Raw Food Diet - Day 1 (Blog)

[nownow]

I just read the article about protein myths. I will disregard what nutritionists around the world say about plant protein and I will accept Steve's version. What do they know.
I does not matter where you get your protein from as long as it is complete and some people may not need much to get by, the body is very adaptable. But to suggest that the amino acids in vegetables can be used by the body as protein even if some essential ones are missing has little support.
As far as I am aware, all breasts produces a high quality complete protein and not carrot juice or Hawain Punch. Babies do well on breast milk, they have for millions of years. I will trust evolution on this one.

[Holistic Star]

My understanding is that breast milk is about 2% protein - am looking for facts to back this up.

[DRK]

Breast milk is about 6% protein, from what I've read.
I'm speaking of human breast milk, of course. Cow milk is much higher, rat milk is much higher, etc.
There are no essential amino acids that can't be found in vegan foods.
I'm going to link another Dr. McDougall article here - I like his work because it's all well-sourced, rather than theoretical. (Note that you'll have to do some additional looking to get the info on protein in fruits - Dr. McDougall recommends a diet based on cooked starches, not raw.)
The McDougall Newsletter - When Friends Ask: “Why Don’t You Drink Milk?”

(BTW, the title/address of the page doesn't match the article, which is actually: "When Friends Ask: Where Do You Get Your Protein?")

I'm about a day ahead of Steve on my raw fooding this time around (went off it big time over the holidays, and haven't been 100% raw for at least six months). My second night I had a bad headache & could hardly sleep, felt stuffed up, and had some upset stomache symptoms, but have been getting better & better since then.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by geekchic9

I once listened to a similar advocate and what happened to me was disastrous.

Ah ok, that's what happened to you, that's the real reason why you don't like him advocating that.

That's the same reason I had a strong negative reaction to his post that goes like "Quit your job now!" I quit my job too a number of years to go for my "Dream job"...and failed big time and spent several years miserable and I'm still not better off now then before.

Hmmm, something for us to ponder.

[wolfgang]

Originally Posted by nownow

I just read the article about protein myths. I will disregard what nutritionists around the world say about plant protein and I will accept Steve's version. What do they know.
I does not matter where you get your protein from as long as it is complete and some people may not need much to get by, the body is very adaptable. But to suggest that the amino acids in vegetables can be used by the body as protein even if some essential ones are missing has little support.
As far as I am aware, all breasts produces a high quality complete protein and not carrot juice or Hawain Punch. Babies do well on breast milk, they have for millions of years. I will trust evolution on this one.

SPRULINA to the rescue! (hmmm but is it raw in those tablets or powders?)
Protein: Spirulina contains unusually high amounts of protein, between 55 and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine, as compared to standard proteins such as that from meat, eggs, or milk. It is, however, superior to all standard plant protein, such as that from legumes.

[yogi]

Hey there. For me, the greatest challenge in eating more healthy is how to plan for all those fresh foods, so that they don't keep spoiling in my refrigerator, and thus how to plan for buying them etc.

So please
1) share with us a little about the logistics of how you bought the ingredients for each meal (e.g., did you buy a ton of clementines or just those 8 that you ate etc... how old they were, how many days they keep in the refrig etc.) and

2) I agree with the poster below, that some more info on the cost of each meal would be very helpful.

Thanks and all the best.

Originally Posted by seeker5

Steve,

By the way, in addition to posting how much you spent buying groceries, perhaps at the end of the week, you could also list a grand total for the cost of all the consumed food for that week. It'd be helpful for us to know that number as it's the best way to estimate how much a diet cost rather then how much money is spent going on a one time grocery trip.

[Tobias Zimpel]

Originally Posted by geekchic9

Because, 1) it's simply wrong -- there is no "best" diet for everyone, despite what many people will tell you;

So you, too, believe that humans are the only race on planet earth that has no race-wide ideal diet? No, I can't believe that we are that special. But maybe it does not make a lot of sense to discuss this one.

Perhaps we can agree that there is a single ideal diet for all healthy humans, and that a whole lot of humans are not healthy.

Originally Posted by geekchic9

and 2) his influence may cause people to make a change in their diets that may severely hurt their physical, emotional, and mental health. I once listened to a similar advocate and what happened to me was disastrous. That's simply my concern -- what happened to me might happen to others.

That explains a lot regarding your reaction, of course. I don't know why your results were disastrous or what they are like exactly, but I'm glad that you recovered and found a way you are able to live a good life with.

As for Steve's influence: His site is still called "Personal Development for Smart People", isn't it? So I think we can safely assume that his readership is able to distinguish between a detoxing body and a dying one. And if someone blindly follows Steve's advice to death, that surely qualifies for a darwin award, IMHO.

I know I do sound insensitive, but sorry, we are all conscious beings and responsible for what we do. And while I feel sorry for everyone who is suffering in any way, I know that no one but themselves is responsible for their suffering.

[Mr.Mustache]

Originally Posted by geekchic9

Because, 1) it's simply wrong -- there is no "best" diet for everyone, despite what many people will tell you;

We all have similar bodies, so its easy to imagine a diet pretty much ideal for everyone. For example, fruits are an important part of everyones diet, in varying amounts fruits are good for everyone. Same goes for vegetables and grains. A good or ideal diet is simply not going to deviate too much from person to person. If you don't think so you can take a course in anatomy. I just don't see what your so upset about.

[DRK]

Some people (like Dr. Graham) will even say that grains are not healthy. I know that, while not as bad as dairy products, grains cause sinus congestion for me, and a bit of a foggy-headed feeling. It was never bad enough to notice, until I tried not eating grains for a while.
Quick note on those who look to mother's milk as an ideal for protein: all mammals drink milk when infants; absolutely none, except a minority of humans, do so as adults. Adult mammals always eat a diet different from infants. The question is whether adult humans need meat/dairy to meet protein needs, or if we're an animal that can meet protein needs without meat. I think we don't need meat, and do much better without it, based on what I've read by T. Colin Campbell, John McDougall, and others (including Steve). And my own experience has shown no negatives to avoiding animal products.

[geekchic9]

Originally Posted by Mr.Mustache

We all have similar bodies, so its easy to imagine a diet pretty much ideal for everyone. For example, fruits are an important part of everyones diet, in varying amounts fruits are good for everyone. Same goes for vegetables and grains. A good or ideal diet is simply not going to deviate too much from person to person. If you don't think so you can take a course in anatomy. I just don't see what your so upset about.

I took a course in nutrition, and it advocated a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. Now, nutritionists from the American Diabetic Association are saying it's not so much the type of diet we're on, it's the one to which we're willing to stick. I agree with that assessment. Although our anatomies are basically the same, there are some important variations: sex/gender, age, allergies, diseases, level of fitness, etc. that would cause any intelligent person to vary their diet, based on their independent circumstances. The research is out there, if you're willing to look for it . I don't see what the controversy over that is.

Plus, vegetables, grains, and fruits, while important components of diet, are not necessarily best in the same amounts for everyone. Think about it, would you prescribe a diet high in strawberries or peanuts for someone who is allergic to them? Would you tell someone with celiac disease to eat a diet high in wheat? Would you honestly expect an athlete to stick to a 1000-calorie-a-day diet without ill effects, or at least not to lose weight? You've got to be kidding me! First, do no harm. What I don't get is that somehow saying something controversial. Although everyone's diet should share some commonalities, that doesn't mean that everyone should have the exact same diet.

[geekchic9]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Ah ok, that's what happened to you, that's the real reason why you don't like him advocating that.

That's the same reason I had a strong negative reaction to his post that goes like "Quit your job now!" I quit my job too a number of years to go for my "Dream job"...and failed big time and spent several years miserable and I'm still not better off now then before.

Hmmm, something for us to ponder.

It reminds me of the quote, "Tell me, and I will forget… Show me, and I might remember… Involve me, and I will understand." I got involved in a diet (a few times!) that wasn't right for me, and now I understand that there really isn't a vegetarian/vegan diet that is good for me. It's not hard for me to extrapolate that there can't be a perfect diet that everyone can use, that there must be some variation. If there were such a diet, all of the experts would be advocating the same, or very similar things, but they're not. The evidence conflicts because not everyone thrives or succeeds on the same diet. Most people still don't see that, but I feel the tide is turning, albeit slowly.

[perfectherbs]

With so many diet programs available today, it’s not easy to decide which is best.
For me, the best diet program is the one that does not only work for me but is also easy to follow. It’s so frustrating to know the fact that a lot of so to say ‘diet systems’ are just there to reap off money from hopeless and desperate people aspiring to get their most desired shape and size.