Here is something I read and this is the type of thing that makes me scared of the raw food world:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/raw-food-diet?page=2

Don’t be scared, Anne! The claims in the link you provided—It’s a WebMd article titled “Is the Raw Food Diet Healthy?”—are easily debunked.

Here, I’ll show you…

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Researchers who studied the impact of a raw food diet found that participants had low cholesterol and triglycerides. They also had a vitamin B12 deficiency. This finding is consistent with another study of raw foodists in Finland.

B12 is found naturally only in animal products. It is critical to nerve and red blood cell development. Deficiencies can lead to anemia and neurological impairment.

Obviously low cholesterol and triglycerides is a good thing. But low B12? Not so good.

The thing is, vitamin B12 isn’t just associated with raw food vegans.

In one study analyzing the blood tests of 3,000 men and women, it was found that 39% of participants had low B12. And according to the researchers, most of these participants were meat-eaters.

For more vitamin B12 myths, click here.

Low Lycopene Levels

A German study of long-term raw foodists showed that they had healthy levels of vitamin A and dietary carotenoids, which comes from vegetables, fruits and nuts and protect against chronic disease. Yet the study participants had lower than average plasma lycopene levels, which are thought to play a role in disease prevention.

They are found in deep-red fruits like tomatoes. Lycopene content is highest, however, when tomatoes are cooked.

Healthy levels of vitamin A and dietary carotenoids, another great thing. But what about low plasma lycopene levels?

From the American Cancer Society:

Since tomatoes also contain vitamins, potassium, and other carotenoids and antioxidants, it may be that other compounds in tomatoes may account for some of the protective effects first thought to be due to lycopene.

These compounds may act alone or along with lycopene. When researchers look at large population groups with different lifestyles and habits, it is also possible that their findings can be explained by other factors that were not examined.

And despite what you hear on the news, science does not point conclusively to lycopene alone as a cancer-fighting substance. Several studies have been done on lycopene and cancer with mixed results.

If you’re worried about your lycopene levels, stop worrying. Eating fresh fruits and veggies as your mainstay will provide plenty of lycopene, along with all the other cancer-fighting phytonutrients your body needs.

If you’re still worried, eat some tomatoes. Watermelon, pink guava, grapefruit and gac (if you can get it) are also good sources.

Low Bone Mass

Low bone mass in the lumbar spine and hip may be another risk for raw foodists, who tend to be slim. Researchers concluded, however, that the raw foodists studied had “good bone quality.”

That’s because rapid weight loss at the beginning of the diet may have caused the decrease in bone mass.

As with many things in life, less (or lower) is more. We want lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, lower body fat. All of these have been associated with vegan and raw vegan diets.

It seems that low bone mass is no exception. It’s all about quality, not quantity.

Menstruation

Finally, another study showed that a raw food diet can interrupt the menstrual cycle, again because of drastic weight loss.

Female menstruation is a touchy subject within the raw vegan movement. Some believe that blood loss is unnatural, while others believe that bleeding is natural.

What is unanimous, though, is that periods should not be painful, should not be heavy, and should not last for more than a few days.

If you’ve lost your period on a raw vegan diet and it’s keeping you up at nights, visit your doctor and get some blood work done.

Deficiencies

The raw food diet is rich in nutrients. It’s full of fiber and it’s low in fat and sugars.

But raw foodists, along with vegans, need to make sure they’re getting enough vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, most of which are found naturally in animal products.

Everyone needs to make sure they’re getting enough B12, calcium, iron, and omega 3s. Not just raw vegans.

And the truth is, it’s very easy to meet your nutritional needs on raw foods. As long as you eat a healthy raw food diet based on fresh fruits and greens, you will receive plenty of nutrients, including calcium, iron, and omega 3s.

Vitamin B12 is another story, but it is still very easy to obtain enough on a vegan diet.

Protein

Raw foodists typically get the same amount of protein as nonvegetarians through plant foods eaten throughout the day. But because plant protein is less digestible, the ADA also recommends eating plenty of soy and bean products.

Ah, the dreaded protein issue.

The funny thing is, protein really isn’t an issue at all. As I show here, it’s so incredibly easy to get plenty of protein (and even EXCEED the RDA) on a raw vegan diet.

Calcium

Nutritionists at the ADA also recommend that raw foods and vegans increase their calcium intake. That’s because their diets are high in sulfur-containing amino acids – nuts and grains, for example — which can increase bone calcium loss.

First, this article is assuming that all raw vegans consume lots of nuts and grains.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Those consuming a HEALTHY raw food diet actually consume little to no grains at all and very small amounts (like 1 ounce a day) of nuts.

Second, vegans do not need more calcium.

As I spoke about here, healthy vegans actually need LESS. And it’s possible that raw vegans who consume little to no grains and legumes and small amounts of nuts and seeds need even less than that.

Zinc

Zinc is better absorbed by the body through meat. The ADA recommends soaking and sprouting beans, grains, and seeds. Doing this may help the body better absorb the nutrients from these foods.

According to the World Health Organization, the average adult male needs between 4-14 mg of zinc everyday, while the average adult female needs 3-10 mg/day (depending upon the bioavailability of the zinc being consumed).

It is very easy to meet this requirement on a diet of fruits, veggies, and limited amounts of nuts and seeds, as I show below…

• Breakfast: 5 medium bananas
• Lunch: 4 mangoes
• Mid-Afternoon: 8 peaches
• Dinner: Salad of 1 bunch spinach, 1 cucumber, 4 med. tomatoes, and 1 ounce brazil nuts

This made-up meal plan contains only 1995 calories, yet provides 8.2 mg of zinc. For someone eating a healthy raw vegan diet devoid of high-phytate foods like grains, this is plenty.

As far as soaking is concerned, read my article here.

Vitamin D

Finally, people who do not eat meat or dairy products should be vigilant about their vitamin D intake — especially for people who live in northern climates. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to weaker bones.

The ADA recommends vitamin-D fortified foods, including some brands of soy milk and rice milk, some breakfast cereals and margarines. You also may want to take a vitamin D supplement.

It’s estimated that 40-60% of the entire United States population is deficient in vitamin D. Is 40-60% of the US population vegan or even vegetarian? Of course not!

My point is that vitamin D deficiency is not just a vegan or vegetarian issue. Unless you live close to the equator and get plenty of sunshine, you’re at risk no matter what you eat.

Don’t Fear the Raw!

There’s no need to fear adopting a raw vegan diet. You just need to be smart about it.

Contrary to what most raw gurus will tell you, you can’t just eat whatever you want that’s raw and expect to meet all your nutritional needs, lose all your excess weight, have tons of energy, and be perfectly healthy.

There is a right way to go raw and a wrong way to go raw. Luckily the right way is pretty simple: eat fresh fruit, get in your greens, and limit your fat intake.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about a raw vegan diet? Think it’s the bee’s knees? Worried that it’s nutritionally lacking, unsustainable, or even dangerous?

Leave your comment below!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Want to go raw, but have no idea how to do the diet correctly? Know how to do it, but can’t stick with it because of crazy cravings?

That’s why I created this:

“How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings Once and for All”

A Guide for Destroying Cravings on a Raw Food Diet

www.CookedFoodCravings.com

In this newly expanded edition of How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings, you’ll learn exactly how to do the raw diet right AND be completely cravings free!

To learn more about everything that’s included and order your copy today, click on the link below:

==> www.CookedFoodCravings.com

Many people believe that it’s all in your genes. Others say it’s the pollutants in the water we drink and the air we breath that are to blame.

In other words, cancer is beyond your control. It’s something that “just happens” to you.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

According to a decades-long investigation conducted by the National Cancer Institute, the pollution around you and the genes within you don’t play that big of a role in the development of cancer. Pollution only increases the risk for cancer by about 5% and your genetic makeup by about 10%.

So which factor plays the biggest role? Smoking, drinking, or drug use, perhaps?

Good guess, but no. Alcohol’s potential risk is less than 5% and medications even less than that. Tobacco ranks pretty high at just under 30%, but it isn’t the highest.

The stressor that increases your risk potential for cancer to almost 60% is, drum roll please…

Your diet.

Give Up the Meat and Milk

Ever heard of the China-Cornell-Oxford Project? Don’t worry, most people haven’t. And that’s really a shame because it’s the most comprehensive nutritional study performed to date!

The China Project (or China Study), conducted in 1983, looked at 6500 Chinese men and women from 65 counties in China. Blood and urine samples from each individual were analyzed and questionnaires administered. In addition, the diet of each person and his or her family was monitored for 3 days and food samples from marketplaces across China were taken for analysis.

The findings? There is a very strong correlation between animal consumption and cancer. It goes something like this: the more animal products (including meat, milk, butter, cheese, and eggs) you consume, the more likely you are to get cancer.

And I’m not talking about just one type of cancer. I mean colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and also diabetes and heart disease. All of these diseases have been linked to animal and animal by-products in the diet.

And of course, I can’t forget about high cholesterol. From the book The China Study:

At the outset of the China Study, no one could or would have predicted that there would be a relationship between cholesterol and any of the disease rates. What a surprise we got! As blood cholesterol levels decreased from 170 mg/dL to 90 mg/dL, cancers of the liver, rectum, colon, male lung, female lung, breast, childhood leukemia, adult leukemia, childhood brain, adult brain, stomach and esophagus (throat) decreased.

This means if you want to dramatically cut down on your risk for cancer, you have to severely limit (no more than 10 ounces per week) any and all meat, milk, eggs, butter and, yes, even cheese, from your diet.

Get in the Fruits and Vegetables

In addition to giving up meat and milk, The China Project also showed a connection between cancer reduction and plant consumption.

For instance, lower incidences of large bowel were associated with higher intakes of plant foods (predictably because of the increased fiber intake). And those Chinese who ate more vegetable matter also had a lower risk for stomach cancer.

Plant consumption also appears to play a role in weight management. Again from The China Study:

Average calorie intake, per kilogram of body weight, was 30% higher among the least active Chinese than among average Americans. Yet, body weight was 20% lower…

Chinese consume more calories both because they are more physically active and because their consumption of low-fat, low-protein diet shifts conversion of these calories away from body fat to body heat. This is true even for the least physically active Chinese.

Oh, and the China Project researchers actually found a positive correlation between plant protein and height. It seems Mr. Gorilla is right…plants do make you big and strong!

Speaking of protein…

Can’t Get Enough Protein Without Animal Flesh?

Wrong.

I’ve been eating a low fat raw vegan diet since 2007 and yet protein intake is the least of my worries. That’s because getting enough protein on a vegan diet, even a RAW vegan diet, is so easy.

All you have to do is eat enough calories from sweet fruit and supplement your diet with tender greens and non-sweet fruits. I regularly EXCEED the recommended amount of daily protein for my weight simply by eating lots of fruit and finishing the day with a big, delicious salad.

Go raw, give up the meat and milk, and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Want to increase the amount of fresh, bioavailable protein you get, but having trouble scarfing down the greens?

Then you probably haven’t tried Savory Veggie Stews, the idiot-proof recipe system developed by my buddy Roger Haeske.

Savory Veggie Stews

Idiot-Proof Recipe System

Click Here!

If you want to increase your consumption of mineral-rich, protein-packed greens, without slathering them with fatty dressings and salty condiments, definitely check out these delicious 100% raw “stews” at the link below:

==> Savory Veggie Stews

Unfortunately, these products aren’t the only so-called “superfoods” promoted within the mainstream raw food movement.

Here are 3 more not-so-superfoods you shouldn’t waste your money on:

#1: Raw Cacao

Raw cacao consists of cacao beans (the seeds of the cacao fruit) that have been processed under 118 degrees F. It’s often sold in powder form, in pieces called “nibs, as cacao butter (the extracted oil from the cacao bean), or in chocolate bars.

Cost

• Powder: $13-27 per 16 ounces
• Nibs: $14-25 per 16 ounces
• Butter: $15-25 per 16 ounces
• Bars: $6-12 per bar

What (Supposedly) Makes It So Super?

• good source of magnesium
• lots of antioxidants
• gives you energy

Why You Shouldn’t Buy It

Raw cacao as a source of magnesium isn’t too special. Plenty of fruits and vegetables contain this mineral.

For instance, one pound of bananas (only 400 calories) contains 122.5 mg of magnesium. According to the FDA, that’s about 40% of the daily amount required for the average adult female (310 mg).

Antioxidants? A raw food diet is full of ‘em. Just get in enough fruits, greens, nuts and seeds and you will get TONS of antioxidants.

What about raw cacao/chocolate as a bringer of energy? Quite the opposite, actually! Cacao (raw or not) contains the stimulants caffeine and theobromine, making it an energy stealer.

#2: Bee Pollen

Bee pollen is just as it sounds. It’s flower pollen that has been gathered by bees for food.

Cost

$15-25 per 16 ounces

I also found some “special” Australian bee pollen for $44.95…for just 8 ounces!

What (Supposedly) Makes It So Super?

• provides all 8 essential amino acids
• good source of folate
• contains more enzymes and co-enzymes than any other food

Why You Shouldn’t Buy It

The complete protein theory was debunked a long time ago. You don’t need to ingest all the essential amino acids (essential means those that the body does not synthesize and, therefore, must be acquired from the foods you eat) at every meal or every day.

You can get all essential amino acids simply by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and getting in enough calories.

As far as bee pollen and folate goes, who cares?

Greens are filled with folate, along with bioavailable protein, calcium, iron, and other vital vitamins and minerals. Plus, they won’t blow out your budget.

And enzymes? Big deal!

Enzymes are for the plant, not the person. The only enzymes that can help you digest the foods you eat are the digestive enzymes produced by your own body.

#3: Wheatgrass Juice

Yep, it’s juice made from wheatgrass. The wheat grass is typically sold as a powder or in seed form for you to sprout and juice yourself.

Cost

• Powder: $13-20 per 16 ounces
• Seeds: $3-5 per pound

What (Supposedly) Makes It So Super?

• good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and magnesium
• provides all 8 essential amino acids
• lots of enzymes

Why You Shouldn’t Buy It

You’ve probably heard that “one shot of wheatgrass is equal to one kilogram of vegetables” in terms of nutrition. But is this really true?

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find a complete nutritional analysis of wheatgrass. The best I found was for a specific wheatgrass brand, Nutrigrass.

According to their findings, one serving (2 tsp) of Nutrigrass wheatgrass powder contains:

• Vitamin A: 2500 IU
• Vitamin C: 13 mg
• Calcium: 25 mg
• Phosphorus: 24 mg
• Zinc: 105 mcg
• Iron: 2000 mcg
• Magnesium: 6.6 mg

How does one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of vegetables stack up? It depends upon the vegetable, but let’s use romaine as an example:

• Vitamin A: 104,206.9 IU
• Vitamin C: 695.8 mg
• Calcium: 554.5 mg
• Phosphorus: 763.2 mg
• Zinc: 5.4 mg
• Iron: 15.1 mg
• Magnesium: 599 mg

Wow. Not even close. 2 pounds of romaine is clearly much more nutritious than 2 teaspoons of this wheatgrass powder.

In fact, you could reduce the amount to 12 ounces of romaine and STILL get more vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and magnesium than you would from a serving of wheatgrass.

Oh yea, and this 2 teaspoon serving is actually 3x more than a typical 1-ounce shot!

Bottom line: There’s no reason to drink disgusting wheatgrass when you can get all the vitamin A, calcium, iron, etc. you need from delicious fruit and greens.

Do I sound like a broken record yet?

And I don’t really need to talk any more about the complete protein or enzyme myths again, do I?

What Say You?

Have you been duped into buying these overhyped products in hopes of a life full of health, energy, and well-being? Please share in the comments below!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Want to learn more about superfoods, supplements, and other money-wasters on the raw food diet? Check out Frederic Patenaude’s tell-all book Raw Food Controversies:

Raw Food Controversies

How to Avoid Common Mistakes That May Sabotage Your Health

Click Here!

Not only will you read all about Frederic’s own fascinating raw food journey, but you’ll learn exactly what it takes to adopt a healthy and sustainable raw food diet.

Frederic also addresses your burning questions, including how to ensure healthy decay-free teeth, how to get enough omega 3 fatty acids, whether or not you must eat meat and dairy to be healthy, and which superfoods/supplements to avoid and why.

Raw Food Controversies is a definite must-read for anyone interested in going raw the right way. You can learn more and purchase your copy at the link below:

==> Raw Food Controversies

What’s pseudo-thinking?

Rather than define it, I’ll show you what I mean with a personal example…

Recently, Fit On Raw reader Mark left a critical comment on an article of mine about salt. In the article I wrote:

What we don’t need is sodium chloride (NaCl). Both minerals in this compound are completely useless to the body. They cannot be broken down, which means they go into the body as NaCl, pass through the body as NaCl, and exit the body as NaCl.

And Mark replied:

Absolutely wrong. I enjoy your site, and I promise I’m not trying to knock your info, but it’s just not true. Every single basic chemistry course goes over ionic interactions (like NaCl), and in an aqueous solution (like in our body) they dissociate (ie. Na+ and Cl- become separate, detached ions that are free to float around).

D’oh!

Mark’s absolutely right and I’m absolutely wrong. Everyone knows (or should know) that NaCl is soluble, i.e. it is able to be dissolved. When salt is placed into water (or your body, which is mostly water), the two ions sodium and chloride separate from each other.

What can I say, chemistry was never my best subject.

In all seriousness, I never should have wrote that sodium chloride “can’t be broken down” by the body. It was just something I had heard and held on to, without even thinking about it.

I knew the dangers of eating salt from Dr. Fuhrman’s book Eat To Live, from Natural Hygiene, and from my own experiences with and without it. The “salt can’t be processed by the body” statement was just another reason not to eat the stuff.

This is pseudo-thinking to the core. I wasn’t truly thinking at all, but merely reciting what I had heard/read in the past.

And unfortunately, I’m not the only person guilty of pseudo-thinking, especially when it comes to health. Most people know next to nothing about nutrition and regurgitate pseudo-thoughts all the time in an attempt to defend their tasty-but-unhealthy eating habits.

Since you’re perusing Fit On Raw, a site dedicated to raw food and fitness, I think it’s safe to assume that you know a bit more than the average Joe Schmoe about human nutrition.

However, you may still be holding on to some pseudo-thoughts that discouraging you from adopting a healthy raw food diet and achieving optimal health.

So today, let’s take a look at the 3 most common cases of pseudo-thinking that may be keeping you from going raw and getting fit:

#1: A Raw Food Diet Doesn’t Provide Enough Protein

Ah, the protein issue.

This was definitely one I struggled with when I first went raw. Like most people, I thought we needed lots of protein to be healthy and the only way to get it was by eating meat, beans, or soy products.

Yet if you or anyone else had asked me a few simple questions like these…

• What is protein’s function(s) in the body?
• How much protein do you eat?
• How much protein do we need?

…I wouldn’t have been able to answer a single one. I only thought I needed lots of protein because “gotta get in your protein” was just something I had heard since birth.

The truth is, while protein is absolutely necessary for everyday growth and repair,  we really don’t need much at all. 5% of total calories (that’s only 100 calories on a 2,000 calorie diet) is plenty of protein.

And as I show here, you can easily get that much on nothing but fresh fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds.

#2: A Raw Food Diet Doesn’t Provide Enough Nutrients

So you’re weary of raw foods because you think they can’t possibly provide enough vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and maintenance?

I felt the same way a few years ago.

I mean, where else are you going to get enough of vitamins B12 and D if you don’t eat meat or ingest fortified dairy and grain products?

The truth is, a raw vegan diet is KING when it comes to vitamins and minerals. As I show here, fresh fruit, greens, nuts and seeds are high in everything from vitamin C to calcium (unlike meat and grains, which are poor sources of vitamins A, C, and calcium).

As long as you eat enough calories and variety, you’ll get plenty of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that you need.

So what about vitamins D and B12?

Vitamin D should come from the sun, not your food, and B12 deficiency affects everyone from vegans to meat-eaters. The following is from Could It Be B12? by Sally M. Pacholok, R.N. and Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O.

While [B12] deficiency often occurs in vegans or vegetarians who fail to take supplements, the majority of B12-deficient people eat plentiful amounts of the vitamin – it’s just that their bodies can’t absorb or use it.

Why? Because to get from your mouth into your bloodstream, vitamin B12 must follow a complex pathway, and a roadblock in any part of that pathway can cause your B12 levels to plummet.

No matter what you eat, it’s a good idea to get tested regularly for vitamin D and B12 deficiency. Otherwise, raw foods have got you covered.

#3: A Raw Food Diet Doesn’t Provide Enough Variety

I know, I know. A raw food diet consists of only uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds so it must be lacking in variety, right?

Wrong-o.

The truth is, it’s the typical Western diet that lacks variety. This is a diet made up of meat, grains, dairy, and very few fresh fruits or vegetables.

Sure, there are different kinds of meat, but most Americans primarily eat cooked chicken, turkey, beef, or pork. There are lots of different grains, but most Americans focus on refined wheat, corn, and rice. And for 99% of people in the US, the only milk they ever drink is pasteurized cow’s milk.

On the other hand, as a raw foodist I eat tons of different fruits every year…

• bananas
• oranges
• apples
• dates
• mangoes
• grapes
• peaches
• cantaloupe
• watermelons
• avocado
• blueberries
• strawberries
• tomatoes
• cucumber
• etc.

…lots of different greens and other vegetables…

• romaine
• spinach
• bib
• red leaf
• parsley
• basil
• cabbage
• carrots
• peas
• etc.

…and quite a few nuts and seeds

• pistachios
• hazelnuts
• Brazil nuts
• peanuts
• sunflower seeds
• etc.

If you really want variety AND health, a raw food diet is where it’s at.

Your Thoughts?

Have you been holding onto any of the above pseudo-thoughts and let them negatively impact your health?

Maybe you’re guilty of some others, like “Oils are a health food” or “Gourmet raw recipes are good for you” or “Medicinal herbs are magically healing“.

Don’t be afraid to air it all out in the comments below!

Go raw, use your brain, and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Still think that a raw food diet isn’t optimal? I didn’t either, especially after giving the unhealthy mainstream raw food diet a go.

That is, until I read this book…

The Raw Secrets

The Raw Food Diet in the Real World

Click Here!

And the rest, as they say, is history.

So if you’d like to dramatically improve your health with raw foods like I have, check out the book that convinced me to go raw at the link below:

==> http://tinyurl.com/lrm4c4

These foods are promoted for their superior nutritional content, being good sources of various vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidant and protein-rich.

But as I show here, these products are not so super at all. In fact, the REAL raw superfoods are plain and boring fresh fruits, greens, nuts and seeds.

Don’t believe me? Check it out:

SIDE NOTE: The following percentages given are based on the Percent Daily Values (%DV) for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Vitamins

Fruits are known for being an excellent source of vitamins, including vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K and folate.

For instance, just 3 medium mangoes (605 calories) contains 10,907 IU of vitamin A (218% DV), 1.2 mg of vitamin B6 (60% DV), 366.9 mg of vitamin C (611% DV), 9.07 mg of vitamin E (30% DV), 42.3 mcg of vitamin K (52% DV), and 433 mcg of folate (108% DV).

Greens are also great sources of these vitamins, especially vitamins A, C, K and folate. For example, one head of romaine contains 54,525 IU of vitamin A (1,090% DV), 25 mg of vitamin C (41% DV), 641.6 mcg of vitamin K (802% DV), 851 mcg of folate (212% DV).

Minerals

While fruits do contain necessary minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium, greens typically contain a higher amount. That’s why it’s so important to get in your greens in addition to sweet fruits.

For instance, one bunch of spinach (12 ounces) contains 337 mg of calcium (34% DV), 9.2 mg of iron (51% DV), 269 mg of magnesium (67% DV), 167 mg of phosphorus (17% DV) and 1,897 mg of potassium (54% DV).

Nuts and seeds are also good sources of minerals. Just one ounce of brazil nuts contains 107 mg of magnesium (26% DV), 206 mg of phosphorus (20% DV), 0.49 mg of copper (24% DV), and 543.5 mcg of selenium (776% DV).

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are substances that inhibit oxidization. Within the body, these substances help to counteract damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules that have been linked to aging, inflammation, and cancer).

Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E, as well as beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A primarily found in fruits and vegetables), lutein, lycopene, and selenium.

As I’ve shown above, it’s easy to get enough of vitamins A, C, and E and selenium from raw fruits, greens, nuts and seeds. But what about lutein and lycopene?

Lutein, a carotenoid necessary for healthy eyesight, is found in high amounts in kale, spinach, green peas, zucchini, pistachios, broccoli, and kiwi. Lycopene is found in gac (a Southeast Asian fruit), tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, and papaya.

If you eat a diet of raw fruits, greens, nuts and seeds, you will get plenty of antioxidants. In addition, you’ll avoid many of the health factors – such as eating meat, cholesterol, fried foods, too much fat, drinking alcohol, and smoking – that lead to excess free radicals in the first place.

Protein

As I spoke about here, the human body does not need much protein at all. As long as you are meeting your caloric needs, you’re likely getting enough protein.

According to this 2007 report by the World Health Organization, the average protein requirement for adults is 0.66 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day, while the safe level comes to 0.83 g/kg per day.

So a woman weighing 120 lbs (54.4 kg) would need about 45 grams of protein each day (54.4 x .83). It’s actually very easy to meet and even exceed this “safe” requirement on a raw food diet high in fruit and greens.

Check out this sample low fat raw vegan menu plan:

• Breakfast: 5 medium bananas
• Lunch: 4 mangoes
• Mid-Afternoon: 8 peaches
• Dinner: Salad of 1 bunch spinach, 1 cucumber, 4 med. tomatoes, and 1 ounce brazil nuts

This example plan comes to 1,975 calories consisting of 448 grams of carbohydrates, 26 grams of fat, and 47 grams of protein. That’s MORE than enough protein for the average 120 lb female…all from just fruits, greens, and an ounce of nuts!

Calories are King

You can’t just eat a few bananas, a bowl of grapes, or a normal-portioned (read: tiny) salad and expect to get all the nutrients you need. If you wish to get enough vitamin C, folate, magnesium, iron, what have you, you have to get in your calories.

So save your money for the real superfoods: fresh fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds. You can get all the protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants you need from a healthy raw food diet predominated by fruit with generous portions of greens and limited amounts of nuts, seeds, avocados, and other fatty foods.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Are you finding it impossible to maintain a REAL superfood-rich raw diet because of crazy cravings? Are you constantly tempted by unhealthy salty, fatty raw food dishes and even your old cooked food favorites?

Check out my cravings crushing program…

“How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings Once and for All”

A Guide for Destroying Cravings on a Raw Food Diet

www.CookedFoodCravings.com

Click on the link below to learn more and purchase your copy today:

==> www.CookedFoodCravings.com