This
essay was contributed by "Yoda" of TheTaoBums.com. (Thank
you!, Yoda.)Yoda's Introduction to Raw Eating
"Why are people today appear unable to develop and act according to all
they learn and seem to know?" Steiner replied: "This is a problem of
nutrition."
Ramana Maharishi: "Regulation of diet, restricting it to sattvic food,
taken in
moderate quantities, is the best of all rules of conduct and the most
conducive to the development of sattvic (pure) qualities of mind. These
in turn help one in the practice of Self-enquiry."
We all know that diet is important. But if folks like Steiner and Ramana are
correct, the standard healthy American "chicken and pasta" diet might
still be several steps away from being optimal especially for anyone interested
in making progress in the contemplative disciplines.
For anyone interested in experimenting along these lines, I'd recommend keeping
the following thoughts in mind:
Honor your sweet tooth. Rawists believe that humans function best on a
diet similar to chimpanzees and bonobos which is mostly fruit, then herbacious
vegetation, then nuts, grubs and a small amount of meat. They are our closest
living relatives, so I find this argument to be persuasive. If you need 2000
calories a day, that's the fruit equivalent to 20 bananas a day! (google:
bonobos diet) If there's one key to getting into and sticking with a raw food
diet, this one is it. My moments of weakness are nothing other than feeling
hungry while being surrounded by the standard American fare.
Keep fat to under 20% of calories. Don't go crazy on nuts and avocados or
fatty non raw foods. Studies suggest that a high fat diet reduces the
effectiveness of insulin and sugar metabolism and one is likely to have such
problems on such a high sugar diet if fat intake is high. Go to fitday.com
for a couple of days to find out how many of your calories are from fat. Again,
follow the monkeys on this one. Beware of creamy salad dressings! (google:
"insulin sensitivity" low-fat vegan studies) Actually, many contend
that the best macronutrient ratio is 80/10/10: 80% fruit (not refined sugar,
grains, or starches) / 10% protein / 10% fat. (google: Dr. Doug
Graham)
Get enough calcium and magnesium. Eat at least one large salad per day.
If you are 70%+ raw, take your multi-minerals or really dog your greens. This is
the reason why many rawists have great results in the beginning but loose the
benefits and experience dental problems after a couple of years: not enough
calcium and magnesium in fruits and nuts alone. Eating dozens of different
plants, nuts, and grubs like the monkeys do is a good answer, but the rest of us
should stick with a good multimineral pill. Also, don't forget green smoothies
are a good resource here: throw a handful of spinach into a fruit smoothie and
it won't destroy the taste. Even makes greens accessible to kids. If you aren't
supplementing your minerals, for long term health you need to maintain a pound
of greens a day. You almost have to take some of that in the form of smoothies.
To test yourself, google: ph saliva litmus
paper. Your saliva's acid levels are
said to correlate with your mineral balance in your body. See also Green
For Life by Boutenko.
Keep acidic fruits and dried fruits to a minimum for optimal dental health.
Brush your teeth after eating fruit or rinse your mouth with water. Experiment
with brushing your teeth with non-glycerin soap and see if that imparts greater
tooth strength than regular toothpaste. The theory is that regular toothpaste
leaves a glycerin film over teeth which impedes the tooth's natural
recalcification process. (google: dental recalcification
pubmed)
Don't get hung up on the concept of "100% raw." If you do,
you'll likely not eat many of the veggies that are more enjoyable if steamed and
reduce your variety. Also, don't forget about beans! A common approach is to eat
light to heavy in the course of the day. Jack LaLanne's fitness guru, Paul
Bragg, advocated fruit in the morning, salad for lunch, and then a cooked vegan
dinner at night for a grand total of 60-70% of his diet was uncooked.
Experiment with the energetic effect of food. Raw food tends to be very
energizing and generates a lot of heat in the limbs and head, sometimes too much
heat. If too much inner heat arises with a raw diet, you might try reducing
spinach and increasing cucumbers. Also, there are emotional effects of food as
well. As a general rule fruit increases happiness and increases the amplitude of
emotions, green veggies stabilize, quiet and deepen emotions, and raw fat/cooked
food reduces emotional amplitude. (google:
doshas)
Look for immediate improvements. The real acid test of an improvement in
diet is a greater desire to exercise. Benefits may include better meditation,
greater happiness, less need for sleep, more energy, better blood circulation,
more powerful energy field especially in the hands, feet, and head, better skin.
Some believe even a longer than average lifespan is possible through a raw diet.
One thing I've found is that my skin does a much better job processing, tanning,
and absorbing sunlight on a raw food diet.
Expect 2 weeks of adjustment period (diarrhea, junk food cravings, etc).
If there's any discomfort past a couple of weeks, back off, make changes, or
forget about it. Reject the concept of long term "7 year" detox
symptoms... many raw foodists have hurt their long term health by pushing
through the pain in the name of detox when really there was usually a deficiency
of calcium, magnesium, and/or B12 going on.
Experiment with juicers, food processors, and blenders. While not
necessary, they sure are convenient! Juicing carrots, celery, and cucumbers is
easy and tastes great and is the perfect way to get a spouse to experience the
energy and happiness of raw eating. I find that it is a fantastic way to
entertain - it raises everyone's vibration in a wholesome, fun direction. Sometimes a juicer might make a good present too.
Same goes for blenders, except
you need to focus more on fruits. Berries and bananas are my favs. Actually
throwing in a handful or two of spinach is quite surprising... no horrible
change of flavor. It's hard to believe, but it actually improves the flavor of
the smoothie while adding lots of micronutrients. These fruit & greens
smoothies or 'green smoothies' (check out Green For
Life by Boutenko). In my
experience, cheap centrifuge juicers work just fine as long as you drink the
juice soon after juicing. Also, your basic 'good' blender or food processor
should be good enough to plow up bananas and spinach without needing to spend a
fortune on it.
For further reading check out
Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD.,
Green for Life by Boutenko and
Raw
Secrets by Patenaude.
-The Green One
This
essay was contributed by "Yoda" of TheTaoBums.com. (Thank
you!, Yoda.)