hormones are a bit off balance.
Thanks for the post ;)
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Great article. I think in Summer (I’m in Australia) its very easy to go with a raw diet but I find in winter its a little more tricky.
A great site is http://www.shazzie.com
You’ve probably read her books Naked Chocolate and detox delights
You rock
Peace love and chocolate
Carole
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Well, I’m ready to give it a shot based on your blog and the comments. I eat a fairly low-meat diet but I’m heavily into eating roasted/grilled/fried/etc. veggies. Maybe I’ll try working raw into that mix a little more and see how it does. Interesting line of discussion…
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So I watched the video and it was really interesting but I have a few doubts. I tried a vegetarian diet for roughly a month and in that time I was always tired, I was breaking out, and the dark circles under my eyes made me look like a drug addict. I’m sure that this was due in part of bad meal by me but I’m just wondering, are you having any negative side effects on the raw diet or is it really as much a miracle as the video claims?
Could have been symptoms of detoxing…?
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What a great site!! I’m a raw foodist and hope you do try more raw meals!!
Hi Tiffany, I’m a new raw enthousiast like you and I saw parts of myself in your article. I was concerned about the seasonal aspect of food too and I think eating home grown sprouts is a good solution. I also resort to indoor gardening (vertical gardening, stacked pots, wall gardens, you name it) to grow spinach, beets, herbs and tomatoes (both pretty and yummy). I think you can really bypass the seasonal issue once you’re well acquainted with indoor gardening and sprouting, and if you visit herloom farmer markets. I just found one in my area so I’m super excited! Much luck to you on your raw journey!
Bypass the cooking and canning and invest in a dehydrator. My raw foods chef mentor, (an omnivore) has taught me how to take the fiber that my juicer expels and make crackers and such after mixing in spices…omg! You can preserve a lot of fruits, veggies and even meat with a dehydrator. Now, I love making home made jerky/pemmican for the protein!