These are some links where you can find useful info about the enormous benefits of going raw. Cooked food is a burden to our stomach while raw frouts, veggies, and seed are human's natural food. However, it is hard to do it yearound but the more you do it the most you get...
What's wrong with cooked foods? Heat changes the makeup of food. Foods that have been heated have lost all of their life force, and their beneficial enzymes are destroyed. The digestive system has to work harder and longer to process
cooked foods to get nutrition and energy from it. Once cooked, food can lose up to 85 percent of its nutritional value. Raw foodists call that "dead food." Since we are essentially what we eat, consuming the dead energy of dead foods make our bodies feel heavy and stagnant.
Try eating a raw food diet and see if you can tell the difference! Maybe incorporate sprouts in your meals or salads to add fresh and vital nutrients to your raw diet.
The sprouting process brings out many live enzymes and nutrients in the germinated seeds, legumes, and grains which in turn makes them easy to digest.
This isn't really a discussion, since neither parts back up their viewpoints with any references to relevant sources.... You can always explain why you think this is crap, Risker, whoever your source is (the quote isn't from this thread).
^ It's from the happycow link referenced above. I don't think I need to explain why it's crap when terms like "life force" and "dead energy" are being used.
Fair enough, but whatever I read, I try to read between the lines. I'm not a raw-foodist, but when talking about the perceived effect of good raw food meals, it really feels like good raw food is a lot more alive than cooked food, and that food which isn't fresh/raw etc feels 'dead'. SO I read 'life force' as energy or aliveness, and I read '
consuming the dead energy of dead foods make our bodies feel heavy and stagnant' more as.... 'the lack of energy/freshness makes our bodies feel heavy and stagnant'. 'Energy'can mean different things in a food context, so 'life energy' may not be such a bad expression after all - not as a scientific term, of course, but as a way to describe that some raw food just feels a lot more "alive" than most other (vegan and other) food does.... a little bit like the perceived difference between a freshly made grapefruit juice and grapefruit juice bought in a grocery store. There's a big difference.
I wouldn't have put it the way they did, but having been impressed, several times, that it feels and tastes raw food contains 'something' which can't be found in cooked food, I guess I focus more on what I think they want to say than how they say it. But of course, unless someone has had that experience with really good raw vegan food, it probably all sounds crappy, new-agey and pseudo-religious. The real crappy thing in this context, however, is IMO that most of us, most of the time, eat too little fresh and raw food compared with what would be good for us (and our tastebuds). I've had long periods myself where all the raw food I get is some occasional lettuce or half a tomato on top of some bread spread.
^ They start it though with the sentence "What's wrong with cooked foods?".
I eat a lot of raw fruit and veg, I just don't buy in to this raw foodism thing. The thread is called "Why go Raw Vegan? " but no one has given an answer and I don't recall ever seeing a good reason for doing so on this forum ever.
no one has given an answer and I don't recall ever seeing a good reason for doing so on this forum ever.
Post #2 in this thread Cedarblue wrote "for me, the health benefits are enormous...". It's also been mentioned, in various threads on this forum and in health literature/sites in general, how cooking reduces the amount of nutrients in food. We could have a long discussion here re. whether cooking actually is a main reason (in addition to poor soil, chemicals in water etc) why vegans tend to get low B12 levels - but let's keep B12 out of it for now....
One of the links above seem to emphasize weight loss, and there's a lot of talk about enzymes, taste, digestion... The thing that caught my interest in eating more raw is that it just tastes really good in a different way than cooked food does, and that it.... feels better than a lot of cooked vegan food does. It really appears a lot less 'dead' than cooked food. I'm not talking about grated carrots here, but about 'gourmet' raw food!
I don't think most raw-fooders eat raw food exclusively, so I guess that for most people, this is about finding reasons to eat more raw food. But as I've mentioned in another thread: at the moment, some raw-fooders stick out in that they seem to be a lot less interested in backing up their claimed facts with sources and scientific data. I don't buy into the "cooked food is poison" thing just because someone says so either, which is why your 'why raw' question is interesting. But I believe that when someone wants feedback on starting out on a "maybe 50% raw?" diet, your response ("or not at all") may not really reflect what you mean.
You already eat a lot of raw fruit and veg, Risker, but some vegans are almost obsessed with meat/cheese (etc) substitutes, and rely a lot on 'fake' food and other processed food. I just think it's good to have a separate 'why raw' thread, and keep an as low 'bull in a china shop' factor as possible in general - and especially when newbies ask for advice.
But when hippies in the 60s talked about macrobiotics, vegetarianism and saving the earth with a cannabinoid smile, not many listened. IN the 1940s, Donald Watson inspired something which now has become a vegan movement - and he didn't say or write much scientific stuff at all, but talked, like an old buddhist monk, about how all the digging in his garden was done with a fork, and not a spade - to preserve earthworms. It will take a lot more presidential celebrities than Al Gore and Bill Clinton for making 'eco', 'organic', 'veg*n' and 'save the planet' mainstream. Maybe the raw enthusiasts we see today, who talk about cooked = poison and all that, will find that in some decades science will prove that they helped society, long term, focusing on something which shows up being a lot more important than we think currently think it is.
All I can say is don't knock it until you try it. From personal experience and from a longtime raw foodist I know, there is a definite difference in the way you feel and the clarity of your thinking. Even going from 85% raw to 100% raw for a week or two makes the differences obvious. Of course, if you eat mostly cooked foods, a week may not be enough as there is usually some detox days that make you feel less than wonderful. But, the benefits are worth it. I certainly recommend trying it!
I think it's very healthy to eat more fresh fruit and veg..but I believe the main reason why 100% raw foodists (or 80-90%) feel great is that they automatically eliminate all processed foods from their diet like refined sugars,wheat etc not because they get more vitamins and enzymes.that's why I suggested going 50% raw ..there are a lot of good studies out there on the question if cooked food is dead or raw food is really the most natural food.eliminating vegan junk food is the best start but I believe that even if you get rid of all the baddies in your diet ie refined sugars,baked goods,salt and too much oil etc and ONLY ate fresh fruit,steamed and some raw veg and cooked staples such as beans,rice and potatoes you will have the same results ...also on a high raw vegan diet it is very hard to overeat which contributes to weight loss and consequently you're feeling better.
I don't think most raw-fooders eat raw food exclusively, so I guess that for most people, this is about finding reasons to eat more raw food. But as I've mentioned in another thread: at the moment, some raw-fooders stick out in that they seem to be a lot less interested in backing up their claimed facts with sources and scientific data. I don't buy into the "cooked food is poison" thing just because someone says so either, which is why your 'why raw' question is interesting. But I believe that when someone wants feedback on starting out on a "maybe 50% raw?" diet, your response ("or not at all") may not really reflect what you mean.
I don't think anyone would dispute that eating raw fruit and veg is good for you, my concern is when people try and put a percentage on what they think people should be eating. The idea of raw foodism is never to just eat a bit more raw food but always to eat a set amount and that I can not agree with - as far as I'm concerned, that's orthorexia. I don't want to encourage new vegans to try a xx% raw food diet as I think they're setting themselves up for a fall.
I don't think anyone would dispute that eating raw fruit and veg is good for you, my concern is when people try and put a percentage on what they think people should be eating.
That would depend on the percentage, wouldn't it? But I think discussions about raw vs. cooked tend to end up kind of vague, because the concept of 'raw' often is presented in a kind of vague way. I think the real focus should be on what people eat, not whether they have cooked it.
Maybe your real concern is that if someone goes raw, the change from what they currently eat will be bigger than if they just co vegan- so they ned to spend more energy on changing their habits and doing it right? That makes sense, and the more changes they have to make, there's probably also a bigger risk that they'll fail - because there's more stuff to pay attention to.
The idea of raw foodism is never to just eat a bit more raw food but always to eat a set amount and that I can not agree with
I think all dietitians recommend that people should include a certain amount of raw food (lettuce, fresh fruit etc), and regarding setting oneself up for a 'fall': compared with whom? We're all up for a 'fall'! One can eat 100% vegan and certainly be up for a fall if one's main focus is on processed and junk food, with a too high intake of vegan stuff which isn't good for us in too high amounts (tobacco, coffee, sugar etc).
So... is a person who starts out on a vegan diet more up for a fall if she eats raw tomatoes/tomatoes instead of cooked, if she eats hummus based on sprouted chick peas instead of cooked chick peas, or green, raw juices instead of cooked cabbage and broccoli? Are we better off with apple juices that have been through a 85C- 95C degree pasteurizing than we would be with fresh/raw juice? Would the small amounts of eg. bioavailable B12 claimed to be found in some vegan sources increase if those foods were cooked? Are cooked strawberries (eg in jam with no sugar etc in it) more healthy than raw strawberries? Will kids on a raw food diet grow less than if they would eat the same food cooked? I don't think so.
We all have to eat something which provides is with with protein, calcium, selenium, iron, all the B vitamins, iodine etc. in. Too low level of one or more nutrients are common both among vegans and non-vegans, and it would be naive to assume that this isn't the case for people who eat, say, 50 or 75% raw food.
I can't see any link between someone who wants to include any percentage of raw food in their diet and eating disorders. These people may eat really unhealthy food, and may even have an obsession (raw/vegan or not), but to say that one should include eg. 50% raw food in one's diet, isn't that different from saying that we should eat at least 5 portions of vegetables and fruit in our daily meals. Both statements are both vague and don't guarantee anything, really - but orthorexia? I don't think so - not as such, but people can have obsessions with anything. Most people are more or less 'obsessed' with old eating habits; and keep eating what they used to eat when they were kids/young, and they're certainly up for a fall in terms of diabetes/cancer risk and all that.
I'm generally more worried about vegans with a too high amount of fake/processed food than about about a vegan who wants to eat, say, 50% raw food - whatever that means (50% of the weight? 50% of the volume?). Most vegans and others - would IMO probably be a lot better of with increasing the intake of raw, fresh and unprocessed food rather substantially.
I completely agree with fresherthanlife being vegan is the ultimate health benifit. Based on raw and cooked why does it have to one or the other? If you eat something cooked and it doesn't agree with you.... Don't eat it.
Well you do not have to look far to understand this topic really. How many animals cook their food? Is there a reason for this? Maybe they are not intelligent enough or are we too stupid to actually cook our food? The one thing that heat does to our food is kill off the enzymes. Enzymes do not survive heat and the natural enzymes we take in from our food is a contributor to our overall health. Not only are enzymes destroyed but sometimes through heat you create new chemicals that your body does not need. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...medicalscience
It is purely convenience for me, I can prepare 2 days worth of food in 20 minutes or so, pop it in the fridge and away I go.
Correct me if I am wrong, but some raw vegans do cook their food at very low temperatures in a food hydrator, never tried it myself to cook with but I do dry out Tomatoes in one in the summer
It is purely convenience for me, I can prepare 2 days worth of food in 20 minutes or so, pop it in the fridge and away I go.
Correct me if I am wrong, but some raw vegans do cook their food at very low temperatures in a food hydrator, never tried it myself to cook with but I do dry out Tomatoes in one in the summer
Hey Blueberries, not sure what I am yet, but I am not 100% raw, even though my main meals are raw fruit and veg I do sometimes eat bread and have the occasional coffe.
Hey Blueberries, not sure what I am yet, but I am not 100% raw, even though my main meals are raw fruit and veg I do sometimes eat bread and have the occasional coffe.
I've went raw vegan for a year once. I lost too much weight. I don't blame it on the diet, but on my lifestyle. I was too busy to consume enough calories, and I don't like nuts/seeds (which are weight gainers on a raw diet) in large amounts. This time around, I'm approaching from a different angle. I'm going more for blood purification and building up my epithelial cell walls in veins/artieries by avoiding all "added" oils/fats, salt, and sweeteners. I have one cooked meal a day, and the rest of the day is raw. It's working very well with my busy lifestyle; I've only lost a little weight. In research, I've found that all cruciferous vegetables inhibit "iodine" ingestion in "raw" form.
Is it possible raw foodists are doing harm with "green" drinks which are so popular...while cooking cruciferous vegetables makes them iodine friendly. I've also found that millet is at the top of the list for "iodine" inhibitors.
There are some great reasons for going "All Raw"...check out any of David Wolfe's books, and google other writers on the subject. You can feel very high and conscious with all raw. It put me very close to the "nature that surrounds us". It seemed that birds, squirrels, and such came closer to me. All raw brings about noticeable mental clarity. Many Raw juice therapies (such as Gerson) are used to treat and cure things such as cancer and serious ailments that seem to befuddle the medical industry. All raw is great for weight loss if one is overweight. I've seen some amazing results in before/after photos.
Raw foodist should be attentive to things such as "uncooked" cruciferous veges, just as vegans should probably invest in knowlegeable food consumption, such as avoiding processed vegan foods, excessive oils ( even olive oil and other "healthy" oils have been researched to inhibit dilation of veins/arteries, and cause damage to epithelial cell walls ), sugars, etc.
Vegan and Raw Vegan are very healthy alternatives, and this is being re-inforced by a "small" percentage of the medical/nutritional community such as "The China Study" from Cornell university. Reinforced by a very small percentage, but a percentage nevertheless. The main focus being on Animal Products, Dairy, and added oils.
Raw Vegan? I say try it if you are interested, and see if it works well for you. I'm doing better with one cooked meal a day with no added oils, etc.
Why go Raw Vegan?
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