"Who determines whether they are kosher or not?  It's *your* diet - make your
*own* criteria and decide by them.  I hate it when people ask me what I am
"allowed" to eat - it's a small but important difference I tell them.  I can,
or am "allowed" to eat anything I want, from sirloin to asphalt, but I make
an effort to nourish my body and it is my firm belief that my body is not
best nourished on asphalt, mcdonalds, sugar, caffiene, to name some obvious
ones, so I avoid them accordingly.  NO ONE tells me what to eat - I would
hope most people who can see the logic in a "more raw" food diet can also
see the logic in that."

Point well taken, but my question was meant to ask other people's
opinions: how do *you* feel about dried fruits, and why?  I reserve the
right to make my own opinions.  More specifically, I was thinking
about the enzyme level.  What (admittedly little) I've read about raw
foods talks about the 40 degree Celsius threshold level for not
deactivating enzymes.  I was wondering if dried fruit have "live"
enzymes or not, generally speaking.  What about the other factors,
oxygen, water, hormones?  Are rehydrated fruits about as "good" as the
regular kind?

And then I have the same question about white rice, cracked wheat
(tabouli) and couscous.  [ I understand that white rice is not as
whole as brown rice, but (a) I own quite a bit of it (I bought a large bag
once and didn't use much, since I prefer brown) (b) I'm not convinced
that the difference between brown rice and white rice is overwhelming:
I've noticed some brown rice that looks like it has the same amount of
fiber as white rice (c) hull-less sprouts are also no longer "whole",
yet most people don't fret about that too much, so maybe it balances
out if I keep the hull on the bean and throw away the hull on the
rice. ]

" but better advice is to listen to your body.  If your
body tells you that lots of sprouts taste bad and are bitter, then don't eat
lots of sprouts."

Thanks.  I needed to be reminded of that.  I even found that the "lots
of sprouts" which were overwhelming and bitter one day tasted fine the
next.  I don't know if it's because I prepared them differently or
because my body had different needs, but there you have it.

I was confused about responses to my question about calories: Why is
sufficient calorie intake *not* a problem?  Does the need/craving for
more calories diminish?  (e.g. "... can sharply reduce both your food
and sleep requirements. Of course a raw food diet, to a certain
extent, can convey similar benefits.")  I find that right now, I can
eat three large, raw meals, many fruit snacks, and still be ravenous.
I had a hard time doing other things as my mind would continue to
think about food.  Any advice?

What about fermentation?  I read that fermentation is good (creates
more enzymes, or increases their activity level or something).  Does
that mean that beer and wine are good foods?!  Are cooked fermented
foods any better than unfermented cooked foods?  (I'm thinking of
sourdough breads and of dosas, here)  Any other factoids about
fermentation that I should know?.

Does anyone know about oxygen in boiled water?  I find I really prefer
hot (boiled) drinks over cold (tap water) drinks, all year round.

Thanks again, both to Michael Clingman for rejuvenating this list, and
for everyone else for being an active part of it.