An Analysis of 64 Days on a Raw Diet

[Doc Holliday]

You can read about my experiences here on my site.

[Calculusaurus]

I made a comment on your blog. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. I became interested in eating more raw, whole foods after reading The China Study.

[Doc Holliday]

Yes. I became vegan after reading the China Study. Actually, in an interview I read last year, Dr. Campbell suggested a raw diet based around fruits and vegetables, but said that there wasn't really enough scientific study to make a clear case for it yet.

[Matthew Shea]

That's very interesting reading, Doc. Thanks for sharing.

One question for you, though. It's my impression that with many foods, cooking allows your body to pull out much more of the nutrients they contain. I've heard that broccoli, for instance, is basically just that much fiber when eaten raw. Is that your understanding, too, and how do you deal with it so you're not deficient in anything?

[Holistic Star]

Tomatoes when processed release 4 times more more lycopene when cooked as opposed to raw. However when you eat the majority of your diet as raw food you are probably eating more tomatoes and other lycopene containing foods such as watermelon or papaya anyway plus you'll be getting all the digestive enzymes in their natural state to help you digest the food more easily.

If you are desperate to get more lycopene from your raw tomatoes you can whizz them up in the blender with a dash of olive oil which breaks down the fibrous structure to release more of the phytonutrient. (Then chuck in some cucumber, celery, a few black olives and some raw spinach for a lovely raw soup - yum!).

I don't know of other things that give more nutrients when cooked that raw so it would be good to have some examples.

I've been playing around with raw food now since February and I feel so much better on raw and definitely worse on cooked food. It's definitely worth trying. At the very least if you can eat a big green salad every day you would be doing your body the world of good.

thanks for your report Doc

[Doc Holliday]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

That's very interesting reading, Doc. Thanks for sharing.

One question for you, though. It's my impression that with many foods, cooking allows your body to pull out much more of the nutrients they contain. I've heard that broccoli, for instance, is basically just that much fiber when eaten raw. Is that your understanding, too, and how do you deal with it so you're not deficient in anything?

A very interesting question, and one I was curious about too. Though I'm afraid that neither of us will find a definitive answer for some years yet, I can tell you what my research has shown.

First off, let me make the point that every living creature on earth eats its food raw except humans, so to say that raw food isn't nutritious enough for health seems a bit strange to me. The rhino and the elephant survives off of raw plant matter, and it seems to have no problem building muscle or bone and thriving.

The idea of nutrient availability in food (available for use in the body) is usually referred to as bioavailability. Lycopene, I think, is the most commonly cited example of this. It becomes more bioavailable after heat has been applied to a tomato, for instance.

But you have to look at it in the grand scheme of things. How many nutrients are becoming more bioavailable, and how many are becoming damaged by the heat. From what I've been reading, heat may bring out perhaps a dozen nutrients at most in any given food, but there is significant reason to believe that perhaps hundreds of the other elements in the food are being damaged.

I would recommend that you read Dr. Doug Graham's 80/10/10 diet, which discusses this, though there are certainly other takes on the situation. Graham's diet is the one that I'm following.

Overall though, I think the concern is unwarranted. How many people eating a SAD diet are kept up nights worrying about the bioavailability of the nutrients present in those cheeseburgers they're scarfing down?

I intend to keep looking into the matter, though. Best of luck.

-Andrew

[chaostheory]

Would you say the raw diet is essentially the same as the Evolution diet?

[Lisa McGregor]

Thanks Doc, I found your raw food experience very interesting, and you've inspired me to give it a try. I will post my results here periodically.
L

[Boreas]

I’ve found this to not be true with fruit. You can eat your absolute fill, satisfying yourself in every way, and still not feel sick or the least bit weighed down by it.

I agree with this completely! I eat a whole papaya and wonder why I don't feel full. Plus there is more variety to fruit/veggies than to cooked food, and it tastes fresher and better. I love Mamey, but can't find that often here in the U.S., I am thinking to move to a tropical climate just to fully enjoy the diet!

I have one question though:

What do you do about whole grains/cereals raw? Things like wheat and rice. Is it possible to obtain them raw? I think they would taste great if you could...

Thanks!

[ripcurly]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

That's very interesting reading, Doc. Thanks for sharing.

One question for you, though. It's my impression that with many foods, cooking allows your body to pull out much more of the nutrients they contain. I've heard that broccoli, for instance, is basically just that much fiber when eaten raw. Is that your understanding, too, and how do you deal with it so you're not deficient in anything?

i eat a lot of blended foods, which have the cellulose broken down in order for the nutrients to be properly assimiliatied

[ripcurly]

Originally Posted by Boreas

I’ve found this to not be true with fruit. You can eat your absolute fill, satisfying yourself in every way, and still not feel sick or the least bit weighed down by it.

I agree with this completely! I eat a whole papaya and wonder why I don't feel full. Plus there is more variety to fruit/veggies than to cooked food, and it tastes fresher and better. I love Mamey, but can't find that often here in the U.S., I am thinking to move to a tropical climate just to fully enjoy the diet!

I have one question though:

What do you do about whole grains/cereals raw? Things like wheat and rice. Is it possible to obtain them raw? I think they would taste great if you could...

Thanks!

sprout em and make bread. it rawks

[ripcurly]

dehydrated, not baked, of course

[Uplift]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

That's very interesting reading, Doc. Thanks for sharing.

One question for you, though. It's my impression that with many foods, cooking allows your body to pull out much more of the nutrients they contain. I've heard that broccoli, for instance, is basically just that much fiber when eaten raw. Is that your understanding, too, and how do you deal with it so you're not deficient in anything?

Yeh , you are right, cooking tomatoes increases the amount of really beneficial carotenoids. Grilled cheese is one of the highest sources of CLA, which has awesome properties.

[wayne]

I have also been raw for the past 4 months, and have never felt better in my life. More updates on my blog. Keep it going!

Raw food has changed my life for the best. No doubt

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by ripcurly

sprout em and make bread. it rawks

How please? Sorry to be so lost on this, but I am.

[Lisa McGregor]

[

QUOTE=Lisa McGregor;114480]Thanks Doc, I found your raw food experience very interesting, and you've inspired me to give it a try. I will post my results here periodically.
L

[/quote]

I really admire you for going so long on a raw food diet. I have only been eating raw for 5 days and although I've lost 2.5kg and feel quite good, I find the diet extremely boring. I'm ready to tuck in to a pizza tonight.I've decided to stick to the raw food about 75% of the time, but I really need cooked veg, and rice, and potatoes. I don't miss meat at all, but after a while I will probably eat some sushi which I'm addicted to. I think if one eats raw during the day and then a cooked vegetarian meal at night, that should be a good balance and still very healthy. I was really hoping I could stick this out for longer than 5 days (100% raw) , but tonite I'm definitely going to have a blue cheese, pear and rocket pizza. yum.

[chilove]

Hi there,

I'm so happy to see this thread!! It is amazing how many people are discovering the benefits of eating a raw vegan diet. I've been raw for four and a half years and my health and happiness keep getting better and better.

Blessings,

Audrey
Raw Food Coach, Raw Food Diet, Emotional Eating, Weight Loss

[Taarak]

Hi Raw foodists & raw foodist wanna-bes,

This forum is the right place for me
Do checkout the free download "Secret to Longevity" from my blog
http://NurtureYourOwn.com

Your fella raw-foodist.
Taarak