posted March 26, 2005 02:01 AM         

“ Stop desecrating your sacred body with such an abnormal diet. The land around us grows the most exquisite and delicious fruits in plenty. The earth gives enough nourishment from just its vegetable realm, without the need for torture or violence.”

Pythagoras

“ I am a stronger follower of veganism by principle, not just because of moral and aesthetic reasons. I truly believe in a vegetarian lifestyle and I have my faith and hopes in a change of human destiny, thanks to the physical effects and benefits of a healthier diet and its influence on the character of the people. It will bring about some benefit and improvement to human society.”

Albert Einstein

Cooked food and associated problems

Thousands of years ago, our ancestors picked up the bad habit of cooking their food which has been passed down to us ever since. This bad habit, which neither the scientists nor we ever question, is the true source of most disease – directly or indirectly.

Experiences have been done with animals that are isolated from their natural eating habits and given an eating pattern equal to humans and they suffer the same diseases that humans do. While observing animals left in the wild, leading their natural diet the same diseases do not occur.

Consequences of cooked food
The body struggles for years to stay healthy, despite the fact we keep putting devitalised food into our mouths. When the body loses this struggle we begin to develop disease.

Many childhood illnesses are not necessary and can be avoided if parents had only known the importance of eating vital foods, rich in natural enzymes.
Enzymes are essential in building and maintaining health. Heating food to high temperatures destroys those living enzymes so they’re unable to function. (For more information click on enzymes).

Cooking converts digestible food into a substance that is difficult to digest. No matter how hard our bodies try to break it down, we get very little value from cooked food.
Cooked food places a constant strain on the human digestive system. Instead of the simple and efficient digestion that occurs with natural food.
The body has to deal with food that has been turned into an alien substance. Toxaemia is the result and it invariably leads to a variety of illnesses and diseases.

Cancer, arthritis, rheumatism, heart disease, obesity and most other non-genetic diseases are symptoms of toxaemia. However, this situation can be reversed if a raw food diet is followed.
Disease is the result of trapped poisons in the tissue of the body. Trouble normally begins in the colon with an impaction of the tissue walls and a general clogging of the body’s waste elimination system.
Corresponding poisons collected in the human organism stimulate the strong craving for addictive substances. Going without bread for a week is difficult for a cooked food eater but going without a banana is not. This happens because one is addictive and the other is not.
Humans become addicted to substances that contain toxins such as cooked food, heated tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol.

When food is cooked in high temperatures, its protein becomes coagulated; its sugar becomes caramelised, it’s natural fibbers are broken down, which means it will take longer to move through the intestinal tract, 30% to 50% of its vitamins and minerals have been destroyed and 100% of its enzymes have been destroyed.

When we treat foods with fire, we lose up to 97% of the water-soluble vitamins (vitamins B and C) and up to 40% of the lipid soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K).

Cooking causes the inorganic elements to enter the blood, circulate through the system, settle in the arteries and veins and deaden the nerves.
The body loses it’s flexibility, arteries lose their pliability, nerves lose the power of conveying impressions, the spinal cord becomes hardened, the tissue through out the body contract, and the human being becomes prematurely old.
Matter is deposited in the various joints of the body, causing enlargement of the joints. In other cases, it accumulates in one or more of the internal organs, finally accumulating around the heart valves.
Heating changes the lipids. Changed fats are incorporated into the cell wall and interfere with the respiration of the cell, causing an increase in cancer and heart disease.
After eating cooked foods, the blood immediately shows an enormous increase of leukocytes of white blood cells. Corpuscles, the white blood cells are a first line of defence and called “the immune system”.
This spontaneous multiplication of white corpuscles always take place in normal blood immediately after the introduction of any virulent infection or poison into the body since the white corpuscles are the fighting organisms of the blood.
There is no multiplication of white corpuscles when uncooked food is eaten.
Water rich foods
Drinking plenty of water is important for many reasons, it is what we are largely composed of and it is constantly evaporating through our skin. Water is nature’s best solvent.
If enough water is not taken, constipation, headaches and intoxication-associated symptoms will be experienced.
When a piece of bread is put into our mouth the body uses an incredible amount of energy to break it down, and rarely entirely succeeds in doing so. When fruit is eaten, this does not happen for the body digests it with ease.
Water rich foods are important because they keep the body clean. They are digested quickly, and the water in them helps to flush toxins out of the body. If water rich foods are not abundant in a diet it must be compensated with drinking water. But in now days we know that drinking water is not reliable….

Intestinal clogging and constipation
Cooked food eventually leads to intestinal clogging and constipation and it also clogs and constipates the body on a cellular level.

When cooked starch is eaten, the body absorbs more than it needs. Getting rid of the excess starch then becomes another burden to the body.

Those who defend cooked foods often make the point that since the body cannot absorb raw starch, this is a sign the food should be cooked. Another way to look at it, however, is that the body absorbs just enough of the raw starch for its needs and then passes out the rest.

Cellulose – the woody, fibrous part of food- was previously believed to be unnecessary to the body. Because the body did not absorb it, it wasn’t considered important. Now people know that this fibber is what keeps things moving through our body so that we don’t become constipated.

Raw fibber has the ability to unclog the intestinal tract and keeps it clean. Cooked fibber has lost the ability to do this for us.

Dirty arteries

Arteries are also clogged by cooked food. It has been demonstrated that saturated fats triggers the bad cholesterol of the body to rise, which leads to clogged arteries and eventually to heart disease but not all fats are bad for the human body.
The fats found in avocados, olives, flax seeds and other nuts have been shown to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in the body.

Cancer

Another common cause of death and pain in the industrialized societies is cancer. Although a lot of research has been done over the years a solution has not yet been withdrawn.
One thing that has been found is that cancer is strongly related to nutrition and lifestyle.
On the other hand, it is in raw fruits and vegetables that we find the higher concentration of cancer fighting components, such as antioxidants like vitamin C. Many studies have shown that diets that include plenty of raw foods and vegetables are associated with a lower risk of cancer.
Eating a diet of raw foods lowers cancer risks in two ways. By not ingesting most of the food substances that cause it and by eating the foods that help prevent it. (For further information click on Why should we eat raw foods?)

Stress

Fast releasing sugars create a state of stress in the body, stimulating the release of cortisol. Slow releasing carbohydrates, on the other hand, provide energy.
Depression

There are many nutritional related causes of depression, the most common being bad nutrition habits resulting in poor mental and physical energy. Disturbed bloods sugar balance can result in periods of depression.

Adrenal exhaustion is usually brought on by stress and over-use of stimulants can have this effect.

Headaches

There are many causes of headaches and migraines, ranging from blood sugar drops, dehydration and allergy to stress and tension.

Caffeine
Caffeine has a powerful effect on both mind and body. This drug is found in coffee and tea and in lesser amounts in chocolate, coca-cola and cola drinks.
Excess caffeine can produce anxiety, mood swings, tremors, insomnia, abnormal heart rhythms, and sweating and weight loss. Hyperventilation sometimes accompanies these symptoms, producing breathlessness, chest pains, tingling in the toes and fingers, dizziness and fainting.
Sugar

All forms of concentrated sugar – white sugar, brown sugar, malt glucose, honey and syrup are fast releasing, causing a rapid increase in bloods sugar levels.
If this sugar is not required by the body it is put into storage and may emerge as fat. Most concentrated forms of sugar are also devoid of vitamins and minerals, unlike the natural sources such as Fruit.
Fruit contains a simple sugar called fructose, which needs no digesting and can therefore enter the blood stream quickly like glucose or sucrose. However fruit is considered slow releasing. This is because the body cannot use fructose as it is, since cells only run on glucose. As a result the fructose first has to be converted by the body into glucose, which effectively slows down this sugar’s effect on the metabolism.
Bread
Bread is made of cereals, largely of denatured cereals, mixed with salt, soda, yeast, lard and often other ingredients and subjected to a high degree of temperature and then eaten three or four times a day in considerable quantities, mixed indiscriminately with all classes of foods and taken in addition to much other starch food. This exhausts the digesting system terribly.

Cooking takes time…
Cooking wastes preparation and clean up time as well as cooking fuel. Many hours are spent around the stove preparing meals as well as washing greasy dishes and pots in the sink….

Are Human beings vegetarian?…

The question has arisen, but there are not any conclusive answers because scientists have not yet reached an agreement….so read this article and withdraw your own conclusions…..

There are several theories about the correct nutrition system for human beings, some researches point out that man is omnivores, as other defend that man fed himself on plants and fruit, but some strongly defend that man was exclusively fruitarian, eating fruits, nuts and seeds...

Their studies are essentially based on the observation of our ancestors eating habits, the comparison of the digestive tract of animals and human beings as well as their teeth.

Carnivorous animals

Some researches explain that carnivorous animals, including the lion, dog, wolf, and cat, etc., have many unique characteristics, which set them apart from all other members of the animal kingdom. They have a very simple and short digestive system - only three times the length of their bodies. They tell us that this happens because flesh decays very rapidly, and the products of this decay quickly poison the bloodstream if they remain for a long time in the body. They affirm that a short digestive tract was evolved for rapid expulsion of putrefactive bacteria from decomposing flesh, as well as stomachs with ten times as much hydrochloric acid as non- carnivorous animals to digest fibrous tissue and bones. Carnivores do not transpire by their skins.

Vegetarian animals
They explain that vegetarian animals, such as the cow, horse, zebra, deer, spend much of their time in the sun gathering their food, and they freely perspire through their skin to cool their bodies. One of the most significant differences between the natural meat eaters and other animals is their teeth. Along with sharp claws, all meat eaters, since they have to kill mainly with their teeth, possess powerful jaws and pointed, elongated, “canine” teeth to pierce, to spear and tear flesh. They do not have molars (flat back teeth) which vegetarian animals need for grinding their food. Unlike grains, flesh does not need to be chewed in the mouth to predigest it; it is digested mostly in the stomach and the intestines.

Fruitarian animals

They say that fruit eaters include mainly the anthropoid apes, humanity’s immediate animal ancestors. They explain that the diet of these apes consists mostly of fruits and nuts. Their skin has millions of pores for sweating and they also have molars to grind and chew their food; their saliva is alkaline, and like the grass – and leaf eaters, it contains ptyalin to predigest food. Their intestines are extremely convoluted and are twelve times the length of their body, for the slow digestion of fruits and vegetables.

Human characteristics

Some researches strongly believe that human characteristics are in every way like the fruit eaters, very similar to the grass –eater, and very unlike the meat eaters: The human digestive system, tooth and jaw structure, and bodily functions are completely different from carnivorous animals. As in the case of the anthropoid ape, the human digestive system is twelve times the length of the body; human skin has millions of tiny pores to evaporate water and cool the body by sweating; man drinks water by suction like all other vegetarian animals; humans tooth and jaw structure is vegetarian; and mans saliva is alkaline and contains ptyalin to predigest grains. They defend that human beings are clearly not carnivores by physiology or anatomy and the digestive system shows that humans must have evolved from millions of years living on fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables.

In their opinion it is obvious that our natural instincts are non-carnivorous. They base their conclusions on the following facts.

Most people have other people kill their meat for them and would be sickened if they had to do the killing themselves.

Instead of eating raw meat as all flesh-eating animals do, humans boil, bake or fry it and disguise it with all kinds of sauces and spices so that it bears no resemblance to its raw state.

One scientist explains that a cat will salivate with hungry desire at the smell of a piece of raw flesh but not at the smell of fruit. Man does not delight in pouncing upon a bird, tear its living limbs apart with his teeth, and suck the warm blood. One might conclude that nature did not provide him with a meat-eating instinct.

Fruit makes mans mouth water, and even in absence of hunger he will eat fruit because it tastes so good.

The importance of roughage
Researchers defend that the lack of vegetable fibres in human diets triggers constipation. Constipation is more dangerous than doctors believe. Should this condition get worse, the patient would need to take immediate action (enemas) or else could develop severe haemorrhoids, headaches, blood poisoning through re-circulation, bad mood crisis- anger, panic depression, hysteria sore eyes, pain located in several eliminative organs and appendicitis.

Meat, eggs, cheese, white bread, cakes and chocolates do not contain any roughage at all. Roughage not only helps the bowel circulation but also acts as a tonic for the stomach and intestine walls, which benefit highly from the corresponding massage and cleaning effects. Roughage helps to keep a clean colon and a clear mind.

Researches opinion
Several scientists and naturalists, including Charles Darwin who gave the theory of evolution, agree that early humans were fruit and vegetables eaters and that throughout history our anatomy has not changed. The great Swedish scientist Von Linné states: “Man’s structure, external and internal, compared with that of the other animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables, constitute his natural food”.

Many defend that it is possible to spend an entire life living just on vegetables and fruit, as many people do. On the contrary, no one can stand a single week (not even five days) on just meat, without the aid of a piece of bread, or chips, or some other vegetable food that enables better ingestion and digestion.

They say that humans mix meat with some roughage in order to allow a quicker evacuation, because meat contains certain poisonous substances like creatine, leaukomine, xanthine, sarcina, uric acid and some more which are highly toxic, for us- but not for carnivores, for which these substances are necessary, in order to keep them healthy. We do not need the help of meat to ease the digestion of vegetables though.

They point out that medical science tries to demonstrate that since the dawn of origins, humans have been omnivorous. But they strongly believe that people became omnivorous by accident, or better, by degeneration rather than by original design. It is a common mistake to think that just because we were brought up in an omnivorous way, it does not mean it has always been like that.

Yoga Teachers believe that meat and fish are not healthy foods, they say that all kind of dead meat (includes fish, shellfish, white meat, red meat, poultry) clogs and poisons the human system, preventing the passage and circulation of positive energies essential to the body in order to progress in Yoga. http://www.fruitarian.com/ab/cookedfood_associatedproblems.htm

posted March 26, 2005 03:42 AM         

That's pretty interesting what happened with your experiment. I've got to lay off the caffeine. I've never been much of a coffee drinker but I have been for the past few months and I think I'm getting addicted. :O! And coffee is NOT good for you at all, I know this. I get the caffeine downer a little while after too. Gotta stop and start drinking more water and adding more veggies to my diet.

And yes, you lose alot of the nutrients in veggies when you cook, boil even steam them.

posted March 26, 2005 02:06 PM         

On the whole I would agree with most of that though and I thank you for the interesting article.

posted March 27, 2005 01:55 AM         

Was reading lots and lots about the raw food way of eating- and about the enzymes (life-force energy).
And we aint' getting enough of that!!!

The enzymes are the LIFE of the food- If you take fresh almonds and soak them over night- they WILL sprout- they are ALIVE.
If they are roasted almonds- and soak them they wont sprout, as they are dead food.
Like most food- we kill the enzymes- and the life of the food is gone.
I prefer to eat raw brocoli with dinner- actually most of what I eat is raw.
The more raw based foods you eat the better.

Live food is much much more beneficial.
But at the same time- our bodies are conditioned to cooked food- so balance, and change with time is what is important. And to improve our diets is extrememly important.

Thanks for the awesome info 26!

posted March 27, 2005 02:05 AM         

Living Foods
* The Living Foods Lifestyle is based on one essential principle - Life! Life comes from life.

* The life of our body is the totality of the lives of our individual cells. Lively cells make a lively body. Healthy cells make a healthy body.

* How do we cultivate healthy cells? The principle can be summarized by the "Life and Death Equation", namely:

"Better Health" equals "Life In" plus "Death Out".

In other words: Better Health is the result of putting more Life (Living Nourishment) Into the body and taking Death (Toxic Sludge) Out of the body.

* What does it mean to put Life Into the body? This means that we provide Living Nourishment to our cells. What is Living Nourishment? Simply speaking, it is readily digestible food that hasn't been killed (cooked). Thus we advocate good food served and eaten raw - like crisp colorful salads and fresh ripe fruits and their juices. Sound appetizing? Yumm.

Then how about raw chickens and raw pigs - complete with feathers, hair, bones, and blood? Probably not so appetizing. [Unappetizing for us, perhaps, but not for true animals of prey - true carnivores - with fangs and claws and industrial-strength digestive juices. For such predators these prey would constitute Live Nourishment!]

But what about dairy - milk: "nature's most perfect food"? Well, if it's pasteurized (read: cooked, dead) even a calf can't survive on it. But even in the live, uncooked state - cow's milk and mother's milk are quite different - in fact - they are about as different from each other as calves are from infants! Obviously, one is ideal for baby cows and the other is ideal for baby humans.

"Yes", you might say, "but does every food I eat have to be ideal for me?" Valid question... Straight answer: "Well, no, not really." But, then again, remember that every choice we make has its consequences. Now, certainly it is true that most of us can eat almost anything that we like - and not experience any seriously harmful effects (at least up to age fifty or so). But, on the other hand - if we knew that making certain diet modifications could enable us to live healthy and youthful lives - free from drugs and surgery - well into our eighties, nineties, and beyond - wouldn't it be worth considering such modifications?

The Living Foods program advocates a variety of fruits, vegetables, and sprouted seeds - processed in various specific ways - blended, fermented, dehydrated, or juiced - but not cooked. Furthermore, we recommend the use of wheatgrass juice (the juice extracted from wheat in its grass form) as one of the most potent forms of cleansing nourishment on the planet. All animals instinctively seek out the healing power of grasses - even domestic pets!

* What does it mean to get Death Out of the body? This means that we seek to make our bodies pollution-free. Any dead and/or toxic substances in the body should be detected, neutralized, and eliminated - pronto. This requires that the body's organs of purification be operating at peak efficiency - in particular, the circulatory, lymphatic, and immune systems, the lungs, sweat glands, liver, kidneys, and... last but not least, the colon.

"Ugh, do we have to talk about the colon?" Fairly common question. Unflinching answer: "You betcha." In fact, of all the organs in the body, perhaps the most important is the colon. Let's face it. When the colon slows down, we get polluted and sick, and none of our other organs, especially the brain, can work very well. If the colon stops working completely - or God forbid, ruptures - we get dead - very quickly. Think of it as analogous to the sewer pipe from your house. When that clogs up - even partially - you know that you have a serious problem. Right?? Right.

So that's why we advocate colon cleansing - enemas - colonic irrigations. Fun? No. Effective in alleviating health problems? Definitely. Now, granted, we never want to become dependent on enemas (there is no substitute for adequate dietary fiber) but when the job needs to be done, we say "Do it."

One more thing - almost nobody thinks that his or her colon is clogged. Actually, there are various degrees of being clogged. Consider this: If my health is less than perfect, and /or I've been eating mostly cooked (read: clogging) food all my life, it's a pretty good bet that my colon has seen better days and my health and quality of life might really improve if I did some internal housecleaning. Anyway, what have I got to lose? (And wouldn't I be better off if I lost all of it?!)

And here's info about the enzymes: http://www.living-foods.com/articles/enzymes.html

posted March 27, 2005 02:10 AM         

Hi Gia!
Yes, you are right. I agree less refined foods rather than uncooked. I think it would be awfully hard for most people to stick to an all raw diet for any long period of time. I think just cutting back on certain foods and adding raw OR cooked veggies is most beneficial. Glad you liked the article.

posted March 27, 2005 02:15 AM         

"Ugh, do we have to talk about the colon?" Fairly common question. Unflinching answer: "You betcha." In fact, of all the organs in the body, perhaps the most important is the colon. Let's face it. When the colon slows down, we get polluted and sick, and none of our other organs, especially the brain, can work very well. If the colon stops working completely - or God forbid, ruptures - we get dead - very quickly. Think of it as analogous to the sewer pipe from your house. When that clogs up - even partially - you know that you have a serious problem. Right?? Right.

posted March 27, 2005 02:19 AM         

That stinks that you are allergic to walnuts. My favorite nuts are cashews.

posted March 27, 2005 11:27 PM         

Marcia,