Is it Raw or not??

[Guest guest]

" JoAnn Guest " <angelprincessjo

Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:41 pm

Is it Raw or not?

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Is it Raw or not?

By John Kohler

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawornot.html

 

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, " Is (fill in

the product name) raw? " and " Is there a list of raw foods that I can

eat? Well I do not know of any such lists, but this article will

explain my answer to the above questions.

 

First, I think we need to take a step back, and ask yourself, " Why I

am I eating raw? " For most, it is to improve or maximize health. So

the question should first be " Is it healthy or not healthy? " and

then secondly, " Is it raw? "

I can think of many things that would be considered " raw, but I

would NEVER eat it. Such as raw meat and dairy. In my opinion Meat

and Dairy are both not healthy to eat. While it is true they do some

benefits, I believe the harm that comes to the body is much greater.

 

With that aside, I will break it down into many three categories:

foods to maximize, foods to include some, and foods to minimize or

exclude. The information is based on my research and based on being

raw for over half a decade. I always recommend eating organic

whenever possible.

 

On a raw foods diet, you want to maximize your intake of the

following raw food:

 

FRESH FRUITS and FRESH VEGETABLES. - Any fresh fruits or vegetables.

The fresher the better. If you can pick the produce yourself, that's

the best. The next best would be direct from a farmer or farmers

market, next best from a health food store, and last from a " chain

store " .

here is why- once the food is picked, the vitality starts to lessen.

If the produce is refrigerated, the vitality is lessened even

further.

 

FRESH SPROUTS - you can sprout your own seeds yourself, and eat

these life-force rich foods while they are still living and growing!

Next as a raw foodist you may want to consume some of the following:

(concentration should be on FRESH fruits and vegetables)

 

Nuts and Seeds - Many nuts are raw and go through no heat

processing. Always purchase nuts in the shell whenever possible,

since once nuts are out of the shell, they start to oxidize, and can

go rancid.

 

Some nuts are heat processed in the process of getting the nut out

of the shell. There is an excellent article, " What every raw fooder

should know about nuts " in the article section that I suggest you

read.

 

Young Coconuts - Young coconuts are a excellent source of

electrolytes, the best purified water and a good source of fat and

calcium.

 

Dried Fruits- did you know that most dried fruits in the natural

food store are COOKED? Yes!! They are.

 

I have spoken with many manufacturers and distributors of dried

fruits and even " dried tomatoes " and asked them the temperature at

which their product is dried. Usually it is well over 200 degrees.

They say this proudly, because its not too feasible to dry products

at an acceptable temperature to a raw foodist (around 118 degrees or

less) because there would be an inconsistent and " ugly " looking

product.

 

So cut down on the dried foods! Usually only " sun dried " foods would

be considered " raw " since they are dried by the sun.

 

Dates - Dates are generally sun dried, if good organic dates are

purchased.

Many " conventional " dates can be dried and then steamed to make them

look " plump " and moist.

 

 

Sea Weeds - Sea weeds such as nori, dulse, Laver, sea lettuce, kombu

purchased from a " family " business are usually sundried. Seaweeds

from " asia or china " may or may not be sun dried. Sometimes they are

roasted, and it may not be mentioned on the package.

 

 

Dried vegetables, herbs and spices for flavoring - I have not

checked to see if these are in fact considered " raw " or if they have

been heat treated in the drying process. Whenever possible dry your

own herbs and spices.

 

Olives - You may want to consume some raw olives. Raw olives are

hard to find. The best raw olives are sun dried raw olives, that

have not been preserved with salt.

Most olives are preserved with salt. Most canned olives are cooked

in the canning process. Most olives are packed in a vinegar or

lactic acid brine, which I do not recommend.

 

Green Powders - I believe a good green food powder can be helpful as

long as it is not heat processed, considered " raw " and dried at a

low temperature, and do not include toxic additives. Some examples

would be dried wheatgrass, blue green algae, barleygreen, etc.

 

Things to minimize or cut out completely. The items listed below are

many times included in a raw food diet. I believe they can be

helpful while transitioning to a raw food diet, but have no place in

a long term health building raw food diet.

 

Table salt and celtic sea salt- While table salt is much worse than

celtic sea salt, many raw foodists believe that celtic salt is good

for them. I believe it is not. This is primarily due to my research

on the potassium/sodium balance.

 

Each cell in our body needs to maintain a ratio of sodium to

potassium and in the " standard American diet " has the sodium ratio

way too high. I also have ill effects when I eat any salt. I believe

we get enough sodium from fruits, vegetables and seaweed. (Use

seaweed instead)

 

Nama Shoyu and Braggs Liquid Aminos - Once again these items show up

often in raw food recipes, and many people think them " healthy " . Try

drinking a bottle of the stuff, and tell me how you feel. I bet you

will feel sick to your stomach!

These are highly processed foods that do not occur naturally in

nature. (try using seaweed instead)

 

Maple Syrup - Maple syrup is another ingredient considered as " raw "

by many. Based on my research all maple syrup is cooked, so it is

not raw. I have not sucked on a maple tree to determine if FRESH

maple syrup is a viable food source at this point.

Use fresh organic dates (which to me taste like maple syrup - there

are many different varieties of dates to try!)

 

Wine - Wine can be raw, but while it may have some health benefits -

I say drink FRESH made grape juice instead. Exclude wine from the

raw food diet. Alcohol does kill brain cells.

 

Apple Cider Vinegar - Vinegar contains acetic acid. Acetic acid is a

toxic chemical. If you drink a whole bottle of vinegar, I bet you

wont feel too good. Did you know acetic acid is used as a pesticide?

 

Bottled oils - Many raw foodists include oils in their diet. I

believe this should be minimized for a few reasons.

Oil does not occur naturally in nature.

Once oil is extracted, it generally goes bad (rancid) very quickly.

It is super concentrated and hard for your body to break down.

Try drinking a bottle of oil, and tell me how you feel. Probably

like you want to sleep - its your body having to work overtime to

digest the oil. Yes, even if its cold pressed and organic.

 

Eat the food instead- i.e.: Eat coconuts

instead of coconut oil. Eat ground flax seeds instead of flax oil.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html