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anngoingraw
Raw Newbie
I have find this article: http://www.diagnose-me.com/treat/T160798.html
Its main ideia is:
“One of the few studies (and possibly the only study) of 100% raw foodists followed for years [Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 43 (1999): p.69] showed that a third of the raw foodists were suffering from Chronic Energy Deficiency. Many were literally “wasting away”. Most of the women suffered menstrual irregularities and half of the women lost their menstrual periods altogether, which could lead to devastating osteoporosis. Further, the sample consisted of modern urban people with relatively low activity levels who had access to high-quality, high-calorie produce from around the world year-round. How might our nontropical hunter-gatherer ancestors have lived through a single winter without cooking, especially with their extreme energy expenditure?”
well the original article isn’t free so i have not read it, but the abstract is free: http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.a…
I don’t know… i read this things and just try to think in, for example, Storm. I don’t know if they have look to te real diet of the raw foodist that they have “research”, or if they have only look to the raw. It is clear that a diet consisting in, for example, 3 apples a day isn’t good, but they just tell us that a raw diet (so, we have to understand “any raw diet”) isn’t good.
Well.. just a comment.
Comments
Wonder how they would explain my 10 to 15 lb weight gain when I went raw! LOL. Of course I overdid the nuts and dried fruit but those cravings are slowly leaving and I am getting to a more normal eating pattern as I approach 6 mo with , uh, a few slips along the way.
It boggles the mind! Did they ask REAL raw fooders to participate in the research? people like Storm and his family, the Butenkos, David Wolfe, Juliano, me? Obviously not. A real raw foodie, does not just eat a few apples a day, or even just lettuce.
There’s also this article which advocates consumption of vegetables prepared in a variety of ways:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/health/nutrit…
Also, doesn’t Dr. Cousen say 80-90% raw and the rest cooked is the optimal diet?
There are so many different ways of eating raw that the study’s conclusion must be too broad.
It is possible for a raw diet to be nutritionally imbalanced, just as cooked-food diets can be imbalanced. I guess that only 2/3 of the participants ate a balanced diet.
I read the NY times article too. It says that people who consume a lot of vegetables have a lower rate of heart disease, hypertenstion, diabetes, eye problems, and cancer. That sounds like a lot of raw foodists to me.
Luna blu – i thought the same when i read it
deborahann – it’s a pity you weren’t at the experiment just to ruin their conclusions ;)
autumnides & lionmouse – it is very strange that we hear everyday goverments asking people to consume more raw fruit and veg, but then you can find mad information about the very bad effects of a raw diet. Crazy!!
I read the article and didn’t find anything that seemed illegitimate. Evolution isn’t a thing of the past. It is constantly happening and it is even happening now. The majority of studies, not anecdotal stories, I have read report the same thing. It may not be what people choosing to do raw food want to hear, but every article I have read that wasn’t written by a raw foodist stated that around 1/3 of the participants suffered health decline. One study I recall was conducted by a vegetarian group that would seem to not have a bias and I was very impressed with the way they approached the subject matter, regularly interviewed the subjects, documented their findings, and came to their conclusions. Just because we don’t agree with the results doesn’t mean they are invalid.
While some people may do well all raw, others do not. I bet the majority of people that tried it don’t consider themselves raw foodist today even if they do eat more raw food. Surely it was too much of a commitment for some and certainly some people did not feel as well physically while eating raw. I have read posts on this forum where people claim to not feel well doing all raw. .
The article mentions eating high calorie produce from around the world. Maybe they weren’t eating any nuts, seeds or oils and needed more fat in their diet. That would make a difference in their health. Perhaps when they were eating food from “around the world” they should have been eating foods indigenous to their climate which offered the nutritional properties they needed for optimal health in that taxing environment. You gotta figure different plants grow in different regions for a reason. Maybe their food selection was adverse in some unnoticed way. And maybe some people just didn’t do well on all raw.
People are truly different. For me, the greatest thing about trying raw is I discovered I do well on high protein, moderate fat, heavy greens, lower carbs and little natural sugars. Alot of people need to eat plenty of fruit, grains, etc. I ate like that while I was doing macro and it make me sluggish and sapped my energy. I have so much energy now that I have cut out starchy foods and replaced them with greens. I may have been able to accomplish the same thing by eating cooked greens and just never knew it, but I really like the taste of raw food. Green smoothies are so quick, salads are yummy and vibrant, and a raw key lime pie beats the hell of that stuff in the stores.
JOYCE - I am not a vegetarian so I eat meat a few times a week. I just feel wretched without it. I only eat unmedicated, free-range chicken or pasture-fed beef. I eat meat 2-3 times weekly and usually about a 4 oz. serving. I feel better eating the smaller portion and it seems to digest better. I started using hemp powder in smoothies not long ago. That is the only protein powder I have ever used that made me feel good. Soy and whey do not work for me. I don’t feel like I need animal protein as much when I use the hemp. I understand it is a complete protein and I have tried to find research/studies to explain the difference between how my body would digest hemp vs. meat. For my body, the hemp makes me feel close to the way the meat does so I find that amazing.
I love the taste of cheese but I don’t want to eat dairy. I don’t feel like I have to eat cheese, I just desire the taste whenever I think about it. A few months ago, I bought a wedge of raw cheese from pasture-fed, unmedicated cows. It had hot peppers in it, which is another things I love. After I ate the cheese, I realized it didn’t make me feel better, more settled is the best way I can describe it. I think I just wanted to eat the cheese and it . I haven’t had any dairy for maybe 3 months now and I do feel much better since I gave it up entirely. If I want to simulate a milk product, I use hemp or almond milk.
For me that biggest difference was cutting out the starchy stuff. Also, I feel better when I eat some fat regularly too. I find that I can now tell when I need these things. I will just wake up and crave an avacado like there is no tomorrow. I was doing nothing but green smoothies for a while. When I starting making salads again and having oil in the dressing, I felt better. I’m like you – I love kale, the darker the better.
I wish I had figured this stuff out years ago. It is interesting though when I checks into eating for different body types, I do match the profile for my blood type and some other categories out there. This type of eating makes me feel so much better. I am eating plenty and I am slowly losing weight too. I went for a few months just eating what I wanted and did not lose any weight but I started loosing again last month without changing anything. I just feel like if I keep doing what I am doing it will all work out – eventually.
I do think that each person had the moral responsibility to find what works for them PERSONALLY and use a blanket to cover ALL people everywhere. 100% raw is the ONLY way for me to control my food binging, a life long battle. But I don’t necessarily advocate a 100% diet for EVERYONE. I don’t know what it feels like to be them. I don’t know if they can’t assimilate some micro nutrients and there fore feel lousy on 100% raw. I do advocate a high/very high raw diet because that just makes good sense. Like someone said-some people need a lot of fruit-not me. I can eat endless avos with no problem, but I have to eat nuts in moderation. One of my dc can eat a POUND of nut butter a day FOR SNACKS (still eats his meals) and not gain a single ounce and in fact last month he LOST a pound! If I did that I would gain 5+ pounds a week.
I have found that raw is a a VERY individualized sport, LOL! So the study doesn’t say much to me, personally.
I am with you Zaphirah, these articles that show up out of no where are so pointless. I mean if you want to eat meat eat it for god’s sake.. If you want to do raw then just do it.. All these excuses about your health being too much of a commitment just sounds like “PURE” Laziness… Eating animal flesh ,especially animals that are vegetarian to get your nutrients that they aren
I think it’s really about finding a healthy raw diet through experimentation. We are all so unique and what works for one, doesn’t for another. We have access to some of the best food on the planet and just have to refine our own personal diet to suit our lifetyle and dietary needs. That’s why I love Cousens work so much because he backs up his facts with real science. However, I don’t we really know the long-term results of following raw but all the animals on the planet eat raw every day (excluding our pets). It seems very natural to do so. Life gives life.