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3 Reasons No One Should Be On A Raw Foods Diet
By Caroline La
April 22, 2014 4:33 AM EDTIve had to convince so many of my patients to switch from a raw foods diet to a cooked foods diet that I figured I should write about why I dont support a raw foods diet.
The raw foods movement has been going on for quite awhile. Many raw food advocates believe that food is best eaten in its natural unprepared state, with all the enzymes intact. As a Chinese Medicine practitioner, I always tell my patients to AVOID raw foods, especially if they have a weak digestive system, or suffer from allergies or infertility.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we believe that raw foods are too cold or yin in nature and require too much energy from the body to digest. The cold, hard-to-digest nature of raw foods puts a damper on the bodys digestive fires. Overtime, this can weaken the bodys digestive system causing bloating, glassiness and poor absorption of the nutrients in foods. The bodys energy becomes depleted from having to support the weakened digestive system which results in less energy for other bodily functions such as reproductive organs. I often tell my patients to lightly cook their vegetables by steaming, sautéing, or baking.
Aside from the Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view on raw foods, here are three reasons why I dont recommend the raw foods diet:
1. Thyroid Health
Many vegetables in the cruciferous family such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard greens and brussel sprouts contain what are known as goitrogens. Goitrogens are naturally occurring compounds in some foods that may block thyroid function and can eventually lead to goiter and hypothyroidism. For people with an already weakened thyroid function, or for those who have a propensity to thyroid disorders, goitrogens can worsen the ability of your thyroid to produce important hormones. Goitrogens can be deactivated by heat. So, cooking your vegetables can deactivate a good amount of goitrogens.
2. Digestive Health
As I described, and as Chinese Medicine believes, raw vegetables tend to be hard on your digestion. Plants and vegetables have cellulose and other fibrous structures that our stomachs have a hard time breaking down. Our stomachs are not like other vegetarian animals such as cows. Many of these animals have extra stomachs to help break down and digest the tough plants and grasses they eat. Humans, unfortunately, dont have these extra stomachs to break down all the fibrous cellulose contained in plants. This makes it especially difficult to digest vegetable fibers. When were constantly eating foods that our bodies cannot digest, our ability to digest foods in general is weakened. A weakened digestive system can cause bloating, indigestion, constipation or loose stools, weight gain, malnutrition, food allergies and a lowered immune system. Our digestive system is a key element to good health, so its important to ensure it is healthy and functioning properly.
3. Nutrient Absorption
If we are unable to digest our foods, there’s a good chance that we’re not absorbing many of the nutrients in the foods we eat. A lot of the nutrients in vegetables are stored in its tough fibers. Unless we break down these vegetable fibers, our bodies will not be able to use these nutrients. Cooking with low to medium heat is usually enough to help break down or predigest these fibers so that we can access the minerals and nutrients.
The occasional salad here and there probably wont do much harm. If youre eating raw foods on a daily basis, you might want to take a look at whether they could be contributing to any health issues you might be having. I dont advocate cooking all foods. Some foods should be eaten raw or cooked minimally such as raw milk, cheese, and eggs. Happy eating!
imho, it’s both..
there is basically no better food than simmered stews/broths of vegetables, meats etc
it’s pure cellular petri.. they drench you with materials direct for digestionbut since certain chemicals/enzymes do break down, you should spike with raw things…
most people do this anyway?but they don’t eat enough of anything slowly cooked/marinated…
TOO MUCH MEAT/ACIDITY IS CAUSING A POTENTIALLY FATAL IMPACTION OF THE MEAT INCISOR TEETH THAT CAN LITERALLY KILL PEOPLE
THE TEETH ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO IMPACT, THE TEETH ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BUNCH TOWARDS THE FRONT
To say that Mugambi was entirely happy or at ease in his new environment would not be to adhere strictly to the truth. His eyes were constantly rolling apprehensively from side to side as now one and now another of the fierce pack chanced to wander near him, so that for the most of the time it was principally the whites that showed.
Together Tarzan and Mugambi, with Sheeta and Akut, lay in wait at the ford for a deer, and when at a word from the ape-man the four of them leaped out upon the affrighted animal the black was sure that the poor creature died of fright before ever one of the great beasts touched it.
Mugambi built a fire and cooked his portion of the kill; but Tarzan, Sheeta, and Akut tore theirs, raw, with their sharp teeth, growling among themselves when one ventured to encroach upon the share of another.
It was not, after all, strange that the white man’s ways should have been so much more nearly related to those of the beasts than were the savage blacks. We are, all of us, creatures of habit, and when the seeming necessity for schooling ourselves in new ways ceases to exist, we fall naturally and easily into the manners and customs which long usage has implanted ineradicably within us.
Mugambi from childhood had eaten no meat until it had been cooked, while Tarzan, on the other hand, had never tasted cooked food of any sort until he had grown almost to manhood, and only within the past three or four years had he eaten cooked meat. Not only did the habit of a lifetime prompt him to eat it raw, but the craving of his palate as well; for to him cooked flesh was spoiled flesh when compared with the rich and juicy meat of a fresh, hot kill.
-EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, The Beasts of TarzanMeals are usually taken in contemplative silence as members of the order are supposed to listen to a reading…
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrappistHaving made this offering, he arose from samadhi. He thought to himself, Although by means of spiritual powers I have made this offering to the Buddha, it is not as good as offering my body. He then swallowed incense of many kinds, chandana, kunduruka, turushka, prikka, aloeswood, and resin incense. He also drank the oil of champaka and other flowers, for a full twelve hundred years. He smeared himself with fragrant oil, and in the presence of the Buddha Virtue Pure and Bright Like the Sun and Moon, he wrapped himself in heavenly jeweled robes and poured fragrant oil over himself. Then by means of spiritual penetration power and vows, he burned his own body. The light shone everywhere throughout worlds in number to the grains of sand in eighty kotis of Ganges Rivers.
-http://cttbusa.org/lotus/lotus23.aspSorry for my broken English.
One shouldn’t believe what whomever fanatic claims.
One should experiment with this.
So first one should get some correct information and for that I suggest to get few good books from Ann Wigmore and for example from Steve Meyerowitz.
One don’t need to growl during the meals like for example Tarzan is doing, but one should stop having conversations like for example Trappists are doing.
Extra yoga techniques suggested are: nauli, vajrori mudra, khechari mudra & amaroli.
HOWDY
Ps. Any normal healthy person should eat and drink outside one’s organism in controlled situation only once per day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oddMggrvHE (sacrificialsmoke)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoaIpZZfcFc (sprouting)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEpJdHS1pV0 (aghori)
Because some actually very good living food ‘cooking books’ by Ann Wigmore are not necessarily available ‘Sproutman’s Kitchen Garden Cookbook’ by Steve Meyerowitz is one of the best ones easily available.
Very very warmly recommended.
HOWDY
Ps. Sorry for my broken English.
In 637 C.E., in the province of Shinano, on top of Mount Hiei, En No Gyoja established Mikkyo. His student; Dengyo Daishi, then created on the same mountain the Buddhist sect Tendai Shugendo and opened the Enryakuji monastery. To this day, the monks of this monastery practice Shugendo and mountain ascetism, which includes practices of purification through trials and hardships.
-REMIGIUSZ BORDA, The Illustraded Ninja Handbook…he discovered that the monks themselves followed a stricter rule: for at least six months of the year they were allowed only one meal a day, and that of course, vegetables washed down with vinegary wine.
-ROBERT BALDICK, The Life of J.-K. HuysmansI shared some thoughts with the Abbot on how to increase recruitment. My basic suggestion, which Ill share here, is that they need to incorporate physical ascetism with their mental ascetism, and make it physically much harder. Yes, harder, and less accommodating. Create a year-long Hermitage, which would not require a commitment to enter the monastery, that is physically and mentally grueling, and make it Navy SEAL tough. Shaved head, no name, no shoes, rough hard-spun clothing, silence, isolation, physical labor, cold exposure, and Zen-like, yes, Sensai shit. Maybe even some weapons training. Right now monks are very low testosterone people leading low testosterone lives. (Incidentally, the words to the Psalms they chant are often off-the-charts high testosterone the Lord will destroy our enemies for all eternity type stuff a very odd contrast.) But they have this rich tradition of bad-ass ascetic hermits that is going untapped. A Hermitage would probably attract high T guys, but thats a good thing. It would be like doing a modern day vision quest for warrior-monks seeking to control and channel their testosterone. And Ill bet the end result would be more novices of all types. You should have seen the look on peoples faces as I was describing this to the Abbot in the Abbots private study. Hey, every millennium or so its time for a new branch to break away and re-dedicate. Maybe its time.
-http://huntergatherer.com/fasting-with-the-trappists-an-adventure-in-asceticism/OTSU–Under fire for allowing a yakuza memorial rite at Enryakuji–the head temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism–the temple’s entire leadership has stepped down.
Chief representative and priest Gyoun Imadegawa and his six deputies all resigned Thursday to take responsibility for permitting a Yamaguchi-gumi memorial service to be held April 21 at the temple’s Amidado Hall on Mount Hieizan.
About 90 people associated with the nation’s largest crime syndicate attended, many of them bosses of its direct affiliates.
-http://guildspot.org/rno/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1541One maybe could still make short comment about breathing practices.
These are seemingly mostly lacking in more effective form with UT/HT.
So here again advanced enough breathing mechanics should be used with more radical dietary choices.
HOWDY
An understanding of metabolism at different times of the day has significant implications due to its link to sleep, health, stress and fatigue, ultimately determining the quality of life. BMR is the lowest (basal) metabolic rate measured just after waking from a night’s sleep. It is well known that sleep is a restorative process wherein the body synthesizes its necessary chemicals for growth, maintenance and development. Rejuvenation and repair take place during sleep. Sleep generally brings down the metabolic rate by about 10%. Low basal metabolic rates of yoga practitioners have been reported.[4] Hypometabolic states have been reported in yogic studies wherein short and immediate effects of meditation and relaxation were observed.
Yoga which is a way of life is characterized by balance, health, harmony and bliss. In yoga lore, three normal states of consciousness have been identifiedthey are wakeful state (jagratha), dream or rapid eye movement (REM, swapna or dream state) and deep sleep without dreams (sushupti). Meditation is a part of yoga which is the seventh limb of Astanga yogaa state of alert rest as stated by Maharshi Mahesh Yogi. This leads to superconsciousness or the fourth state of consciousness called the Samadhi, which is beyond the deep sleep state in terms of metabolism.
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144606/Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about twelve hours of fasting).
The release of energy in this state is sufficient only for the functioning of the vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain and the rest of the nervous system, liver, kidneys, sex organs, muscles and skin. BMR decreases with age and with the loss of lean body mass. Increasing muscle mass increases BMR.
-http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htmhttp://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm
Q: What did you eat after the ice cream diet?
A: Nothing. I fasted for 2 years.
Q: What foods make you happy now?
A: This is precisely what I learned on the ice cream diet: Happiness, is not a function of food. Happiness is an inner nourishment. You bring your happiness to the dinner table. The dinner does not make you happy. However, your relationship with food can support or disrupt your emotional state. If you are at peace when you begin eating and your meal causes indigestion, then you have disturbed that peace, your happiness. Food does not create happiness, but it can disturb it or support it. That is why we must carefully select what we put inside our bodies and also be careful about the manner of delivery. Eating too quickly makes poison out of the healthiest, most nutritious food. Eating when you are not hungry is like forcing yourself to drive a car when you are tired. If you are miserable while you are eating, you are not prolonging your life, you are prolonging your misery. Choose a diet that both supports your body and your happiness.
-INTERVIEW WITH SWAMI SPROUTANANDAEssene bread is a very primitive form of sprouted grain bread. It is often eaten uncooked, or slightly heated, by proponents of raw foods. The Essenes, a Jewish religious group that flourished from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD, are credited with the technique and basic recipes for Essene bread, which is made from sprouted wheat and prepared at a low temperature. These two practices ensure the maximum possible vitamin content for this foodstuff. The sprouting also breaks down the lectins and other substances that some individuals may be sensitive or allergic to.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprouted_breadEdible seaweed are algae that can be eaten and used in the preparation of food. It typically contains high amounts of fiber and they contain a complete protein. They may belong to one of several groups of multicellular algae: the red algae, green algae, and brown algae.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_seaweedA goitre or goiter (Latin gutteria, struma), is a swelling of the neck or larynx resulting from enlargement of the thyroid gland (thyromegaly), associated with a thyroid gland that is functioning properly or not. Worldwide, over 90.54% cases of goitre are caused by iodine deficiency.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoiterHypothyroidism (/ˌhaɪpɵˈèaɪərɔɪdɪzəm/), from hypo- (“under” in Greek) and thyroid (the thyroid gland), often called underactive thyroid, is a common endocrine disorder in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. It can cause a number of symptoms, such as tiredness, poor ability to tolerate cold, and weight gain. In children, hypothyroidism leads to delays in growth and intellectual development, which is called cretinism in severe cases. The diagnosis of hypothyroidism, when suspected, can be confirmed with blood tests measuring thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine levels.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HypothyroidismFrom this article one can immediately see that instead of hero villain is more active.
My first question would be if there is one single documented case of goiter and hypothyroidism because of raw foodism?
So if it has to do with iodin, seaweed contains high iodine relative to other foods and at least if somebody follows Wigmore’s living food diet, one probably should be careful not to use too much it.
For example arame seaweed can be used with special living food sprouted bread and mixed with sauerkraut, kombu can be used, when well soaked, as special snack with green tea etc.
Both digestive health and nutrient absorption can be solved with some disciplined changes to one’s eating habits.
One should get now really extra stomach which was mentioned above.
This you get when you first of all stop motormouthing during the meals and simply concentrate to masticate properly.
Getting proper saliva production khechari mudra is suggested.
Now get, get as soon as possible Swami Sproutananda’s (Steve Meyerowitz) other book (pictured below) too.
Sorry for my broken English.
BANZAI
Ps. hero=analytical mind, villain=reactive mind
Let the angels of God prepare your bread. Moisten your wheat, that the angels of water may enter it. Then set it in the air, that the angel of air may embrace it. And leave it from morning to evening beneath the sun, that the angel of sunshine may descend upon it. And the blessings of the three angels will soon make the germ of life to sprout in your wheat. Then crush your grain, and make thin wafers, as did your forefathers when they departed out of Egypt, the house of bondage. Put them back again beneath the sun from its appearing, and when it is risen to its highest in the heavens, turn them over on the other side that they may be embraced there also by the angel of sunshine, and leave them there until the sun sets. For the angels of water, and air and of sunshine fed and ripened the wheat in the field, and they likewise must prepare also your bread. And the same sun which, with the fire of life, made the wheat to grow and ripen, must cook your bread with the same fire. For the fire of the sun gives life to the wheat, to the bread, and to the body. But the fire of death kills the wheat, the bread, and the body. And the living angels of the living God serve only living men. For God is the God of the living, and not the God of the dead.
-THE ESSENE GOSPEL OF PEACE
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