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Raw Food Diet: The Good and The Bad (Part 2)

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UPDATE: Based on some of the comments we want to make it clear that we are in 100% support of eating raw foods, our previous post on the topic (Part 1) explained the Benefits of a Raw Food Diet.  Our goal here was to explore the flip side. Lets stay open to the fact that everyone is different and at various levels of health. There are indeed dangers to any kind of extreme.

Raw foodism, widely trumpeted to be the best dietary approach ever by its advocates, has been a rage across the world, especially in the United States. Staunch advocates of raw foodism have even claimed that a 100% adherence to raw foodism ushers in multiple benefits for your body.

However, the validity and the extent of raw food benefits are being widely debated, and on the other side of the table are the followers of the cooked food approach. Expectedly, the other group fiercely contests the claims of the raw food proponents.

Obviously, the debate is polarized between two diametrically opposing groups, but there are a lot of people who just want to stay healthy and fit and want to find out how good raw food really is. You are not an expert on raw food and thus can be vulnerable to persuasion.

Therefore, it is important to know that a 100% switch to raw foods may not be suitable for your body. Raw foods, as its advocates claim, have many advantages, and if harnessed properly, can help you lead a healthy life. Balance is the key here, and you must know your body well. Raw foodism, just like any other dietary approach, has its disadvantages, and it is worthwhile to take a look at some of them.

  • According to an article by a food and nutrition expert from Cornell University, you get more nutrition when certain eatables are cooked. Cooked tomatoes, for example, contain more lycopene, a compound that helps fight cancer, than raw tomatoes.
  • According to Donna Gates, the author of Body Ecology Diet, one needs to have a robust digestive system to absorb raw foods all the time. This effectively reduces the universal acceptability of raw foods.
  • According to researchers at the Rutgers University, at least 37 of 48 sampled vegetables are easily digestible when they are stir-fried, boiled, grilled, or steamed.
  • Experts opine that while raw foods like vegetables and fruits are great for your health, it may not be wise to go for a 100% raw diet, as that can cause a deficiency in a variety of nutrients like Vitamin B-12, iron, calcium, and protein.
  • The incidence of food poisoning due to contaminated raw food has risen as much as 10 times since the 1970s. People have been found to suffer from food poisoning and other problems due to the consumption of raw lettuce, salad, melons, and berries.
  • Certain categories of raw foods are said to contain anti-nutrient factors (ANF) that are destroyed by cooking.
  • According to other dietary approaches (for example: Ayurveda and Macrobiotics), a raw dietary approach may not be suitable for regions with extremely cold climates.
  • Critics of raw foodism point out that though cooked foods can lose some enzymes, the body enzymes are enough to help absorb the consumed food. Also, cooking helps you absorb certain phytochemicals (for example: beta-carotene in carrots) better.
  • A study by Washington University found that people on a raw diet had a low bone mass.

A raw diet is certainly better than the Standard American Diet (SAD). However, empirical data suggests that many have just jumped into the raw diet with the expectation that they are going to be among the fittest people on the planet. They forsake cooked food totally in favor of a raw diet, only to realize after some time that the diet was not what their body wanted.

Needless to say, one needs to think hard before deciding on the proportion of raw foods. A blood test would be a wise thing to do for just about every raw food aspirant. It makes sense to be aware of one’s health condition and one’s needs before you take any hasty decision.

As stated earlier, balance is the key, and this holds true especially if one is coming off a Standard American Diet (SAD). A gradual transition to raw food habits is always preferable over a sudden and a total transition from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to a raw food diet.

A raw diet brings along with it multiple advantages, and one needs to carefully harness the power of a raw diet strictly in accordance with his/her health condition. One need not abandon cooked food, as that may give rise to other problems. Ideally, one should plan a diet with around 60% to 80% raw food depending on individual needs.

Talk to your doctor to specifically identify the kind of raw foods (for example: vegetables and fruits) that will be suitable for the body.

To sum it up, balance, a full awareness of your body, and a careful identification of healthy raw foods are the keys to leading a healthy life.

Note: Thank you all for the feedback and openness in having a discussion on the topic. We’ve received lots of negative comments and most people misunderstood us. We never said that raw food is bad for you! We’ve explained last week the advantages of raw foods and in this article we were just trying to educate people about downfalls. We of course encourage people to eat 70-90% raw. Our point was that a 100% raw diet switch may not be for everyone and people on a conventional diet may harm themselves doing a full switch.

References
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/08/01/eating_raw_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_according_to_various_experts.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism#Potential_harmful_effects_of_cooked_foods

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Comments

  1. I have been a raw foodist for 4 years now. I am about 75-90 percent raw and I believe that a raw food diet is the way to go. I am very healthy, and at my ideal weight for the past 2 1/2 years without EVER dieting or depriving myself. I disagree that raw foods can hurt your diet. You should never jump 100 % into anything when it comes to lifestyle changes, so I agree…starting slow is very important. However, I disagree that cooked food is more healthy than raw foods. Especially fruits and vegetables. As far as foods being contaminated? All food is subject to contamination…just take a look at where conventional beef comes from. You would be horrified. Washing and preparing raw foods in a clean healthy environment is very important. I hope that people are not afraid to add as many raw foods into their diet as possible. You will see the health benefits yourself! They will be profound and life changing. Raw foods are an essential part of a healthy body and I believe that at least 1/2 of our diet should be comprised of raw living foods. 🙂 I do agree that some raw foodists become deficient in certain nutrients, such as B12, however there are many vegan sources of those nutrients that can be obtained, and I believe most deficiencies come from vegan diet (cooked or raw). Thank you for this newsletter, I enjoy it and read often and love to read all types of opinions on health as it is not one size fits all. 🙂 Have a wonderful day!

    • I also think this article is misleading. I too have been raw and got rid of osteoporosis and a pancreatic tumor which I would have died from. I live my life in joy,peace, happiness, and health. I could not even pick up my groceries 19 years ago and am stronger then have ever been. As far as the B-12 the blue algaes in E3-live has all the B’s including the B-12. Proteins look at the cow, horses, elephants etc that are vegetarians their muscles are not falling apart. Please look at where you are getting your research from because behind doors it can be the result of the meat or diary industries. Have a great day! Elizabeth

  2. I’m not a raw foodist or any kind of expert. But no matter how we try to convince ourselves that cooked is better than raw in some instances, it just does not make sense.
    I don’t see cooked food in the nature, so there is no way we are supposed to eat cooked.

    What we need is to figure out what kind of raw is the best for us and go deeper into this. Cooked vs raw is just a wrong comparison. Raw is the only answer, but we need to figure out what kind of raw. Because there is also raw junk food (e.g. more than 50% of the diet raw nuts and seeds etc., which just does not make sense to me).

    I plan to become raw and my laziness is the only thing stopping me for now, and of course tastes that I’m used to. But that does not mean I’m going to preach false, just because I want to make myself feel better.

    We need to encourage the reaserch in the raw food direction to finally figure this thing out. So for that reason we need to stop asking wrong questions, and also we need to stop critisizing people who still don’t have answers but are looking for them. At least they have the courage to take of the blinders.

    • Yes, raw is really, really, the only way to obtain optimum health and detoxification no argument. Cooked food tastes really good and provides momentary pleasure and that is all that is “positive” about it and that is not really positive. These types of arguments are only a feeble attempt by those that choose not to engage in a living foods diet or have a vested interest in keeping people sick. They don’t hold water. So, tomatoes may have more lycopene when unnaturally heated. Cooked tomatoes, when combined with grains, which is about the only way that anyone ever eats them, are horrible for the body, and the canned variety is loaded with chemicals from the lining of the cans. So for the sake of more lycopene shall we cook all our food? Absurdity! I’ve eaten raw for ten years, now and though it is not always easy to resist cooked foods due to the sensory gratification derived, I can attest to knowing w/o doubt that my body thanks me for every wonderful raw bite. I am grateful to nature for providing all our needs in the perfect balanced way.
      There is a lot to learn in the matter of how to be raw in the best way as we have ventured far from natures plan.

  3. I believe that low fat raw vegan diet is the only way we were meant to eat. Cooking served us well in the past few thousand years, as it helped us survive. But with the abundance of the food now, it is making us sick.
    It is time to go back to the way it is supposed to be. Just ask yourself if you are in the middle of the tropical forest, with no tools, fire etc., what would you eat?
    If you cannot cook meat you would not touch it. If you can not cook potatoes you would not touch them.
    But if you saw banana or mangoe or pineapple, you would salivate right away.
    So there is our answer. Simple!

    • Hi i agree with most of your comments except the one about potatoes. I prefer them raw,and have done ever since I was a child. I am now 71. when ever my mother was peeling the them
      I would have a peice cut off. raw potatoes are full of enzymes.

  5. I believe that you have been misled in your precept on Raw food, I have been 100% Raw Vegan for 5 years and know several people that have been Raw for several more years than I and are in the peek of health. I just had my yearly VA physical and everything was above normal, compared to 5 years ago my health was a disaster cholesterol was 314, blood pressure was 150/90 and I had blood clothes in my lungs, thanks to the raw vegan diet I am in an above healthy state. Before you make such statements make sure of your facts.

  6. This is not true. The ‘reason’ the cooked tomatoes SEEM to have more lycopene is because they are totally crushed. The raw tomatoes were not. If you FULLY crush the raw tomatoes, they have more lycopene than the cooked ones.
    So if you throw your tomatoes into a smoothie they have more lycopene.

    If you eat lots of raw foods (and fermented foods) you can get that robust digestive system. Cooked foods do not make your digestive system robust.

    Because people don’t have robust digestive systems because they don’t consume enough raw foods.

    Experts have stated that the above definciencies are actually more of a problem with cooked food omnivores.
    Iron, calcium and protien are HIGHLY overeaten and cause detrimental health when overloaded in the body. Too much dairy for instance causes your body to leach calcium from your bones to help digest the protein in the dairy.

    Fruits and vegetables have more USABLE iron, calcium and protien. And when you have that robust digestive system, your gut can make its own B12. (Ask Donna Gates about it, you quoted her>)

    The E coli that was on the above mentioned raw foods all got there from factory farm runoff. And none of these farms was organic.
    Why these conglomerates think they can grow all these crops downhill from a poop farm is the REAL debate.

    I could keep replying to everything stated in the above article but I’d much rather go enjoy some raw food.
    Everything in the above article should be taken with a grain of salt. Do some research and you’ll find most (if not all of the stated ‘facts’ are untrue.

    • >The ‘reason’ the cooked tomatoes SEEM to have more lycopene is because they are totally crushed. The raw tomatoes were not. If you FULLY crush the raw tomatoes, they have more lycopene than the cooked ones.
      >So if you throw your tomatoes into a smoothie they have more lycopene.

      Fascinating notion, that tomatoes, crushed, release more lycopene. Any studies showing that?
      I notice all carotenoids need some fat for best digestion, too. Presumably the smoothie has avocado or ground nuts or fatty seeds, then.

  7. It is good to have some balance of information in the diet “debate”. I disagree that raw is THE WAY for everyone. When I was eating raw (rejeuvelac, dehydrating, sprouting, juicing etc.etc.)I developed a swollen thyroid from all the raw brassicas – they can restrict the uptake of iodine to your thyroid. I also felt great at first, but rather ungrounded the longer I stayed on the diet. I now incorporate a larger portion of raw into a healthy mostly vegan (w/occasional cold-water fish) diet and feel this is a better fit for me. The time it took to create varied and interesting raw meals (and the expense) was also difficult. Best of luck to everyone with whatever works for YOU !!!

    • I know the raw is the best food for humans, but what I mean by raw is 80-90% (mostly tropical) fruits and the rest tender greens and minimal amount of nuts/seeds.
      Again we humans are complicating things – dehydrating, juicing, sprouting, superfoods, algea…
      And that would be fine if it was done 10-20% of time, but many raw foodists do this 80-90% of the time.

      You can eat wrong raw too, that’s all what I want to say here.

    • Very true,just because it is raw does not mean it is good for the body.With raw food a person needs to do a lot of research.Prof,Ehret’s Mucousless Diet is a good book to read.As you clean out more and more so you will not be able to eat all the foods like cabbage and onion.These foods are not foods that we should be eating.The foods that the human body is best suited to are herbs(lettuce and spinach),and all fruits.Nuts and seeds are not supposed to be eaten often and should be eaten with sweet fruit.Also when you start changing your diet you are trying to clean out initially and sometimes it works better if you have cooked fruit because it does not have such a dramatic effect on the body and the sugar in them is what cleans your body out.When your body is completely clean the fruits won’t effect you in a negative way.You need to alwys be doing research on raw as not all the books on raw help.I have battled with this for 16yrs.My health also got worse,I had candida,but on the cooked I was even worse.The funny thing is ,it was maple and red grapes that helped cure that,not a high protein diet.Raw is definately the way to go though if you want long lasting good health.I’ve tried both to experiment on and off and done so much research,you just need to clean out with the right foods and then eat the right foods there after.

  8. Hi,

    I appreciate the articles attempt to be balanced, but I thought it very odd to repeat information that claimed we are getting food poisioning from “raw lettuce, salad, melons and berries” as even non raw foodists are not likely to cook them. I would agree that it does not appear to work real well in the deep part of winter, I know, I have tried, and I am cold all the time, so I have hot herbal teas and make veggie soups and try to not overcook them. I was wondering why this might be, but haven’t figured it out. It doesn’t say why cold climates might not be a good time to eat all raw.

    Thanks

    • I once asked Victoria Boutenko about how her family now thrives in cold climates and don’t even need to wear jackets when its cold out. She gave me a half hour reply about when you start consuming 100% raw foods the circulation changes in your body so you become immune to the cold. Prettty cool it’s definitely a reason to go 100%!

  9. I absolutely LOVE the idea of a raw food diet – have eaten at restaurants with only raw preparation and they can do amazing things.

    However, there are certain foods that I just cannot eat raw – broccoli and its relatives, for example. I have low thyroid and my digestive system just cannot handle these foods.

    I was once told by a raw foodist that I should just eat that way for awhile and my body would adjust. There have been too many times I have tried to eat these foods raw with negative results – so I lightly cook them.

    There may be certain other conditions that have similar requirements for cooked foods. I was hoping for a discussion on this. This has been a good series though and thanks.

  10. Everyone and their mother keeps citing that damn cooked tomato lycopene statistic. Is there any other food out there besides pork and tomatoes that is better if cooked? If you blend a raw tomato, especially in a high powered blender the lycopene numbers are equal between the cooked and the raw. The lycopene is highly concentrated in the skin. It’s my understanding that cooked nightshades (tomato, eggplant, peppers, white potato) become inflammatory and their oxalic acid content becomes inorganic and prevents calcium absorption. If that’s the case, I’d be fine missing out on a little lycopene. Besides, I can get my lycopene from watermelon. Next thing you know there will be a study telling us to cook our watermelon too.

    Keep it Live, Adam

  11. So many of the readers responses seem to have the impression that one diet is optimal for everyone and all year round in all locations. This is simply not true. People have different body types, live in differnt locations. What is good for one person needs to change for that person with the seasons as the elements that predominate in nature change with the seasons. If you are eating the same diet in the summer as winter you will not find the optimal balance. Most people can do well with a diet that is almost all raw during the summer. Trying to eat 100 percent raw in the winter, especially in an artic type climate can be very unbalancing. People that have a vata body type will have the most difficulty eating 100 percent raw, as they have a difficult time digesting raw vegetables although they do well with fruit in the summer. I have been experimenting with raw foods since 1973 and am presently the medical assistant for Gabriel cousens, M.D. at the tree of life. I have a lot of clinical experience working with a variety of people on the raw diet. I do advocate a diet high in live foods… a little less in the winter and almost all raw may thru sept. Holding to a rigid dogma and theory is not always in ones best interest. Thinking that you can get all your b12 from vegan sources, and not doing a blood workup is a big mistake. Although algaes have b12 they are analogs and do not assimiliate well. Most people after 50 have an hcl deficiency that interferes with oral absorption of b12. Most of the staff at the tree of life have had b12 deficiencies upon blood testing and are now doing injection of b12 im. There are so many subtle issues that need to be fine tuned to thrive on a raw diet. Reading a book and listening to a few lectures, and assuming you know everything is naive.

    Dr. Geore Cromack

    • Regarding the B12 issue, I recommend anyone who is on the raw diet to read “80-10-10 diet” book, by Dr. Douglas Graham. He found the answer for this problem (it’s in the soil), and he is 100% raw for over a decade and has no B12 issues.

      And, yes, we definitely have to check ourselves all the time no matter what diet.

    • This is a relief to hear for me.. I went 100% raw in early 2009 and it took me a year to find out that I was not assimilating most of the nutrients I was ingesting.. I was so low in many vitamins and minerals that I was on many supplements to keep up. The more I read about the benefits of raw food and raw foodist blogs, the more I felt bad for ‘failing’ to reap all the benefits the diet seemed to promise. This seemed ridiculous. Once my naturapath understood I really was eating 100% raw, she ordered me to go home and make vegetable soup and a lentil curry. Within a few days my energy levels returned and I realised 100% was not for me. I now eat approx 70% (more in summer and less in winter) and feel I have reached a good balance. I know that many people thrive on 100% raw.. but to say it was how we are meant to eat is very naive and, as the saying goes “ignorance is bliss”. Fanatasism is dangerous and ignorant. Get off the soap box people and just give us the facts, not your judgements on how the world ‘should’ be according to your point of view.

      Mardi

  12. Thank you for your article.
    I just wanted to point out that although the Washington study on raw vegans and bone mass found that the raw vegans had low bone density, the study also mentioned that the raw vegan’s bones were still healthy even though they were less dense than usual.
    The study found that the other biological markers usually associated with low bone mass, which can cause osteoporosis, were not present with the raw vegans and so though their bones were less dense they were still healthy.
    Read more here:
    http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/567/62

    Love and Peaches,
    from Anne XX?

  13. ive never heard of anyone having a protein deficiency. raw, cooked, vegan or non-vegan. sesame seeds are one of the highest sources of iron and calcium, along with many other vegetables. as far as b-12, it would be prudent for anyone to take a supplement because it appears deficiencies occur just has frequently in cooked meat eaters.

    as far as “studies” its important to know who these studies are done on. people used to a cooked food diet will not digest many raw foods very well, but that will change.

    i support the idea that its what we leave out of our diet that will heal us. starting with eliminating all processed flour and refined sugars, heated oils and msg. once you get that undercontrol you can eliminate other things step by step, until all your left with is natures best, fresh un-adulterated fruits and vegetables. 🙂 its less about eating raw foods than it is about not eating harmful foods.

    I learned about this approach from Dr. Fred Bisci and Matt Monarch, both long-time successful raw-foodist. It makes the most sense to me.

  14. I don’t get it… the article states: “People have been found to suffer from food poisoning and other problems due to the consumption of raw lettuce, salad, melons, and berries.” Is there really ANY OTHER WAY to eat lettuce, salad, melons and berries other than raw?? I’ve never heard of eating cooked lettuce or melon.

    I will say… I TRY to eat a mostly raw diet, but there are sadly so many things in our society that derail my attempts: social life, lack of availability to convenient raw foods, expense, time involved in preparing foods, lack of variety unless spending lots of time in prep, missing certain cooked foods and not finding REAL good replacements (such as hot soup, hot lasagna, etc.), and especially meat. It’s also very expensive to try and feed a family of four an all-raw diet (which to me requires all-organic as well, I’ll pass on fruits and vegetables if they’re not organic).

    I’ve also noticed that when I’m eating 100% raw, I actually become rather cranky. I don’t know if it’s because our bodies have actually sadly evolved to the point where there’s something in the conventional diet that we need… or if it’s the lower calories… not sure what it is, but I don’t like it.

    For me personally, the ideal diet is 80% raw, and 20% healthy cooked. I also eat meat, within moderation, since I believe God gave us canine teeth for a reason (but only organic and free-range beef and eggs), but NO DAIRY since we are the ONLY animals on the planet who drink the milk of another animal (or drink milk of any sort after being weaned).

    I do believe, as with all things in life, to each his own. But for me, 80% organic raw and 20% healthy cooked seems to be a good solution.

  15. If someone doesn’t have a robust digestive system, then it’s usually because they’ve been eating processed and toxic foods for too long. Getting into a raw diet will be a gradual process for most people.
    If you’re getting cranky on a raw diet, that’s usually just part of the detoxifying process, so keep going! If I weren’t used to long distance running, I would get cranky after the first mile too.

  16. There is some truth in what you write, but much of it is pretty silly. Poor livestock management is what leads to the contamination of fruits and vegetables, so how about we clean up that mess so we can all enjoy more raw fruits and veggies.

    Everyone is different, but I am willing to bet that most people can enjoy at least a 70% raw food diet and be way healthier than they are today. The key is to eat healthy no matter which diet you follow. Cut out the junk and eat fresh, whole foods that are organic, and consume as many raw foods as you comfortably can.
    I believe testing is important, but not just for raw food vegans. Heck, if valid testing was done for the mainstream they might wake up and dump the coffee (as well as all the other crap they’re eating) for good.

    And let’s not forget there’s a whole lot more to enjoying great health than diet. If you eat a raw food diet and are inactive, live in a toxic environment, dwell on the negative, are involved in draining relationships, etc. etc. etc. great health is elusive. We must look at the entire scope of our days and the quality of well being they provide. This combined with raw foods will provide incredible health. Being 100% raw is not the issue, enjoying incredible health is.

    For those that do eat a 100% raw food diet long term they are a model of what is possible for future generations and for the long term health of the planet.

    Live long. Live Healthy. Go Raw!

  17. All I can say is try it. I never felt better than when I was 90% raw. I felt unexplained joy, my mind worked, new things occurred to me, i had more energy than I knew what to do with, I lost weight, my skin was better than ever… And I have been a vegetarian, super health conscious person my whole life. I didn’t think it was possible to feel that much better!

  18. It is so good to see that there are a number of raw foodists out there.

    I am a ballroom dance teacher and studio owner. I do have previous dance titles from my competition days.

    I just had Karina Smirnoff from Dancing With The Stars tv show at my dance studio. She is a great person and equally great dancer and teacher. She was in my studio to do master classes.

    We had discussed diet and nutrition for optimum health,especially for dancers and stars who lead a very busy lifestyle. I basically revealed my personal secrets to a healthy and energetic lifestyle that works for me.

    I have been a vegetarian for nearly thirty years and a raw foodist for over one year. I told Karina that I do not eat any meat or dairy products.I do not eat any bread or pasta. I do not eat any flour or pastry products. I do not eat anything cooked.

    She was amazed and asked me how I get my protein. She wondered how I have so much energy,endurance and strength to be a dancer and run my own business and be a vocalist, singing jazz standards in a seven piece band!

    I proceeded to tell her that I had spent thirty years experimenting, yet never deviating from my vegetarian lifestyle.

    I do walk the talk. I sincerely live out all my passions. I told her that I am healthier and more energetic now after only one year of being a raw foodist than my twenty sine years as a vegetarian.

    She asked me to give her my diet. I took her to the airport and told her that we will keep in touch and perhaps I would write a book someday on my personal journey to health and vitality being a raw food vegan.

    Until then,keep on dancing everyone and eat healthy!

    your ballroom dancing friend, Avie

    • Wow I think you have given yourself an even greater purpose on this earth! Just from what I know about dancers and ballet schools the nutrition is lacking-if somehow this could change it would be wonderful. Hope to read your book in the future.

  20. Dear sir,

    I have been on around 80% un-cooked diet for the past 9 years. I am quite happy to continue. I am from south India. I eat sprouts, raw vegetables, fruits, coconut dated, peas etc mostly un cooked. Some times I take curd, roti made of wheat flour & cooked leaf vegetables. My personal experience is eating raw food will cleanse our as well as mind. It make us more kind to all beings we will be flexible to the situations on day to day basis. I am really enjoying eating raw food from the inspiration got from Mr. David wolfe book ‘SUN FOOD DIET SUCCESS SYSTEM’.

    If any body is interested to switch over to raw food I will be happy to guide such persons.
    Bye,
    A.K.Murthy

  21. Dr Mercola has an article on his website giving a in his opinion balance of views on raw/vegan (his opinion) – search in the search box on his site “Angelina Jolie” this article is interesting . Is it correct and fair I cant say.

  22. First of all, the food you are calling “raw” is already “cooked”, by the SUN! So, there really is no reason to cook it again. Yes some foods may benefit from some heat…but take tomatoes for example, if you eat cherry tomatoes, picked fresh off the vine IN THE SUN, they are already a little warm. Seriously..they are cooked ENOUGH! Granted some foods like legumes and sweet potatoes are better eaten (re)heated. I disagree with raw folks who scarf down raw sweet potatoes, spouted black beans or raw collard greens. But when cooked food advocates intone “some foods are better eaten cooked” its like they ignore the overwhelming majority of foods that simply don’t need to be cooked to be eaten. Seriously, I am tired of hearing about tomatoes from cooked food advocates. I also found this article to be very, very imbalanced. Really, any person who takes the time to do research on eating living food and implements it properly should be fine. I think what it really comes down to is will power. Cooked food is addictive, people WANT to eat pizza and grilled whatever and will find/make excuses (elaborate, “scientific”, and what have you) to justify what they want to do. I say, if you want to eat dead food…have at it. But don’t pretend like it’s somehow healthier than eating food in which the original nutrients are still present. BTW-this is just my personal rant/opinion and is not directed toward the actual writers of this article.

  23. The food issue is complicated; just because it seems whether raw or not, so many of us have turned it into a self improvement debate. Many foods used to be sacred; even certain ways of cooking food can infuse it with divine attributes and energies. From a purely physical stand point raw food has many advantages but I wonder if the process no matter what we do … cook it or just eat it; well maybe the nutrition we get from it depends in some ways on our relationship to the food itself. Perhaps our consciousness interacts with it? And I think cooking for some is an alchemical practice; for some a true appreciation of food and culture, and tradition. However, in the end I think everyone can benefit from more raw food and a more conscious recognition of the earth and land that grows it. For me the big issue seems to be the dangers of GMOs … and you can eat those raw too.

  24. I have been 100% raw in a cold damp climate for 9 years. There are a few errors that I feel need clarified on the list of “downsides” to raw. Firstly, the statement that we would need a robust digestive system to eat raw foods all the time is clearly lacking in clarity. HOW the raw food diet is APPLIED is critical to the results you get and what body type you are. For example; someone who eats a high fruit diet will have different results to someone following the low fruit approach, providing they are exactly the same in lifestyle, climate, body type etc. The High/Low fruit diet approach has various factors that will determine success such as climate, lifestyle and body type as the main ones.
    Most Long term raw foodists notice an increase in FIRE, the element of digestion that makes our body digest food better. This is because cooked food “weakens” or reduces Fire and it can take several years of CORRECT raw eating to address the problem of low Fire.
    Much of the research done on raw foods to do with bone density can also be misleading. For example; what approach to the raw diet were the individuals following, their lifestyle and activity levels? SITTING around all day eating fruit would most likely reduce bone density. Bone density is not just common amongst a handful of raw foodists, it’s rife in the cooked society not to mention the dreaded osteoporosis.
    Deficiencies are quite common in early raw foodists as the body is basically going through a metamorphosis/change that requires a high input of mineral rich alkaline foods to meet the demand of the acid process of detoxification, this can last several years based on previous dietary practices. Eating mainly fruit at such a time of course would most likely lead to deficiencies.
    B-12, well, any informed raw foodist will have this covered. Does the cooked world not have major deficiencies in comparison? Like I said, any raw foodist following a mineral rich diet with proteins, carbs and fats tailored to their individual needs would rarely be deficient.
    Does food poisoning not happen in the cooked world? all the time! Eat a dodgy half cooked or old burger and your down for a few days with food poisoning. OFF foods, meat, dairy and seafood (not sea veg) are all high risk areas. Raw plant food are very low risk areas.
    Anti-nutrients, well, most raw foodies following a mineral rich diet with algae’s, bee pollen, etc are for the most part likely to surpass cooked fooders hands down when it comes to available nutrients. Raw foodies naturally focus on “the best” to get the best out of their bodies. The longer raw and informed they are and eating a mineral rich diet, they are less likely to come across deficiencies.
    As for a cold climate, well I can step in here and say I used to feel the cold all the time as a cooked fooder before going raw. During the first few years at 100% raw I felt even more cold, partly due to detox symptoms and of course eating the wrong things for my body and climate. I frequently hear raw foodies drink pints of green juice in mid winter and turning the thermostat up to 25 degrees and wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy to cope with the internal cold and dampness! Where’s the sense in that? All because someone “told them”, from another part of the world, most likely the tropics or sub tropics, this was the healthiest thing to do! Whilst their sitting in a cold damp climate trying to do the same thing! It is basically to apply knowledge with common sense and most of all LISTENING TO YOUR OWN BODY, which is the ultimate dietary guru:)It knows your needs better than anyone, the art is in interpreting and listening to it.

    May Health Be With You

  26. I have a problem with most of the points made in this post, and I’ll discuss that in a moment. I went 100% raw, the longest period being 6 months. I felt great, but felt something was missing. I realized I was eating way too much raw fat, and mixing that with fruit which made me feel lousy. Fruits and veggies are the way to go, and a little “junk” is ok too, if it keeps you from becoming an insufferable zealot.

    to the points: How does cooking add lycopene to tomatoes? Contamination on raw foods is not the foods’ fault. supposedly the most authoritative raw study done yet shows rawers to have MORE bone mass, not less. Its easy to say rawers don’t get enough protein, etc. got proof? In a study not financed by special interest group? Just because cooking makes a veggie easier to swallow doesn’t make it more digestible (meaning assimilable).

    I will agree most of us have a hard time digesting fibrous veggies.
    But isn’t that due to the fact that all of us were raised on the SAD diet, and our internal processing systems are weakened as a result? Again, not the foods’fault. It’ll take time to rebuild it back up.

    I say: go as raw as you can, 90% fruits and veggies. If it causes stress in social situations, eat what everyone else eats, enjoy it, and go back to raw afterwords. If you want a pastrami sandwhich, or ice cream, go for it, You don’t have to make a habit out of it.
    Life’s too short to become obsessed with anything.

  27. What a load of garbage and crap this poorly researched article is!!! Donna gates is not against a raw foods diet at all and to say that ‘This effectively reduces the universal acceptability of raw foods’ is rubbish!! she is just syaing that make sure you can digest your foods and that you MAY need more digestive flora.

    To say that you may be short of B12 is alsolute crap!! most people on a SAD diet are low in B12.

    Do your research properly or risk getting slated!!

    Jeni

  28. I agree with many others who have commented….the writer has not done enough homework here to make an intelligent arguement against a raw diet.

    Food poisoning from raw? Let’s get this straight – food poisoning comes from food grown by factory farm operations! Small organic farms are never the source of food poisoning! I don’t buy factory farm produce.

    It is the people who have weakened digestive systems from years of eating overcooked, chemical laden food who are the first to get sick. If the rate of food poisoning has increased, it is because of the utter lack of conscience about quality control and cleanliness that factory farms have descended to in the name of profits.

    The writer’s directive to “talk to your Doctor about the best raw foods for your body….” is like telling the reader to ask their adolescent for investment advice. Doctors are given little to no instruction in food and nutrition while in medical school.

    I was first raw – 100% raw – over 20 years ago, and I never enjoyed better health. The changes were obvious, positive and came quickly. I was very young, and eventually – regretfully now – went back to a largely cooked diet for many years.

    About four years ago I came back to a raw diet. This time I used capsuled enzymes for the first 3 months to re-acquaint my body to raw. I generally am between 70-100% raw now, mostly because I abhor the zealot mentality, but also need to be able to handle some cooked food for business/social purposes.
    But raw food is my love. I am passionate about its benefits. It is what makes me feel energized and empowered, not to mention looking 10-15 years younger than my calendar age.
    If a person is going to start a raw food program it is highly advised to use organic food. I eat a lot of superfoods, sprouts and fermented raw foods. I also use herbs, including Chinese and Ayurvedic tonic herbs.
    I recommend everyone ease into raw, and do your homework! David Wolfe has written a number of terrific books on eating raw, providing both the whys and the hows of specific foods.

  29. The health giving and inspiration that eating predominantly raw (99%) for 5 months gave me has been unbelievable.
    As a Yoga therapist with a long time interest in Ayurveda the idea of eating mostly raw food sounded strange and unappealing at first. I have experienced the benefits of a wide range of alternate therapies and practices including yogic cleansing technques and Ayurvedic Panca Karma etc. but nothing can compare to the positive health giving effects I experience from eating raw foods for weeks at a time. For those of you who have the stable foundation to experiment, its well! worth the effort!

  30. @ Ria, Right on. (The writer’s directive to “talk to your Doctor about the best raw foods for your body….” is like telling the reader to ask their adolescent for investment advice. Doctors are given little to no instruction in food and nutrition while in medical school.)

    @ Meeks David. This did make me smile for real. (I say: go as raw as you can, 90% fruits and veggies. If it causes stress in social situations, eat what everyone else eats, enjoy it, and go back to raw afterwords. If you want a pastrami sandwich, or ice cream, go for it, You don’t have to make a habit out of it. Life’s too short to become obsessed with anything.)

    I enjoy being a raw food preparation specialist. I enjoy fielding questions about this as a CHOICE in the dietary spectrum. I like reading all about the experiences of others and strive to learn vicariously from the successes and mistakes of others. You are your own and best gauge of what you need for your nutritional. If what I do works for you then great. If for your best experience you need mahi mahi once a week. Great. Has your vitality improved, your skin, your hair, nails, your mental clarity, your attitudes, your emotional state….These are the measurements. I am in Europe…Its cold as heck this time of year. I still eat raw and meet my fitness instructor obligations as well as all my volunteer teaching and the actual job that pays the bills. If its cold, I increase my heater foods like Cayenne, radish…It works wonders. I feel and look great. 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night and 13 to 15 hour days. Life is great.

  31. Tomatoes are acidic – but they turn alkaline in the gut. They also help clear out all the acidic toxins in the body. When you cook tomatoes – they are acidic on the body and they can cause stomach ulcers and other problems. If you want more lycopene, don’t cook the tomatoes, just eat more of them. And slap some watermelon in your face for an added boost too. The same goes for carrots, you don’t see an ape running round with a cooker do you?

    One bit of cooked organic chicken a week, a few organic cooked eggs a week and you are COMPLETE, deal with it non-believers.

  32. I am disappointed to read your ‘points against’ raw. Surely you have only researched the so-called negatives otherwise you would have presented a balanced argument. If you support raw from years of personal trial and testing and lived the lifestyle including other factors(sleep, air, water, exercise, recreation) I would be very surprised if you could even consider writing an article like this. How can you think you have been misunderstood when it seems clear you are misrepresenting raw food information. For example, the tomato issue- you are forgetting all the other nutrients in a tomato necessary to the functioning of the body and focusing on ‘one’ nutrient.
    If you continue to send out info like this, I will unsubscribe from your email list. There are plenty of other sources out there that I receive balanced info from.

  33. people, give this guy a break. you can disagree with some of the comments but realize that this is PART 2 of an article. he already presented the good parts of a raw diet in PART 1. you dont need to accuse him of being “unbalanced”.

  36. Very efficiently written post. It will be beneficial to everyone who utilizes it, as well as yours truly :). Keep doing what you are doing – for sure i will check out more posts.

  37. My partner and I really enjoyed reading this blog post, I was just itching to know do you trade featured posts? I am always trying to find someone to make trades with and merely thought I would ask.

  38. What people don’t get is that most of their benefits have come from taking out the bad stuff, not just from going raw. I’m not raw but i feel great. I eat a lot of grass-fed meat, free-range chicken that has been fed what it’s supposed to eat, cooked eggs from the same kind of chicken, wild caught fish. I cook a lot (not all) of my food.

    The difference came when I took out sugar, flour, grains, processed foods, etc. Which I am sure most raw foodists did too (even if they didn’t take out all grains, they took out gluten).

    So we do not doubt that you are feeling great on raw food. It’s just not the only way to feel good and be healthy.

  39. Your “expert” Donna Gates and her statement of needing a robust digestive system to digest raw foods is absolutely wrong! You need a more robust digestive system to get rid of cooked dead food in the body. All the raw foods not including what some people eat on the list of raw foods such as chicken, ugh- come with their own digestive enzymes which quickly digest the food and becomes immediately bioavailable to the body and feeds the cells. Any food heated over 118 degrees is dead and has very little nutrient. I have a friend who is a vegan and eats only cooked vegan; she is sick a lot and once she began eating more raw veggies in her diet her illnesses disappeared and she in fact was now able to become pregnant, something the doctors told her she could never do. Did changing her diet do this? Yes, because now she is feeding her cells with vitamins, minerals and nutrients you can’t get any other way except through supplementation. We should all incorporate at least 80% raw in our diet to be heatlhy. Have another glass of fresth green juice and feel your energy soar! Or have a raw veggie salad including sprouts, nuts and seeds. You’ll have energy to burn after lunch and won’t fall asleep at your desk either.

  40. I ate a largely raw diet for most of my life. I have not eaten meat in 20 years. I was however diagnosed with a very rare digestive cancer. All the doctors agreed that other than the fact I had a life threatening illness I was very healthy. I am not advocating against raw food but I think a balance is a good thing and today I eat a more mixed (raw/cooked) diet. It is probably worth noting that this cancer is connected with a bacteria as are 85% of cancers according to the UN. My immune systems obviously was not strong enough to fight it off and I think one of the things I have learnt is be careful not only of what you eat but of stress and remeber to smile and be happy.

  41. Well you obviously haven’t “learnt” to spell. Children, stop comparing humans to other animals (i.e. apes). Although we share most of our DNA with them there are still MASSIVE differences, one being out digestive systems and the length of small and large intestines. Like it or not we share much of DNA with frogs as well, shall we all eat raw insects? We are the only species that cooks it’s food and we are the only species with opposable thumbs. Fast food and the like every day bad. Raw and cooked veg every day good, tweaked to YOUR bodies needs. Covered. What’s next? World peace? Green energy? Stay tuned.

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