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Questions on the Basics of Raw Food
What is raw food?
Raw food is food which has never been heated nor treated with chemicals
so it retains the enzymes and nutrients of its natural state. As soon
as a food is cooked or has added chemicals, the vitamins, nutrients,
enzymes, and other healthy compounds start to change or become destroyed
and the food no longer has the life and health-giving properties it
should.
What benefits come from eating a raw food
There are so many benefits, we can’t even list them all. But
for starters: people feel more energetic, more awake and healthier
on raw. Most people lose excess weight, look and feel younger and
more vibrant. Digestive problems like ulcers and acid reflux decrease
and disappear. Skin conditions like acne tend to clear up. Body odor
decreases. People get far fewer illnesses. People with diseases see
relief and many eventually heal when their bodies are not burdened
with toxins or an overload of work and can clean out and repair themselves.
What do raw foodists eat?
In a nutshell, raw foodists eat: fresh, raw fruits and vegetables
as well as seeds, nuts and some soaked or sprouted grains. There are unlimited amounts of raw recipes and dishes which are made from these ingredients,
including: pates, loafs, "noodles", cakes, cookies, crackers,
soups, salads and marinades. Raw Foodists do not have to eat only
salads!
Does a raw diet include raw meat?
Not usually. Some raw foodists in a transition period will choose
to eat things like mahi tuna or steak tartar, but after awhile they
usually stop. It isn’t necessary, you won’t gain any thing
by eating it. Raw meat is still hard for the body to process, so it
can't assimilate the nutrients in meat as well as from vegetables,
fruits and soaked nuts and sprouted seeds. Raw meat often contains
parasites which also reduce the amount of nutrition available. Many
raw foodists are also against eating meat for humane and ecological
reasons.
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What about protein, how do I get enough of
This is the #1 question people have when they are considering a raw
food diet. People think that protein comes only from meat, dairy or
at least soy, and that without eating at least some of those foods,
they won't get enough.. As a matter of fact every living cell contains
protein: every plant cell has protein as a basic constituent in its
cytoplasm. Vegetables contain protein! Seeds and nuts obviously contain
proteins. Seaweeds and algae are very rich sources also. Factually,
your body doesn't use whole proteins - it must break these down into
amino acids. Plant proteins generally break down for assimilation
more quickly than animal proteins and are often found already in the
form of amino acids.
The horse, cow, deer, elephant, and gorilla are naturally vegetarians
-where does all their muscle and body mass come from? Grass, leafy
greens, and in the case of the gorilla, fruit! The meat and dairy
industries have spent millions on advertising to convince people the
only way to get protein is from meat and dairy products, and they
have been very successful. In fact, the protein in meat is coagulated
and in a form that the body cannot assimilate easily, and cannot use
effectively. The consumption of meat and dairy (and the fat within
it) has been linked to all kinds of fatal illnesses, including heart
failure..
The fact is, your body needs 22 amino acids in order to build protein
molecules and muscles. Of these 22 amino acids, there are 8 which
the body cannot make and must get from outside sources. All 8 are
available in raw plant foods. And in raw plant foods they are in a
form which is easily assimilated and used by the body. All the protein
your body needs can be gotten from raw nuts, seeds, vegetables and
fruits.
If you are still worried about protein, we recommend you get started
on a raw food diet, but eat very small amounts of meat (3 to 5 oz) only
a few times a week. And try to get the cleanest, organic meat, with no
hormones, that you can. After some time of doing this people generally
find that they no longer feel they need the meat, and end up not eating
it anymore. In this way you can find out for yourself that you are getting
the protein you need.
Click Here to View our Raw Foods & Supplies
Do I have to be 100% raw to get benefits?
No. You will see benefits from just from being more raw than you
are now. Say you eat 90% cooked food and only 10% raw right now in
each meal. (By weight, not by volume.) If you increase the raw so
you are eating 50% raw and 50% cooked in each meal, you would see
big benefits! However, the cooked food you are eating shouldn’t
be candy bars, soda, chocolate, fried chicken, etc. Try to cut out
the especially unhealthy cooked foods. However, as long as you still
have any amount of cooked food in your diet, you may never see all
the benefits of raw. You’ll probably reach a point where you
stop improving, but still have some health and body complaints. You
can transition by increasing the percentage of cooked to raw food
in each meal every week or every month, until eventually you are 100%
raw. Eventually, usually after a year or several years, you will want
to be 100% raw and feel completely comfortable with it.
Will I need special kitchen appliances or
utensils for preparing raw foods?
To get started you can get away with just a blender and some knives.
As you want to make more complex recipes and pates you will want to
get a food processor. Food processors are invaluable for chopping
and grinding seeds and nuts, shredding vegetables, making sauces and
pates. To get started you can just get an attachment for most blender
bases so you can use it as a food processor, these are generally around
$20. For grinding nuts you can also use a coffee grinder and do small
batches at a time. You can get along with using a regular blender
for awhile, but some time down the line you'll probably want a higher-powered
blender such as a Vita-mix 4500 Blender. If you're mixing nuts and fruits and vegetables
and such making soups and frostings in a regular blender, you will
probably wear them out every so often and need to get a new one. A
Vitamix can handle a lot more and they last for years and years. There
are also little kitchen helper utensils which will make your life
easier. There is a device called Spiroolli which is invaluable for
making raw pasta, it creates strands of vegetable which really imitate
pasta well. It also makes quick shreds and chips. You can purchase
it on our products page. If you get really into raw and want to make
your own cookies and crackers and other dehydrated items, you will
want a dehydrator. You can eat raw for quite some time or even indefinitely
without one, however.
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Questions on Nutrition & Weight Loss While Eating Raw Foods
Will I lose weight eating Raw?
People do usually lose all their excess weight when they eaten unprocessed,
high enzyme raw food diet These foods provide you with nutrition without
stressing your digestive system. If it the food is organic as well,
your body gets high quality nourishment to keep it running smoothly
and no toxins that it couldn't break down and would have to find a
place to stash.
When you stop eating toxic, processed foods that your body doesn't
know what to do with, you will find that you are more in tune with
your body and its actual needs. It is almost impossible to gobble
down foods without realizing how much you are eating, when you eat
raw. As you sample the variety of different foods available to eat
raw, your body gets reacquainted with sources of actual nutrients
and you may find yourself craving certain foods and wanting to eat
lots of them. That's fine; you can even pig out on things your body
really needs and still lose weight! In fact, your body will tend to
get rid of the fat and stored toxins, when you give it what it really
needs and craves.
Can you lose too much weight eating raw?
Sometimes people are concerned that they are losing too much weight.
The strange thing is that, while they may be concerned that they look
too skinny, they still feel better, more healthy and more energetic.
What is happening is this: The body is dropping any fat stored up,
and any muscle that is too heavily toxic to rebuild. It isn’t
something to be worried about. After your body gets rid of the fat
and toxic materials, it will start rebuilding with healthy muscle.
After detoxifying,people tend to even out at their ideal weight and
stay there. If you feel like you’re too skinny, or are worried
about getting too skinny, you can start a program of regular exercise.
This will help to replace the fat and toxic muscle you've lost with
healthy muscle.
How do you get enough calcium without milk
First of all, dairy products do not provide sufficient calcium. The
countries with the highest dairy consumption are the ones with highest
osteoporosis also! All dairy products are extremely acidifying in
the body. Dairy is one of the most acidic foods on the PH scale. Calcium
is the number one mineral the body uses to buffer against excess acidity,
and there is just never enough calcium in any dairy you can eat to
offset the acid-producing effect it has. Therefore, you wind up losing
calcium when you eat dairy products, not gaining it, as it combines
with the acids to remove them from the body. This is the explanation
behind the interesting fact that all the countries which consume a
lot of dairy also have a high incidence of osteoporosis and other
calcium-deficiency related diseases.
On a raw food diet you get lots of calcium from various vegetables, especially
green leafy vegetables such as kale, and also broccoli and sesame seeds,.
This calcium is very bioavailable, and these foods are alkaline-producing,
so the body can actually use the calcium it gets from them.
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Don't you get hungry eating raw?
You will find that as you lose fat and toxins, and rebuild with healthy
whole nutrients, you will need less food and not get hungry. Think
about it: most people overeat as they feel undernourished. A person
often stuffs himself at meals while barely even tasting the food piled
on in an attempt to get a full, satiated feeling. Then this is repeated
as a daily habit because the body craves food but doesn't get enough
nutrition; the food it eats is either deficient in nutrients or deficient
in enzymes to break them down or the digestive tract is so laden with
mucus in an attempt to prevent unsuitable materials that foods are
not assimilated. It is a vicious cycle of modern society with its
over-processed "empty" foods -, and the result is multitudes
of obese people!
While making the transition to raw, your body is still trying to
get rid of the unsuitable materials that were stored and replace them
with fresh raw foods nutrients. You can feel hungry as your intestines
and all your tissues throw off old stored matter that has little use.
You may think it is the raw food that is empty, but if you persist
you will find that when your body has cleaned out, you will desire
less quantity of food yet feel entirely satisfied from the raw foods
you eat.
Another factor is that many people have parasites although they may
not be aware of it. The parasites make a person crave food as he isn't
getting enough with them stealing it! Also, although this craving
is especially for dairy and carbohydrates (pasta, cookies, bread,
sugar, more, more, more...!) It is hard to resist this feeling, but
getting rid of the parasites will make your transition and life much
easier.
To help make the transition, people going raw usually want heavier
foods, such as nutburger mixes and nut-based pates,avocados and oils,
and more complex combinations of foods that take longer to move through
the digestive system. There are many recipe books that give transitional
food ideas .Generally, raw foods are lighter so you will tend to eat
less at a time but more frequently.
What if I have diabetes or another illness,
can I still eat raw food?
Yes, raw food is exactly what you should be eating if you're ill.
Many illnesses come from lack of usable nutrition in the food you're
eating, or an over stressed digestive system which is not doing it's
job properly and is putting strain on the rest of the body, making
you more likely to get sick. Eating raw allows your digestive system
to clean itself out, and gives your body the nutrition it needs to
rebuild and heal itself. However, you still have to use common sense.
If you are very ill or fragile you don't want to shock your body with
a major diet change all at once. Start adding more raw food into your
diet gradually. You can call us and we will help you figure out how
to transition with your specific concerns.
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What makes cooked and processed food so
much less healthy?
As soon as you apply heat to food it starts to break down, nutrients
are degraded or eliminated. Very often when you're eating cooked and processed
foods there is so little nutrition present that the body has to use its
reserves to break it down and eliminate it. The amount of nutrition you're
gaining from it is less than the amount your body needs to process it.
You can only go on your reserves so long before your body will not have
enough nutrients left to carry out its processes, and then you begin to
get deficiencies and the illnesses related with them. The nutrients in
food are also degraded by heavy processing, adding all kinds of preservatives
and homogenizers and irradiation. These not only cause the nutrition in
the food to break down, they are also toxic to the body. When the FDA
approves these additives and treatment procedures, their concern is to
find the level or amount at which they are not too harmful, which is the
level they then approve. But the fact remains that they are still somewhat
harmful. And after years of consuming these additives in almost all the
food you eat, it builds up in your body and the effects can definitely
be seen. Just look at all the diseases that are so common now, but were
rarely even heard of 100 years ago when food was far less processed!
How will I know my body is getting all the
nutrition it needs?
After eating raw for a week or several weeks you'll notice that you
feel better. This is the best indication you can have that your body
is getting the nutrition it needs - actual, noticeable improvements
to your well being! Also, if you do some kind of exercise regularly,
you will notice your strength and endurance improving more rapidly.
Can I overeat on raw foods?
Yes. You should avoid eating to the point where your stomach feels
distended, over-stuffed or uncomfortable. This is a habit many people
develop from childhood when their parents tell them they have to eat
everything on their plates. It puts unnecessary strain on the stomach
and digestive system to expand so it can accommodate more food each
you eat a meal. This can also make your belly look larger, as you
stomach will stop contracting if it is used to very large meals. However,
over eating on raw is much easier for the stomach to handle than over
eating on cooked food.
Are there any raw foods which are unhealthy?
There are no specific raw foods which are unhealthy, but some foods
if eaten in excess can be stressful to the digestive system. Having
too much of the higher-fat raw foods such as nuts, seeds and avocados
in your diet can be stressful to your system, especially for people
who have been raw for years so their system is not used to all the
heavier food anymore. Also, avoid eating too high a percentage of
fruit or any one type of vegetable in your diet for a long period
of time. How much of a food is too much varies from person to person,
just listen to your body. Make sure to eat varied foods to give your
body a good supply of all the nutrients it needs
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Questions on Adjusting to a New Raw Food Lifestyle
Doesn't eating all vegetables and fruits get boring?
At first, people are usually unaware of the vast variety of foods
available and the many methods of preparation for preparingdelicious
and interesting dishes. They tend to eat plain vegetables or plain
salads and fruit and find it boring. But you can have a 5 course raw
meal with an appetizer, soup, salad, meaty loaf or pasta-like veggie
dish; there are ethnic entrees, beverages and desserts such as pies,
cookies, puddings and others. On the West Coast there are raw restaurants
with a six-week waiting list on reservations where you can eat a five-course
gourmet meal! Check out our raw recipes page to get started, and then purchase
a few raw "un-cook" books. You will find it is really not
boring at all, and there are even more options available for flavorful
dishes in raw foods than in cooked food.
How time-consuming is raw food to prepare?
When first going raw you will tend to desire the complicated and
filling recipes that replace cooked food meals and are somewhat time
consuming to prepare. But as the months go by you will find yourself
desiring complex meals less and less, and you will find you are more
satisfied with eating whole foods which are as fast as it gets, needing
perhaps a little chopping or peeling and that’s it.
There are also other benefits to preparing raw food. Cleaning up
is much faster and easier as there are no pans, no stuck on food or
burnt on grease to deal with. Your dishes can usually be cleaned just
by rinsing them off. Also, when you prepare raw foods you can enjoy
the vibrant colors and aromas they retain.
What do you do at social gatherings where
everyone is eating cooked food?
You could eat only whatever raw food there is, such as fruit salad or
veggies from a veggie tray Another option is to let the cook know ahead
of time and request that a raw dish be provided for you to eat. If it
is an function you are paying to attend, they are usually considerate
of dietary needs and will provide a salad or other raw dish in place of
the standard meal. If you know there is going to be no raw food at all,
you can either eat ahead of time so you won't need to eat at the gathering.
You also have the option of bringing some of your own food. Chances are,
others will be interested in your goodies! While it may be a bit awkward
to explain your needs, most people are considerate and will respect your
eating habits, and try to accommodate them. If all else fails you can
play with your food and fork so it looks like you are eating and no one
makes it an issue.
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Can I still eat out?
Yes! You can get fairly clever about getting the restaurants to give
you a tasty raw meal from the foods they usually use. Look over the
menu and see what kinds of salads they serve. Perhaps they do offer
a good salad or fruit salad. Also look for vegetables and fruits they
use in any of their dishes or side dishes or even as a garnish. Do
they have stuffed bell peppers on the menu? Then they probably have
some fresh ones in the kitchen.You can request a special elaborate
raw salad including any of the things you saw. You could order a dish
which is usually cooked but ask them to leave it raw (like a vegetable
stir-fry) and ask them to leave the sauce on the side (in case you
find it too yuccky). You might see that some of their cooked dishes
include portabello mushrooms and red peppers, and one dish has avocado
and mango in it. And that their Caesar salad has Romaine lettuce -
so you could order their grilled chicken strip salad, without the
chicken, and ask for portabello mushrooms to substitute for the chicken,
uncooked; then tell you them don't eat cheese either so to please
skip the cheese and give you avocado and mango pieces instead; and
tell them you also want only Romaine lettuce - no iceberg. Ask for
lemons or limes to squeeze on as a dressing. Sometimes a waiter will
be confused, but usually any restaurant with decent service will accomodate
you nicely. You could also take a small bottle of organic oil or a
homemade dressing with you when you go out to put over your veggies
or salad.
How do I get my kids to eat raw?
This can be tricky, because you don't want kids to feel deprived
or to reinforce their insistence on eating cooked food. So do it on
a gradient. The best way is to make a lot of delicious raw dishes
which they enjoy andwant to eat. Usually this means desserts at first.
Raw desserts are made of healthy filling ingredients - usually it’s
just fruits, spices, nuts, and dates or honey. so you can give them
a piece of raw cake for dessert, for a snack, or even for a meal.
They'd probably be excited to be eating cake for dinner! Green salads
with strawberries, mangos, and pine nuts or walnuts added are usually
considered a treat too. Find a recipe that uses your child's favorite
frruits or vegetables and make it. If your kids are older, explain
to them what kind of benefits they can gain from eating raw. If they
have a problem like asthma, acne, or overweight, you can get them
interested in raw by showing them how it will help with their problem.
There are stories from raw foodists of how it changed their health
or looks, or perhaps there are people you both know who have gone
raw and can be a good example (or you convert to raw first and demonstrate
the changes in health and appearance). Another great way to get your
kids involved in raw food is to get their help and ideas in preparing
the foods. There are great recipe books, interesting new ingredients,
and fun kitchen equipment to learn to use. They will enjoy making
yummy recipes for themselves and others. Get a kid's creativity going
and it will be hard to stop him or her! Hopefully, they'll find dishes
they love to show off with. out of that.
How can I convince my husband or wife to
Find a few dishes your spouse likes which are raw, and present these
along with their regular foods. Get creative, the more raw dishes
you find that they like, the more likely they are to go raw. Usually
the biggest objection anyone has to going raw is having to give up
all the cooked foods they love. But if you have delicious raw foods
on hand to replace those cooked dishes, that can be more persuasive
than anything. Also, try to lead by example. If you are eating raw
and having great benefits, hopefully they'll notice. They'll have
a very hard time holding to their objections if they're seeing the
wonderful results right in front of them..
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Can I enjoy eating raw even if I don't really
Yes! Find recipes you do enjoy eating. Try seed and nut pates, fruits,
desserts, smoothies, raw dehydrated crackers and cookies, and marinades.
Somewhere in that list (which includes no salads!) you will find dishes
that you enjoy eating, and can make a large part of your diet. Also,
try as many different vegetables as you can, you will probably find
some that you have overlooked in the past which you would enjoy. Your
tastes will change as you eat raw for weeks and months. Start out
with the things listed above, but try salads and vegetables every
so often. Incorporate some amount of them into your diet. You will
find that your taste buds and your body will let you know that they
desire the vital nutrition from veggies, and you'll start to enjoy
them.
How will I know my body is getting all the
nutrition it needs?
After eating raw for a week or several weeks you'll notice that you
feel better. This is the best indication you can have that your body
is getting the nutrition it needs - actual, noticeable improvements
to your well being! Also, if you do some kind of exercise regularly,
you will notice your strength and endurance improving more rapidly.
Where can I shop to find a better variety
Of course the obvious answer is your local health food store. They
will be more likely to have raw nuts, seeds and grains than a regular
grocery store, but you still have to watch out because even in a health
food store they carry many roasted nuts. Read the labels carefully!
Also, taste or smell them to check for staleness or rancidity. Let
your health food store manager know if you want fresher products.
Another good place to look is in ethnic food markets. There you can
usually find exotic fruits such as: young coconuts - that is coconuts
which are not as old as the conventional round, brown, and hairy ones
- and are white or still in a green shell and their meat is soft and
flexible instead of chewy and fibrous. Durian, a spiky large fruit
that has compartments inside with yellow, pudding-like meat. Leeche
nuts, which are small, red and spiky and have sweet flesh surrounding
a pit, and other exotic raw fruits and vegetables.
You might also check fruit stands in your area, we have had the good
luck to find one recently that is only a few blocks away and always
has a selection of more exotic produce, at very reasonable prices.
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How do I overcome the cravings for cooked
This boils down to discipline and preparation. Finding recipes you
like to eat and eating them when you get a cooked food craving will
help. Also, get some raw books and inform yourself of the negative
effects of cooked food. If you are really craving something cooked,
grab a plate of your favorite raw dish and read one of the powerful
sections in a book to remind yourself why you are sticking to this
diet. If you go cold turkey and stay raw, your cravings dwindle and
eventually disappear. If you are still eating some percentage of cooked
food you will probably get some cravings until you go totally raw.
Also, be aware that some cravings are really nutrition deficiencies.
In Victoria Boutenko's book 12 Steps to Raw Food she mentions that
cravings for sweets are often really cravings for calcium, and by
eating foods high in calcium (such as sesame milk) she got rid of
her sweet cravings. (See our Articles section for the excerpt.) If
you are craving something cooked, try to figure out how to eat similar
ingredients or flavors raw.
Should I only eat Organically grown foods?
Studies done on organic foods vs. commercially grown foods have shown
that the organic produce has an average of 3 times more nutrients than
commercially grown. Organic foods aren't grown with the pesticides, chemicals,
growth stimulants and bioengineering, all of which are very bad for your
body. Many organic foods just plain taste better and have more flavor
as well. But, prices can be much higher for organic. If you have the means,
definitely eat as much organically grown as you can. If the price makes
it impossible for you to do this, then buy the commercially grown and
eat organic when you can. If you're buying commercial produce, inquire
about the source of it and try to avoid any that is bioengineered (the
genes are spliced with those of animals, insects, or fish to make them
more disease resistant) and remember to wash or peel everything, to minimize
the pesticides you're consuming.
Is eating completely raw 100% all the time
all I need to do for good health?
For some time this may seem true, because it is such a radical improvement
for the body. But in order to be really healthy you should also do some
kind of exercise regularly. This helps to keep you in shape, strong, younger,
and in better health. Also, you should make sure to sweat while doing
at least some of your exercises. Sweating is a necessary function of the
body and allows the lymph systems to clean out. For optimum health you
should do some kind of exercise which is strenuous for you at your level
and allows you to sweat at least 3 times a week for 45 minutes. Also get
sunlight and fresh air regularly. A healthy lifestyle should include a
good evaluation of what is important to you in life, a philosphy of life
which helps you to understand and live in harmony with others, and which
enables you to reach for your goals and pursue them.
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