in a recent post, Roopali Garg <[log in to unmask]> inquired:

>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?

If the fruit are sun-dried, their enzyme loss should be limited. If they
were dried in a kiln or (forced air) drier, above the temperature you indicate,
the loss can be worse. Some dried fruit is preserved with sulfur dioxide -
best to avoid that and get dried fruit with no preservatives.

The purpose of drying is to reduce the water content, and as water is a good
vehicle for oxygen, oxygen levels may be reduced. Rehydrated fruits, by most
criteria, are not as good as fresh. However they are an alternative to
fresh when fresh is not available or too expensive. It is a good idea to
rehydrate dried fruit, as it may cause gas if not rehydrated.

> 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?

Overeating is a major problem for many raw fooders. The problem is especially
acute if one overeats dried fruit, honey, or other sweet foods. Being hungry
all the time is bad because you will be tempted to backslide and eat
inappropriate food - candy, sweets, salty snacks, and so on. Overeating can
disturb your digestion, promote gas, irritate your intestines, and cause
excess urination.

When you are eating, learning to recognize the inner voice say "I'm satisfied"
is difficult, and developing the willpower to stop eating when you hear that
voice, takes some effort and time. Controlling the tongue is very difficult,
as it enjoys the taste of delicious raw foods (as well as bad foods)!

How to reduce food intake? First stop snacking and/or grazing. Eat only when
hungry. For each meal, decide how much food is the maximum you will eat, and
don't exceed the limit you set. The amount of food that will fit in both
hands, held together, is one possible goal. (The food should not be piled
high in the hands).

When you decide to reduce your food intake, you may find it helpful to
begin by using a purgative - specifically rehydrated prunes - to clear
your digestive system. The idea is to clear the system, then reduce food
intake and allow your stomach and intestinal tract to literally shrink back
to their proper size (bloating is very common when overeating). You will
be hungry for some days, but once the stomach shrinks back to normal size,
the hunger will be reduced.

Getting your eating under control is *very* difficult, but it is worth the
effort. Good luck!

>What about fermentation?
>  Any other factoids about
>fermentation that I should know?.

Fermentation was discussed some months ago. Among raw fooders, acidphilus
fermentation is seen as good, yeast fermentation (=> alcohol/liquor) is
seen as bad. Advocates of fermentation say it may make certain foods more
digestible, provides acidophilus and enzymes, and is an important part of
the living foods lifestyle (of Ann Wigmore), which has been used successfully
by many people for healing of serious illness.

Skeptics of fermentation point out that foods that have been fermented for
days consist of a live bacteria culture, that is living on a dead base,
e.g., in raw sauerkraut the culture is alive (down to a certain pH level),
while the base of raw cabbage is certainly dead. This raises the question
of whether they are really living foods, and what is the definition of
living foods anyway? Foods that have been fermented only a few hours, such
as sprout milk yogurt, certain seed cheeses, may be acceptable as the base
food is likely to be alive after only a few hours of fermentation.

Tom Billings
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