Hi everyone,

I am back from my trip in Germany (math conference at Oberwolfach). The
institute was a few miles from the closest village, and so everything was pretty
isolated. The meals were provided by the institute, so staying raw would have
been very inconvenient, if not impossible: this gave me the opportunity to
compare raw with cooked food.

First, I should give some details about the cooked food I ate there, since two
given cooked diets may be extremely different.

Lunch was served at 12:30, and dinner at 18:30. I chose to keep eating 2 meals a
day (no breakfast). The meals always contained several raw and cooked
vegetables, was moderate in meat, and were varied: probably the food would be
considered as of good quality by many. I however had to eat selectively what was
on my plate: when we were served pizza, I discarded the "wheat and cheese" part.
When the dessert consisted of a cake, I just skipped it, etc.

What I ate: meat, fish, eggs, rice, pasta, vegetables, fruits, salt, beans,
potatoes. I drank water outside meals.

What I didn't eat: refined sugar, bread, cakes, dairy, fried foods, roasted
meat, coffee, alcohol.

...And here is the outcome of the experiment:

1) Taste:
My first cooked meal was actually taken in the plane. Although the meal was
ordinary (and I discarded half of it), it tasted really *terrific*, like the
best raw foods. I however found the taste too strong, and my taste buds took a
few days to readapt. By the end of the week, the food still tasted good, but I
got used to it and it became ordinary again.
We had some fish (trout) on Friday, and I now understand why people use sauce:
without sauce, it is absolutely tasteless, and very dry! I really missed my raw
fish, then.

2) Energy:
Was good. Well, it was a bit difficult to find sleep and to wake up (at 8 a.m.)
in the morning, but perhaps I was jetlagging, and also thinking about math
problems in the evening. Otherwise, I didn't feel particularly bad, and my
energy level was good during our excursion in the snow on Wednesday afternoon.

3) Excretions:
Urine and feces smelled more (not surprising, since cooked foods has a stronger
flavor than raw food). I wasn't constipated, but evacuation was a bit more
difficult.

4) Body odors:
I was surprised that my body didn't smell bad [some people on the list will say
that I have no way to know; but I think I do, for the reasons I have already
said in another post]. However, when I washed (and cut) my hair this morning, it
seemed I could recognize the potatoes and butter I ate on Friday at lunch (I am
not absolutely certain).

5) Appetite:
Very good, since I didn't overeat (no breakfast, etc). I found that I ate
extremely fast (since cooked food requires little chewing).

6) Digestion:
Good, despite obvious miscombinations (protein+starch+fruit). I think
combination rules are useless when you eat cooked. Well, I did have a few little
noises, as well as a little gas, but no more and no less than with well-combined
raw food. I think I am just paying more attention to these little things.

7) Mucus:
I noticed that my throat wasn't perfectly clear (especially in the morning), and
I had to blow my nose about twice a day (which wasn't a big problem).

8) Weight:
My weight remained the same.

9) Coming back to raw:
I have no cravings whatsoever. The carrots yesterday were a bit tasteless, but I
have just finished eating a (whole) delicious iceberg lettuce.


A final note: this little excursion in SAD doesn't allow to draw any conclusions
on the long-term effects; it also doesn't say anything about paleo cooked diets.
I would say that eating SAD meals *occasionally* (as long as you avoid the
"worst", like cakes, soft drinks, cookies, fried foods) probably won't
deteriorate your health. However, I won't do it too often, since it's a bit
disturbing for the taste (until you readjust to the stronger taste).

Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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