12 SIMPLE RAW FOOD GUIDELINES by Dr Graham

[Guest guest]

I'm passing this along in it's entirety. The events may not be

convenient for most of us, but the information is good reading. And

you never know who on this list may know someone who can attend the

events!

 

Jeff

 

 

Hear Dr Graham speak Wed. Mar. 6, 7pm, in Encinitas, (email

rick to RSVP & get directions) and at the all day

RAW PASSION seminar Sat. Mar. 8 in Newport Beach. Info:

<http://www.raw-passion.com/newportbeach.html>http://www.raw-passion.c

om/newportbeach.html

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Nutrients: Are You Getting Enough? 12 Simple Guidelines For the

Concerned Raw Fooder by Dr. Douglas N. Graham <foodnsport

 

Coming in Living Nutrition Magazine vol. 14 summer 2003

<http://www.livingnutrition.com>http://www.livingnutrition.com

 

1. Perfect your caloronutrient ratio, directing it towards 80/10/10.

There are only three caloronutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrate.

Protein consumption does not vary appreciably from diet to diet.

Therefore, the more fat you consume, the less carbohydrates you

consume. Worldwide, RDAs for carbohydrate range from 65-75% of total

calories. The average raw fooder consumes only about 20% of their

total calories as carbohydrates, most of this from fruit.

 

The underconsumption of carbohydrates and overconsumption of fats

leads to a host of health problems. Leading the list are candida,

diabetes, hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue, heart disease and cancer.

Most of the so-called sugar metabolic disorders are actually the

symptoms of the overconsumption of fats.

 

2. More is not better. Nutrients are found in the body in specific

quantitative relationships to other nutrients. Calcium, for example,

is present in a 2/1 relationship with phosphorus. Consuming more of a

specific nutrient, or consistently eating foods that are overly high

in that nutrient will inevitably lead to an imbalance. We are

designed like Goldilocks--we thrive when the nutritional ratios are

" just right " . When it comes to nutrients, too much is just as much of

a problem as too little. The optimum foods for us, nutritionally, are

those foods whose nutrient content most closely mimic our nutrient

needs. In every category of nutrition, fruits come closest to meeting

those needs.

 

3. Supplements do not supplement--rather, they foster nutritional

imbalances. Except in the instance of severe and specific nutritional

deficiency, chemical isolates, generally recognized as pharmaceutical

quality drugs, always lead to imbalances and do more harm than good.

 

The approach known as " better living through chemistry " has failed us

consistently, every time it has been tried. On a healthy lowfat raw

vegan diet, supplements are not necessary. Supplements will not make

up for the nutritional insufficiencies we experience when eating a

less than optimal diet because those insufficiencies are broad

spectrum and supplements are relatively specific. It is always better

to correct the diet than it is to attempt to supplement or remedy it.

 

4. Superfoods are not really super. Dehydrated foods, especially

those that have been powdered, undergo the deleterious impact of

extensive oxidation and other heat related nutritive losses, such as

the transformation of the viable form of B-12 into its unusable

analog form.

 

When minute quantities of any substance result in profound shifts in

energy, we are dealing with a stimulant. Stimulants actually result

in a release of vital reserves, hence ultimately draining vitality.

Foods that are not in scale with human consumption, (the relative

size relationship between us and our foods) or that must be packaged

in bottles, boxes, cans, or bags, are not really super, but appeal to

our superficial consumer mentality. Foods that cannot be eaten as a

complete meal should automatically suspect in human nutrition.

 

5. Ripen fruits fully, do not rush them. Ripe fruits yield the

optimal nutrients per calorie. As many nutrients do not become fully

available in fruit until it undergoes the final stages of ripening,

the consumption of ripe foods is an important consideration when one

aspires to optimum nutrition. Learning about fruit is a pleasant

pastime. Learn the names of the various fruit varieties that are

available to you. Catalogue when each variety comes into season,

which ones ripen after picking, and other interesting facts about

each fruit. Become a connoisseur of fruit, and, as the old saying

goes, " eat no fruit before its time. "

 

6. Cooked foods are junk foods and supply only empty calories. The

nutrient losses associated with cooking are so extreme as to be

unnecessary to list in this short article. Suffice it to say that

proteins, fats and carbohydrates all degrade under the heat of

cooking into toxic matter. Enzymes, coenzymes, and most vitamins are

destroyed by heat. Antioxidants, phytonutrients, and minerals are

damaged, as is fiber. Even water is lost in the cooking process.

Nutritionally, there are no benefits to cooking wholesome raw foods.

Empty calories are those from protein, fat, or carbohydrates, without

their full nutrient package intact. Junk foods are generally thought

of as refined foods that are missing vital nutritional elements. Oils

and juices (lacking fiber), dehydrated foods (lacking water), as well

as other refined foods, certainly fall into these categories.

 

7. Panic if it isn’t organic. The nutritional impact of herbicide,

fungicide, pesticide, rodenticide, and other " cides " upon food has

repeatedly been shown to be negative--deadly, in fact. It has also

been shown that the consumption of these " cides " negatively affects

our nutritional status. Organic food is always the best choice

nutritionally, when all other factors are equal.

 

Scientists tell us that there has been life on earth for six billion

years. We have been experimenting with toxic chemicals in our food

for about sixty years. If you had to bet your life, and the lives of

all people on earth, which would you choose: the system that had

succeeded for 99.000,000% of time, or the one that had created such

doubt about its efficacy over the last .000,0001% of time?

 

8. Plants perfectly meet all our needs: nutritional, spiritual,

emotional, environmental, ecological and ethical. Every nutrient

known to be needed by humans is available to us from plants. There

are no nutrients necessary to humans that can be obtained from animal

foods that cannot also be obtained from plants. Nutritionally, all

plant foods contain all nutrients--they simply exist in different

proportions in different plants.

 

Have you ever looked at a field of cows and found your mouth

watering? Have you ever felt compassion for a helpless animal? Are

you aware of the environmental, ecological and ethical nightmares

that are perpetrated by the various animal industries? Have you ever

felt a closeness to the earth, or a spiritual connection with G-d

when you were nurturing plants?

 

9. Simplicity is the key to good digestion. Good digestion is

critical to ideal nutrition. We can only absorb and assimilate that

which we can digest. Simplicity at each mealtime best facilitates

optimum digestion. Reduction of the number of courses in the meal, as

well as the number of ingredients in each dish, are both conducive to

good digestion.

 

If a meal has more than five ingredients, or takes more than five

minutes to prepare, you are probably working too hard at creating the

meal, and will likely suffer compromised digestion. Start from where

you are comfortable (e.g., ten ingredients, ten minutes) and work

toward eventually using only one ingredient, one minute.

 

10. Variety in your diet best ensures optimum nutrition. Nutritional

sufficiency is best guaranteed through the consumption of a wide

variety of foods. Fortunately, Nature provides such variety during

the course of each year. Over 200 different fruits and over 50

vegetables are readily available at some point during the year in

most places. Take advantage of each one as it comes into season, in

order to access the most variety, freshness, and lowest cost.

 

Variety throughout the year coupled with simplicity at mealtimes

creates the ideal situation for optimum nutrition. We have the

ability to store most of our nutrients for long periods of time, and

even to recycle many of them. The ebb and flow of the seasons brings

foods to us that best satisfy our nutritional needs.

 

11. Develop the mono meal habit. Mono (single course) meals provide

the obvious ultimate goal for perfect digestion and nutrition. Almost

all creatures eat mono meals when living naturally. The concept of

eating " one food at a time, when hungry, until full " makes sense on

many levels. Simply waiting for hunger to arrive is a wise move in

optimizing digestion, absorption, and assimilation -- all critical

factors in good nutrition. Overeating results in compromised

digestion. Variety of food choices is commonly a huge factor in

overeating. The easiest way to vanquish the habit of overeating is to

avoid stimulating our appetites with an excess of different foods by

choosing very simple or even mono-meals.

 

Mono meals provide a satiation that cannot be matched by complex

meals. They allow us to fully and realistically get in touch with our

hunger, and to finally come to appreciate the healthful reasons for

eating. Experiment with the mono meal program by including a few mono

meals each week. As you come to like the results, you can gradually

increase the number of mono meals you consume. Your nutritional

status will improve, and you will develop superior overall health.

 

12. Fitness matters. Physical activity is one of the key requirements

to good nutrition. Without sufficient physical activity, peristalsis

of the intestines is not as efficient. Physical activity utilizes

blood sugar, making for healthier blood sugar metabolism. It also

greatly accelerates blood circulation and lymphatic flow, enhancing

protein and fat metabolism while improving their utilization. The

vasodilation that accompanies physical activity also enhances

nutrient delivery.

 

There is another aspect of fitness worthy of serious consideration.

Athletes consume and utilize considerably more fuel (calories) than

the average person, for two reasons. The first is that their higher

activity levels require additional fuel. The second is that fit folks

usually carry more muscle mass than their sedentary counterparts, and

their muscle tissue requires more fuel than any tissue other than

nerves. By eating more food, active people consume more calories, and

along with those extra calories come additional essential nutrients:

enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals,

fiber, and even water. It is easier for a fit person to be

nutritionally sound because they take in more nutrients. This may be

one of the most powerful arguments for attaining fitness: we are

naturally better nourished than sedentary folks, and are able to eat

more food without weight gain.

 

There Is No Substitute For Healthful Living

 

Each of these steps is beneficial in the pursuit of health and

optimum nutrition. The lowfat raw vegan approach, accomplished by the

consumption of whole, fresh, ripe raw organic plants, is the most

nutritious method of eating. Couple this with simplicity at

mealtimes, diversity in your diet, the implementation of frequent

mono meals and a regular fitness program, and you have the makings of

a regimen that will bring you to the pinnacle of good health.

 

<http://www.livingnutrition.com>http://www.livingnutrition.com