COMMENTS ON MIXED DIETS: RAW+COOKED


While some people thrive on 100% raw diets, many others may find 100% raw to
be too difficult for them. Some of the common problems one can experience on
100% raw are: body weight too low, lack of groundedness (i.e., inability to
concentrate, apathy), and occasional physical weakness.

Before considering the topic of cooked food, it should be noted that there are
(potential) raw solutions to the above problems:

* body weight too low - add or increase amount of dates and nuts in your diet.
Some raw fooders report that fermented foods, such as raw seed cheeses and
(fermented) almond cream help maintain weight. Others report vigorous physical
exercise (weightlifting, Ashtanga yoga) is helpful in maintaining body weight.
In an interview in "Eat it Raw" (posted long ago on veg-raw, the e-mail list for
raw-fooders), Viktoras reported that a diet that is predominantly sprouted
grains (mixed grains, eaten in combination - not alone) can allow you to
maintain body weight. (Credit for the the weightlifting suggestion also goes to
Viktoras.)

* lack of groundedness - often a sign that the diet has too much fruit in it.
May be a symptom of zinc deficiency. Reduce fruit consumption, increase
vegetable consumption, especially leafy green and root vegetables.  Eating
short sprouts in place of fruit may help also. Zinc supplements may be helpful
here, if you are willing to use them.

* weakness - short term, may be a sign that the body is in a cleansing stage.
You can usually reduce cleansing by eating more (raw) food. Deep breathing
exercises may be helpful here. If weakness persists long term, you should
consult a qualified health professional - may be a symptom of serious illness.

A number of raw food authors suggest a diet that is 70-90% raw, with the
remainder lightly cooked foods, as an effective target/compromise diet. However,
as raw foods promote physical cleansing, one must be careful in selecting the
10-25% of the diet that is cooked, to avoid causing undesirable cleansing
reactions (cravings, unusual hunger, stomach pains, cramps, etc.)

If you have a mixed diet, the cooked part should be as follows (the comments
below would also apply to someone phasing out cooked, enroute to 100% raw):

1) lightly cooked, no deep frying or microwaving; also avoid baked foods.
Steaming, sauteeing (in fruit juice, not in oil), or boiling for a short time,
are the preferred preparation methods. Some vegetarian foods that supposedly
require long cooking times can be boiled for a few minutes, then set aside to
finish cooking at lower temperatures.

2) relatively simple foods - not complex

3) unseasoned or very lightly seasoned. Avoid or minimize use of very strong
spices like nutmeg, cloves, garlic, onions, hot peppers, as these have side
effects, and may encourage gluttony and/or cravings.

4) No (or minimal) refined salt or sugar added as these chemicals are well known
for causing cravings. Use unrefined salt/sugar with caution.

5) unprocessed or minimally processed. Instead of ordinary bread, eat sprout
bread (Essene bread). Instead of junky cookies, make cookie substitutes -
dehydrated sprout "cookies". Avoid manufactured junk foods such as potato
chips, soda drinks, candy, etc.

6) no stimulants, depressants, or other poisons - coffee, alcohol, drugs.
Needless to say, alcohol/drug use (including use of marijuana) is harmful and
will counteract many of the benefits of a raw food diet.

7) leftovers should not be cooked again: cook once, but not twice. Leftovers
can be warmed to room or body temperature if you prefer.

Also, note that it is much easier to overeat cooked foods, compared to raw
foods. Be moderate in your consumption of all foods, whether cooked or raw.

Examples of undesirable cooked foods - anything fried, heavily seasoned or
salted, or very complex, elaborate recipes with dozens of ingredients. Examples
of cooked foods that are "clean", that usually don't cause side effects, include
steamed vegetables (optionally, on rice), boiled potatoes, steamed sweet corn
(corn is delicious raw, no cooking needed). Of course, whenever possible, it is
best to eat raw food, because it contains the full life force (cooked foods have
very little life force).

Eating the wrong cooked foods can neutralize some of the benefits one can
receive from a raw foods diet, so discretion in consuming cooked foods is a
good idea, when one has a mixed raw/cooked diet.

Personally, I consider diet to be a very individual thing: what is good for one,
may be bad for another, due to differences in bodies and individual
circumstances. Hence, I encourage others to find the mixture of raw and cooked
that serves them best in the sense that it supports good health. I would not
worry about dogma here; what counts is what is best for you, not dogma!

While on the subject of cooked foods and dogma, there are a few slogans that are
popular in certain raw food circles; an examination of these slogans will shed
some light on the present topics.

The first slogan is: "raw is law". This is a catchy slogan; however if it is
trying to say that "eating an exclusively raw foods diet is a law of nature",
then it is clearly false. Let us review two things that prove "raw is law" is
false (there is more evidence against it, than is presented here). The first
evidence is given in the Ward Nicholson interview in the excellent "Health &
Beyond" newsletter (Dec. 96 issue). In a superbly researched and documented
article, Ward makes the compelling case that consumption of some cooked food may
be natural, in that humans have eaten cooked foods for a long time (more than
125,000 years), and we probably have genetically adapted to eating some cooked
food.  (Ward's case is technical, and I recommend reading the interview.)
Ward uses a logically defensible definition of natural: "what is 'natural' is
simply what we are adapted to by evolution".

The second evidence against "raw is law" is simply the fact that wild animals
are often killed, and their remains cooked, by wildfires, as well as volcanos,
geysers, and even lightning strikes. It is also a fact that the cooked remains
of these animals are routinely eaten by wild carnivores and scavengers. Another
obvious example of wild animals eating cooked (and processed!) foods, is given
by the rats, seagulls, bears, and other animals that scavenge at landfills. So,
when circumstances permit, certain wild animals will not hesitate to eat cooked
food! The effect of this evidence is to show that "raw is law" is inaccurate and
misleading. [The above may disturb some sensitive readers, but is included
because I want to present the truth - nature as it really is - rather than
dogma.]

Another slogan that is popular in certain circles is "cooked food is poison".
There are a number of problems with this slogan. First, the slogan is arguably
false: it is obvious that cooked food IS NOT poison, in the normal meaning of
the word. So, claiming that cooked food is poison devalues the word poison,
rendering it meaningless. Clearly, cooked food is not good for you, but it is
not as bad for you as real poison (even a slow poison like nicotine). Also, the
evidence above debunking "raw is law", applies to "cooked food is poison" as
well.

Second, the slogan appears to advocate a raw foods diet, based on the fear
and/or hatred, of cooked foods. Including fear/hatred in the philosophical basis
for your diet is an incredibly bad idea, because then, when you eat, you are
also (figuratively) mentally 'eating' fear and hatred. Further, as diet is such
an important part of life, if your diet is based on fear/hatred, then you are
placing fear/hatred at the very center of your life! We should have positive
reasons for our diet, and a positive emphasis in our life.

I would summarize my reaction/opinion of this slogan, by correcting/restating
it as follows:

"Cooked food IS NOT poison, but a diet high in cooked/processed food is not good
either. Many individuals would benefit from a diet that is high in raw and
unprocessed foods. Fear/hatred of cooked foods is not an appropriate basis or
motivation for a diet. Fear/hatred ARE poison, and are more harmful than a diet
of cooked food. So, eat raw foods, have positive reasons for your diet, and
avoid the mental poisons of fear, hatred, and zealotry."

At this point, some readers will ask: if cooked food is not poison, why are you
telling us which cooked foods are "clean"? This is a fair question. The answer
is that some cooked foods are OK, e.g. boiled potatos are more easily digested
than raw, while some cooked foods are not OK: meat fried in saturated fat, then
heavily salted, is very bad for you. The point is that we should be accurate and
honest. Raw kidney beans, raw rhubarb are known to be toxic; would it be fair
then to claim that "raw food is poison"?

I hope you found the above interesting. Good luck in your diet and health
efforts!

Tom Billings