raw food versus cooked food diet

[may]

from what i've been able to glean from abstracts obtained through medscape, etc., cooked meat is particularly bad for you. of course, many arguments are also made that cooked vegetables and fruit are also, at the very least, seriously nutritionally impoverished. i am persuaded by some, but by no means all, the arguments in favour of eating a largely raw diet over a largely cooked one. either way, i am currently trying a (largely but not obsessively) lacto (or, rather, yoghurt)-vegtarian raw diet. my reason is that i am in the midst of an intellectually demanding job and need to have as clear a mind as possible. i felt that ditching all processed foods, sucrose, caffeine and wheat products for a start would help 'uncloud' my thinking. (so far, so good. and my mood has improved drastically.)

anyway, there has also been much written on raw food websites about the amazing 'glowing skin' one gets from eating a raw food diet. i was wondering whether you have seen/met many raw foodists and can testify that their diet does seem to benefit their skin, or whether you can think of any reason that raw foodists might 'glow' (beyond the fact that they would be getting more nutrients than the vast number of westerners who cook their food until it's mushy)?

[drtodorov]

I am not sure that benefits are as dramatic as to manifest via skin glow but it is true that raw foods, particularly fruits and vegetables have a wide array of antioxidants and other micronutrients some of which are lost during cooking.

Keep in mind that the extent of nutritional difference between raw and cooked food depends on the method of cooking - how prolonged and intense the heat treatment is, how much are micronutrients washed out (e.g. into unused boiling water), etc. Some methods of cooking are far healthier than others.

I reasonable alternative to completely raw diet would be a diet with lots of raw fruit, vegetables (and corresponding fresh fruit/veg juices) as well as moderately cooked whole grains, etc... FIY, one should be very careful with raw fish, meat and other animal products due to serious dangers of GI infections. For those, cooking (as long as it is not excessive) is a sterilization tool and probably has more pros than cons.

[cjdavis]

[drtodorov]

Many pesticides are not destroyed by cooking, so the exposure would be similar whether you eat cooked or uncooked fruits and veggies (assuming commensurate amounts).

Unfortunately, there is not enough hard science to evaluate the net benefits / risks of eating lots of fruits and vegetables. My feeling is that the meadia inspired fears of pesticides in food are at least somewhat overblown, but I haven't seen enough data to be sure either way.

Ironically, genetically modified foods may turn out safer in that regard as then shouldn't require as much pesticides.

[SteveF]

Several times I have eaten raw vegan for 9 months at a time without any problems. I have cured my self of several things that the doctors wanted to operate on with Chinese herbs and raw food. If some one wants to try this for the skin the best raw diet now is the 80 10 10. 80% calories from fruit and veggies 10% from protein and 10% from fats. Such as nuts. if you google 80 10 10 there are videos and much else on it. They suggest up to a pound of greens a day. For me that is a lot of eating so I just make blended salads in my vita mix blender. Good luck

.

[cjdavis]

[SteveF]

cjdavis

What a reply. Your obviously on this forum to learn more than what the doctors know or you would just listen to them. Most the info is from other members which is anecdotal. What is your expertise other than exposing what some authoritarian AMA experts only know? The last place I would go for curing cancer is an AMA doctor.

Have you tried eating 100% raw organic fruit for 9 months? Have you eaten raw vegan for 9 months several times? Have you tried fasting for 10 days, five days and several times for 3 days on just water? Have you tried the 80 10 10 for a couple weeks to see what happened? I have.

Have you used Chinese medicine that has trained doctors using a form of medicine that is over 3000 yr old not just the oil based chemicals that doctors use now for only the last hundred years that have dozens of side effects listed on each one? Have you ever thought that the whole herb is more powerful than just some single extracted part? Have you separated your shoulder at 55 and the doctors told you would never be healed perfectly and then ate raw and took Chinese medicine and then feel no different than at 21 yr old and pain free? Have you ever had your whole urinary system shut down and the butcher doctors wanted to operate upon your prostate and ruin your sex life at 56 yet by taking some conventional muscle relaxers, Chinese herbs, acupuncture and raw food that now 2 year later it's like one is 21 and and has no more problems. Have you ever had a low grade fever and a slight internal ear ache for three days at 45 and went to a Chinese doctor and was cured in less than 4 hours from a brain infection that the regular doctors would of been too late to stop with antibiotics so I didn't die?(can't totally verify this but the symptoms of an infection was there) I have

Have you spent 15 hours on the net studying ever thing you can find on the 80 1010 diet? Have you read and seen the man who developed it and his condition at his age of plus 58 and that he has been training athletes for 20 years? Have you spent hours looking at videos on youtube of the the people that have tried this and the creator of it? I have

What is your personal expertise and experimentation to say what you have?

:?:

[cjdavis]

[drtodorov]

The difference between "medical" and "natural" methods is artificial. There are only things that work and things that do not. And that should be determined via scientific method and properly designed studies.

[charlesfunkel]

If cooked food tastes good and you avert certain diseases like bird flu by cooking for a long time and at a high temperature, then I am sure that there is nothing wrong in having it.