Check this video out and decide.

The post 71 years old granny looks 20 years younger – high vegan raw foods diet (81 years old in 2020) appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.

Second time I had same problems but I was not 100 % raw, I was like 90%. Third time happened this month and after 5 days of raw, my enamel was just melting away and exposing dentin. I am telling you all, I am cursed. I want to go raw, but I think I would need to make caps on all teeth.

But this article is kind of promising. The author who is raw for like 20 years and looks amazing, is telling us to use soft brush and shower floss. No toothpaste. Only shower floss attachment and soft toothbrush.

Here is the article. Happy reading!

Don’s Dental Issues Blog

This is the “opinion” section of my website, therefore you will find plenty of opinions here. I like to take the high road, but not when doing so puts people’s health at risk in some respect. I hope you’ll take that into consideration as you read through these posts.

************************************************************************

Jameth Sheridan on the high fruit diet

I’m not buying Jameth Sheridan’s explanation that fruit sugar feeds mouth bacteria better than the sugar in candy (“because fruit sugar is live, it’s vital, it has life force…”) His answer to dental decay of “don’t eat that much fruit” is not a credible answer to me. He’s right when he says that fruit is low in minerals, implying that we should eat green leafies (although he doesn’t state this, favoring his superfood products I guess). And to say that fruit eaters get transparent teeth is alarmist. I know people who eat a lot of fruit and they don’t get transparent teeth. They eat a balanced diet of fruit and green leafies, they DO take a multi or green powder, and they do practice good dental hygiene. And think about this: if you clench while sleeping, loosening teeth and thus creating pockets, but eat a low sugar / higher fat+complex carb diet, you’ll have less dental decay in those pockets than if you were to eat a normal (“high”) amount of fruit. So just as we shouldn’t blame diabetes on fruit sugar, we shouldn’t necessarily blame dental carries on fruit sugar. And his statement, “I’ve never met a long term fruitarian who was healthy or who didn’t cheat” carries no weight with me. What if those long term high fruit eaters he met who were unhealthy weren’t adhering to ALL the basics of health, or who weren’t making/getting enough D and B12, or who felt that they needn’t floss/brush because in nature they wouldn’t, or who weren’t getting a proper “sugar:minerals ratio” (lots of fruit so lots of sugar but the green leafies weren’t grown on the most nutrient dense soils; this is why I advocate supplementing with a green powder and/or a multi).

************************************************************************

The advantages of dry-brushing

I favor using only a dry brush (no toothpaste). Blot the brush on a paper towel, tap the slobber out on the basin or “sip” the fluids out of the bristles periodically (my preferred technique). To “blot” the groove between the teeth and gums, direct the soft bristles at a 45 degree angle beneath the gum tissue and wiggle the handle of the brush back and forth about ten seconds in each area. It’s the mechanical action of the bristles that effectively loosens the sticky bacterial colonies in plaque, not so much the chemicals on the brush. Liquid, toothpaste, etc. mainly clogs the spaces between the bristles of the brush that, if left dry, allow plaque to be lifted out of the gingival sulcus (that groove between the gums and the tooth) by capillary action.

************************************************************************

> Why do many people have the experience [dental problems] mentioned here:

> www.curetoothdecay.com/Tooth_Decay/tooth_cavity_vegan.htm

When people who eat a vegan diet develop dental problems, it’s for a reason, and that reason is not because they stopped eating animal products. And I hope we’re not going to entertain the notion that some humans have the DNA to be able to eat a plant-based diet and be perfectly healthy, and other humans don’t have the DNA for it and require animal food to be optimally healthy, because this is simply not true. Every animal on this planet has a “species specific diet”; the diet to which that animal is designed to eat (and to eat the foods of their designed diet as those foods appear in nature and not processed, which includes cooking). Humans are no different. If you get a roomful of experts on the giraffe, for example, they may have different opinions on whether giraffes should be kept in zoos or not, but they will all agree on what a giraffe is designed to eat. All of them. And it’s usually difficult to get a roomful of experts to agree on anything. But not on the diet of hippos, ants, hummingbirds, and of all the animals on this planet, expect for one… humans. This is because of misinformed/miseducated people due to the tons of mis- and dis-information that abound, and this is because of either the profit motive or personal preference, i.e. believing what we’d rather believe, as opposed to believing in the truth.

I’ve been eating a vegan diet for over 30 years, and an all-raw (all uncooked) fruit and leafy greens diet for over 18 years, and so far so good. I phrase it this way because we really won’t know if our chosen way of eating worked for us until we see if we did or didn’t get a diagnosis of something serious, which won’t be for another 25 years or so in my case. And since I won’t have a time machine to be able to go back to age 20 and try a different approach if I do get cancer or Alzheimers when I’m older, it’s important for me to make correct choices now… which is why I’ve spent 35 years researching the issue of optimal health. So we’re going to be stuck with the ramifications of whatever diet we decide to eat. I hope the diet you decide to eat is decided by you and you alone; don’t embrace what seems to sound good to you or what “resonates” with you. Base your decisions on hard-science, empirical evidence, sound logic, and common sense.

But back to teeth. As far as dental problems being caused by lack of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) or proteins, a plant-based diet of fruits (both sweet and non-sweet) and leafy greens do have all the EFAs and protein one would need to be healthy if those substances are not damaged by cooking, and if one is eating enough of these foods (meaning you must be active enough to warrant enough calories worth of food to get enough EFAs and protein), and if you are eating a variety of foods (a diet of just oranges and romaine lettuce will result in dental problems). It’s amazing how the fact that cooking damages EFAs and protein is not known by those who weigh in on the issue of diet. Even traditionally educated nutritionists aren’t taught what happens to the various components of food when they are subject to heat.

Re: dental problems. If you could ask dentists what percentage of their patients with dental problems are vegans, you’d get a very low number. But, as I said, there are vegans (and raw foodists) with dental issues. One reason is the increase of grain products and other “acid forming” foods when going vegan. Excess acidity in the bloodstream causes the body to use stored alkaline minerals, calcium especially, to neutralize the acid condition. This will, over time, demineralize bone, and that includes teeth.

Those raw foodists who developed major dental problems in my experience were found to be eating a lot of citrus fruits, little to no leafy greens (excellent source of minerals assuming enough minerals in the soil), and waaaaay too many nuts (metabolizes acidically).

I wonder if the most damaging practices to teeth are discussed in Ramiel Nagel’s book, such as:

1. Fluoridation (actually promotes tooth decay).

2. Using toothpastes that contain glycerin (which coat the teeth and prevent remineralization of the enamel) which is basically all toothpastes.

3. Brushing with anything but a “soft” toothbrush.

4. Clenching/grinding teeth while sleeping which can loosen them allowing pockets to form where bacteria can develop and it’s difficult for the body to effectively deal with bacteria in these pockets.

5. Improper flossing (irritates gums causing them to recede exposing non-enameled parts of the teeth which are more easily damaged by acids).

6. Products (that can be termed “vegan”) that demineralize teeth such as soda, and acid-forming foods such as soy and grain products via the mechanism mentioned above.

7. Dried fruits (sticky sugars linger on teeth feeding bacteria whose “poop” is acidic and damages enamel).

8. Too much nut and seed consumption (prevalent among many raw food vegans). The body controls mouth pH, and will raise mouth pH after a meal of nuts (probably to deal with the particles of nuts that remain in the mouth) and this will have a deliriousness effect on tooth enamel over time.

9. Consuming hot and cold things. Divergence from normal mouth temperature by the amounts experienced when consuming ice cream or tea for example contracts and expands the enamel and over time causes “cracks” to form which weakens teeth but more importantly allows bacteria to enter those crevices where brushing can’t get to them. This is especially pronounced in the areas of dissimilar materials such as where natural tooth meets metal filling (the thermal expansion properties of enamel and metal are different and increase the “cracking factor”).

10. When moving away from unhealthy processed food that is fortified with certain nutrients, it is important to make sure that you still get those nutrients now that they are not being provided to you via those fortified products. Some of the more important of these nutrients are vitamins D and B12. Many processed foods marketed to vegans are not fortified with any nutrients. And if the raw fruits and vegetables that raw food vegans eat are lacking in any essential nutrients because they come from an agricultural-based system, someone could bump up against a nutrient deficiency, which, in the case of vitamin D, can impact bone health and thus dental health.

So as you can see, there are other factors to the issue that need to be considered, including genetics (some people have stronger or weaker enamel; those with weaker enamel may want to rinse their mouths with something that kills bacteria before going to sleep, like a diluted clove oil).

************************************************************************

Kevin Gianni on a high fruit diet and dental problems

> “The other thing you need to be careful about is that

> eating a high fruit diet can effect your teeth.

> I know, you’ve heard people say this isn’t so. I have too.

> But I can’t deny the EVIDENCE that I’ve seen and heard

> from people who’ve tried it and had their teeth

> literally start to fall out.” – Kevin Gianni

I haven’t found anyone who tried eating a high fruit diet and their teeth fell out. I think I’m way past the point of “trying it” and I’ve still got my teeth… teeth that, by the way, were ravaged by all the candy and sugar laden crap I ate as a child and teen (13 cavities). Now, no cavities. Of course this doesn’t mean that the adoption of a high fruit don’t shouldn’t bother anyone’s teeth; I’m not saying there haven’t been people who switched to a high fruit diet and had problems with their teeth, but just like you can’t blame diabetes on carbs even though if you stop eating sugar, blood sugar will be more stable (but you’ll be getting your calories from a high fat diet so you’ll degrade your health in other ways), you can’t blame tooth problems on the sugar from fruit. (Although Kevin phrases it “Sugars – from fruit or not” as if all sugars are created equal). If you’re not getting enough minerals because you’re either not eating enough greens or the foods you *are* eating are minerally deficient, and/or if you weren’t getting enough minerals before you adopted a high fruit diet and thus have compromised teeth, and/or are producing a lot of acid because of emotions, and/or if you have “weak” enamel genetics… and are not compensating by supplementing, flossing, dry brushing, and rinsing with a bacteria killer, than, yes, one could end up with some dental problems when adopting a high fruit diet. And did Kevin mention rinsing before bed? I think it’s a big help.

Bottom line: there are so many reasons someone could be having dental problems when eating a lot more sweet fruit, to deal with the problem by making people question the validity of a high fruit diet is not the answer to the problem. My take: 1. be as sure as you can that you are consuming enough minerals, like you would have from food eaten from the wild, which may mean you take a multi that has highly bioavailable minerals. 2. brush and floss and rinse before bed. 3. stay away from dried fruit and go easy on the dates. 4. And maybe do like some primates do and eat a little green leafies after a sweet fruit meal; maybe the reason the instinctively do this is to bath the teeth in “mineralized juice” to neutralize any acid production or maybe it washes the teeth of any lingering sugars. Who knows.

************************************************************************

Eco-Dent Tooth Powder

Ingredients:

Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), Tartaric Acid, Sodium Methyl, Cocoyl Taurate, Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Carbonate, Sea Salt, Hydrated Silica, Peppermint oil, Myrrh.

If you are not used to a toothpowder, this product may seem a little strange. The powder is hard to spread onto the brush until you take the top off, pour a small amount on your hand and use a wet toothbrush to pick it up.

However, once you get used to it, you will quickly see that this is one of the best commercial brands out there. It has no fluoride, no glycerin, no sodium lauryl sulfate, and no dyes or sweeteners. It comes in two versions, one with Calcium Peroxide which is a natural tooth whitener and one without. The bicarbonate of soda, salt and peroxide all provide strong anti-bacterial agents. However, Eco-dent actively helps in the remineralization of your teeth. First the powder ensures your teeth are clean and free from any sticky glycerin coating. Next, as you add water to the toothpaste, CO2 is created which combines with your saliva to product carbonic acid. Unlike the strong acids from foods which eat away at the enamel, the carbonic acid dissolves the minerals in your saliva (which come from the foods you eat) to remineralize the teeth and strengthen the latticework of your enamel. When too many mineral ions are dissolved from our enamel by the acids from our food and bacteria, the enamel’s fine latticework structure breaks down irreversibly, and a cavity results.

This toothpowder also has some other great benefits. You only need a very small amount, and the container will last for a long, long time. Once you get the hang of applying the powder by using a small amount on the palm and using the wet toothbrush to pick up the powder, it’s easy to use.

Pro’s – Remineralizes teeth naturally and contains no harmful ingredients, dyes or sweeteners. Lasts a long time. Very good value for money. Perfect for travel.

Con’s – Some prefer toothpaste. Hard to apply if you try and squeeze powder from the container lid. If you aren’t benefiting from this product, and dry-brushing would be just as effective, if not better, then you are wasting your money and bothering with something you needn’t bother with.

************************************************************************

Why the dental problems?

In my years of counseling raw foodists I have come across some people who have problems with their teeth after they’ve adopted a high (normal) fruit diet. Some mistakenly take this to mean that humans are not designed for a high fruit diet, but this is incorrect.

As with most health related issues, dental problems are not so cut-and-dried. Why do some people who adopt an all raw vegan diet have dental problems, and some don’t? Here’s where individuality comes into play. There are a number of contributing factors.

Firstly, yes, fruit tends to be lower in minerals than green leafy vegetables, so this would suggest that we should also consume some green leafy vegetables (I have some almost every day), but this doesn’t mean that the majority of our diet should be green leafy vegetables, because we wouldn’t be able to get enough calories.

Here are some contributing factors to dental problems… keep in mind some of these will apply to some people and some won’t.

Fruit sugar does feed bacteria in the mouth, and when these bacteria are well-fed, they multiply. So you’re likely going to have more of these guys when eating a high (normal) fruit diet than when eating a low fruit diet (and grains and fat for fuel). It is NOT the sugar that damages teeth (you can take a tooth and place it in a glass of sugar water and nothing will happen to it, but try a glass of soda – which contains phosphoric acid – and that tooth will go bye-bye). Bacteria are living organisms, and like all living organisms, they poop, and their poop is acidic, and THIS is what damages teeth.

If you have good “dental genetics”, and you weren’t given a lot of antibiotics when your adult teeth were forming (they weaken teeth for life), and you are getting and utilizing all the minerals our body needs to maintain strong teeth, then you should have healthy teeth even on a high fruit diet. But if your dental genetics are not as perfect as they could be, and/or you received a lot of antibiotics as a child (tetracycline specifically), and/or you are not getting all the minerals your body needs, you are more prone to dental problems when adopting a high fruit diet.

Even though our ancestors didn’t need to brush their teeth to avoid cavities, I personally need to do good dental hygiene to keep from getting cavities on this diet. And others need to do this too. I have researched the dental issue for a long time, and here’s what I do:

I “dry brush”. Dentists in the know will tell you that 99.99% of all toothpastes contain glycerin which coat the teeth. This was thought to protect the teeth from the ravages of the acidic bacteria poop, but it doesn’t. What it DOES do is keep your saliva from remineralizing the teeth, which helps to prevent cavities. You could put other things on your toothbrush, like Peelu Tooth Powder (www.vitacost.com/Peelu-Dental-Fibers), but you’ll tend to do a more thorough job of brushing if you have nothing on your brush. Then use only a soft brush (not “medium” and certainly not “hard”). This is the BEST brush (http://tinyurl.com/23no8e8) in the world (yes, you must buy in quantity, but they make great gifts). If you feel you must have something on your brush, try Peelu Tooth Fibers (vitacost.com/Peelu-Dental-Fibers) or

EcoDent Powder (www.vitacost.com/Eco-dent-Daily-Care-Toothpowder).

I floss before bedtime. If I’ve eaten something like stringy mango, which can get stuck in between teeth, I floss after this type of meal. I do not recommend trying to get the floss under the gums the way dentists show you, that is the job of the tooth brush bristles when you brush at a 45 degree angle to the gum-line. I floss just to remove food that is trapped in between teeth, AND to disturb any bacterial colonies. I also use a showerfloss; it’s like a water pic that you use in the shower. It’s great because you don’t have to worry about making a mess… because you’re in the shower!

I also rinse my mouth just before going to sleep with diluted clove oil (one teaspoon to 8 ounces of water, www.nowfoods.com/Products/PersonalCare/Products/M004118.htm). This disturbs mouth bacteria. I know there are some Natural Hygienists who bristle at the thought of doing this, but I believe in dealing with reality and not doing things based on “we shouldn’t have to…”

Some health advocates will say that to combat dental problems “don’t eat so much fruit”. Okay, but then where will you get your fuel from… fat and/or complex carbs in grain and dairy products? That can’t be the answer.

For completeness’s sake, I should mention one other contributing factor to cavities. If you clench or grind your teeth while sleeping, this can loosen teeth creating pockets between tooth and gum where bacteria can live and go to town. You may clench or grind and not even know it. But if you wake up with a sore jaw, it’s probably because of this. If you do this (and a competent dentist should be able to tell you if you do), wear a dental guard (doctorsnightguard.com) while sleeping so the teeth aren’t loosened or otherwise damaged, and follow the other oral hygiene tips mentioned above, especially rinsing with clove oil if you already have loosen teeth (and they aren’t so loose that you can tell by wiggling them; they’re just loose enough where bacteria can get into the pocket).

************************************************************************

The criteria I use when choosing a dentist are:

* The dentist should do amalgam fillings removal and be proud of it, even mentioning it in any written lists of procedures (like on their website). If they say they “can” do it, that’s not good enough for me.

* Do they do amalgam fillings? You can ask, “do you ever use mercury amalgam fillings?” If ‘yes’ I’d not go there.

* I ask how new is the equipment they use that protects the patient when mercury fillings are removed. There have been many advancements in this area, and dentists who really care about their patients will upgrade to the best equipment, and this says a lot about the dentist. This question is best asked of the dentist; office managers usually won’t know the answer.

* Ask what protocols they recommend before and after mercury filling removals. If they don’t recommend anything specific, run. A good dentist knows the value of consuming chlorella before and after mercury removal, and may even mention cilantro (these having to do with heavy metal removal; some mercury may get into your system even with the best protective equipment). You can buy Sun Chlorella in the supplement section of Whole Foods and many health food stores, and fresh cilantro can be bought at Whole Foods.

* A good way to tell if the dentist is keeping up with the times, AND providing the safest equipment is to see what kind of x-ray machine s(he) has. Digital x-rays are safer than the old fashioned kind. You can tell if they’re digital by asking, “When the x-rays are taken, can they be seen immediately on a computer monitor?” If ‘no’, I’d go elsewhere.

* If the dentist is advertised as a cosmetic dentist, or specializes in cosmetic dentistry, I’d steer clear, even if the ad also says they do restorative dentistry. What can happen is that the dentist ends up doing mostly cosmetic dentistry and gets out of touch with restorative dentistry, both from a new technologies perspective and from a skills perspective.

* Since you’re going to get those mercury fillings replaced with something else, ask if the dentist does Clifford testing (biocompatibility testing) http://ccrlab.com There are different formulations of composite fillings, and some may have materials in them that react badly with your body. Some people pooh-pooh this test, and I can’t tell for 100% sure one way or the other, but I think that if it DOES have merit, why not use it. It requires you to go to a lab that draws blood, and they draw some and put in the mailer that the dentist provided you. While this probably shouldn’t be a “deal breaker” when choosing a dentist, it’s something to consider.

“CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. The system is manufactured in Bensheim, Germany. The cavity preparation is first photographed and stored as a three dimensional digital model, and proprietary software is then used to approximate the restoration shape using biogeneric comparisons to surrounding teeth. The practitioner then refines that model using 3D CAD software. When the model is complete, a milling machine carves the actual restoration out of a ceramic block using diamond head cutters under computer control. When complete, the restoration is bonded to the tooth using a resin.”

This is neat in that you don’t have to make a 2nd trip. But it begs a question about what material is used. Normally when the impression is taken, it’s sent to a lab to have the restoration made. The results from the Clifford test are looked at by the dentist and he/she determines the best material to use (there are many different formulations of “composite”). The dentist relays this to the lab making the restoration. I have to wonder if a dentist that uses a CEREC milling machine on premise has all the different kinds of materials. It would be interesting to ask him if he does a biocompatibility blood test. If he says ‘yes’, I’d ask how many different materials does he have for his CEREC milling machine. If he has a wide enough range to accommodate almost everyone, he should have no problem answering your question. But if he has only one or two types, and he sees where you’re going with your line of questioning, he may start throwing BS at you in the form of, “well compatibility testing is not absolute…we’ve never had a problem with any of the materials we use…” etc.

My choices (based on my Clifford test) included gold or a composite called “Empire”; other more common composite choices I tested ‘bad’ for. Gold is the “king of fillings” in that it lasts longer than any composite. It’s downside is that it expands and contracts at a different rate than enamel, so hot and cold foods and drinks can, over time, cause weakening of the tooth due to crazing (micro cracking). And you can’t use it where it can be seen when you smile. But since I don’t do hot and cold things things (except for banana ice cream), and it was on a back tooth, I opted for the gold.

Does the CEREC machine do “the king of fillings”? I’m guessing no. This would be an interesting discussion to have with a dentist who uses the CEREC method of making restorations. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do the CEREC method just because I couldn’t get gold, but it would be interesting to hear his explanation of why composites are just as good as gold (if he indeed does say this). And composite is less expensive than gold.

Since the last thing you want is tiny gaps between restoration and tooth, and since a restoration made with the CERED machine would, in theory, be a more exact fit than the older “impression” method, I’d look into a dentist who does the CEREC method. But it still comes down to how conservative he is; how much would he lean towards or away from doing a root canal. When a friend of mine worked at a gas station as an auto mechanic, the owner would frequently sell people on repairs that weren’t really necessary, and he did it because he could get away with it. When my friend got his own shop, he didn’t do that, but he suffered for it financially, and eventually lost the shop. He said that for many shops, doing unnecessary repairs was necessary if they wanted to stay in business. Who knows how much this applies to a dentist’s business. Most people are not going to argue with a dentist who says “you need a root canal”. Hmm, but maybe if you say, “Well, since I can’t afford that, you’ll have to pull the tooth” and you look sullen at the thought of losing a tooth, and the dentist, at heart, is someone who really wants to save a tooth if at all possible, maybe that might get him to “reconsider” the issue. You have nothing to lose by saying it; you don’t have to go through with the extraction… I’d just be curious how a dentist would react to the thought of having to pull a tooth that could be saved by something other than a root canal.

The post Raw Food Dental Problems appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.

Happy new year to everybody. I was tempted. That is bad. I got some candy from Belgium, that looked so good and I ate it. I also wanted to know what reaction would I get if I ate something not raw. I ate few of them and threw other away. It didn’t taste good. I can really feel the difference between dead and living food.

I think I have enough candies for a while. I also got a diarrhea right away and I feel like my sinuses are getting full again. That is a bad sign.

I did not loose any weight, only one kilo maybe. That is a good sign.

Today I ate few bananas and these candies. I will eat only living food, but sometimes I will eat some cooked rice, that I like so much, maybe. It is good to take this process slowly. But I feel stupid when I am paying in the shop and all I have are fruits and veggies.

5. Jan 2006

I lost around 4 kilos and I have been on the diet for over 2 weeks. I still have some fat on my body. My food has run out and I have to go to the shop. I will try to buy a dehydrator or I will dehydrate my food with room temperature. I miss bread and cheese. I can not get any raw cheese here in my country. Just sour milk with the farmers around me. I will probably go to buy some raw milk from the farmers in my city.

I hope they are clean and I will not get any parasites :))). What else. Nothing new. I feel a little better. My chest pain is not severe only minor.

I just mixed some tomato into puree and use as a dip with salt. Then I dip sliced vegetable in it. It is wonderful.

Keep you posted people. I will probably start taking pictures of me and I will post them here.

6. Jan 2006

Wow this is amazing. I was shopping in town and I was happy all the time, no depression, nothing, no sad thing. Also I was full of energy. I was so afraid I was going to loose weight when eating raw and I just have contra wish – TOO LOOSE WEIGHT. I have few extra kilos around my stomach, I want to be slim.

I think that I trained my body to use food resources very smart. And I think my body building years and tae kwon do training helped, so I build some muscles. I am so satisfied with the diet. I am not hungry, do not miss cooked food. Here is the secret. If I wanted pizza or something I would go and get one, but I know it doesn’t taste alive!!!!!

So I do not have any craving for cooked food. Also recipes from internet and knowing that a lot of people are 100 % raw helps very much.

I feel good and before 3 weeks when I started I couldn’t get out of the bed, I was so tired. Also my pain in chest was really alarming and my high pulse (120 bpm when I was walking).

I just get a haircut and I like myself. If I would just loose some weight so my muscles would show :)))

Also in the shop they got organic kiwi, oranges but they were expensive. Also the carrots were organic. But it is more expensive then usual food.

So that is it. I will take some pics of me naked (joke) so I will see how my body is transforming.

See you later alligator :)))))))))))))

Maybe I will go train martial arts again, but I am so out of that scene, because nobody attacks me never, thanks god. Once I fought with 3 large fat village people and it was rough.

10. Jan 2006

Hey another day on raw food. I cheated only once and that was on New years eve with some candies.
I took some pictures of myself and I will post them here.

I had minor problem with teeth, they were chipping off at the top of the tooth. Many people on raw diet had the same problems. Few also lost all of their teeth. It depends on the person but I never had any problems with chipping off the enamel of the tooth. Somebody suggested me to not eat and citruses and to wash my mouth after every meal. I am also brushing teeth after each meal to prevent any acids to melt my enamel.

I think it is fine for now but obviously body is not getting the right minerals so it must take them from teeth. I will probably start to eat raw milk products like goat cheese to preserve my teeth.

26. Jan 2006

Wow, it is great. I failed again J. Yesterday I wanted to eat pizza so I bought one. It was really good veggie pizza. I thought I would have bad reactions but the only thing happened was that today I am more tired and that my sweat smells more. I think that we should not torture our body with raw food if it crave cooked food sometimes. I think I made that mistake 10 years ago when I was 100 % raw for 6 months. Today it is 1 month till I started eating raw again. I cheated 3 times. First with some sweets, then also with sweets and yesterday with pizza.

And also many celebrities are not 100 % raw like Woody Harelson and Carol Alt. So I think we should sometimes listen to our bodies.

I will still eat raw but I will probably sometimes eat something cooked. I think the transformation should be slow.

Also I loose a lot of weight, around 8 kilos in 1 month. I will took some pictures of me again.

I just bought some bio veggies and fruit but are more expensive. I saw bio bananas for the first time. I didn’t know that they use pesticides with banana trees.

The post Raw Food Diary January 2006 appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.

Wow it is one day before Christmas and I am writing this diary. Internet is wonderful thing. I am 30 yo male, smart, beautiful and sick. The last part is the reason I went on a raw diet again. Again?

Yes that is right. I was already on the diet few years ago for 6 month and I quit because of my mother telling me how skinny I was like a skeleton and brainwashing me with these ideas all the time. I was really skinny because of the diet. I weighed only 55 kilos. I lost 20 kilos or something like that.

So now I am trying it again. I have strong heart pain or chest pains and I feel tired all the time. I just came from America, where I eat al the junk food all the time. I really feel sick. I am vegetarian also for already 11 years.

So now I am thinking what is going on. I started the diet 4 days ago and I feel quite good today. Yesterday I had few pains in chest but today I feel good.

These 4 days I ate salad with olive oil, bio apple cider, natural salt, also I ate bananas, oranges, kiwi, nuts, like sesame and almonds and I do not miss the cooked food. Also I didn’t loose any weight yet so this is a miracle. Few years ago when I ate raw I could loose few kilos per day but now I even gained one. I am checking my scale everyday and the kilos are still there. I think my body changed. I hope I will keep the healthy weight.

Also my chest pain are almost gone. My nose is cleared, I used to blow my nose all the time, just blowing and nothing came out, so I never used and paper for that.

SO for now everything is going smoothly. This is my 5th day on 100 % raw and I like it. It is 3 30 am in the morning and I think I have some bananas in the fridge so see you later alligator………….

Weight 90 kilos (still all the weight is here :))
Pulse 80 bpm (my heart is pumping like crazy)

25. December 2005

Hi again. I went to buy new stuff in the shop. I feel I already feel better and I do not loose weight, maybe half of kilo I am not sure. But few years ago I was loosing weight daily when i was on raw diet. Not it is not happening, maybe because I am mostly sitting behind computer.

I ate salad today, carrot and Chinese cabbage plus olive oil, apple cider and salt. Then I ate one mango, few oranges, grapefruit and nothing else. O yeas I ate kaki, I do not know what is the correct word in English.

So everything is going great for now.

Keep you posted, happy Christmas everybody.

27. December 2005

So another day on raw. I do not miss cooked food. I ate today carrot salad with olive oil and vinegar and natural sea salt. Then I ate one avocado, few bananas, oranges etc. I think I can feel pesticides in oranges. We do not have natiral grown fruit here. That is so sad so I can not eat ecological.

But I feel better, I still feel weak in chest with small pain, I hope that is getting better.

29. December 2005

Hi again. I am awake all night working on my computer. Still have chest pain, but slight, I have not loose any weight today. It is amazing. I feel I can easily live on raw food and not to become a skeleton. Maybe the reason is my regular liver flushes and cleanse, so the food can be absorbed more easily. I hope I will reach my goals.

I eat a lot of sesam seeds mixed finely with natural sea salt. It is like gomasio, but gomasio are heated sesam seed and salt.

Today I ate few kiwis, bananas, drink water, didnt eat any salad. I am like sick of salads. I have to get some new recipes, to make smoothies. I have to buy a blender. the one I am making seeds is too small.

The post Raw Food Diary December 2005 appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.

Lasagne

This recipe is best made one day in advance.

This works well with a pan that measures 9.5″ X 13″ X 2″-(3 quarts) {metric
measure: 240 X 345 X 50mm (3 litres)} which will serve 8-10 but pan
size is not important- use any size pan you have, this is just a
guideline.

Ingredients: (per 8-10 servings)
5-6 zucchini
3-4 Cups coarsely chopped Mushrooms (or, thinly slice portobellas or
baby bellas)
6 Cups Spinach, packed, then roughly chopped

“Cheese”
4 Cups Sunflower pate (see recipe below) -made with less garlic, onion and lemon so it is bland. Use water in place of 1/2 of the lemon juice.

Marinara Sauce (see recipe below)

cheesecloth (all cotton for culinary use)

Preparation:
Thinly slice the zucchini the long way. This can be done by hand or with
a mandolin.
Marinate for 1-2 hours in a mixture of olive oil, water and lemon juice.
You will need enough slices to completely cover the bottom of the pan

two times. (you can marinate longer if you want)

Place a double layer of cheesecloth in the pan, with at least 6 inches
of cheesecloth hanging out on all sides.

Assemble the lasagne

Pat dry the marinated zucchini slices. Fit closely together enough
slices to completely cover the bottom of the pan-Don’t forget to lay the
cheesecloth down first, it is important.

Pour over a small amount of the marinara sauce and spread over the
zucchinis (see recipe for Marinara below)

Spread out a layer of mushrooms, (use 1/2 the mushrooms)

Spread a thin layer of pate over the mushrooms (use 1/2 the pate) (it’s
ok to leave it in evenly spaced blobs it is difficult to spread)

Evenly place half of the chopped spinach over the pate and press firmly
into place

Repeat the steps:

Zucchini slices
1/2 of the remaining marinara sauce
the remaining mushrooms
the remaining pate
the remaining spinach-press in to the pate
The remaining marinara- you can also add some chopped tomato and

slivered basil to the top

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Serving the lasagne:

The vegetables and pate will have given off a great deal of liquid
overnight in the refrigerator. Using the ends of the cheesecloth,
carefully lift out the lasagne (it may take 2 people). Drain the lasagne
for a few moments (hold it up and allow to drip or run your hand over

the bottom)-then either place it in a new pan or have someone quickly
pour off the liquid and dry the pan and put the lasagne back in. Slice
and Serve.

Marinara Sauce

(This is a rough description, you add ingredients to your taste)
To serve 8-16 (Makes a full blender container of sauce)

2-3 cups Sun Dried tomatoes, soaked in water for 2 hours (not oil packed, buy dried sun dried tomatoes)
8-10 fresh Tomatoes
Parsley
onion
garlic

fresh basil
oregano
sea salt
olive oil

If making this marinara sauce to use on zucchini ‘pasta’ that has been tossed in pesto sauce, this will make more than enough for 8 people as an entrée, and 16 people as a side dish.

For lasagna, a blender full of marinara should be just enough for one large lasagna, but have enough ingredients on hand to make a bit more sauce if you need to.

Cut up and blend the tomatoes in a blender. You should have approximately 3 cups of pureed tomato. Drain the sun dried tomatoes (save the liquid to thin the sauce later if you need to) and add enough of them to the tomato puree until the mixture is quite thick. Add the following to your liking: garlic, onion, a little olive oil, parsley, fresh basil, sea salt, oregano. (Add any other ingredients that you like in a tomato or marinara sauce, cut up olives would be nice.)

Faux Salmon (or Mock Tuna)

This attractive dish resembles salmon casserole. But we know it’s not!

Adding more kelp, dulse or any other sea veggies that you have on hand
will increase the seafood flavor. For fun, press into a mold and unmold
onto a platter, surrounded with kale and parsley, topped with almonds or
olives. This dish is elegant served with warmed Mushroom Gravy.
For a luncheon or brunch this recipe is lovely served in a scooped out
tomato.

2 cups almonds, soaked 8-10 hours
2 whole carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups finely minced celery
1/2 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup minced shallot or scallion

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons kelp powder
1 teaspoon dulse powder or granules
1 tablespoon liquid amino’s , 2 teaspoons nama shoyu or 1 teaspoon sea
salt

Soak almonds 8-12 hours, drain, rinse and drain again. Put the almonds,

carrots and onions through the heavy-duty juicer, using the blank
screen. Place mixture in a large bowl, add celery, parsley, shallots,
lemon juice, kelp, dulse, liquid amino’s or sea salt and stir thoroughly.
Shape into a mold or place in a pie crust. Or shape free hand like a
fish. Keeps several days, covered, in the refrigerator. Serves 4-6.

Julienne of Carrot , Zucchini and Red Pepper

Although you can julienne by hand, using a mandoline will result in a
more attractive looking dish.

2 carrots, julienne
1 zucchini, julienne
1 red pepper, julienne

Cranberry Sauce

(This recipe is not in The Raw Gourmet book)

Double or triple this recipe for a crowd
1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries, washed well
1 or 2 oranges, peeled
optional : 1 teaspoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel, just the orange part, grate prior to cutting oranges

Dates: to taste, start with four.

In a blender place cranberries and cut up oranges, blend until chunky. Then add four dates, blend. Taste, continue to add dates and blend until sweet enough for your taste. Can be made 2-3 days in advance.

Orange Tahini Dressing

A delightful light dressing that only takes a few minutes to make. Its
simplicity invites variation. Try adding 1 teaspoon chopped ginger and 1-2

teaspoons tamari. Or, add 2 teaspoons poppy seeds and 1/4 teaspoon
Chinese 5 spice powder.

2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dulse flakes
1/8 teaspoon curry powder

In bowl, add orange juice gradually to tahini, stirring after each
addition. Add salt. Dressing tastes fine as is, or add spices to taste.
Yields approximately 1/2 cup.

Pressed Red Cabbage Caraway Slaw

This is a highly flavored and impressive dish. If you enjoy this, try
the same method with Asian sauce and experiment with different
vegetables. This dish will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/2 large cabbage)
1 large onion, sliced very thin
1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons Liquid amino’s, or nama shoyu or additional sea salt

Place vegetables in bowl. Sprinkle the sea salt, caraway seeds and
Liquid amino’s evenly over vegetables. With your hands, knead and toss
the salad, crushing the vegetables in your hands for 5-6 minutes. Serves
4-6

Sunflower Pate

3 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 8-12 hours. Sprouted for 2-4 hours
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4-1/2 cup raw tahini
1/4 cup liquid amino’s, or 2 tablespoons nama shoyu, or pinch of sea

salt with add’l water, or none at all
2-4 slices red onion, cut in chunks
4-6 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
2-3 medium cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

Soak sunflower seeds 8-12 hours, drain, allow to sprout for 3-4 hours (leave

out on counter) then thoroughly rinse and drain removing as many of the
thin inner husks that float to the top as possible. In a food processor,
process the sunflower seeds, lemon juice, scallions, tahini, liquid
amino’s, onion, parsley, garlic and cayenne until the mixture is a
smooth paste.

When thoroughly blended taste and adjust the seasoning. The pate will

develop a stronger garlic taste in a few hours. Yields a large mixing
bowl of pate. (approximately 8 cups)

Parsnip-Avocado Soup
(from The Little Book of Raw Soups by Nomi Shannon, Free with purchase from the author of The Raw Gourmet book)

1 large parsnip, grated (unless using a K-tec or Vitamix then you can

just cut it up)
1/2 water or celery juice
1 large stalk peeled celery, cut up
1/4 avocado
2 teaspoons flaxseed oil
squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

In a blender blend parsnip and liquid until smooth. Add remaining
ingredients, blend until smooth.

Carrot Cake
(This recipe calls for both a juicer with blank screen and a food processor)

Carrot Cake and Frosting

This yummy recipe yields 8 cups, or 10-16 servings, one small piece goes a long way! Can be made one or two days in advance and kept refrigerated. The malleable consistency of this carrot cake will allow you to make it into any shape. Make a traditional looking 2 layer round cake with frosting between layers, or get creative and shape it into the form or a Christmas tree or star, on a large platter.

Frosting

2 cups unsoaked cashews
8-13 medjool dates pitted (not soaked)
vanilla

In blender blend cashews with enough water to allow blender to run. When smooth, add in dates until sweet enough. Add in vanilla.

Carrot Cake

1/2 cup raisins, soaked 20 minutes, reserve liquid
1/2 cup dried apricots, soaked 20 minutes
2 cups pecans or walnuts

2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 1/2 cups coconut (dried, unsweetened, shredded)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala or cinnamon
optional pinch of clove

optional pinch of nutmeg
6 cups carrot pulp-
1 1/2 cups date pieces or chopped dates-pit and roughly chop dates

Food processor: combine pecans and pine nuts. Process until uniformly fine. Add coconut, pulse until mixed in. Add spices, pulse until mixed, set aside.

Juicer: (use blank) alternate putting carrot pulp, raisins, apricots and dates through. Knead until mixture is evenly combined. Add in nut mixture a little at a time, kneading it in.

Line 2 round cake pans with saran wrap (you may have to oil the pans first).

Put mixture in pans, pack in. Refrigerate until ready to frost.

HAVE ATTRACTIVE PLATE AVAILABLE

Mango-Lime Parfait

A soft, cool and smooth dessert. For a strong citrus flavor, add one
whole peeled lemon or lime to the blender, along with the lemon or lime
juice called for in the recipe. This will result in a tart citrus-y
dessert, much like lemon or lime pie. Before adding the dates, taste the
mango mixture, you may not want to add too many if the mangoes are

already sweet.

Almond maple crust mixture (set aside in a bowl) – recipe below
4 cups coarsely chopped mango (about 5 mangoes)
1 cup lime juice (or lemon juice)
1 teaspoon of lime (or lemon) zest
4-8 dates, pitted and chopped

In a blender, place mango pieces and blend until smooth. Add lime juice,
zest and dates and process until smooth. Be patient. Mango is a very
fibrous fruit and you want to achieve smooth, pudding-like results.

In a parfait or wine glass, layer the crust mixture and the mango lime
mixture. Start with some crust mixture in the bottom of the glass, then
mango mixture, a bit of crust mixture and so on, ending with crust
mixture on top. Yield: 4 glasses of parfait.

Variation: substitute papaya or persimmon

Variation: Add another layer, made up of thinly sliced Kiwi fruit or
strawberries.

Basic Almond Maple Crust

This is a delicate crust that is good for soft fillings or frozen pies
because it doesn’t overwhelm the subtle taste or texture of the filling.

Because the fillings are very rich, this crust is designed to fit a
round 1 layer cake pan, or a shallow pie tin.

1-2 cups almonds, soaked 8-12 hours
3-4 teaspoons maple syrup

Soak almonds 8-12 hours, drain, rinse then drain again. Put nuts briefly
(30 minutes) in the sun or dehydrator (30-60 minutes) to dry off, or
dry them off with a towel. In food processor, process almonds until

uniformly very fine. Gradually add the maple syrup, only enough until
the almond meal holds together. Sprinkle and then gently press the crust
into the bottom and sides of pie plate. Don’t worry about getting the
crust all the way up the sides.

Note: This is a very thin crust. If you want a thicker crust, increase
the amounts in the recipe.

The above recipes are from: The Raw Gourmet: Simple recipes for living well by Nomi Shannon (Alive Books ©1999). All rights reserved.

The post Living Food Recipes appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.

“Raw food vegetarians believe in eating only plant-derived foods that have not been cooked, processed, or otherwise altered from their natural state,” Fontana’s team wrote in this week’s issue of the Archives of Internal medicine.

Low BMI and body fat content
“Because of their low calorie and low protein intake, raw food vegetarians have a low body mass index (BMI) and a low total body fat content. It is well documented that a low BMI and weight loss are strongly associated with low bone mass and increased fracture risk, while obesity protects against osteoporosis.”

Fontana’s team studied 18 strict raw food vegans aged 33 to 85. All ate a diet that included unprepared foods such vegetables, fruits, nuts, and sprouted grains. They had been on this diet for an average of 3.6 years.

The team compared them to 18 more average Americans. The raw food group had an average body mass index of 20.5, while the average group were slightly overweight with a BMI of 25.

BMI is an internationally accepted measurement of height to weight, and a BMI of 18.5 to 24 is considered the healthy range.

Higher levels of vitamin D
Fontana expected the vegans to have low vitamin D levels because they avoid all animal products including dairy. But in fact their vitamin D levels were “markedly higher” than average.

Vitamin D is made by the skin when the body is exposed to sunlight and is key to keeping strong bones. It is added to milk and other foods because it is so important.

“These people are clever enough to expose themselves to sunlight to increase their concentrations of vitamin D,” Fontana said.

And the vegans had low levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory molecule that is becoming linked with the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic disease.

Furthermore, they had lower levels of IGF-1, a growth factor linked to risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Fontana does not advocate a raw food diet. But he said that to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease people should eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

The post Raw food vegans thin but healthy, study finds appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.

Within weeks of replacing her usual meal choices with uncooked and unprocessed organic vegetables, fruits and nuts, she says her headaches disappeared, her mood improved and her sinuses cleared up. She stopped drinking Scotch-and-coffee and has stuck to the raw foods diet ever since. “In more than eight and a half years, I have not gotten sick, and I have not put any over-the-counter medicines into my body,” says Alt, now 44. “ I am actually in better shape now than I was at 34.”

Alt touts the benefits of the raw-foods diet in her book, “Eating in the Raw: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Slimmer, Feeling Healthier, and Looking Younger the Raw-Food Way,” published by Clarkson Potter earlier this year. But the former cover girl is just the latest in a long line of celebrities to embrace the raw-food regimen.

Once associated with hippies and health fanatics, the movement has slowly meandered into the mainstream, thanks in part to growing concerns about obesity, the endorsements of telegenic actors like Woody Harrelson, who published a 400-page book called “Living Cuisine” a little over a year ago and celebrity chefs who have begun incorporating raw foods into their regular menus. Well-known chefs Charlie Trotter, whose eponymous upscale restaurant in Chicago offers raw-food options, and Roxanne Klein have even coauthored a gourmet recipe book called “Raw.”

“The raw-foods movement became big because they got some great chefs making great foods,” says Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a family physician in New Jersey and author of “Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss.” Still, Fuhrman, who advocates a vegetable-based diet, thinks an all-raw diet is too restrictive. “I teach people the value of having lots of raw food, but not that you should be 100 percent raw,” he says. “Cooked food is not poisonous. It’s the diet most Americans eat now, with all those processed foods, that’s poisonous.”

He points out that while more nutrients are usually available in foods that aren’t heated or highly processed, there are some nutrients that are actually better absorbed in food that’s been cooked. The best sources of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancer in studies, are cooked tomato products like spaghetti sauce and tomato paste. Similarly, the body’s ability to absorb beta carotene, another antioxidant that can protect against cancer and is found in carrots (among other sources), increases when the vegetable is cooked.

Doctors and dieticians also worry that limiting food choices can lead to nutritional deficiencies over the long run. A study published in the current issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine found that vegetarians who eat only raw plant-derived foods have abnormally low bone mass, which is usually an early indicator of bone-thinning diseases like osteoporosis. Doctors warn pregnant women, children and anyone with immune deficiencies in particular against following a raw-foods-only diet.

Raw-food proponents contend that the process of cooking (at least anything above 118 degrees) destroys, or degrades, the digestive enzymes found in many foods. But nutritionists say our bodies have natural digestive enzymes already. “The whole issue about heat sensitivity and destroying vitamins when you cook foods is more of a myth than people realize,” says Dr. Christine Gerbstadt, a doctor and registered dietician in Pennsylvania and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

She prefers the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2005 dietary guidelines instead. Fill half your plate with raw fruits and vegetables, she says, but split the other half between grains and a protein source like lean chicken or fish. “I have to go with the science that went into establishing those guidelines,” says Gerbstadt. “There are so many health benefits from [following] them, and so much research behind them.”

Even raw-foodists admit that sticking to an exclusive raw-food diet can be difficult. Alt’s book suggests that readers just try to make sure that 70 percent to 75 percent of their daily diet is composed of raw food. David Wolfe, the author of “Eating For Beauty” and “The Sunfood Diet Success System,” stopped eating anything cooked or processed 11 years ago. But he says it can sometimes be a challenge to find food that qualifies. He recalls one memorable late-night trip to Denny’s with friends. “I looked at the menu and there was nothing for me to eat but a plate of parsley,” he says, laughing. “But it turns out, parsley is really nutritious.”

Still, Wolfe–whose diet now consists largely of fruit smoothies, fresh vegetable juices and the occasional handful of pumpkin seeds–says the benefits of adhering to the diet far outweigh any inconveniences. (He recommends bringing an avocado along in your bag when you’re going to a restaurant that may not have many raw-food options.) “Clear skin … clear thinking, improved digestion,” he says, ticking off the changes he noticed after making the switch. “People after lunch these days, they are still out to lunch. Their heads are not clear, and they have no energy because their bodies are working so hard to digest their food. I never experience that anymore. I’m supercharged with energy.”

Wolfe prefers to call his eating plan “sensual nutrition,” rather than restrictive. “There’s such an erotic and beauty side to these foods,” he says. “They’re alive, and the colors are bright and vibrant.”

The aesthetic appeal of raw foods is not lost on chefs. The recipe book by Trotter and Klein includes sensuous descriptions of “the erotic gooeyness” of honeycomb and “the elegant crispiness” of thyme spouts. Trotter, who has described eating raw food as “a very vital, extraordinary way to approach food,” has also offered special raw-food tasting menus at his restaurant. And award-winning New York chef Matthew Kenney has garnered rave reviews for dishes like tomato and zucchini “lasagna” and tomato tartare at his raw-food-only restaurant, Pure Food & Wine, which opened last year.

Ultimately, though, most adherents are attracted to raw foods for the health benefits, not the taste. And even raw-food purists like Wolfe say most people can experience the benefits of raw foods while enjoying some cooked cuisine. “Even a diet that is 70 to 80 percent raw will give people so many health benefits,” he says, “that they may not need to go further.”

© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

The post In the Raw – The Raw Food Movement appeared first on Alternative Complementary Medicine.