* Feature Article: Is Weight Loss Only About Calories Consumed?

* Your Questions Answered: Calories and Weight Loss

Is Weight Loss Only About Calories Consumed?

I recently stumbled upon this interesting Princeton study on high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and weight gain, the results of which I thought might interest you.

The experiment involved two groups of rats: one fed rat chow along with HFCS and the other fed rat chow along with a water-sucrose (refined sugar) solution.  The amount of HFCS given was half as concentrated as most soft drinks, while the sugar solution was about equal to that as the amount found in soft drinks.

The result?  The fructose fed rats gained significantly more weight than the sucrose-fed rats.

But by far the most interesting part?  Both groups of rats were fed the SAME amount of calories!

And still, every single rat fed high-fructose corn syrup instead of plain sucrose became obese.  The males were especially effected, with a 48% weight gain over the sucrose-fed rats!

The researchers admit that they do not know for sure why the HFCS fed rats gain more weight, however:

…as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized.

This creates a fascinating puzzle. The rats in the Princeton study became obese by drinking high-fructose corn syrup, but not by drinking sucrose. The critical differences in appetite, metabolism and gene expression that underlie this phenomenon are yet to be discovered, but may relate to the fact that excess fructose is being metabolized to produce fat, while glucose is largely being processed for energy or stored as a carbohydrate, called glycogen, in the liver and muscles.

So much for “a calorie is a calorie is a calorie”, eh?

You can find the full story here:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Wanna lose weight permanently, while still eating as much food as is humanly possible?  Then you gotta go low fat raw vegan.

Luckily, I have a raw recipe book to help you with that:

Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes

Calories and Weight Loss

Shirley asks:

I’m trying to go raw but I also have some weight to lose. [I] have your five week transition program but I’m a little curious as to how one can lose weight eating all those calories as you suggest so if you could please help with this question it would be greatly appreciated.

The meals are just a guideline.  Each person will need more or less calories depending on their height, weight, and activity level.

I admit, something like 1000 calories for a meal does sound like a lot.  In fact, many people will think it is impossible to eat that much food in one sitting.

It isn’t.  I regularly eat this much in bananas for both my breakfast and lunch meals.  I really just want to show what’s possible.

Does that mean you should eat this much?  Not at all.  It completely depends on how active you are.  A 120 pound sedentary female probably will not need 1000 calories at a meal.

Just eat as much as you like at each meal until you are satisfied and you will be fine.  Monitor your weight and body fat % on a regular basis and if you don’t see any change at all after about 3 months, try shaving off no more than a couple hundred calories per day.

Swayze

P.S. For those who would like access to The Fool Proof Transition to Raw that Shirley mentions above, simply fill out the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.

* What’s New: Fit On Raw on Facebook!

* Feature Article: How to Naturally Get Rid of and Prevent Fleas

Fit On Raw on Facebook!

Over the past year (yes, Fit On Raw is OVER one year old!), many of you have emailed me asking if I have an account on Facebook.

Some of you even found my personal account and sent me friend requests.  Unfortunately, I never use facebook so I just ignored the requests.

I’m sorry! If it makes you feel any better I’ve ignored many of my family’s requests, too.

Anyway, instead of using my personal account and friending you guys there, I’ve decided to jump on the band wagon and start a “Fit On Raw” fan page.  The great thing about the fan page is that I don’t have to friend you for you to gain access.  And if you want to add a comment, all you have to do is hit the “Like” button at the top of the page.

It also allows me to keep my crazy personal acquaintances away from my wonderfully raw readers.

So if you’d like to get in touch with me on Facebook, check out the Fit On Raw fan page here:

http://tinyurl.com/29chlbq

Or just click on the facebook icon over to the right.

Swayze

How to Naturally Get Rid of and Prevent Fleas

I love summer so much.  The warm weather.  The delicious fruits.  The itchy fleas…huh?!

AH @$#^!!!  FLEAS!!!

No big deal because I know a completely natural, safe, cheap, quick, and effective way to prevent AND destroy these horrible little devil bugs.

And if you remember my other devil bug article, you know I understand a thing or two about destroying bugs from below.

Prevention

I already talked about prevention in last Friday’s Diatomaceous Earth article, but I’ll quickly recap here:

Just spread or spray the DE over your yard, garden, and animals BEFORE flea season strikes (this may be all year long for hot and humid areas).

Easy!

Destruction

But what if you’ve already got a flea infestation in your home/on your pets?  There are a few steps that you need to take.

Don’t worry, it’s still pretty easy.

#1: Oil Bath

Not for you, silly, for your pets!

If you think your pets have fleas, you want to bath them in oil.  The oil helps to smother the fleas that are already there, as well as soothe the tender areas where your pets have been scratching and biting themselves.

First, take some oil – vegetable, canola, olive, coconut, all of these are fine – and rub into the animal’s coat.  The amount you need will depend upon the size of your pet.  You want their fur to be completely covered, minus the face of course.

Next, wash some of the excess oil away with water.  Your pet’s fur will be quite oily for a little while, but that’s okay.  You can bath them with a mild soap once the tiny fiends are gone to help break it up.

If you don’t have any pets, feel free to skip this step.

#2: Check Your Rooms For Infestation

If YOU are itching all over, then the fleas have likely taken a liking to your home.  Your next step is to start checking rooms in your house for the source(s).

If your pets brought the fleas in, then just check where your pets hang out!  For instance, the only places we’ve ever gotten fleas have been in our living room and my bedroom.  And these have only been in certain spots, exactly where my dog sleeps.

Otherwise, just go into a room and sit still for a while.  If you don’t feel itchy or like something is biting you after a few minutes, then there likely aren’t any fleas there.  If it is a big room, you’ll probably have to do this in multiple areas.

#3: Clean Your Clothing, Couches, and Carpets

Now that you know where the fleas are, it’s time to bring out the big guns and CLEAN HOUSE!

For any blankets, pillow cases, pieces of clothing, etc. that were in the infested areas, wash them in HOT water.  Once they’re finished drying, do NOT put them back until you’ve finished removing all of the fleas from the room.

For couches, chairs, and other upholstery that you cannot wash, a hand-held steamer works great.  Actually, I use my standard Shark Steam Cleaner (I’m sure you’ve seen the infomercials) that I bought at Costco.  Now they have a “portable steam pocket” model specifically for upholstery, small spaces, etc.

For carpets, start by thoroughly vacuuming the area.  Then be sure to seal up and throw away the vacuum bag, as the vacuumed-up fleas can breed there and re-infest your home.

#4: Use Your DE

If you have Diatomaceous Earth, generously spread the powder all over the infested area(s).  If you don’t have any DE, you can use a 1:1 mixture of baking soda and salt.  This works just as well to dehydrate the pesky demons, it just takes a little while longer to work than DE.

Now wait at least 2 days for DE and at least 4 days for the baking soda/salt mixture.  Try your best to avoid these areas completely during this time.  Then vacuum up everything and throw away the bag.

You can also use this method for your furniture if you have a hand-held vacuum to clean it up with once all the fleas are dead.  I just find the steaming method to be a bit easier.

#5: Are They Gone?

Now for the moment of truth: you need to check if the fleas are all gone.  Just go stay in the hopefully no longer infested area like you did before and wait.  If you feel no biting/itching after a few minutes, the fleas are gone.

CONGRATULATIONS!

If you still feel itchy, no big deal.  As long as you kept the area clear of any and all fabrics like I told you to, all you have to do is re-steam any upholstery and spread some more DE over the carpet.

If you didn’t, well then you’ve got to wash everything again.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Some More Tips

• It’s a good idea to put some Diatomaceous Earth on your pets after their oil bath for extra insurance.  Once the fleas are gone, you should continue to spread the DE into their fur at least once a week to prevent another infestation.

• If you don’t have any pets and the fleas got in on their own, you should mix the DE with water and spray it around your doors, windowsills, and any other areas where bugs are likely to get in.  This is a good idea even if you do have pets.  You can never be too careful!

• Vacuum your carpets everyday for about a week once the fleas are gone to pick up any eggs that may be left behind.  For maintenance, aim for vacuuming at least once per week.  If you aren’t doing this already…

That’s It!

That’s all you need to do to get rid of fleas naturally.  It’s exactly what I did last summer and this summer to destroy the fleas on my pets and in my home.

And I could have easily prevented this year’s infestation by spraying the yard and my pets with DE, but I plumb forgot.  After this annoyingly itchy start to a sweet summer, I definitely won’t be forgetting again next year!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

* What’s New: Meet Me in Michigan

* Feature Article: 4 Ways to Improve the Mainstream Raw Food Diet

Meet Me in Michigan

From Friday-Sunday, October 8-10, 2010, Dr. Douglas Graham (author of The 80/10/10 Diet) is going to be presenting five, 3-hour health lectures in Livonia, Michigan.

The schedule is:

• Friday Night – Fasting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (6-9)
• Saturday AM – Basics and Basis of the 80/10/10 Lifestyle (9:30-12:30)
• Saturday PM – Nutrition and Energy (2-5)
• Sunday AM – Children’s Health (9:30-12:30)
• Sunday PM – Astonishing Case Studies (2-5)

But that’s not the best part.  The best part is that a “market place” will be open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday, with restaurant vendors offering low fat raw vegan food!  There will be fresh fruit offered throughout both days as well!

And guess who’s booked for the whole weekend?  That’s right, ME!

So if you would like to learn more about health and wellness from the undisputed fruit master AND fill up on tasty fresh fruit with yours truly, then make your way over to Michigan this fall!

You can find out more information on the individual lectures and purchase your tickets here:

http://www.livingyoganow.com/dg/index.html

If you order by August 31 you get a $100 discount on the entire event and if you order by July 31 you get a free gift at the door.

I sure hope to see you there!

Swayze

4 Ways to Improve the Mainstream Raw Food Diet

Last week, I reviewed an essay on evolution and the human diet and concluded with 4 main ways to improve the modern human diet:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake

You can find the rest of the article here.

Unfortunately, modern Americans with their SAD diet are not the only ones guilty of ignoring the lifestyle points above. Many health conscious individuals and their so-called nutritious diets fail as well.

For instance, vegans are known for eating tons of grain-based meals coupled with staggering levels of salt and oil. And while many vegans don’t struggle with hyperadiposity, there is definitely no shortage of under-muscled veg-heads.

But what about RAW vegans? Well, it seems that there is much room for improvement amongst this special class of health hobbyists as well.

Salt

The average raw foodist eats too much salt, as well as other spices and condiments. Here’s a raw soup recipe I found while scouring the web:

• South River unpasteurized miso
• Tomato concentrate by Premier Research
• Hijiki
• Goji Berries
• Hemp Seeds
• Raw Honey
• Sea Salt (pink himalayan salt is a great option)
• Other seaweed (optional)
• Nutritional flakes (optional)
• Agaricus mushroom powder (optional)

Can this really be considered a recipe? It seems to be made up of flavorings, rather than actual nutritious food.

Grains Over Fruits and Vegetables

You would think that most raw foodists would naturally favor ripe fruits and veggies over difficult to digest grains.

Unfortunately this is not the case. Many cooked-made-raw recipes, like burgers, wraps, and pizzas, use sprouted grains.

Here’s an example of a raw pizza:

• 400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
• 2 medium fresh tomatoes
• ½ a medium sized onion
• 6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
• About 10 leaves of fresh basil
• Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup of olive oil

And while many mainstream raw foodists do eat good amounts of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., they put WAY too little emphasis on sweet fruit. Some even shun fruit completely!

For more on the problem with eating grains, check out my article here.

Exercise

I don’t know what it is, but mainstream raw food vegans seem to HATE to exercise…not including meditation and low-intensity yoga, of course.

Actually I DO know why: they don’t eat enough calories! It’s impossible to find the energy to work up a good sweat when you’re living on heavy fats and low-calorie veggies.

This is why it’s so common to see super skinny, yet still over-fat and under-muscled raw foodists.

Fat

Here’s the big one: raw foodists eat way too many avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils. They’re used in salads, soups, salsas, sauces, and even sweet desserts!

ESPECIALLY the desserts! Here are the ingredients for an almond cake recipe:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 2/3 cup almonds
• 1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

And that doesn’t include the almond creme…

• 1 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds

…or the whipped creme…

• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons carob powder
• Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
• Pinch celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons melted cacao butter
• 1 tablespoons coconut oil

…that go along with it.

Holy Cannoli!

No wonder so many raw foodists have issues with candida overgrowth.

Raw Rules for Everyone

So yea, unfortunately cooked food lovers are NOT the only ones guilty of dietary sin. But that’s okay, because you definitely don’t have to follow the trend:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake

No matter what your current diet, you will see tremendous health gains by adopting the 4 guidelines above.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. You’ve probably also noticed how most raw recipe books out there follow this same unhealthy pattern: lots of salt and other spices and condiments, lots of fat, grains and low-calorie veggies over sweet fruits.

Not this one:

Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes

P.P.S. And yes, the unhealthy recipes I talked about in this post actually exist on popular raw food websites (I’m sure you’ve seen many just like them). I didn’t want to put anyone out by linking to the websites while bashing their recipes!

* What’s New?: Customer Testimonials

* Feature Article: Eat Today for Energy Tomorrow

Customer Testimonials

Just wanted to share these testimonials sent in to me by a couple of satisfied customers

Catherine says:

Dear Swayze,

Your help has been priceless on this low-fat raw vegan journey. It can be very tricky to find the right information out there in a clear and concise way. I am finally understanding much better what to do and what not to do, thanks to your mini-courses and e-books. I am finally finding recipes that I like and finding my groove in the diet.

I do not really have cravings, but I find it very hard to not eat the food at potlucks and family dinners. I did cheat twice and felt awful. I had a migraine the next day and was a monster to my partner and children. I have finally found the solution to my health problems. I am so grateful for your help and I am convinced that I am on the right path for healing and feeling great!

Thank you so much!

Catherine Forest
Canton-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada
http://catherine-et-les-fees.blogspot.com/

Laura says,

Hi Swayze,

I have really enjoyed the recipes. I am still at the start of my journey to convert to low fat raw vegan. The information in the Bonus Lessons has been helpful and I am making changes in the right direction. I have enjoyed many of the recipes. I really enjoyed the plantain pudding (never knew you could eat plantains un-fried). But I think that my favorite recipe is the caramel dip. I eat it with celery while I am cooking my non-raw family dinner their food. So, I am eating my first course then and eat a salad during their dinner.

I can tell that this is going to be a long process, and I have only a 1 or 2 truly raw days, but I know that I am doing better things for my body every day. One of my main struggles is eating out (my family eats out a lot). My family feels self-conscious when I bring my food into a restaurant and as you mentioned in your “cravings” book, I really cannot get volumes of good fruit in a restaurant. I have about decided that Golden Corral may be the best place to go when eating this way. Assuming that I can stay away from the cooked food section, they tend to have a lot of fruit and a salad bar. Funny, on any other diet, I would never think of going there. Unfortunately, my family is not really into the Golden Corral scene.

Anyway, thank you for your encouragement. The eBooks have really helped, especially at this stage of my transformation. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Laura Wallace
Fort Worth, TX

Thanks so much, guys!  Remember Laura, there’s no need to go 100% raw right away.  Depending upon your reasons for going raw, a slower progression may be a better option for you.

If you’re really having trouble at restaurants or other social events, a great option is to eat your fruit ahead of time.  If you’re still worried, bring a bunch of dates along with you.  They’re the easiest of all fruits to transport and have loads of calories!

Plus, it’s a lot easier to carry a bag dates than it is a bunch of bananas.  People won’t look at you so funny.

Swayze

P.S. To purchase the low fat raw recipe book and cravings program mentioned above, follow the links below:

Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

21 Days to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings

www.cookedfoodcravings.com

Eat Today for Energy Tomorrow

Let’s say you have a very busy, activity-filled day tomorrow.  You’ve got your morning workout at 8, hang gliding at noon, mountain climbing at 2pm, and some white river kayaking at 5pm.  Oh, and don’t forget your east coast swing dancing lesson at 8pm.

Now that’s my kind of day!

So what do you do to prepare yourself?

Besides making sure you have enough food for the day, you probably hopefully reserve time to get lots of restful sleep so you can have energy for the day ahead.

While this is a GREAT idea, it’s not the only step you should take to ensure you don’t stall out in the middle of your day.

Calories, Calories, Calories

Whenever we talk about getting enough calories, we usually refer to the day in which we are eating.  If there is a particularly active day coming up, we tend to only think about upping our food intake *for that day*.

But look at it this way.  We don’t sleep well tonight to feel well-rested today, do we?  Of course not.  We sleep well tonight to have enough energy tomorrow.

And when we don’t, we feel it the next day.

It’s the same with food.

Take a Tip From the Trainers

I’m sure you’ve heard of what endurance athletes call “carbo-loading.”

Carbohydrate loading is when an athlete eats a diet high in carbohydrates for a few days (sometimes preceded by a period of intense exercise and carbohydrate restriction) before a big event.  This helps to maximize the amount of glucose the muscles take in and, therefore, helps the athlete’s endurance and overall performance.

You see, our bodies use glycogen stored in our muscles and liver.  When we are not well-fueled, these stores deplete much quicker, leaving us tapped out and fatigued.

It’s a lot like a car.  Just as you need to fill up your car with gasoline for it to run, you need to fill yourself up with glucose for YOU to run!

The more glucose we have in our system, the longer we can continue to perform (whether that be performance in an actual sport, or just everyday life activities).  And the only way to take in more glucose is to EAT!

A Daily Lesson

Getting enough fuel today for energy tomorrow is ESPECIALLY good advice if you are active early in the morning like I am.  I usually like to take my dog for a walk and then follow it up with my workout, all before 10am.  I don’t have breakfast until right afterward, so it’s important for me to make sure that I ate well the day before.

And I can always tell when I don’t because I so do NOT want to workout!  When I do get enough fuel the day before, I have MORE than enough energy for my workouts.

Practicing eating today for energy tomorrow is a good preventative measure for cravings as well.  It is much, much easier to resist tempting cooked food favorites when you’re well-carbed from the day before and on into the current day.  In fact, it’s even MORE likely that you won’t have cravings in the first place!

And What’s the Best Fuel?

Sweet fruit, of course!  As I already mentioned, our body uses glycogen.  What’s glycogen?  It’s nothing more than long chains of glucose, the simple sugar found in sweet fruit!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Here are some raw recipes to help you make sure you’re getting plenty of the sweet stuff.  I’ve even included a 7-day meal plan to help you get started.

Follow the link below to learn more and purchase the e-book:

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

* Feature Article: Is Eating Organic BS?

* Your Questions Answered: Is Raw Chocolate Healthy?

Is Eating Organic BS?

Penn and Teller’s: BS

One of my very favorite shows on TV is Penn and Teller’s: Bulls**t.  It airs on Show Time and involves magician duo Penn and Teller calling “BS!” on various different hot button issues, from taxes to video game violence.

Each episode focuses on a particular topic and one that I watched recently centered on organic foods.

As someone who has supported the organic food movement for many years by purchasing organically grown produce, clothing, bathroom supplies, etc, I couldn’t wait to watch this episode.  I was expecting to school them both (by yelling at my TV in the comforts of my own living room, of course) on all the merits of going organic.

To my surprise, Penn and Teller schooled me!

That said, I think I have some important insights to add and will do so today by examining all 5 of the different components discussed in the show:

1. Environment
2. Pesticides
3. Nutrition
4. Taste
5. Small Business Farmers

Let’s start things off with benefits for the environment.

Environment

As I’m sure you know, one of the biggest reasons people give for buying organic foods is because it’s far better for the environment.

Penn & Teller

Growing organic actually requires MORE land than conventional, thus being less energy efficient.  Not only does the food itself require tons more land, but the livestock necessary for fertilizer (synthetic fertilizers are not allowed and so organic farmers must use animal manure) do as well.

My Comments

First, it depends upon the food being grown as well as the farm itself.  According to this article on organic farming from The Independent:

“The report for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found “many” organic products had lower ecological impacts than conventional methods using fertilisers and pesticides. But academics at the Manchester Business School (MBS), who conducted the study, said that was counterbalanced by other organic foods – such as milk, tomatoes and chicken – which are significantly less energy efficient and can be more polluting than intensively-farmed equivalents.

Ken Green, professor of environmental management at MBS, who co-wrote the report, said: “You cannot say that all organic food is better for the environment than all food grown conventionally. If you look carefully at the amount of energy required to produce these foods you get a complicated picture. In some cases, the carbon footprint for organics is larger.”

This problem can easily be avoided by refraining from purchasing these organic foods.  Chicken and milk, whether organic or conventional, are not appropriate for humans anyway and conventional tomatoes – or, even better, local tomatoes – can be purchased instead.

Second, animal manure is not necessary for organic farming.  Even commercial farms can use what’s termed “green manures,” or manures comprised only of vegetable matter.

While this method does require land to grow the vegetation, it is still a much more environmentally friendly option (not to mention much more animal friendly as well) than relying upon animal feces.

For a very thorough article on “veganics,” or vegan-organic farming, click here.

Third, buying produce in season is another environmentally-friendly practice, as it requires more energy and resources to produce the crop out of season. This is a common practice for both conventional and organic growers so no matter which you purchase, make an effort to buy in season

Finally, if you really want to be environmentally friendly, there are three things you should do that have nothing to do with organic growing:

1. Don’t buy animal and animal by-products (e.g. milk, cheese, leather, etc.)
2. Don’t buy processed foods
3. Don’t cook.

You can find out more about the environmental benefits of consuming a low fat raw vegan diet by checking out my article here.

Pesticides

Another reason so many people support organic farming is because organic growers do not use pesticides, which are believed to be bad for both us and the environment.

Penn & Teller

Contrary to popular belief, organic farms DO use pesticides and preservatives.  And because they are not using synthetic, the farmers have to use even more  poisonous pesticides, some of which are even more dangerous to both us and the environment than synthetic.

Further, technology regarding farming has improved so much over the years that the synthetic pesticides today are perfectly safe for us.

My Comments

You may be completely surprised that organic farming also involves pesticide use.

Don’t worry, you are certainly not alone.  It was news to me, too!

The reason this still is not well-known is because the general public has always assumed that since the pesticides are natural, they must be perfectly safe to use.  However, as this 2007 NY Times article explains, the truth about natural pesticides has been known for quite a few years:

Dr. Ames was one of the early heroes of environmentalism. He invented the widely used Ames Test, which is a quick way to screen for potential carcinogens by seeing if a chemical causes mutations in bacteria. After he discovered that Tris, a flame-retardant in children’s pajamas, caused mutations in the Ames Test, he helped environmentalists three decades ago in their successful campaign to ban Tris — one of the early victories against synthetic chemicals.

But Dr. Ames began rethinking this war against synthetic chemicals after thousands of chemicals had been subjected to his test. He noticed that plenty of natural chemicals flunked the Ames test. He and Dr. Gold took a systematic look at the chemicals that had been tested on rodents. They found that about half of natural chemicals tested positive for carcinogencity, the same proportion as the synthetic chemicals. Fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices contained their own pesticides that caused cancer in rodents. The toxins were found in apples, bananas, beets, Brussel sprouts, collard greens, grapes, melons, oranges, parsley, peaches — the list went on and on.

Remember, poison ivy occurs in nature too.  Just because it’s natural does not mean it’s healthy!

As far as the comment that synthetic pesticide use is perfectly safe, I just don’t buy it.  Pesticides are poisons used to destroy insects and other organisms that harm the crop.  They are toxic substances not originally present in or on the food and we would not be consuming these substances in nature.

But don’t worry!  There are other options if you are worried about pesticide use:

First, source out farms that practice Non-Pesticidal Management (NPM).  This means that the farmers do not use synthetic OR natural pesticides, but instead rely on techniques to control the pest population.  Neem and Diotomaceaous Earth are two harmless products commonly used on NPM farms.

Second, wash your produce before you eat it.  There are many effective, yet harmless fruit and veggie washes available on the market.  Vermont Soap offers a very good one.

Part II Still To Come

Stay tuned for Part II of this article in a few days, where I’ll discuss nutrition, taste, benefits for the small farmer and conclude with the absolute best option for purchasing tasty, nutritious, environmentally responsible, pesticide-free, small farmer-friendly raw produce.

So until next time…

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

Jan asks,

I have been eating Xocai Healthy Chocolates (they are raw). I like them but they are expensive and I didn’t really notice any results. I’m just getting ready to order a supply because for two months’ supply I can get a free month. I am tempted. Is eating this Healthy Dark Chocolate a good thing, or haven’t you heard about it?

First, raw chocolate does not exist; there is no chocolate tree in nature.  There are cacao beans, which are the seeds of the cacao fruit, and these seeds are  heated and processed to create chocolate.  Without processing them, cacao beans are extremely bitter and inedible.

Second, chocolate is a stimulant.  The “energy boost” that people get after eating chocolate is really just the body working overtime to eliminate it.

The caffeine in coffee gives us the same results, which you can learn more about in my article here.

Hope that helps,

Swayze