Yet Another Raw Food Diet Update (Blog)

[AnthonyBaker]

Also -- what the hell to raw foodists eat during the winter? I've lived in California all my life (until November of 2007) and we've obviously got a year-round breadbasket there, but I find that in Washington, it's just not the same. Anyone have book recommendations regarding this -- for that lovely post-citrus period of the year? Potato and turnip juicing just doesn't sound that inviting.

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by AnthonyBaker

In any event, was curious as to how long it not takes you to prepare your meals. From a practical standpoint, I hear that a raw foods diet takes more time to put meals together. That true?

Usually I make simple meals that take less than 5 minutes to prep. I rarely spend more than 20 minutes making a meal.

[wolverine]

Originally Posted by AnthonyBaker

Also -- what the hell to raw foodists eat during the winter? I've lived in California all my life (until November of 2007) and we've obviously got a year-round breadbasket there, but I find that in Washington, it's just not the same. Anyone have book recommendations regarding this -- for that lovely post-citrus period of the year? Potato and turnip juicing just doesn't sound that inviting.

I second this question. It's currently winter where I live, and I honestly can't find much aside from apples and a few citrus fruits that hasn't been brought in from the US or similarly far away places. I'm not looking to become fully raw, but I think I'd like being 50-75% raw if I could only get enough food!


Wolverine

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by Gene

I am a big fan of fresh peaches. I wonder what kind of smoothie I could make with them. Anyone have experience with them.

I've tried peaches in smoothies before. I can't remember exactly how I made them--I think I might of put them in with banana--and I wasn't a fan of them.

That said, I'm not a major fan of peaches in general, so that's probably why.

I wouldn't worry about even asking if people have experience with certain shakes--just try out whatever you're thinking of making and you'll know in a jiffy! Nothing beats the experience of drinking a failed experiment shake! You're drinking it, wincing, thinking "ahh, it's so bad, but can't waste it." I've had a few not-cool salad shakes (mixed with banana) in my time. Lesson learned! (Spinach seems to work best.)

[Steve Pavlina]

I made 2 liters of smoothie yesterday from 5 bananas, 4 peaches, and 2-1/2 cups water. It was good, but it took me a couple hours to finish it.

[Thomas]

Did you peel the peaches? For some reason I get rather big chunks of skin that don't taste all that great.

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Did you peel the peaches? For some reason I get rather big chunks of skin that don't taste all that great.

No peeling and no chunks. I use a Vitamix, not a cheap blender though. It will liquify pretty much anything.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

No peeling and no chunks. I use a Vitamix, not a cheap blender though. It will liquify pretty much anything.

My non-crazy expensive blender (a Breville Optiva) seems to handle skin and the like without leaving chunky surprises in the final product.

That said, it's starting to make a funny noise when I use it, but I reason that it just needs to harden up and stop being a sissy.

I wonder if the local Boost Juice bar will let me use their industrial-grade Vitamix blenders when my blender fails to blend an unpeeled durian, or something.

[Frans]

Here's an interesting article for all raw food enthusiasts: Cooking and Cognition: How Humans Got So Smart

A few excerpts:

Learning how to cook food stimulated a big leap in human cognition some 150,000 years ago, a new study suggests.
Cooking breaks down fibers and makes nutrients more readily available, so our digestive systems then required less energy than those of creatures eating all raw foods. This freed calories up to feed our brains, the thinking goes.

Today, humans have relatively small digestive systems and burn 20-25 percent of their calories running their brains. For comparison, other vertebrate brains use as little as 2 percent of the animal's caloric intake.

Does this mean renewing our subscriptions to Bon Appetit will make our brains more efficient?
No, but we probably should avoid diving into the raw food movement.

[WilliWibald]

Hi Frans,

I think the conclusion from the scientists that created that piece is faulty.
Cooked food may have helped in the development of humankind - but not because it is superior or more healthy or does need less energy to digest. No, it just did help, that it was available more often. Cooked food did increase the range of foods we could eat and thus helped us to survive in climates and times where food was scarce.
But in days of abundance (through technology and cleverness) there is no need to eat suboptimal food anymore.
For the theory that cooked food is easier to digest - Test it Yourself:

Eat 800 Kcal of Green Smoothie on one day and 800 kcal of chicken with potatoe chips and tell me each time how you feel afterwards (energywise). So, what did actually take more energy to digest?

One more thing: In the article I found that little piece of wonderful selective perception:

Devoted followers [of the raw food movement] end up, said Khaitovich, "with very severe health problems."

To that I have to say: I certainly see more people on a cooked food diet that have really severe health problems.

[DRK]

Everything I've read suggests that cooking greatly reduces the available nutrients, and cooked food is much more difficult to digest. Sure, there are exceptions (tough stringy bitter greens), but overall you use less energy to digest raw fruits than any other foods. Maybe cooked meat digests more easily than raw (?), but I don't eat meat either way. Seems like that article is a lot of supposition.
More than what I've read, my experience is that raw foods digest more easily. They pass through more quickly, I have more energy, there is never that "sedated" feeling after a large meal, etc.
I will agree that "gourmet raw" is about as difficult to digest as complex cooked foods, which is why making blanket statements about "raw" vs. "cooked" is rarely useful.
(Oh, hey, before someone brings up lycopene, it's true that cooked tomatoes provide 100% of the lycopene compated to 80% in raw. But cooking damages vitamin C, vitamin A, etc., etc. If you want more lycopene, just eat more tomatoes, period.)

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by Frans

Here's an interesting article for all raw food enthusiasts: Cooking and Cognition: How Humans Got So Smart

People in this thread already shared their thoughts on it.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Bruce Achterberg

My non-crazy expensive blender (a Breville Optiva) seems to handle skin and the like without leaving chunky surprises in the final product.

That said, it's starting to make a funny noise when I use it, but I reason that it just needs to harden up and stop being a sissy.

I wonder if the local Boost Juice bar will let me use their industrial-grade Vitamix blenders when my blender fails to blend an unpeeled durian, or something.

An unpeeled Durian will make an interesting shake! If you attempt it do let me know of your experience, preferably with accompanying video. I love the taste of the fruit fresh or frozen.

[danas]

Steve, I have some questions:

1)Why do you not eat garlic or onions (I think you said this in your conversation with Roger Haeske.)? They are very healthy (especially garlic which is the best medicine)

2)Do you take B12?

3)If not, do nuts provide enough protein?

4)Do you any other supplements?

[daj]

For americans looking for organic farm fresh food in a specific area, here's a great resource: LocalHarvest.org

[IFeelGood]

Originally Posted by Wilfred

I must admit I'm rather skeptical on Steve fully ascribing his perceived gains in energy to his most recent diet change. I can understand that he would like to be a good role model for anyone who is considering going vegan or raw but increased energy is something that is (as far as I know) not measurable. I'm not denying that a diet change can make you feel good (i.e. more energetic) but since Steve was already feeling pretty close to excellent (at least that is what I've gathered so far from visiting this website) I would be interested in knowing whether his statement was truly unbiased (by for example expectations he had prior to starting this diet).

Having personally been eating mostly raw for over 6 months now, I can fully attest to the increased energy! Prior to my now 80-100% raw diet, I was eating probably 50% raw and the rest generally healthier than the SAD, (some fish, organic free range chicken, lowfat organic plain yogurt, beans,etc...) but what a difference I am now experiencing.

I have to say as a runner, I feel great and loaded with energy for my workouts. The quality of my sleep has dramatically improved. I need less of it and I wake feeling refreshed. I used to have a hard time waking and was very cranky and groggy in the morning. This is no longer so. I know it is the difference between cooked vs raw because I have eaten a few cooked meals over the 6 months of mostly raw and each time I notice a big change in my sleep and my energy.

Other great benefits for me are that my monthly cycle has become much more regular and I no longer get the huge zits that I used to get every month. My skin is much clearer as are my eyes. My digestion has significantly improved... sometimes to the point of annoying where food moves through my body rather quickly and I am in the bathroom 3 or 4 times a day. Before the mostly raw, it was 3 or 4 times per week! What a difference not to carry that cooked food around in my colon.

In addition, I have lost 10 pounds. This is a huge feat for me. I have been trying to lose this last 10 pounds for 6 years and now I have. I feel great! Hmmm, maybe I should change my user name from good to great.

[Bene]

Steve do you ever feel more ungrounded on a raw diet than on a cooked one? Ungrounded as in psychically/emotionally/mentally.

[Kruben]

Hey everyone this is my first post, but I've been a fan of Steve's blog for sometime now. Anyways I wanted to jump in here after reading about Steve's experience with eating only raw foods.

I've tried many different types of diets over the years, always aiming for optimal energy, clear mindedness, sense of well being, and just overall health in general. I've eaten strictly raw foods for fairly long periods of time (months) with good results, however I personally have a hard time believing that eliminating animal products completely is the way to go. This may sound a little gross to some of you, but has anyone actually tried combining a raw plant based diet with some very lightly cooked meats in moderation? What has worked great for me is having a predominantly raw plant based diet (lots of fruit) with some nuts/seeds, along with meats that are almost always lightly cooked. I will often times eat salmon raw as in sushi.

I know there's people out there who eat raw meat and swear that it's the way to go for optimal energy etc. Basically stating the same positive effects as those who fully commit to eating a raw plant based diets. I personally can't do it, but I can eat very lightly cooked meats. I.E. grass-fed/organic steaks with the outside lightly cooked but the inside basically raw or close to it. Obviously some people will find this disgusting, but I love it. I do this maybe once a week. I also eat a lot of wild alaskan salmon, as mentioned either as sushi or baked at a low temp/short period of time, and this I have almost daily. The cardiovascular benefits are worth it.

Adding in some meats like this has worked great for me. I would like to mention that the only way that this has worked for me is by keeping the meats lightly cooked. Also the meat is almost always fish except for the steak maybe once a week. It is always wild-alaskan salmon as well.

Just wanted to mention this since I have some experience eating raw foods only, and this has worked great.

Good luck to everyone who does go with a strict raw diet. It can be very challenging but it's definitely worth it.