Raw food is not always easier on the body or more cleansing than cooked foods

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Permalink Reply by jodykwik on August 18, 2009 at 11:32am

yeah, this is cool info and all...but i'm personally interested in eating the raw foods that are the easiest on my stomach. i don't know, i think it's just where life has taken me. but this is nice info.

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Permalink Reply by Lightlover on August 18, 2009 at 11:42am

Completely correct. But there is more to say of cause!

"Remember, there are 3 things that make a food healthy."

*** So what are these 3 things...?

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Permalink Reply by telefunken on August 18, 2009 at 12:13pm

Here are the 3 things according to Mike >>>

1) What A food delivers: We all know this one. Almost every book on health covers this. We want good things from our food. Vitamins, enzymes, trace minerals… I think we get this one.

2) What a food removes: This is big! Very important. An apple a day keeps the doctor away because it’s loaded with raw fiber that sweeps the intestines clean. Health has more to do with elimination than input. (This point was was really emphasized by my great friend and teacher Gil Jacobs who works in NYC as a colonic therapist)

3) What a food doesn’t leave behind: The other side of the coin. If a food is leaving anything behind in your tissues or along your intestinal wall (see Dr. Shinya’s video at www.yourguidetodetox.com) it’s going to pollute your body. Plain and simple.

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Permalink Reply by Ian on August 18, 2009 at 11:45am

Hmm. I wonder, often, about "apples and oranges" comparisons sometimes (for lack of a better pun right now). And the perspective is well noted. What concerns me about the above snip is as follows:

Nuts within the raw food movement have been an apt substitute for "meat" and "ice cream" and "pie" dishes. Logically, during our pre-raw/veg/vegan phases, we wouldn't logically think of eating meat, ice cream, and pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (although in college, this may have been our diet, washed down with a bucket of beer before we head out the door at 11:00 in the morning). And as such, I believe the healthier folk who practiced sound dietary patterns even before going veg/vegan/raw, acted the same way.

As such, I would normally venture to say that whole foods (fruits/veggies) are healthier than nuts and seeds in abundance. So I guess my question here is: why is this person comparing "cooked veggies" to "raw nuts"? Would it not be better to compare "cooked asparagus" to "raw asparagus"? Would not it be better to let "raw ice cream" go toe-to-toe with "dairy ice cream"?

As for yams, squash, etc., all the research I have done on dietary intake within the raw movement has listed these particular foods at the veeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyy bottom of the scale on dietary intake, and starches (like yams, potatoes, etc.) exclusively register in the 0% range for dietary intake for raw foodists. It is simply not palatable for many on this path. I, personally, do not consume squash because of its heavy fibrous effect on my digestive track, even in "pasta" form at raw venues.

The common misconception, I will say, for cooked food is that it has no nutritional value to it. This is not true. Cooked food still has macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. The main difference is that it takes more of your body's energy to convert it.

My personal take on why cooked food is easier to digest than raw food is because I still believe that we do not chew our raw food nearly enough before swallowing, causing issues that are unknown and unseen at first, but felt quite strongly down the road. Cooked yams already their cell walls partially broken down for us by the heating process.

Thanks for the update, telefunken! These ideas need to be challenged and fleshed out thoroughly :-)

Ian

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Permalink Reply by ArugulaBugula on August 18, 2009 at 12:24pm

From Ian:
So I guess my question here is: why is this person comparing "cooked veggies" to "raw nuts"? Would it not be better to compare "cooked asparagus" to "raw asparagus"? Would not it be better to let "raw ice cream" go toe-to-toe with "dairy ice cream"?

YES! I had the same issue with this and because of that it is hard for me to take it seriously.

And I have a feeling the people who are supposedly freaking out about eating a steamed vegetable are likely the same people who are NOT gorging on raw ice cream.

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Permalink Reply by Rawstrength on August 18, 2009 at 1:27pm

Not necessarily. Some get really tied down to the dogma of being 100% raw, 100% vegan. I used to skip the steamed veggies and eat lots of nuts.

I've cut down on the nuts and added lots of steamed veggies and some small amounts of raw eggs . . . and I feel better and have lost weight.

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Permalink Reply by telefunken on August 18, 2009 at 1:59pm

Still too early to report on my recent experiments adding small amounts of raw eggs and raw dairy. But I think my brain may be working more smoothly because of it. Sure it could be psychosomatic, but time will tell.

Lightly steamed veggies are ok with me too, and I do it most with broccoli lately, but I eat most fruit and veggies raw.

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Permalink Reply by aishwarya on August 24, 2009 at 3:37pm

yes, among steamed veggies broccolis are the best. they are my favorites. i happen to find them great just slightly steamed.

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Permalink Reply by aishwarya on August 24, 2009 at 3:36pm

i do better without nuts really. its personal system. when i was cooked vegan i used to do lots of nuts and never had any problem. but after a few months of raw even the handshelled nuts kept giving me all sorts of trouble. given a choice i now prefer some lightly steamed crispy vegetables to the most raw nuts. well, thats just me! no dogma here. just what my health state prefers now.

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Permalink Reply by Ian on August 18, 2009 at 5:12pm

Or maybe they're steaming their ice cream and gorging on asparagus?

Jesus, who the hell knows anymore :-)

Ian

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Permalink Reply by telefunken on August 18, 2009 at 12:30pm

Again, I'm not posting this because I advocate for cooked food or Mike Perrine's opinion, or the site rawfoodnation.org.

I am however interested in things that challenge us to think fully about our beliefs. Sometimes our beliefs limit us if we keep our minds closed to new information for too long. We need more perspectives and opinions in my opinion. Always more talk...less dogma.

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Permalink Reply by telefunken on August 18, 2009 at 1:15pm

I'm still of the belief that the body needs physical things to operate. But, if I ever break through this belief, I'm sure to consider such options. Thanks Jericho. : )

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