Although I have my suspicion towards any form of nutritional research because of the inherent complexity of it, I try to understand as many nutrition movements as possible – because food is at the center of many of my patients’ lives.
There are many myths about diet, each claiming that it can prevent and cure all or most diseases; although I see too many examples of diseases caused by obesity in the clinical practice, I disagree – NOT all suffering is caused by the wrong diet and the right one for you will NOT solve all your medical problems.
There are countless substances and combinations of them whose effects on our bodies are unknown – this basic principle makes me be wary of any diet that tries to exclude categories of foods. At the same time, I’m wary of civilized concoctions – if olive oil bottles and pastries do not grow in trees, should we consume them or not?
“Raw secrets” is one of those books which admits the limits of the diet as well as the limits of conventional AND alternative medicine. It made me realize how important toxicology is for human health – and how many substances that impede life (and are used in preservation of food) can be toxins as well.
I appreciate the author for discouraging the overconsumption of fruits and high-laden fatty fruits/nuts/seeds that raw foodists practice and also the importance of fasting – something that I didn’t formally learn about in medical school.
I was always aware that grains are empty calories, but whenever I tried to give them up, I dropped in weight – and I was already underweight to start with – this time, I’ll give it another try; smoothies – especially green ones – make it easy to consume high quantities of raw fruits and vegetables.
Although it all started with discovering a raw vegan cake shop in my neighborhood, I’m amazed of the raw vegan cuisine now – I discovered a totally new world who is very knowledgeable about superfoods. If you’re interested in the book I keep talking about, here is the link for finding it in your closest library (or buy it from their affiliated sites).
