Vegan Nutrition

What if I came to you and said,

“I have the absolute best diet in the world. You will lose weight, you will have more energy, and you will prevent and even reverse any and all diseases. AND you get to eat 60% OR MORE of your calories from fat!”

You would probably a) laugh in my face, b) turn and run, or c) ask if I was a raw foodist.

That’s right, folks. The average raw foodist eats 60% of his or her calories from fat! That’s over HALF of one’s daily calories, all from fat!

Are you surprised? I know I sure was when I went raw. I could not believe that there were people actually promoting a high fat diet when all the evidence for a healthy diet pointed to the exact opposite!

So why are so many raw foodists eating so much fatty foods? What it boils down to is the “If It’s Raw, It’s Healthy” fallacy.

If It’s Raw, It’s Healthy

Many raw foodists will argue that raw fats are much healthier than cooked fats and do not result in such problems as heart disease and atherosclerosis. As long as it’s raw, you can eat as much avocado, nuts, and seeds as you want.

Yes, it’s true that raw fats are much better than cooked fats. Cooked fatty foods have had the majority of the water removed and many necessary micronutrients along with that water (not to mention all the nutrients that are destroyed by the heat alone).

Once fats are cooked, they quickly go rancid and produce harmful carcinogens. The more oxygen that these foods come into contact with, the more rancid they become and the more dangerous carcinogens they produce.

The Problem With Too Much Fat

However, eating an excess of either cooked or raw fats produces a host of problems for the consumer:

#1: Fat takes a long time to digest and it remains in the bloodstream for a long time. When too much fat is consumed, the excess fat in the bloodstream interferes with insulin production from the pancreas. Under normal circumstances, the insulin would attach itself to sugar molecules within the blood in order to carry them to the cells. With the fat in the way, the insulin does not reach the sugar. The pancreas becomes fatigued from producing extra insulin. The blood-sugar level becomes elevated because the sugar cannot be transported out of the blood by the insulin. As you can see, sugar metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes and Candida are not caused by a lack of insulin or too much sugar. They can be directly linked to an excess of fat.

#2: An excess of fat in the body slows down digestion of other foods that are eaten. Fruit, which normally takes minutes to digest, now has time to ferment inside the body. This results in uncomfortable bloating and gas.

#3: Too much fat in the bloodstream also interferes with the red blood cells’ ability to transport oxygen. A low oxygenated body is a perfect environment for cancer cells to thrive.

#4: Excess fat consumption is linked to numerous physical and mental ailments, such as:

How Much Fat?

Dr. Graham, author of The 80/10/10 Diet and a leader within the raw food movement, advocates a diet of 10% fat or less. Personally, this is the guideline that I follow and recommend as well. Anymore fat than this and it is likely that you are not consuming enough simple carbohydrates in the form of fruit.

10% of calories from fat is surprising to many people. However, many reputable sources (including the world-renowned Pritikin Center) recommend that only 10-15% of calories come from fat.

Many people around the world eat diets low in fat. In The China Study, the longest nutritional study ever conducted, Dr. Campbell studies people living in rural China who eat as low as 6% of calories from fat!

It is not surprising that in these areas you find much lower rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis, breast cancer, etc. compared to more industrialized places like the US and Britain.

On most days, I do not eat any overt fats and on those days I average about 5% of my calories from fat. I’ve never experienced any adverse reactions from limiting my fat intake.

In fact, I have only experienced great benefits since limiting fat, such as weight loss, increased energy, deeper sleep, mental focus, and improved digestion.

Take Action!

You can take action right now by simply limiting your consumption of fatty foods to 15% or less. A good way to do this is to replace these foods with high-calorie, low-fat sweet fruits.

For instance, if you usually eat avocados with your greens, try peaches sliced up on top instead. You can even make completely fat-free dressings from fruits and veggies. Here is a personal favorite of mine:

*Tangy Tomato Dressing*

Blend all of the ingredients together.

The best way to track your fat consumption is to use www.nutridiary.com. There are many more sites that allow you to track your calories, but this is the site I recommend. It is easy to use and easy on the eyes.

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I have spent a good amount of my time on raw food forums over the past couple of years. It is a great way to learn about eating raw and to gather information from others who are thriving on the diet.

While visiting these forums, I have noticed a problem that is expressed over and over again by various members. Many people complain that they find it too difficult to stick to a raw food diet. They find themselves extremely hungry and experiencing cravings for cooked dishes on a regular basis.

And I’m not talking about brand new raw foodists. I’m talking about people who have been attempting a raw food diet for years and still can’t seem to stick with it!

So what’s the problem? Why is it that such a vast majority of raw foodists fail on a raw food diet?

Not enough calories, Too much fat

In general, the raw foodists I’m talking about are consuming lots of greens and vegetables, avocados, nuts, oils, dehydrated mixtures like flax seed crackers, some vinegars, and dried fruit.

Even though the raw foodists described above are eating large amounts of greens and other vegetables, these foods do not offer a substantial amount of calories.

Here’s an example…

*Typical Salad without Overt Fats*

A large salad of 1 pound of romaine lettuce, 1 medium red bell pepper, and one medium cucumber is only 153 calories. All of that food has less calories than just two bananas!

This is a problem because the average person needs between 2000-2500 calories a day. To eat that much food from romaine lettuce, you would need to eat 25 pounds (about 50 heads) of lettuce per day! This is completely impractical, not to mention rather unpleasant. My jaw aches just thinking about it!

We’ve now established that it’s nearly impossible to get enough calories from vegetables. While salads like this are high in volume, the satiation is short lived because the caloric needs are not being met.

So where do these raw foodists get their calories from?

Avocados, raw nuts and seeds, and cold-pressed olive oils. To be precise, fat. These fatty foods are used to make dehydrated dishes like “raw” crackers, breads, and “mock” pizzas. They are also eaten on their own or put atop salads.

Let’s return to the salad example…

*Typical Salad with Overt Fats*

1 head of romaine, 1 medium bell pepper, and one medium cucumber is 153 calories. Now, add just one medium avocado and one tablespoon of olive oil. That takes the calories up to 561 calories!

The avocado and oil alone provide 2/3 of the total calories in this dish. Not only that, but the addition of the avocado and oil took the fat content from 10% to a staggering 61% of fat!

As you can see, it only takes a small amount of these foods (fatty fruits, nuts and seeds, and oils) to exceed your needed calories and fat content for the day.

Again, this is just one meal. Many raw foodists have two salads during their day and often times these are even more fat laden than the example I have shown above. This does not even consider the popular complex, dehydrated recipes that are mostly comprised of high-fat nuts and seeds.

With this knowledge in mind, is it surprising that the average raw foodist consumes a whopping 60% of his or her calories from fat everyday? How many times have you come across people who claim to eat several avocados a day and handfuls of nuts in just one sitting? Maybe this isn’t surprising, but it’s certainly unhealthy.

What’s the Alternative?

While greens and vegetable fruits are very important in a healthy raw diet, they simply do not provide the necessary calories to fill you up and combat cooked cravings. However, you do not have to get your calories from low-volume fatty foods.

You are not destined for raw food failure.

There is another way…

*Sweet fruit*

By eating substantial amounts of whole, raw, simple, delicious fruits, you will feel completely satiated and will no longer suffer from cooked food cravings. You will also be getting the absolute best nutrition available and fueling your body right!

And it’s so easy to get started! If you still eat a cooked diet, simply replace your breakfast with as much fruit as you can eat and move on from there. If you already eat raw, just replace the majority of the raw veggies and fats you eat with sweet fruit.

If you are having a hard time getting enough calories via whole fruit, try blending them into tasty smoothies!

So put down the avocado, pick up an apple, and start succeeding on a raw diet today!

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I often hear how “simple” eating raw is compared to eating cooked.  I couldn’t agree more!  There is just no comparison between a beautiful, simple breakfast of a whole cantaloupe and a SAD breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, and a cup of coffee.

Talk about indigestion!

However, the low fat raw way of eating that I was referring to is not the norm.  Instead, many raw foodists rely upon recipes modeled after their favorite foods, often called “mock” recipes.  These recipes contain various ingredients such as nuts, seeds, salt, spices, onions, garlic, etc.

Are these meals really simple?  Here are 3 guidelines for making simple raw recipes:

#1: The recipe has few ingredients

By few ingredients, I mean no more than 5 with the ideal being 1.  Not only does this mean that you can actually taste and identify all of the ingredients, but you will spend far less time in the kitchen.

The ingredients should also be easy to find.  You should be fine with a quick trip to your local grocery store or farmer’s market.

Many raw recipes contain more than 5 ingredients.  They are made with all kinds of raw nuts, seeds, spices, and vegetables.  Not to mention all the salt, pepper, and oil that is commonly used in a single dish.

#2: The recipe is easy to prepare

Each recipe should not take a lot of time nor equipment to put together.  At most, you might need a blender or food processor.  The *best* recipes only require opposable thumbs and take seconds to make!

Most raw recipes require a lot of your time and a bunch of expensive equipment.  Many of the popular raw dishes require a dehydrator, which is rather expensive.  And because it works at such a low heat (yes, HEAT), it can take all day.  Not to mention all the prep time you have to do before, hand chopping veggies and herbs and whatnot.

#3: The recipe is easy to digest

This is probably the most important guideline and relies upon the first two.  If your meal contains too many ingredients, it will be difficult for the body to digest it all.  If your meal is difficult to prepare, it probably means that there are too many ingredients and the meal is very processed.  These conditions also lead to difficult digestion.

As you have probably guessed, most raw recipes do not lend themselves to good digestion.  They are just too complicated!  Most of them are also full of fat, which slows down digestion.

Worst of all, these recipes break the most important food combining rule…

Sugar and Fat

In almost every raw recipe, you will find nuts mixed with dates or some other kind of fruit (usually dried).  While this may taste good and create a suitable texture for many mock recipes, it is not good for digestion.

Simple sugars, like the ones found in fruits, are quickly digested by the body.  It literally takes 30 minutes or less for your body to digest a whole fruit meal!

Fatty foods, like nuts and oils, take much longer to digest.  Just a handful of nuts can take hours to be fully processed by the stomach and intestines.

When you eat these two foods together, the rate of digestion is slowed down by the fatty foods.  Rather than getting through your system quickly, the fruit has to wait for the fat to be digested.

The result?  The sugars ferment inside of you, leaving you bloated, gassy, and uncomfortable.

Putting these guidelines into action

A truly simple meal is one that has few ingredients, can be easily prepared and is easily digested.  The perfect example is known as a mono-meal, or a meal of only one type of fruit.  In this case, you have one ingredient, it can be as easy as peeling a banana, and it digests within 30 minutes.

Not to mention the sense of accomplishment after eating 12 bananas in one sitting.

However, many of you are brand new to raw and cannot fathom eating only one type of fruit at a time.  You certainly do not have to!  You can eat fruit bowls of various mixes or combine your favorite fruits into a delicious, easy to eat smoothie.  You can even add greens to make a green smoothie!  All these options still adhere to the 3 guidelines for making simple raw recipes.

Whatever option you choose, remember to keep things simple.  By eating simple meals of sweet fruit, limiting your fat intake, and consuming moderate amounts of vegetable fruits and greens, you will receive the best nutrition and experience optimal digestion.

And what’s more simple than peeling a banana (or 10)?

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I’ll just get right to the point.  Most raw food gurus are lying to you.

#1: Is It Raw?

These “experts” encourage you to eat anything as long as it’s raw.  That means toxic foods like garlic, raw cacao, and cayenne pepper can be eaten on a daily basis and in mass quantities.  They are even described affectionately as “warming” foods!

#2: Fruit-Phobia

These “experts” claim that a fruit-based diet is dangerous to your health, all the while promoting severe calorie restriction by eating a diet based on low-calorie vegetables.

I won’t name names, but one “expert” in particular claims that the healthiest raw diet consists of no more than 5 ounces of food!  5 OUNCES!  That’s the amount I give my 15 pound maine coon!

Are you a 15 pound feline?  No?  Moving on then.

#3: Fat Fanatics

These “experts” go against all quality independent nutritional research and recommend eating extremely high levels of fat in the form of fatty fruits, nuts and seeds, and even processed oils!  These are RAW fats, so you can eat as much as you want!

Again, no naming names, but certain “experts” have no problem eating and recommending 2-4 avocados EVERYDAY!  And that’s not including all the nuts, seeds, and oils that are consumed in salads and dehydrated dishes.

#4: Powered, Processed, & Packaged

These “experts” advocate that you spend extraordinary amounts of YOUR money on  “necessary” superfoods and supplements, many of which the supposed “expert” undoubtedly sells on his or her own website.

#1: Is It Healthy?

Raw does not equal healthy!  You do not need harmful raw foods such as salt, pepper, and raw cacao.  In fact, your body is better off without them.

#2: Fruit, Fruit, and More Fruit

Don’t be afraid of fruit!  Fruits offer the best nutrition for humans and satisfy your caloric needs.  You should be eating as much sweet fruit as you want, until you are satisfied.  Low calorie greens and non-sweets fruits are additions to fruit and can never form the basis of a healthy diet.

#3: Fat is Fat is Fat…

Raw fat is still fat and these foods should make up the smallest part of your diet.  Think half of an avocado or 1-2 tablespoons of nuts per day.  And oils are not raw, not healthy, and nothing but 100% fat!

#4: Fresh, Raw, & Fruity

Superfoods and supplements can never measure up to the nutritional complex of fresh fruits and vegetables.

You do not need Noni juice.  You do not need dehydrated goji berries.  You do not need yucky green powders and I will *never* sell any of these to you nor recommend that you buy them from anyone!  Spend your money elsewhere, like on good quality fresh, raw produce.

Final Words

Ignore these so-called experts and go raw the RIGHT way!

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I can’t believe I’m actually saying this out loud, but one of my favorite movies is Justice League: The New Frontier.  It’s an animated film that aired just last year on Cartoon Network.

If it helps my case at all, the film is rated PG-13.

Okay.  Go ahead and laugh.

Got it out of your system?  Good.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering what an animated action flick has to do with raw food, so let me explain.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Here is the synopsis of the film from the Warner Brothers site:

“The New Frontier takes viewers on an action-packed adventure, exploring the origins of the Justice League.  DC Comics legends Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are all featured in the film as well as Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and The Flash – as they band together to form the legendary super team.  Strangers at first, these very different heroes must overcome fear and suspicion to forge an alliance against a monster so formidable, even the mighty Superman cannot stop it alone.  If they fail, the entire planet will be “cleansed” of humanity.”

“Fear and suspicion” of the Justice League is really the focus of the entire film.  The movie is set during the Cold War and the Communist paranoia that defined this time is reflected in the government suspicion of anything “super.”

The antagonist in the film is this terrible force called “The Center” that is threatening to obliterate the human race.  Of course, the government would rather focus on perceived differences than band together with the Justice League and kick some mega-monster butt.

It is this fear of the unknown that leads to inaction, threatening to destroy the entire planet.

Fear Leads to Inaction

Have you ever been so afraid of something that you were “frozen with fear,” too fearful to act?  I know I have.  Just as it did in the Justice League film, fear used to play a large role in my life.

Except a giant, earth-destroying monster wasn’t at the root of my fear.  Nope.  It was much less terrifying than that.  As silly as it sounds, it was my own health and wellness.

When I first became interested in improving my health, I found myself pretty overwhelmed.  I knew how to exercise, but nutrition had me at such a loss.  There were just so many different doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, and lifestyle coaches and few of them seemed to agree with each other.

Instead of feeling in charge of my health, I felt defeated.  I didn’t think that I could ever know enough to truly take good care of myself.  There would always be some necessary piece of information that I was missing for a long, healthy life.

I realize that I was not alone in this fear.  Many people are so afraid of making decisions regarding their own health that they would rather give up all together.

That’s where modern medicine comes in.  When you don’t know what to do, where do you go?  Why, your local doctor, of course!  He (or she) will prescribe you with all kinds of costly drugs and supplements to make you all better and remove all your fears.

And don’t think the raw food movement is impervious to this fear!  Raw foodists are so afraid of deficiencies (i.e. protein, B12, vitamin D, iron,etc.) that it often keeps them at a standstill.  They are too fearful of their own nutritional needs that they end up not doing anything at all.

So where do the raw foodists turn?  Why, the raw food gurus, of course!  They will “prescribe” you all the pills, powders, and processed foods you can handle, all in the name of health.

And you don’t even have to lift a finger, except to punch in your credit card information.

Knowledge Leads to Action

Is this really the way to live?  Do you really want to rely on other people for something so personal as your own health and well-being?  Wouldn’t you rather be in complete control of every aspect of your life?

I know I would.  But what is the solution?

*Knowledge*

The rampant fear and suspicion exhibited in The New Frontier simply stems from a lack of knowledge…knowledge of the strange, knowledge of the new, and knowledge of the formidable.

It’s the same with the health movement, raw or not.

Think of it this way. A person who is looking to improve his health, but is not knowledgeable in that area will probably be too fearful to make decisions on his own.  It is very likely that he will turn to some “expert” who will charge him an arm and a leg for his “expert” services.

But what about the individual who understands basic health principles and is confident in his nutritional decisions?  Will that person be stricken with fear?  Will that person look for more “qualified” individuals to tell him how to live his life?

I don’t think so.

When I finally discovered low fat raw, I felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  I learned that I was in complete control of my nutrition and that I didn’t need doctors or gurus to tell me how to eat.

And it was all much more simple than I could have ever imagined!  I had always enjoyed raw fruit and so I found eating mountains of it both mind-boggling and exciting.

Come on, how fun is it to eat dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Take a Stand

You have to take a stand.  You have to educate yourself about health.  You cannot rely on so-called experts, within the raw food movement itself and outside of it.  You have to do the research on your own and learn from your own experiences.

Luckily, we now have the internet and so this learning process is much easier.  However, it also means that there is A LOT of inaccurate information out there that has to be sifted through.  It can be difficult at times to know which sources to listen to.

That’s what this blog is all about!  My intent has always been to provide solid, sound information in an easy-to-understand and useful format.  I try to sift through all of the junk and provide simple, practical guidelines that allow you to begin your health journey as soon as possible.

Let me know if I am achieving this goal.

Final Thoughts

I couldn’t think of anything deep or meaningful to say, so I’ll just leave you with some profound quotes:

“There is nothing to fear except the persistent refusal to find out the truth, the persistent refusal to analyze the causes of happenings.” ~ Dorothy Thompson

“Fear is not the natural state of civilized people.” ~ Aung San Suu Kyi

“Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive — the risk to be alive and express what we really are.” ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

And my personal favorite:

“Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” ~ H. Jackson Brown

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