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Vegan (alt.food.vegan) This newsgroup exists to share ideas and issues of concern among vegans. We are always happy to share our recipes- perhaps especially with omnivores who are simply curious- or even better, accomodating a vegan guest for a meal! |
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Raw or Cooked?
http://www.living-foods.com/index.shtml
How important is it to eat raw vs. cook food. I was thinking about eating just raw fruits and veggies for 30 days, should I take vit. durning that time? A cleaning diet, afterwards start putting in some cook food, seed, nuts, bread, oatmeal and so on slowly. Of course nothing from the animal world. Richard |
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Richard,
I've been eating pretty much 100% raw for nearly 8 years. Eating the foods to which we are naturally adapted works, and is an amazing experience. Raw food is necessary for health. You should take B12 if you are vegan, raw or not, as a precaution. Some more info below. John Did you know? cooking destroys vitamin C up to 90% moderate cooking destroys folate 50% cooking destroys up to 67% of iodine raw food eating can reduce cancer risk by 50% or more whole uncooked plant cells are necessary for a healthy digestion for every calory expended cooking, 3 to 4 times more are required in addition it is not necessary to eat cooked food! Fruit provides the body with a ready supply of energy and vitamins. Regular fruit consumption is essential for a healthy digestive system. Most modern commercial fruits have been hybridized and lack seeds so that they are a borderline to inadequate source of protein, essential fats and minerals. This is why nuts and seeds are an essential addition to a raw diet. Legumes can also be considered to be fruits and are highly nutritious. Sweet legumes such as the tamarind are a rich supply of nutrients including iron and calcium, so is carob. Figs are a healthy source of calcium. An insufficient intake of fruit can lead to lack of energy, and usually dependance on cooked starchy foods as an alternative. Green vegetables and root vegetables can be a good source of vitamins, minerals and protective phytochemicals. Only a few vegetables really benefit from cooking because they have an unpleasant taste. Some of these can simply be dunked in hot water to remove the strong flavour without the need for extensive cooking. Many vegetables have subtle and delicate flavours that are ruined by cooking. Try grating vegetables, or juice them if they are tough. Juicing will extract most of the nutrients of vegetables without harming them, and using a fraction of the energy used for cooking. A high intake of raw vegetables was found to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 50%. Nuts and seeds are sometimes overlooked in raw food diets. This food group includes nuts and seeds from trees, vegetables, flowers and legumes. Many can be soaked in water until they sprout or swell up and soften. This food group is an excellent source of nearly all nutrients and is essential in making up for the shortcomings of hybridised fruits. Try soaking puy lentils, or other pulses until tender - many have a very pleasant flavour. Chickpeas are highly nutritious, but can lead to a lot of wind! Some pulses are unsuitable for eating raw, so check up first. Add raw pulses to your salads or eat them alone as a quick and simple meal. Nuts like the walnut are a good source of essential fatty acids and all provide plenty of protein. Sunflower seeds make a great snack. Nuts and seeds do not elevate bad cholesterol and are healthy for your heart. They are only fattening when eaten in excess. If you eat a diet free of processed foods and animal products, you may find that you will need to use some supplements. Why so? Animal feeds are supplemented with calcium, iodine, zinc and other nutrients to boost growth and protect against deficiencies. Consumers benefit indirectly from supplements via this route. Animal products, particularly dairy, also provide vitamin B12. However, Vitamin B12 can be obtained naturally from insects on and in food, from natural water sources, and also from dirt and faeces. Because most people choose not to ingest these things, a vitamin B12 supplement is probably essential for vegans. Civilised people spend too long indoors and are prevented from making their own vitamin D, which is a hormone. It takes 3 hours of summer sunlight facial exposure per day to make enough vitamin D. Processed foods like cereals, bread and margarines and milk alternatives are fortified with vitamin D, some fish, and eggs, also provide it. If you remove these items from the diet, and do not have sufficient sun exposure, you will need to take a supplement. Adopting a raw food diet takes commitment and determination. You will need to eat plenty of good quality raw foods, and you may find you get cravings for some "foods" that are really very addictive. These tips will help you to transition off addictive eating habits. 1) Set up a realistic program, stick to it and take things a step at a time. I needed to stay 90% raw (only ate cooked food on weekends) before I started to enjoy raw food. 2) Avoid condiments and strong flavourings, e.g. salt and spices. These are addictive irritants, feed your cravings and interfere with your sense of taste and flavour. Taper use of them off or simply quit them and start to enjoy the real flavour of food. 3) Don't be tempted to mix up too many raw foods in a salad. Simple salads are often the best. Add some fruit to salads, apple goes really well, but sweet dressings can be made with mango and banana as well. Raw food will transform you, inside and out! "Richard Miller" > wrote in message news:tufDd.40983$8e5.26866@fed1read07... > http://www.living-foods.com/index.shtml > > How important is it to eat raw vs. cook food. I was thinking about eating > just raw fruits and veggies for 30 days, should I take vit. durning that > time? A cleaning diet, afterwards start putting in some cook food, seed, > nuts, bread, oatmeal and so on slowly. Of course nothing from the animal > world. > > Richard > > |
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Richard Miller wrote:
> http://www.living-foods.com/index.shtml > > How important is it to eat raw vs. cook food. Not very important at all. > I was thinking about eating > just raw fruits and veggies for 30 days, Why would you let yourself succumb to an eating disorder for a set period of time? > should I take vit. durning that > time? You better, but you're better advised to eat a normal diet instead. > A cleaning diet, No such thing. > afterwards start putting in some cook food, seed, > nuts, bread, oatmeal and so on slowly. Of course nothing from the animal > world. Why not? |
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John Coleman wrote:
> cooking destroys vitamin C up to 90% Cooking increases carotene in carrots. What's your point? > raw food eating can reduce cancer risk by 50% or more Prove it. |
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John Coleman wrote:
> cooking destroys vitamin C up to 90% Cooking increases carotene in carrots. What's your point? > raw food eating can reduce cancer risk by 50% or more Prove it. |
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"usual suspect" > wrote in message ... > Cooking increases carotene in carrots. What's your point? Master of irrelevant trivia. What's -your- point? Why don't you make a list of ALL know nutrients and how much decrease/increase cooking produces for all, and then produce a meaningful summary?? Oh, wait, you are not capable of this, right?? Laurie |
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