The Raw Food Diet
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free skin care · Mon Jun 13, 2011 12:02 pm

No, not doing another fad diet, just wondering. Cooked food is loaded with AGEs (Advanced Glycation End) products which are health and skin damaging. Carole Alt does raw food along with many in Hollywood. I ate more raw food when I was vegan, in the last 6 months have tried to add more since brushing up with The Water Secret, Howard Murad's raw food beginner book. Anyone doing this & if so is it slowing down the aging process? I'm sure it does.

free skin care · Mon Jun 13, 2011 3:19 pm

You may want to read this (I'm not sure you follow mainstream information). But a couple of interesting points:

http://marshfieldceliac.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/5/7/2557865/ada_ages_in_food_reduction1.pdf

Animal derived foods high in fats and proteins are generally AGE-rich and prone to new AGE formation during cooking. In contrast, carbohydrate-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and milk contain relatively few AGEs, even after cooking.

The formation of new AGEs was prevented by cooking with moist heat, using shorter cooking times, cooking at lower temperatures and by using acidic ingredients such as lemon juice and vinegar.

Studies with mice have shown that low AGE intake extends lifespan, while AGE-rich diets lead to high circulatory and tissue levels of AGEs which lead to health problems (heart, kidney and diabetes).

The article ends with a comprehensive AGE database.

free skin care · Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:29 pm

Tonya Zavasta has a lovely website called Beautiful on Raw. She describes her entire lifestyle = including raw food, exercise and skin care routine. She includes pictures of her own life and the results of the lifestyle change are amazing.

It's a little extreme for me but I'm a big smoothie gal and manintain a big organic garden of my own which we eat much of it fresh and raw but...I shamelessly admit I can a lot at the end of the year (which requires cooking) but also freeze fresh.

I have "The Water Secret" and I like the concept of eating your water.

free skin care · Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:18 am

Some people cannot tolerate a high raw food diet, my aunt is one. She gets diarrhea and bloating. It's always good to mix things up and more fruits and veg can't hurt you. Moderation in all things. I think the big problem (pun intended) is people eating too much.

free skin care · Fri Jun 17, 2011 4:26 am

I just couldn't imagine myself turning my back on all the culinary arts. To never eat French, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese food or to experience all the wonderful dishes from all around the world would be awful to me.

And to have to sit down and eat a carrot stick and a lettuce leaf on a freezing cold night when I could be eating a hearty stew......nope, couldn't do it!

free skin care · Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:08 pm

I think the notion that a raw food diet improves skin is a bit of a myth - my ex was/is raw, and he introduced me to a lot of his friends who were also raw vegan. Many of them had bad skin including tons of acne.

free skin care · Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:50 am

My Mother-in-Law just told she's doing a raw diet and feels wonderful, says she's never felt better. I was told that not a lot of people can handle raw foods because of digestion issues (like myself). For instance, salad does not sit well at all with me but I do envy anyone who can eat raw foods though. p.s. I'm working on fixing digestion issues.

free skin care · Thu Jul 07, 2011 3:22 pm

mur wrote:

I think the notion that a raw food diet improves skin is a bit of a myth - my ex was/is raw, and he introduced me to a lot of his friends who were also raw vegan. Many of them had bad skin including tons of acne.

Who knows, could have been hormonal imbalances due to a lack of animal fats/proteins etc. I just read Ori Hofmekler's Warrior Diet, the link to the pdf is on the Intermittent Fasting thread. He recommends raw foods during the day to detox the body. I did this when I was in college but not the rest of the diet; ie, a big meal at night. My health was sooooo much better! Yes there is something to raw foods but you have to get the whole picture in order to understand it. I would never go 100% raw nor would I try to just live on vegan foods, that doesn't work imho.

free skin care · Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:01 pm

Yeah, I do raw and have been experimenting with various versions of it for the past 7 years. I never meant to do it and had never even heard of it, but I accidentally did it for a couple days once, and it totally changed my perception of what was healthy. Don't know whether I would have ever tried it if I hadn't accidentally done so. But it's a long story, so I won't get into it now.

I've experimented a fair amount with it, trying different approaches. These days, I follow something like the 80-10-10 version of the raw food diet, but I'm not rigid about the numbers, meaning that I do high fruit, high greens, but eat cooked beans most day and up to ~ 20% fat. The way I usually work it is two meals of green smoothies, then a meal of cooked beans and veggies in the evenings. I feel very good on that.

As for the raw food diet, I would say that there are multiple raw food diets. If you are new to it, just be aware that there are multiple extremely different approaches to it out there. And please be careful Smile

There's a ton of pseudo-science out there on it, as well as a fair number of people ruining their health by undereating on calories, overeating on nuts, or running into nutritional deficiencies from unbalanced diet. Hence why some people look amazing on raw and other people look horrible on it.

Btw, in doing it, I estimated my nutrient intake to make sure I was doing it in a balanced manner. Mapping out how I was going to get my nutrients was extremely helpful for me personally. These days, however, you can use already built calorie calculators that do the math for you, like fitday.com

HTH Smile

free skin care · Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:11 pm

Oh, I should add something about the benefits I've seen from lower fat/higher fruit version of raw: dramatically less cellulite (the most powerful weapon I've come across, for me personally, at least the lower fat raw food approaches), no puffy face ever, much nicer skin, no body odor (but only if I eat a low fat version of raw), my skin can take a lot more sun before I will turn pink/burn (no sunburn in a long time!), I have much more energy, and I feel more at peace/happy.

Downsides: People think you're crazy or going through a fad, so I am on the DL at work; Hard to travel; Makes you thinner and hence your face thinner, which for some people makes them look older; requires significant food preparation (i.e., convenience food other than a couple bananas and oranges at stores is hard to find); very easy to run into problems if you don't know what you're doing; can be challenged to eat enough greens to get enough minerals; oh, and finally for a high fruit raw diet, I highly recommend barely eating any acidic or unripe fruit, as it can lead to tooth erosion and cavities super-fast. I stick with the less acidic fruits like melons, papaya, and bananas, for example.

free skin care · Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:09 pm

My eating habits remind me of my political leanings - I simply can't put both feet in one camp - I choose the best ideas from many strategies - never a purist, I am too independent.

That said, I borrow heavily from raw foods, veganism, paleo dieting...but would not turn down a beautifully crafted dessert or piece of artisan bread while on vacation.

bfg

free skin care · Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:39 pm

I did Fit For Life in the early 90s and it was great for my skin, all the fruit... just based on that I know the raw food people are somewhat right. I've been more Paleo the last ten years though plus a stint on macrobiotics.... cooked foods and animal products are staples; I feel so much better than I did when I was younger due to the higher intake of animal protein.

cm5597 wrote:

Oh, I should add something about the benefits I've seen from lower fat/higher fruit version of raw: dramatically less cellulite (the most powerful weapon I've come across, for me personally, at least the lower fat raw food approaches), no puffy face ever, much nicer skin, no body odor (but only if I eat a low fat version of raw), my skin can take a lot more sun before I will turn pink/burn (no sunburn in a long time!), I have much more energy, and I feel more at peace/happy.

Downsides: People think you're crazy or going through a fad, so I am on the DL at work; Hard to travel; Makes you thinner and hence your face thinner, which for some people makes them look older; requires significant food preparation (i.e., convenience food other than a couple bananas and oranges at stores is hard to find); very easy to run into problems if you don't know what you're doing; can be challenged to eat enough greens to get enough minerals; oh, and finally for a high fruit raw diet, I highly recommend barely eating any acidic or unripe fruit, as it can lead to tooth erosion and cavities super-fast. I stick with the less acidic fruits like melons, papaya, and bananas, for example.

free skin care · Thu Jul 14, 2011 4:00 pm

I've followed macrobiotic principles through the years and have studied with some great macro teachers. As a child I didn't like meats or much of anything that was fatty (didn't like ice cream for example or cakes.. I know ODD!). I was into fruits and vegetables. It has made life easier for eating healthy as I've gotten older although now I really do enjoy a steak about twice a year. (and occasional home made icecream).

cm makes a good point about acidity - this is as big a culprit in tooth decay as sugar. The mouth has to be at a lowered Ph (acidic) to allow tooth destruction to occur and acidic foods do just that. Even diet soda is very destructive to teeth due to the very low acid levels.

free skin care · Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:21 pm

I've just studied/tried everything. It's a hobby really. I didn't eat enough raw foods in my 30s, am focusing more on them due to so much of the info I've been reading lately and my own personal experiences in my 20s.

free skin care · Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:43 am

I'm not a raw food person, because I like meat way too much, but there is a restaurant near me called Raw, and its really excellent. Nothing in there is cooked over a certain temperature and the food is fantastic. Very creative, rich sauces, great presentation. It takes a talented cook I guess. But I guess my point is that you don't have to give up real food if you are interested in trying it out.

free skin care · Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:25 pm

Ava with wings wrote:

I'm not a raw food person, because I like meat way too much, but there is a restaurant near me called Raw, and its really excellent. Nothing in there is cooked over a certain temperature and the food is fantastic. Very creative, rich sauces, great presentation. It takes a talented cook I guess. But I guess my point is that you don't have to give up real food if you are interested in trying it out.

I would LOVE to try this restaurant!

free skin care · Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:57 pm

I like these You Tube channels, The Raw Food World and Raw With Rosalie:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRawFoodWorld

http://www.youtube.com/user/RawWithRosalie

Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:47 pm

I am a big proponent of the raw food diet. My recommendation is to get a good juicer.

free skin care · Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:28 pm

How do you all feed your families? I couldn't imagine not dishing up a meal that I'd cooked every night to my family and us all sitting down to dine and discuss the days events. Just drinking smoothies just doesn't seem the same!

free skin care · Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:39 am

Having grown up on a ranch, we ate steak for diner 2-3 times a week or catfish caught in our pond (small lake!)along with chicken and porkchops, but everything was free-range w/o added chemicals or anitbiotics. It was 100% natural. So meat is always a part of my meals.
But I just ordered a supplement to add to my smoothies that incorporates the raw diet:
Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw
It did say a side effect was gas, bloating and digestive issues until your body adjusts. We will see how it goes!
I do like the cleasnsing and toxin-ridding parts of the supplement and I had taken Total Alchemy for years. I was just looking for a bit cheaper alternative since it goes so quickly!

free skin care · Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:26 am

Having drank a shake every day now for a week, it is a better bargain for the money and size than Total Alchemy. I think the Total A has more packed into, but if you are looking a for a cheaper alternative without compromising ingredients, this fits the bill.
The flavor is better too, although that doesn't say much!
I had some gas the first day but that was it. A little more pep in my step and a healthy addition. Got the DH drinking it too. He thinks I am trying to kill him sometimes by making him healthy, haha. Bad Grin

free skin care · Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:27 am

Isn't eating more of a plant based menu what we should be eating doing anyway? The trend is to get away from the boxed and convenience foods and eat fresh. Always fresh and local. Go to the "eat to live" website. Very interesting.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:37 am

I almost started a new thread, but luckily did a search and didn't duplicate. So I'm bringing this one back from the dead - kind of surprised that it died, since I've found that eating raw has completely transformed me - not only my health, but also the way I look and feel about myself.

I started off with green smoothies in the morning. Then I added salad at midday, big salads with organic field greens, organic tomatoes, avocados, red onions, red pepper, sunflower, sesame or flax seeds - you get the picture. I used a lemon juice and olive oil dressing, spiked with a bit of dijon - although I love basalmic vinegar, I was trying to stay as "raw" as possible.

Then I bought a dehydrator and a food processor, and have been experimenting with nut pates (good but so rich, I can't eat more than a spoonful or two), dehydrated sweet potatoes and parsnip chips (meh), and the most WONDERFUL zucchini and walnut cracker. But I've found that I lean more toward my big green salads when I'm in a chewing mood (LOL) and the smoothies just ain't doing it for me. So I'm basically eating one or two big smoothies a day, with lots of greens, and two big salads a day. Sometimes at night, I just make a composed salad - a plate of sliced tomatoes, avocado, peppers (red or yellow are best), onion, etc. Sometimes with a handful of raw almonds or walnuts. When I get hungry between meals, I eat an apple or an orange, or whatever fruit is in season.

The first month of totally rawness was hard, I'll admit that. But the way that I felt after 3 weeks of this was undeniable. The way that I looked was undeniable. I don't weigh myself, I don't own a scale, but I've lost probably 15-20 pounds or so. This is thinner than I would like, since I have had problems with maintaining my weight in the past, but this was healthy weight loss, not wasting. My face is not gaunt or sagging despite the weight loss thanks to my Ageless routine, but I'm not sagging anywhere - just more slender - my belly is flat, and the remnants of cellulite that were on my outer thighs have vanished.

My skin is soft - the eczema that has plagued my left elbow for months now is only a faint rough patch that is fast disappearing. I have chronic dry skin on my body, or should I say HAD, that's completely gone.

I have plenty of energy, when I followed a SAD way of eating, I always took a nap in the middle of the day. I don't get that muddled, tired feeling anymore - which I attribute to the fact that I no longer drink soda or coffee. If I need a boost in the morning I drink black tea with coconut milk, my one regular indulgence.

Eating like this also allows me to eat the (very) occasional piece of chocolate (DARK) without guilt. Other than that, I stay the hell away from other foods like wheat bread, pasta, cake, pies, donuts, anything with gluten, and any animal products. A splurge for me is cooked food - like stir fried brown rice (without the egg) or a tomato sandwich on gluten-free rice flour bread. But I haven't splurged in at 2-3 weeks - once a month seems to be my splurging quota!

It's surprisingly easy to maintain this kind of lifestyle - I never want to go back to eating SAD, I feel too good now. No way could I eat a hamburger or a plate of mac n'cheese - I would feel like I was putting filth into my body.

I don't say that to friends who offer said burgers or macaroni, of course. Luckily though, most of my immediate family are vegan and most of my friends don't care one way or the other. I do get the occasional cretin who thinks it's funny to mock my food choices, or who starts defending their food choices out of the blue, as if I cared!

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2012 7:33 pm

I used to do a raw food diet. I was high raw for about a year and a half- tons of green smoothies- and then totally raw for 6 months until I realized that it wasn't improving my health and I was beginning to lose muscle. My skin started aging faster from low hormones (I was only 30).

I started eating meat after 16 years (I was having dreams telling me pretty bluntly to do it!) and I eventually ended up Paleo/Primal which is where I am now. My skin looks so much better and the aging has slowed down. I was able to start healing some health issues that didn't resolve on vegetarian and raw. It's much easier for me to put on muscle, too.

Most of my former raw friends are now also Paleo or have modified their diets significantly. Too many messed up their digestion on raw vegan and a number suffered anxiety and depression due to lack of fatty acids. I saw a lot of people on the big raw food forum really decline mentally over time. It was kind of scary!

I've been studying Chinese medicine for a number of years and now it makes total sense: people with excess and very strong constitutions are the ones who do well or ok on raw, but anyone with spleen qi deficiency or with a more delicate constitution or qi deficiency is going to run into problems.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:14 pm

Yes - unless you want to spend all your time carefully monitoring what kinds of food you're eating, then you should take supplements on a raw food diet. I do take protein powder (brown rice) in my smoothies, and take a variety of vitamins. The EFAs I've got covered - flax seeds, walnuts, almonds.

I was a vegan before I went raw, I don't/won't eat meat or any kind of animal product.

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