I am one who has completed successfully a transition to a vegan
diet, and a fairly whole-food one too, but while it is clear to me
how to maintain yourself in good health with a vegan diet,
it is not at all clear how do you do with a raw food diet.
Perhaps it is just my ignorance, but the post of T. Billings
about pulses and gas got myself even more puzzled.

The conventional wisdom in veganism is that for best health
you ought to eat from the four food groups (grains, vegs,
fruits and pulses in that order), and that because of their superior
nutritional value, one should make sure to get a daily serving
of super-greens (protein rich dark greens and crucifera) and
of pulses (mung, lentils, peas and adzuki are usually recommended
for lightness).

Now, my basic point is that these food sources are severely restricted
in a raw food diet.

- according to T. Billings, large beans are not an option in raw food
  diets, and even something like lentils is to be considered a
  "coarse food". Most beans give uncomfortable, slightly toxic,
  and non-health-optimizing gas. I was slightly shocked as I consider
  lentils (and lentils sprouts) as a light food.....

- generally pulses are "enzyme inhibitors", and if I understood the
  post correctly there are two lesser evils: mung beans and
  some Indian beans I have never heard about. even then, if I understand
  correctly, in modest quantities.

- the most nutritious greens are best steamed, or mixed to soups or
  other dishes, and unpleasant raw (eg, kale, collard, chard, bok choy,
  broccoli most of the year, most cabbages, turnip greens, etc.)
  I can see the solution being to go to baby greens, but that is probably
  a problem for anyone not living close to a Monterey Market (famous
  store in Berkeley, CA, whose Palo Alto branch fed me for 5 yrs).

- on top of it, the above-mentioned greens keep a lot better in the
  fridge than the usual raw greens like cress or watercress, rocket
  (aka arugula), crysanthemum, and the other half dozen greens I eat
  without knowing their name (the french call any weird green "XXX
  cress"). It is a problem for once-a-week shoppers,
  specially if your access to real greens is only that once (through
  a farmer market, in my case). In other words, by the end of the week
  the only greens which are a possibility are the tough ones above.

Ok, so there is the problem. We have managed to criticise most of the
nutrient-dense vegan foods. To be more specific, consider
folic acid, calcium and iron. These are three nutrients vegans
get overwhelmingly from dark greens and pulses (and calcium and iron
are two of Pennington's seven index nutrients, ie those nutrients that
guarantee adequate intake of all other nutrients, if their intake is
adequate). Carrots, celery, tomato, zucchini or lettuce are
poor sources of these three nutrients. Grains are at best a fair source
of iron. Some less common fruits are decent sources of those two minerals,
but not great and nothing you could think of eating as a staple.

I understand that most sprouts contain more enzymes (hence more B vitamins,
incl. B-9) than the original seed, but calcium and iron cannot be
increased. In a diet which is grain and fruit rich they might go on
the low side. I am sure it has been discussed to death somewhere,
but I am currently living in Europe and I cannot buy a book...

In other words, there must be a simple rule of thumb to maintain
a good nutritional profile in raw foods diet, similar to

"Eat whole, eat dark greens and pulses daily"

which I don't know yet...

G.B.