Hi Nordo,

I wish I had time to put together a good guide to doing a raw food diet, but
I have other priorities. It will happen sometime though.

Many raw web sites fail to tell how much to eat, raw is such a different
experience to cooked, and most raw food is less energy nutrient dense that
you need a lot more. This is probably why undernutrition is not uncommon
with raw foodists.

Some pulses really must be cooked because they are toxic, also some of the
cabbage family benefit from cooking because it may reduce the goitrogenic
effects they have. However, most regular commercial foods can be eaten raw
one way or another, if the taste is too bitter one can just cheat a little
and immerse the vegetable in hot water for a minute or 2. Tough foods can be
juiced or grated. Raw foods have potent anti cancer chemicals that do not
occur once food is cooked (Nutr Cancer. 2003;46(2):131-7), which may partly
explain why cooked foodists are more prone to cancer. I don't think there is
any evidence that cooked vegetables are healthier, just that some are toxic
raw., but these can be avoided.

In terms of variety, it is important to eat enough fruit to get the
carbohydrates you need - this will be about 15+ servings per day. To this
you must add a hearty salad consisiting about 1 pound or more if you can
manage, of greens, root vegetables and seeds. Seeds includes regular seeds
as well as sprouted legumes or grains. You can reduce this if you juice, for
example, carrots and greens.

You will still need a B12 supplement as per regular vegan diet and also
vitamin D if you live without enough sunshine. Drop me a line if you need
anymore advice, I've been 99% raw about 4 years, and 70% raw for a few years
before that.

regards,
John

"Nordo" > wrote in message
...
> There's a lot of blurbs on raw diets floating around the net, but I
> haven't been able to find anything close to a how-to guide. Does anyone
> know a website with a listing of what foods are best to eat to get a
> rounded raw diet? I'm also curious to know which vegetables are
> actually healthier when cooked, because articles always mention that
> such foods exist, but never give an example of one. Any info is
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> -Nordo