Raw Food Dilemmas

Frederic Patenaudes August 2011
Changes in My
Philosophy
Since I Wrote
The Raw
Secrets
When I wrote my first book on the raw
food diet in 1999 (The Sunfood
Cuisine) I will filled with enthusiasm
about this way of life. I was just 23.
In the space of a few years, I
accumulated a lot of knowledge on the
raw food diet, by reading approximately
one hundred books on the subject, and
spending about three years traveling
the US and meeting influential raw
foodists at the time.
I told my tales and stories in my most
recent book, Raw Food Controversies,
which some people have called my
raw food biography, although a big
part of the book covers important
research on the topic of raw vegan
nutrition.
In 2002, I published my book The Raw
Secrets, which has made a certain
impact in the raw food movement, as it
was the first book that openly criticized
the high-fat raw food diet promoted
everywhere, and advocated something
different.
I published Raw Secrets in 2002 when
I was just 26. At the time, it felt like I
had accomplished something major
and helped a lot of people reevaluate
their diet and improve their health.
Although I did revise the book on a few
occasions, I would say that there are a
This Months Summary
If you dont have time to read anything else, this is what you need to know
* Raw foodists believe that humans once lived on a
pure diet of fruits and vegetables and lived in
perfect health. Although this idea proves to be
false, a healthy diet should still be composed
mostly of fruits and vegetables.
*Consuming anywhere from 7 to 19% fat in the
diet is healthy, but less than 15% seems to be the
best.
*Important supplements for raw vegans to take
include vitamin B12 and vitamin D (especially in
Northern altitude). The multi-vitamin from Dr.
Fuhrman is a good way to meet these needs.
*Calcium intake should be around 1000 mg. a day,
which can be accomplished by eating a good
quantity of greens every day. Avoid just eating
spinach as the calcium in spinach is not easily
absorbed.
* Its better to eat with genuine hunger, but dont
make the hunger principle a religion.
* Adding a few condiments and spices to your raw
diet is perfectly acceptable, especially if this helps
you stick with the program and enjoy your food.
few things in the book that I dont
necessarily advocate anymore, based
on my experience in the 9 years since
the book was published, and the
additional research thats been
presented on the topic of vegan and
raw food nutrition.
Because a lot of people often tell me
But... what about what you said in
your book Raw Secrets, I thought it
would be a good idea to talk about
some of the changes in my philosophy
ever since I wrote Raw Secrets.
Our Place in Nature
and the Biological Diet
of Humans
In the new edition of Raw Secrets, I
wanted to establish a basic
understanding of why we should eat a
diet mainly composed of fruits and
vegetables.
So I took the approach that many
natural hygienists have taken in the
past and looked at the diet of
primates our closest relatives in the
animal kingdom.
I noted that as we look at various
primates, we find that the closer a
primate is to a human being, to more
fruit it eats. All primates eat a low fat
diet and all eat a variety of plant foods
although none of them are strictly
vegans.
I gave a few other arguments, such as
the role of instinct in selecting natural
foods, and came to the conclusion that
our ideal diet should be composed of
raw fruits and vegetables, with small
quantities of nuts and seeds.
Although I still agree with the
conclusion that most of the diet of
adults should be composed of fruits,
vegetables, nuts and seeds I can no
longer necessarily support the premise
that led me to that conclusion in Raw
Secrets.
Looking at the diet of animals gives us
some clues but it doesnt tell the whole
story.
Interestingly, a lot of raw vegans,
myself included, have contributed to
the fabrication of the following story:
1)A long time a go, human
beings lived in perfect
health and harmony on
their ideal diet that God
or Nature designed for
them, that is a diet of
fruits and vegetables,
like that of their
cousins the bonobos.
2)At some point human
beings discovered fire
and started cooking food.
3)Since then, humans became
more and more reliant on
cooked foods with
cultivation of grains,
and things got out of
hand with the invention
of the Big Mac.
4)As we started eating more
and more cooked and
processed foods, our
health deteriorated,
leading to the common
diseases of civilization
that we see today.
5)By going back to our
original and natural diet
of raw fruits and
vegetables, we will
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restore our health and
well-being.
Although this story is told in different
ways, it usually looks something like
what I described.
This story may be very poetic and
sound good and in fact I used to
believe in it for a long time but in
light of scientific evidence, is is no
more than a fairy tale.
Here are a few reasons why the story
is a fairy tale:
1) Human beings may have a lot in
common with bonobos at the DNA
level, but the differences they have
is critical.
People often misunderstand evolution
by thinking that human beings are
simply more evolved forms of
chimpanzees. They see evolution as a
sort of ladder, from one species to the
next, when in fact its more like a tree.
Humans and chimpanzees are more
like distant cousins than direct
relatives.
A long time ago, the primate family
branched in different directions, one of
them going towards the modern day
chimpanzees and one towards the
human being.
Chimpanzee evolution stopped, while
other species continued to evolved and
others disappeared.
When we go back in time and want to
find out what humans and their
ancestors ate in the past, we wont find
our way to the chimpanzee, but rather
to humans and their pre-human
ancestors.
THats why looking at what modern day
chimpanzees and other primates eat
can only give us vague clues as to
what the human diet should be.
In fact, when people say that primates
eat fruit we have to understand
that the fruit they eat in the wild have
nothing to do with the cultivated or
even wild fruits that humans eat.
The wild fruits that primates eat are
mostly unpalatable and undigestible to
human beings and not just to people
on a Standard American Diets, but to
raw foodists, too! (See book Catching
Fire).
In fact, there is no primate living today
that eats a diet that would be in any
way suitable for a human beings.
Primates have a whole new set of
digestive enzymes that allow them to
handle the tough fiber and astringency
of certain wild fruits that would send
any human to a long and
uncomfortable trip to the restroom.
2) There is no period in time where
we could go back to and prove that
humans ate a diet that looked
anything remotely like what modern-
day raw foodists eat.
3) As the book Catching Fire
brilliantly demonstrated, humans
have survived and thrive by eating
more processed foods.
By processed, I mean more
concentrated in calories and nutrients
that what would be found in nature.
We have fewer digestive enzymes than
primates and our digestive tract is even
shorter than theirs. This is due to the
fact that humans, as long as they have
been humans, have cooked and
processed their foods.
This has given them a great advantage
in evolutionary terms, and in fact might
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be the reason why weve managed to
become so successful and intelligent
as a species.
4) The modern day raw food diet
whether its an Ann Wigmore type of
diet, or the 80/10/10 Diet by Doug
Graham, is nothing that could be
considered natural.
At no point in our history did we ever
get most of our calories from fruits and
vegetables like bananas and lettuce
in fact far from it.
5) Even modern-day raw foodists
are eaters of processed foods.
They eat blended smoothies all the
time, frequently dehydrate their foods,
grate their carrots, chop their salads,
use nut butters, blend their dressings
in other words make foods easier to
chew and digest.
When we look at the facts, it becomes
more and more clear that the concept
of the Golden Age of humanity, when
we lived in perfect health, in harmony
with nature, eating fruits and
vegetables is actually false.
So what is the real story? It goes
something like this:
1)A long time ago, pre-
human ancestors ate a
diet that was close to
what modern-day primates
eat. That is why humans
still perform best on a
diet of mostly fruits and
vegetables.
2)For reasons that are
still not clear, these
ancestors slowly evolved
to human beings, and did
so in several stages.
3)Along the way, they
discovered cooking, which
gave them a survival
advantage by allowing
them to eat foods that
could not be eaten in
their raw states.
4)No longer bound to their
tropical diet, humans
expanded and colonized
the entire planet, eating
a diet that is remarkably
flexible, based on what
they could find in their
environment.
5)The development of
agriculture,
approximately 10,000
years ago, led to modern-
day civilization.
6)Diseases of civilization,
mostly caused by improper
nutrition and a diet rich
in animal foods and
junk, became more
prevalent. These were the
diets of abundance.
7)Modern day raw foodists
started blending some
fruits and greens, and
enjoyed better nutrition
and health! At the same
time, they remained human
and realized that their
diet was not necessarily
natural but simply
healthy.
In the end, my new perspective matters
more when considering why a raw food
diet is healthy. Even though a pure raw
food diet may not be our natural diet,
it doesnt change the benefits that can
be obtained by eating this way.
-
Fruits and vegetables are still the
most nutrient-dense foods we can
eat (containing the most nutrients
per calorie)
-
Human physiology is still best
adapted to digesting fruits and
vegetables, rather than any other
food.
Fat Needs
I wouldnt change much about what I
said in Raw Secrets about fat. In it, I
pointed out that raw foodists generally
eat too much fat (in the form of
generous quantities of avocados, nuts,
seeds, and oil), and that this is the
main reason why they often lack
energy.
In Raw Secrets, I recommended to eat
less than 15% fat by total calories. On
the other hand, the 80/10/10 diet by
Doug Graham recommends less than
10%.
I find that getting 15% fat in your diet is
more feasible and enjoyable than less
than 10%.
There is no credible evidence that
eating up to 15% (or even 20%) fats
found in whole foods such as nuts and
seeds and avocados would be
detrimental to health.
The average raw foodist often gets
over 60% of his or her calories from fat,
which is about twice the official
recommended levels.
Vegan doctors tend to vary in their
recommendations for fat intake.
Dr. McDougall recommends
between 7 to 12% (the average
intake on his diet).
Dr. Neal Barnard is closer to
20% in actual practice, and
so is Dr. Fuhrman.
Dr. Esselstyn recommends a
strict fat-free diet for the
treatment and prevention of
heart disease, so actual
intake will be less than 10%.
Any intake between 7 and 19% will
likely give good results if the rest of the
diet is properly balanced. Therefore its
more a matter of personal preference.
Supplements
In Raw Secrets, the only supplement I
recommended was for vitamin B12. I
was fairly critical of other supplements
common in the raw food movement,
mainly because of lack of science and
the hype surrounding hype.
In the category of supplements I
included all kinds of powders and
superfoods, common in raw food
circles, such as spirulina, maca, MSM,
and many others.
Most of these products have limited
efficacy and the benefits derived from
their consumption are largely
exaggerated.
Its important to distinguish between
hype and true science. We must not be
so gullible as to believe anything
supplement-pushers say, yet remained
enough open-minded to not brush off
important nutritional concerns.
Thats why I dont get my advice on
supplementation from people who
make a living selling supplements, but
rather from those who have done
necessary research, while not
necessarily benefiting financially from
the sale of particular supplements.
In the raw vegan diet, there are a few
nutrients to watch out for, and for which
a nutritional supplement may be
advised.
Vitamin B12
This one is really a must. Any vegan
should take a B12 supplement, as the
research has shown that a deficiency
can cause serious neuro-muscular
problems, and that a vegan diet does
not provide enough vitamin B12 in an
absorbable form.
Among scientists and vegan
nutritionists, there is actually no
controversy regarding vitamin B12: its
a necessary supplement for vegans,
vegetarians, and in fact most of the
meat-eating population (due to the fact
that the absorption of this delicate
vitamin is easily disrupted).
Fortunately supplements are easy to
get, cheap and safe. You should select
a supplement that is sub-lingual or
chewable if you want optimal
absorption.
Symptoms of Vitamin B12
Deciency
- Fatigue, depression, and poor
memory.
- Itchy or tingling tongue.
- Hyperpigmentation of the skin
and nails, and premature white
hair (in which patches of skin
become darker in color than the
normal surrounding skin)
- Oral ulcers
- Shortness of breath, but without
chest pain.
- Tingling along the back of one or
both thighs, starting at the hips
and shooting downward.
- Memory loss and/or
disorientation.
- Migraine headaches.
- Irritability and/or depression and/
or personality changes.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important hormone-like
vitamin that plays a critical role in bone
formation, among other things. It is
possible to get enough vitamin D from
sunshine exposure alone, but since
most of us live in northern climates, or
spend most of our time inside, its not
practical or feasible to get enough
vitamin D naturally.
Vitamin D is available in two forms: the
first one is the D3, which is more
absorbable but not vegan (it is made
from sheep wool wax).
The other kind, D2, is vegan and
derived from yeast. It is not as
absorbable but still effective. When
taking the D2 the quantities can be
doubled to achieve the same results as
D3 vitamin D.
Suggested Vitamin D
Intake
Suggested Vitamin D
Intake
D2 D3
2000-3000
i.u. a day
1000 i.u. a
day
DHA
DHA is a type of essential fatty acid
necessary for optimal brain function
and development. It is not considered
an essential nutrient because the body
can convert ALA (alpha linoleic acid
found in what we call Omega 3 fats in
hemp, flax, chia, etc.) into EPA
(another essential fatty acid) and then
from EPA to DHA.
When people consume certain types of
fish or fish oils, they are getting the
DHA directly. The only other way to get
DHA from plant food is to get it from
the oil of certain types of algae (that
the fish eat), and that is why there are
now vegan DHA supplements
available, derived from algae.
At the moment there is no definitive
research as to whether vegans are
truly at risk for a DHA deficiency. It
appears that healthy people can
convert omega-3 fatty acids to DHA,
but that this conversion in some people
is not always working properly.
Because DHA is so critical to brain
development, a vegan DHA
supplement is advisable for pregnant
and breastfeeding women as well as
children.
Calcium
I've always believed the vegan theory
set forth in many influential books that
people on a vegan diet don't need
much calcium because they are not
overloading their bodies with calcium-
depleting, acid-forming animal proteins.
Many authors noticed that the
countries that consume the least
calcium (usually because they don't eat
dairy products), have low rates of hip
fracture and osteoporosis.
But as nutritionist Jack Norris writes in
his excellent, recent book, "Vegan For
Life":
"There are cultural differences too.
Asians tend to have better balance, so
they are less likely to fall and break a
bone. And in some cultures, elderly
people rarely leave their home without a
younger family member at their side and
are therefore less likely to fall. In fact,
while Asian populations fare well in
comparisons of hip-fracture rates, their
spinal bone health is similar to
westerners.This suggests that there is
something in their genes or lifestyle that
is specifically protective against hip
fracture but doesnt affect other parts of
the skeleton. If diet were the protective
factor, the benefits would show up in all
parts of the skeleton."
Some people have suggested that
early humans consumed as much as
3000 milligrams of calcium per day,
which is about three times the
recommended intake. This is pretty
close to the amount consumed by
primates, who get greens that are
much richer in calcium than our
modern, cultivated vegetables.
Jack Norris Writes:
"Calcium is different from other nutrients
in that it isnt associated with an acute
deficiency disease. With most nutrients,
if your intake is too low, youll get sick.
Thats not true for calcium because
levels in the blood are very tightly
controlled. Even a small change in those
levels can be life-threatening, so the
body utilizes stored calcium in the bone
plus the filtering system of the kidneys to
keep calcium concentrations within strict
boundaries. You cant ascertain calcium
status by measuring blood levels of this
mineral because those levels are always
the same. But while a low calcium diet
doesnt cause an acute nutritional
deficiency, a chronically low intake can
raise the risk for osteoporosis later in life.
But based on what we know right now, it
is far too simplistic to say that vegans
have lower calcium needs than
omnivores or that restricting protein
intake improves bone health."
It's important to note that some green
vegetables are rich in oxalates, a
compound that binds with calcium and
makes in unavailable in the body.
These vegetables include:
- Beet greens
- Swiss Chard
- Spinach
I suspect that baby spinach is more
absorbable that the mature spinach,
which tastes more like oxalic acid. But
it would still be a good idea to get a
good variety of greens in the diet.
Fortunately, the calcium from greens is
highly assimilable as much as 50%
can be assimilated. Calcium rich
greens include:
- Collards
- Kale
- Turnip greens
The recommended intake for calcium is
set at 1000 milligrams and I'm going to
recommend that all raw vegans get
that amount, or close to it.
It is possible to get enough calcium on
a raw vegan diet, as long as one eats
enough greens. Also some nuts and
seeds and certain fruits are rich in
calcium.
This is a topic well cover more in
future issues. In case one is not able to
eat enough of these greens, selecting
a vitamin D supplement that includes
calcium would be a good idea.
Calcium Content of Greens
and selected vegan foods
Collard
greens, per
cup
53 mg
Mustard
greens, per
cup
55 mg
1 large head
romaine
lettuce (600
grams)
207 mg.
Broccoli
orets, raw,
per cup
34 mg
Kale, per cup,
chopped
90 mg
Bok Choy,
cooked per
cup
158 mg
Tahini, 2 Tbsp. 128 mg
Almond butter,
2 Tbs.
86 mg
Blackstrap
molasses, 2
Tbsp.
400 mg
Soy milk,
fortied, per
cup
300 mg
Tofu, 4 ounces 200-330 mg.
Dried gs, per
ounce
45 mg
Oranges,
navel, per cup
70 mg
Iodine
To make sure you get enough iodine,
theres no need to take a supplement,
but make sure you occasionally (at
least a few times a week) sprinkle a
little kelp on your salad.
The multi-vitamin: An Easy
Solution
While its possible to balance your diet
with very careful and get every single
nutrient you need (except vitamin B12
and vitamin D), theres a good chance
that youll fall short somewhere.
I have personally decided to take a
multi-vitamin supplement and handle at
the same time all of those tiny
nutritional concerns.
Not all supplements are equal! I
ordered the Gentle Care Formula by
Dr. Furhman (www.drfuhrman.com)
because its formulated to avoid
nutrients like vitamin E that can be
dangerous to take in a supplement.
Dr. Fuhrmans supplement include
vitamin B12, iodine from kelp, vitamin
D, and every other main vitamin and
mineral that is safe to take in a
supplement.
I trust Fuhrmans knowledge and
expertise more than other raw food
gurus, and although it took me a long
time to overcome my reluctance
towards taking any supplement, I came
to the realization that its the most
rational thing to do.
I actually throw away the veggie-caps
and add their content in my morning
smoothie, which is the best way to
assimilate the nutrients.
Whether or not you choose to take a
supplement is your choice. But it would
be very irresponsible, in my opinion, to
ignore the importance of vitamin B12
and not take a supplement.
Unfortunately, the advice commonly
given by some raw food gurus,
including Doug Graham, is simply: wait
until you have a deficiency to do
something about it, which is not wise
and can, in many cases, lead to severe
consequences.
Eating With Genuine
Hunger
Probably the biggest thing I would
change in my book The Raw Secrets is
the concept of eating with genuine
hunger, not because the idea is
wrong, but because its been taken to
an extreme by some of my readers.
In Raw Secrets, I explained the
difference between eating with appetite
and eating with genuine hunger, which
is something that many people rarely
experience.
Appetite or false hunger is mostly a
sensation that disguises indigestion,
with symptoms such as:
-
Dry mouth
-
Headaches
-
Rumblings in the stomach
-
Spacy mind
-
Stomach cramps
-
Hunger waits when we wait
True hunger is characterized by:
-
The stomach aspirates
-
The mouth salivates
-
Mind is happy and
optimistic
-
Pleasant sensation in the
throat
-
Hunger persists when we
wait
The idea here is to recognize the
difference between the two sensations,
and eat more often with true, genuine
hunger.
Hunger is easier to cultivate when we
exercise, after weve spent our
muscles and need food to recover.
After reading Raw Secrets, some of my
readers misunderstood my book and
tried to always wait until they were
ravenously hungry before eating. They
often skipped breakfast and waited
until 1, 2, 3 or even 5 p.m. before
having their first meal, to make sure
they were experiencing genuine
hunger.
In the process, they lost a lot of wait,
and found that when they did eat, it
was hard not to overeat.
Most people who read the book simply
learned to pay more attention to their
feelings and made sure to avoid eating
when they were experiencing
symptoms of false hunger. But again,
a few people took the idea to the
extreme and ended up undereating
because of it.
Instead of having the rule of eat with
genuine hunger, I would change that
to:
Cultivate genuine hunger
This is an important distinction. In
practice, it means:
-
Exercise regularly
-
Eat a life-giving diet comprised
mostly of fruits and vegetables
-
Exercise before meals
-
Avoid foods that are hard to digest
-
Avoid overeating, especially on
rich and concentrated foods
By having a good food hygiene and
exercising regularly, you will find that
your appetite and sense of hunger is
healthy and mostly genuine.
This does not mean that you have to
eat before youre so ravenous that
saliva is pouring down your mouth
when you look at an apple!
Sometimes, its even important to eat
according to a schedule and not just try
to analyze your feelings and make sure
you are genuinely hungry all the time.
For example: after exercise, its
extremely important to eat enough
carbohydrates to replenish your
muscles, especially if the workout was
strenuous. On the other hand, exercise
can often suppress appetite. So thats
why its important after a workout to eat
something regardless of how hungry
you feel. In most cases, you will realize
that youre truly hungry after a few
bites! But if youd waited for true,
genuine hunger, you might have waited
too long and failed to provide your
muscles with the necessary sugar they
needed. This can later have negative
consequences for your recovery.
Condiments, Garlic,
Spices
In Raw Secrets, I was pretty vocal
against all spices, including garlic and
onion. This came from my Natural
Hygiene background, and was also a
bit in reaction against the common raw
food diet, which was full of these
ingredients.
Although it remains true that an ideal
diet does not contain any condiments,
sometimes, the better is the enemy of
the good.
By trying to be too perfect, many
people create such rigid guidelines that
lead to their failures.
This is often a process that takes place
innocuously, almost subconsciously. At
first, you may feel a certain sense of
control, having eliminated from your
diet every possible ingredient you
thought could be bad for you.
But over time, the rigidness of your
approach creates tension, as youre no
longer enjoying food as much as youd
like to. If that happens to you, the
solution is not to throw the baby with
the bath water, like many people do,
but instead to loosen up some of your
rigid guidelines, especially when they
concern aspects of your diet that are
relatively unimportant.
Adding a bit of garlic to a guacamole or
a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to a soup
along with a few green onions is likely
not going to kill you. In fact, theres no
evidence that it could be really bad for
you.
The idea is to love the food you eat. If
you enjoy using absolutely no
condiments, then dont change
anything. If you find your diet boring,
experiment with a few healthy
condiments that could add flavor and
variety to your diet.
--
Besides these few points, I would not
change a lot to my book Raw Secrets.

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Frederic Patenaudes August 2011

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