RAW CANADIAN - I was familiar with the website BEYOND VEG prior to your post.

Granted 100% die-hard raw foodists would not be thrilled with much of the material presented there since it does not promote a 100% raw food diet; however their goal is not to promote or condemn raw food diets. Instead they discuss science vs. anecdotal beliefs, the science of raw vs. cooked food, and the tenant psychological issues often associated with any strictly regimented diet.

What conclusions on that site do you believe are not based on "good evidence" and why?

BTW - I used to raise Persian cats. Persians are very beautiful yet generally stupid cats. My kittens were not raised to fend for themnelves. Whenever I placed my kittens, prospective parents had to sign an agreement regarding the care of the animal. My first requirement was that the pets never be let outdoors. This is because most causes of death can be attributed to the animal being outside, including falling prey to another animal, higher incidences of trauma, or catching diseases from other animals. The differences in their lifespans of raw outdoor cats to indoor cook/processed food cats most likely has more to do with their environment than their diets.

USDA pursuing a campaign of intentional nutrient depletion ... http://www.naturalnews.com/024132.html
Almond Growers and Handlers File Federal Lawsuit - Seeking to End "Adulteration" of Raw Nuts

Each whole food comes with its own digestive enzymes, so you need as many as foods you consume… When cooked the enzymes are killed, then your body has to manufacture the digestive enzymes when it could be doing something else, like repairing old cells or cleaning up waste…

Phytonutrients are the smallest parts of nutrition from the live plant which is vital for living a life without disease…

Blenders are used to make gourmet recipes which help use to transition into our raw food journey… Hopefully evolving to a simpler form of eating requiring NO equipment other than a knife and our hands…

Sorry, I can lead you to no links at this time… But after you spend more time eating raw and are able to be free from your blood pressure medications and feel like a million dollars, then and only then will you fully understand...

I might also add that if you give yourself a full two weeks of 85-100% raw incorporating as many green smoothies as possible, you will have no more questions but most of the answers and will be striving into a deeper degree of freedom... Good Luck with your discoveries along this journey!!!

I hate to tell ya but most of the food in grocery stores tese days are already Dead! The USDA and FDA want everything to be dead, processed, fumigated, homogenized, pasteurized, irradiated or otherwise destroyed. This is most likely being pursued solely for corporate profits (a diseased population is not only easier to control, it also spends a lot more money on pharmaceuticals and medical services).
HRanger...

I believe aiming at a high percentage of raw for the long term is the best thing you can do. The thing is your health is the most valuable thing you have. Everyone should be committed to eating for long term health. That requires thinking about how your body reacts to foods. There is no need to think about the raw life style as a wagon which you may fall off of. People who think like that aren't comitted to long term health. Raw foods do really heal.

Also, mushrooms cause cancer in rats?

The major cancer drugs are derived from different mushrooms. What I have read is that all mushrooms have anti- cancer properties (anti-fungal?).

There will be no evidence out there that scientifically shows raw food to be the optimum diet for humans. Also, I don't believe that raw veganism is the 'natural' diet of humans, as I do believe that humans have evolved to eat animal and insect protein. I also believe that our closest genetic relatives, the great apes, eat a lot more animal based foods than a lot of vegans like to claim. Despite this, I am striving towards at least a mostly raw mostly vegan diet.

Just as our ancestors did not eat food in a blender, they did not eat foods pumped with antibiotics and hormones. They did not eat highly hybridized fruits and veggies, modified for commercial purposes, and they certainly didn't eat genetically modified food. They did however have larger jaws, and could do a better job chewing. A blender is just a mechanical way to 'chew' the food to make it more easily digested.

One of the writers on beyondveg, in fact, it may be the main author, I haven't been there for a while, claims that he does not live a 100% raw vegan lifestyple, but does subscribe to a predominantly living foods diet. That page provides some evidence about what others have found works for them. You are probably going to have to find out what works for you.

I have been working towards raw veganism for about 3.5 months. I feel much better, and have greatly improved my health indicators (reversed diabetes, lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, come off almost all of my meds, lost over 35 pounds). I have more energy, and better mental health. I am more relaxed, less depressed and less anxious. I have not even begun exercising regularly yet.

For me it has been about high raw, mostly vegan, and frequently blended eating. There is no danger in trying it if done sensibly, and it could dramatically change your life.

Stevio, I am so happy for you. I have only been doing this for ten days now and I've lowered my insulin to half and I'm cutting back on my thyroid and adrenal meds. I have a lot more energy, I'm exercising with joy and feeling upbeat generally.
I didn't get the 80-10-10 book yet. It just happens to be either delayed or lost in the mail, except that nothing 'just happens', so I'm doing raw from the regular raw recipes, like on this site. Maybe I'll move to Dr D's way later but this way is already doing me so much good.

Indoor cats eating cooked processed LOW quality food will also live longer than the outdoor feral cat. Wild animals live a hard life and die if injuries or being eaten. Not because of their diet. An indoor cat on a raw diet does best.

I'm high raw and I doubt I will ever be 100% raw, but I'm not sure how its not natural for humans to eat 100% raw. Before man learned to control of fire, wouldn't his food have to be raw or sun baked? I agree that vegan raw was not the norm because I would imagine them eating bugs or raw fish if necessary.

Sorry for the momentary hijack of the thread

freepam - great to hear about your progress so far! Are you having green smoothies as well?

Don't worry about 80/10/10 until you are really healthy. Especially with the diabetes. Just increasing your intake of raw fruits and greens and cutting out sugar, grains, and processed food alone will take you very far in your recovery.

I bought (and returned) the 80/10/10 book. To get enough calories, I would spend every hour of every day planning for my meals, and eating them. It takes a lot of food to get what you need that way. I am sure it works for many, it's just not the way I am going at this point.

Lots of good points here.

Actually, I don't believe what people ate way back when will necessarily give us the best health.
They would have to eat whatever was available at the time, it may not have been the healthiest choices, and may have been limited to just a few. So it is possible that humans weren't always getting a big variety in their diet, especially in colder climates.

Also, a lot of these animals that eat plants spend a lot a time chewing throughout their day. So the blender becomes a time saver, because we don't have to blend them, but they are easier to eat when blended.

I do believe i read somewhere that in some cultures , living to 40 was considered old, so not all cultures were healthy and not all were disease free and not all lived a long life.

Like it says in the article, more studies need to be done with both raw and cooked food. We will just have to wait for the evidence.

BTW I was searching for the healthiest cooked types of food, when I found this article the other day.

I currently enjoy eating a lot of streamed broccoli, brussel sprouts and asparagus. To me I don't see how these cooked foods are unhealthy to eat. However, I do feel good when I eat fresh fruits, green salads, raw nuts, seeds, etc.

But I also feel good eating steamed veggies once a day or once every other day. I have no digestion problems with those foods I mentioned and they are easy to eat once steamed and provide many nutrients, etc.

So I am looking for a good mix, maybe trying to find myself. It seems that I do well with 4-7 servings of fruits in a day, usually i get 5. I'm going to stick with that for now. I've also been making almond milk and consuming about 3 cups per week, ive made a raw cereal that i like to mix with hot oatmeal or half and half with processed cereal for now.

But when i comes to supper , i am eating mostly cooked food, which includes 2-5 ounces of meat. My wife likes her cooked meals, but we have been keeping them pretty healthy, with most of it homemade.

Thanks.