Raw Food Controversies: How to Avoid Common Mistakes That May Sabotage Your Health

by Frederic Patenaude

“The Biggest Raw Food Controversies Finally Exposed and Debunked…. Discover How to Increase Energy, Strengthen Digestion and Avoid Dangerous Deficiencies”Frederic Patenaude decided to become a raw-foodist in 1996, but after just two years on the diet, his health was falling apart. He thought he was on the best diet in the world, but a mysterious ailment struck him and left him crippled in bed for a month. Since that dreadful experience, Frederic kept searching for the ideal diet. After 14 years, he's ready to reveal it all and expose some of the most well-kept secrets of the raw-food movement that other raw-food leaders don’t want you to know. Raw Food Controversies demolishes common raw-food myths and establishes useful guidelines for healthy eating. In this book, the author describes his tumultuous years of trial and error with the raw food diet, and the multiple health problems caused by eating raw the wrong way, while providing useful lessons he's learned along the way. Bringing common sense, science and sanity to the raw food movement, Raw Food Controversies answers important questions that have been avoided for too long. It will be of interest to anyone wishing to improve their health, particularly vegans and raw foodists. In it, you will •What are the top three foods you should NEVER eat raw (and why) •The 6 toxic supplements you should never take (and which ones are useful)•The 100% raw diet vs. the mostly raw diet•What raw-foodists should know about DHA and other essential fatty can you get them on a raw vegan diet? •Superfoods exposed! What you need to know raw cacao, honey, green juice, green powder, coconut oil, agave nectar, acai, spirulina, maca, goji berries, seaweed, and more! * And more!

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Vegan, Food

436 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2011

Reviews

[Marcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really fantastic. I originally bought it because I was considering transitioning back to a raw food diet after many years. I had heard stories from friends of mine who had gone all raw and years later developed mysterious illnesses. Actually two close friends of mine had each developed very different and mysterious illnesses after going raw. Another friend had warned me about how raw foodists tend to have bad teeth and even to loose their teeth and I thought of a friend who follows an all raw diet and has a fake tooth. I also was a bit skeptical about the heavy promoting of cacoa in the raw food movement, and never quite bought into the view that it is a superfood, ad David Wolfe loves to go on and on about. So the book's topic caught my attention to say the least!

At first I thought it a strange read, because the format of the book is in large print with lots of spacing between paragraphs and the author has a very conversational and informal tone to his writing, bordering on over-sharing at times. However, I soon grew to like the personal nature of the book as I followed Patenaude on his journey through the burgeoning raw food world of early 2000. Funny enough, he started his raw food journey the same year that I tried first tried raw foods for 6 months, but had trouble feeling 'grounded' and then decided it wasn't for me (I also smoked marijuana, which explains this). So I was familiar with quite a few of the raw food 'gurus' that he mentions in his book...

He came to some pretty profound conclusions. And I highly recommend this book to anyone who is on the raw food path, especially those who are committed to eating only raw foods for the long term. As he says in the book, "it can save your life," and he will specifically tell you how. Since reading his book, I am even more drawn to the 80-10-10 style of raw foods, the David Klein approach, aka the Low Fat Vegan raw food approach. Although it is odd at first to limit fats in my diet, I am getting used to it. And in fact, I have lost a lot of unnecessary weight and feel so much better.

He has great suggestions for dental self-care, and excellent nutritional advice (which is similar to what I have discovered from my own research and college classes on nutrition). He is the voice of reason in the raw food movement, and if you don't want to get fatally sick and/or get horrible cavities, get his book.

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was a very strange book overall, I did find it fascinating and it was hard to stop reading. As a whole food, plant-based vegan who wants to eat a mostly raw vegan diet, I was truly glad to discover this book. I was unaware of many of the pitfalls and struggles of a fully raw vegan diet, especially when it comes to the high-fat version, which I want to avoid.

Frederic's journey through many paths of eating vegan, raw, and otherwise gave me many new insights concerning the raw food diet and allowed me to figure out that I definitely did not want to follow certain paths.

The last 20-25% of the book is the most helpful with a general summary of all of the tips that he gleaned over the years eating raw vegan, vegetarian, cooked, or consuming animal foods. I tend to follow more of the 80/10/10 plan, including a couple of cooked foods (whole food, plant-based, vegan) per day and keeping my fat below 15%.

I learned a lot from this book, even though the cover design does not inspire confidence in the reader and the wild stories are sometimes a bit off-putting. I liked that the author included references to the information he shared and also mentioned plant-based doctors such as Dr. Bernard, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Doug Graham, and others.

Although this book is generally outdated, it's definitely worth a read and I'm glad that I read it. I had no idea that the raw vegan lifestyle had so many different factions and "rules" that I had never heard of. This memoir/self-help/raw vegan guide gave me many new perspectives and, for that, I'm grateful.

[Marko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, great story, lot of science based info, I have read it in no time. Recommend for everyone who would like not just to try but also to succeed in raw food life style. I only regret one thing - that I did not read it in advance!

[Vishal Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is saying that don't eat high fat raw vegan diet. Instead eat low fat raw vegan diet.

in other words, get majority of calories from carbs ( fruits ) rather then fats ( coconut, avacados, nuts, seeds). Fruits shall provide vitamins as well and vegetables shall provide minerals. Also he suggest a mid way diet ie eat cooked food at night in which you eat brown rice, steamed vegs, beans etc. Also take Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D as these are only found in Milk or Animal products which you should avoid as we don't want protein from animals. He recommends 80-10-10 diet indirectly . He also says that water fast for 30 days helped him gain mental clarity due to which he was able to perform 3 times more work in 1 year after fasting compared to before fasting .He also said that we should wake up when sleep cycle gets over .. For this , there is alarm device which can detect that and wake you up. for eg. you may put alarm of 7:30 am but the alarm may buzz at 7:45 am if your sleep cycle ends at 7:45 am. There was useless noise on his story of his affairs, his biography, his friends. All that can be removed from the book reducing the size of book to half. He also recommends websites for where to buy Vitamin B12 , D . He eats as follows




Break Fast : large fruit smoothie or a green smoothie, but usually, prefer fruits in season.




Lunch : large smoothie containing one type of fruit that is richer and sweeter, such as banana or mango. To that, add another type of fruit. For example, a favorite smoothie of mine consists of several bananas with an entire papaya.




Dinner can be one of the following: ( Sample. use variety)




A low fat raw meal : My raw dinner meals are three-course meals. If I’ve been active enough during the day, I start with fruit. Then I follow it with a large raw veggie soup (my own creation or based on Roger Haeske’s Savory Veggie Stews, www.veggiestews.com), and possibly a salad with fat-free dressing.

OR

A dinner that includes cooked food: My favorite cooked foods are simple: root vegetables, such as potatoes or sweet potatoes, squash, green vegetables, beans or rice (I try to avoid wheat most of the time). Whenever I prepare cooked foods, I avoid all oils and added fats. With the cooked dinner, I try to have a salad, and there may be some nuts or seeds in the dressing.




Detrimental Dental Health : the above diet can be harmful to teeth unless

1. teeth are cleaned up immediately after eating food

2. only max 3 times one should eat to avoid sugar exposure to teeth.

3. brush properly and floss as well







Beans in their raw state — even when sprouted — should be avoided. Some kinds of raw beans contain a harmful toxin (the lectin phytohaemagglutinin) that can cause food poisoning-like symptoms. [1],[ 2] They also contain indigestible raw starch. Even Steve Meyerowitz, an author who wrote many books on sprouting, says: “Although sprouting makes the large beans easier to digest, increases their protein, and lowers their starch, they are still primarily raw beans. Quantity and regularity of consumption is the caveat here. One should not regularly consume large quantities of raw beans or raw sprouted beans...”




Do everything on time. eat on time , sleep and wake up on time, This helps body to optimize its functions. sleep in dark . wake up before sun. don't watch computer etc 2 hrs before sleep




fresh greens are often more nutritious than sprouts. so just eat fruits and greens in breakfast and lunch and eat little cooked sprouts and beans in night




Many experienced raw foodists count calories using online software. Here are a few that I recommend: www.sparkpeople.com (because you can create a recipe database if you frequently eat the same meals) www.fitday.com www.nutridiary.com If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, you may want to try the apps Absolute Fitness or MyNetDiary.




How much to eat? Usually, one pound of greens per day is what you need. Dr. Fuhrman recommends one pound of raw vegetables (in salads or blended salads) and one pound of cooked vegetables (such as broccoli, spinach, kale, collard greens, snow peas, etc.). If you’re going to eat any cooked foods at all, make sure that cooked greens are on the menu. Of all raw and cooked foods, they’re the most nutrient-dense.

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[P.J. Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One man’s quest for the ideal diet, by trial and error. A readable book, well sourced. Discusses many issues I have been struggling with and puzzling over for a long time. Not the final word, but worth considering.

His starting point is Herbert M. Shelton’s Natural Hygiene philosophy. He faults Shelton on quantity, but usually not on quality. Where Shelton believed that disease comes from eating too much, this author suggests it can come from eating too little, from deficiencies, especially deficiencies in calories. The raw vegan diet is often a semi-starvation diet, he claims. “Vegans generally don’t eat enough food to get the calories and nutrients they need.” And from where are the requisite calories to come? From fruits, he advises, not from fats. He says that Shelton’s diet is flawed because it is too high in fats, especially nuts. He presents a case against most fats, including the natural fats in avocados and nuts. But are there enough calories in fruits? One would have to eat a lot of fruit to equal the calories in nuts and avocados.

He debunks liver flushing and discusses fasting, detox, food cravings, supplements, Vitamin B12, dental issues, and many other topics crucial to raw eaters and health seekers. He concludes that the 100% raw vegan diet is an ideal that does not work in practice. It works for gorillas in the wild, but not for humans. Why not? He speculates.

This book could benefit from an index. On page 360 the author warns against “too much salt” without pointing out that salt in any quantity is harmful. He also fails to mention that the minerals in salt are not bio-available. His contention that the natural sugars in fruits can cause tooth decay is disturbing. Are we not a frugivorous species? Why should our natural food cause dental problems? Dr. Weston Price found North African date eaters who had beautiful teeth. This needs more study.

This book provides much food for thought. A worthwhile discussion. Its conclusions do not satisfy me, but four stars for asking the right questions.

[Lorra · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read on the subject of raw food and diet. It's mostly a memoir of all the mistakes Frederic made on his journey since age 20 - 35, and his current approach which works. This book is HIGHLY recommended because if you gain the knowledge first, you will avoid the mistakes - there is SO much raw food literature out there now, and a lot of it is false, made up, or plain unhealthy in the long run.



Take it from me - I've been doing this 4 years myself and everything Fred says in the book that happened to him, also happened to me. and countless other people - it is embarrassing to admit these things when you have been going OMG THIS DIET IS THE BEST EVER, YOU CAN EAT EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CALORIES OR FAT OR ANYTHING, JUST MAKE SURE ITS RAW! so not true - maybe for 2-3 years, then the problems begin. If you're lucky or started out very very unhealthy or sick, maybe you will go longer without repercussions, but they will show up - that is what this book aims to have you avoid, through his own trial and error.

So go for it - get this book - order it, and also read 80/10/10 by Doug Graham, and Raw Secrets, also by Frederic Patenaude. Other good ones are Raw Family (for inspiration) and other green smoothie books by Victoria Boutenko (the recipe books are still too high in fat, but the smoothie recipes are great). Other than that, the raw food books out there are mostly too high in fat (a bad thing - you'll learn why) or full of expensive superfoods that make the authors lots of money.

[Manuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, and very eye-opening indeed. Everyone who has ever tried eating raw should read this. Also good to put things into perspective and not get religious about one's diet (the author doesn't follow 80/10/10 to the letter). I especially found the part about dental health useful, and:

"Now, for the first time in history, it is possible to attempt to live on a raw food diet. Modern agricultural techniques developed over the last hundreds of years enable us to grow fruits that are sweet enough to use as a staple, and modern trade and globalization brings us a variety of high-quality fruits and vegetables from all over the world. Combined with a little knowledge of human nutrition, a good blender, and a few recipes, the average person can now live on the cleanest and healthiest diet in the world, and yet, they can still get enough calories to get throughout the day. This is, in effect, a return to our pre-human roots, because our digestive tract and physiology is still mostly adapted to a fruitarian diet (with greens), even though no human tribe has ever lived on fruit for reasons of survival and practicality.
This raw food diet [i.e. 80/10/10], when done properly, is the healthiest diet one could conceive of because of its extremely high nutrient density, low level of toxicity, ease of digestibility, and high antioxidant level." (p.396)

[Phil]

Raw Food Controversies is a treasure-trove of insight and information for anyone interested in eating a healthier diet. Frederic’s dietary successes and setbacks mirrored my own, answered many of my longstanding questions, and opened my eyes to valuable new ideas and strategies that have already moved me closer toward radiant good health.

That said, I must add that I no longer follow a raw food diet. I did for a total of more than five years and I credit it with saving my health, if not my life. What I learned is that a raw food diet is fantastic for cleansing and healing, but it has a shelf life. We cannot cleanse indefinitely. The body goes in cycles: building up, cleansing, repeat. There came a point when my body was telling me that raw food, and even vegetarianism, wasn't working any more. I now see that there is no perfect one-size-fits-all diet. What works for you now may not work for you three years from now. It's important to listen to your body and follow your intuition.

I recommend this radio interview with David Rainoshek about the post-raw vegan world:
http://bolstablog.wordpress.com/2011/...

[Belann · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some strange reason, I became involved in this book. It is essentially the experiences of Frederic Patenaude and his process of learning about and then living the raw food diet. He spent a while in San Diego, so I guess I enjoyed reading about places I was familiar with. But,after all of his experiences, some bad and good, he still ended up defending the raw food diet. He experienced excess weight loss, hunger and tooth decay, and not really all of the energy that is promised on the diet, but he seems attracted to the idea of raw foods, and can't seem to think that another way could be better. He even ate cooked foods for awhile, felt better, but went back to the raw lifestyle. He resolves his issues with raw food by deciding that he just needed to have better dental hygiene, eat more fruit for the extra calories, and avoid having too many fats like nuts and avocados. He does plan to write another book outlining a new approach called the Mostly Raw Plan, for those who find eating raw too extreme. That makes more sense.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was cleverly written as the author's autobiography of his dietary evolution while planting helpful information throughout. The information was usually presented at points in the book where he learned a lesson or faced a difficulty relating to it.

The entire book is not an autobiography though. I think the last 100 pages or so is just information and the author summing up his thoughts on diet.

This book is full of common sense and unbiased information. Frederic Patenaude seems to be a rare person in the raw food world, since he does not promote the "as long as it's raw, means you can eat whatever you want!" dangerous line of thinking. I highly recommend him.

[Hope Lewellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone thinking about going raw, this is a must read. It has great information and is no non- sense. The book is entertaining as well. What I like best about the book is it is not an all or nothing super serious extremist point of view about going raw. Well written. I look forward to reading more of his books.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed his story, he wrote it well and I devoured it, still a bit skeptical of the fat issue and fruit sugar, but it is definitely making me look at my diet. His story reads like fiction!

[Kelly Hurlbut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have tried the raw food diet for a few months and felt great but I agree the large fat content in many of the recipes could be a problem in the long run. I enjoy this book and very quick reading.