Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Raw Food Diet

beel · 01-05-2008, 06:36 PM

Hi Steve,

I am very glad to see you are giving the raw diet another trial and hope you will be successful with it and want to continue on or at least make some major alterations to your previous diet. I have to admit that after reading your post about the things you ate in NYC some months back, I was fairly disgusted and surprised by your food choices. Given my impression of your awareness of health and your choice to be vegan, I could not believe how many processed foods you and your wife ate. It left me wondering how and why you choose to be vegan as I believe you mentioned it had little to do with animal rights, but more about health. I am surrounded by vegans in my life (both family and friends) and notice a consistent difference between those that eat mostly soy products and "fake" meats/cheese/etc. to those that eat whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables and very little soy. The former generally look unhealthy and tend to be overweight and sluggish, while the latter are vibrant and the picture of health.

While there are a myriad of soy products available for virtually every non vegan food out there, simply being vegan does not equal healthy. In fact, if you do a bit of research, I think you will find that processed soy and overuse of it in ones diet is more detrimental to health than eating whole unprocessed grilled chicken, fish, or even beef. It is very disconcerting to see so many highly processed soy products on the market and so many people using them on a daily basis. I believe in the coming years we will start to hear more and more about the harmful effects of excess soy in our diets.

I say this out of respect as I think you are an incredible human being offering great knowledge and insight to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. However, I cringe when I read your blogs discussing the vegan veggie patties, chicken patties, and other processed products you crave. I am appalled when I read that your wife and children are eating these things day in and day out on a bun. Where are the salads, vegetables, beans, and whole foods in their diet? Those should be the primary source of nutrients in a vegan diet, NOT fake processed meats! One only need to see a visual of you and your wife to know that you are far from a picture of vibrant health. It actually saddens me to think that you influence so many people, and outside of this and other raw trials, your everyday diet is really no better than a typical SAD diet in vegan form.

I applaud your commitment to do this 30 day raw trial and I believe you are definitely going about it in the right manner by choosing low fat and more mono meals with less "gourmet". I truly hope that your experience with whole raw vegan foods will urge you to maintain a higher standard in your vegan diet if and when you decide to go back to eating other foods. I also hope that you will look more into the types of things you and your family are eating that aren't raw, especially highly processed foods. As an observer , it is frightening to read what you are feeding your family in the name of health.

My apologies this is so long and somewhat negative, but this is something that has really been bothering me since your NYC post. I am not one to go around criticizing others and their choices, but I feel in this instance, it is important to bring these issues to your attention as your choices influence so many other people. Also, that you strive to seek the truth and I believe this is a very real issue.

With that said, I would like to offer you a tip for your raw food challenge. I want to recommend to you Vitamineral Green for use in your smoothies. When I first went raw, I used various fresh greens as you do, but didn't care for the taste if I used the more nutrient dense greens or higher quantities as I wanted to. I knew a raw foodist that had been 99% raw for 3 years and also worked in the raw food department at Whole Foods. He recommended vitamineral green to me. Since I began using it, I noticed a drastic increase in energy and overall sense of well-being, an even higher level than eating raw with lots of greens. At first I only used a bit, but then I began using higher amounts mixed in my smoothies. After a month or so, I started drinking it mixed in with water alone. What was once a gag-inducing smell/taste on it's own become something I craved and enjoyed even without being masked by sweet fruit. I believe it is an excellent way to get your greens without having to eat or buy massive quantities of fresh greens on a daily basis. I still eat fresh green salads, but never could get into blended soups loaded with greens. I believe the benefits are far superior due to the quality of greens used to make it and how it is made. I don't use any other supplements and it is not an actual supplement, but whole food. I encourage you to read the reviews at Amazon or other sites. The Health Force Nutritional website allows you to buy a sample size for about $3. Through experience and research, I have found Vitamineral green to be far superior to any other green "powder" available. I would and do recommend this to everyone, whether eating raw or not.

01-05-2008, 06:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
beel Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 71	Hi Steve, I am very glad to see you are giving the raw diet another trial and hope you will be successful with it and want to continue on or at least make some major alterations to your previous diet. I have to admit that after reading your post about the things you ate in NYC some months back, I was fairly disgusted and surprised by your food choices. Given my impression of your awareness of health and your choice to be vegan, I could not believe how many processed foods you and your wife ate. It left me wondering how and why you choose to be vegan as I believe you mentioned it had little to do with animal rights, but more about health. I am surrounded by vegans in my life (both family and friends) and notice a consistent difference between those that eat mostly soy products and "fake" meats/cheese/etc. to those that eat whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables and very little soy. The former generally look unhealthy and tend to be overweight and sluggish, while the latter are vibrant and the picture of health. While there are a myriad of soy products available for virtually every non vegan food out there, simply being vegan does not equal healthy. In fact, if you do a bit of research, I think you will find that processed soy and overuse of it in ones diet is more detrimental to health than eating whole unprocessed grilled chicken, fish, or even beef. It is very disconcerting to see so many highly processed soy products on the market and so many people using them on a daily basis. I believe in the coming years we will start to hear more and more about the harmful effects of excess soy in our diets. I say this out of respect as I think you are an incredible human being offering great knowledge and insight to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. However, I cringe when I read your blogs discussing the vegan veggie patties, chicken patties, and other processed products you crave. I am appalled when I read that your wife and children are eating these things day in and day out on a bun. Where are the salads, vegetables, beans, and whole foods in their diet? Those should be the primary source of nutrients in a vegan diet, NOT fake processed meats! One only need to see a visual of you and your wife to know that you are far from a picture of vibrant health. It actually saddens me to think that you influence so many people, and outside of this and other raw trials, your everyday diet is really no better than a typical SAD diet in vegan form. I applaud your commitment to do this 30 day raw trial and I believe you are definitely going about it in the right manner by choosing low fat and more mono meals with less "gourmet". I truly hope that your experience with whole raw vegan foods will urge you to maintain a higher standard in your vegan diet if and when you decide to go back to eating other foods. I also hope that you will look more into the types of things you and your family are eating that aren't raw, especially highly processed foods. As an observer , it is frightening to read what you are feeding your family in the name of health. My apologies this is so long and somewhat negative, but this is something that has really been bothering me since your NYC post. I am not one to go around criticizing others and their choices, but I feel in this instance, it is important to bring these issues to your attention as your choices influence so many other people. Also, that you strive to seek the truth and I believe this is a very real issue. With that said, I would like to offer you a tip for your raw food challenge. I want to recommend to you Vitamineral Green for use in your smoothies. When I first went raw, I used various fresh greens as you do, but didn't care for the taste if I used the more nutrient dense greens or higher quantities as I wanted to. I knew a raw foodist that had been 99% raw for 3 years and also worked in the raw food department at Whole Foods. He recommended vitamineral green to me. Since I began using it, I noticed a drastic increase in energy and overall sense of well-being, an even higher level than eating raw with lots of greens. At first I only used a bit, but then I began using higher amounts mixed in my smoothies. After a month or so, I started drinking it mixed in with water alone. What was once a gag-inducing smell/taste on it's own become something I craved and enjoyed even without being masked by sweet fruit. I believe it is an excellent way to get your greens without having to eat or buy massive quantities of fresh greens on a daily basis. I still eat fresh green salads, but never could get into blended soups loaded with greens. I believe the benefits are far superior due to the quality of greens used to make it and how it is made. I don't use any other supplements and it is not an actual supplement, but whole food. I encourage you to read the reviews at Amazon or other sites. The Health Force Nutritional website allows you to buy a sample size for about $3. Through experience and research, I have found Vitamineral green to be far superior to any other green "powder" available. I would and do recommend this to everyone, whether eating raw or not.