Frederic Patenaude Raw Foods Diet

Two months ago, I stirred a lot of controversy with my open critique of the product “Raw Water” that was promoted in the raw food movement as the latest, greatest water. The controversy made me realize there was still too much confusion on the topic of water, and too many water scams out there.

This led me to do a complete research on every single aspect about water and publish my findings as part of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club newsletter.

The following is a short excerpt of the much longer newsletter that’s available as part of the Raw Vegan Mentor Club. To find out how to become a member and download this newsletter immediately as well as over $1200 in bonus gifts, click here.

Alkaline Water Scams

− Can you explain why the PH of water is not of concern to human health?

− Can you comment on companies selling machines to make “alkaline water”?

A lot of people imagine that we have to worry about the PH of our water.

What they don’t realize is that even in nature, the PH of water will vary from one type of water to the next.

pH of pure water is always 7.0,  i.e it is neutral, neither acidic nor alkaline.

When certain minerals (also called salts) are dissolved in water, its pH may vary and it may become acidic or basic according to the properties of the minerals dissolved.

In the body, when we consume water, along with its minerals, food and other components, they all reach the stomach.

The gastric juices are highly acidic and all the food exiting the stomach into the intestine is highly acidic. The bile from the pancreas neutralizes these acids and makes the food alkaline.

Thus, when water and food passes through the stomach it will always be acidic and in the intestines it will always be alkaline irrespective of the original pH of our diet.

Urine is the only body fluid that can have its acidity changed by food or supplements.

The rest of the body PH cannot be changed by anything you eat or drink.

The machines claiming to sell alkaline water use pseudoscientific hype with use of some technical terms to support claims that cannot be substantiated medically or scientifically.

It is just a very expensive way of consuming calcium tablets!

Most people who have spent a lot of money on such machines and believe it has had a positive effect on their lives are probably going through a placebo effect, which means if you think something is going to make you better, it probably will.

It is an established medical phenomenon and it is observed in about 40% people taking placebo medication in drug trials.

There is some supporting research that alkalized water is beneficial and is used by the food industry to wash fruits and vegetables to remove and destroy harmful bacteria and viruses.

But once this is ingested, any alkalinity is neutralized by stomach acid. There is no evidence that drinking or ingesting alkalized water is beneficial to human health.

So the machine may be good to wash your fruits and vegetable in. While it is not beneficial it is also not harmful, but I think there are better things to spend money on.

For more information on the best waters to drink, make sure to sign up for a test drive to my Raw Vegan Mentor Club and get the latest issue of our members-only newsletter where I discuss every single aspect of water, including: is water alive? What about distilled water? What’s the best water to drink? What about spring water?

Get your test-drive membership by going to: www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Last week I created some controversy throughout the raw food movement with a video that I posted about a type of bottled water that has come out labelled as “raw”.

The video generated a lot of responses both positive and negative.

Some people were really happy that I take the time to expose some of the absurd claims that are out there in the raw food movement, while others were VERY angry about my criticism of their “living” water.

Although I don’t intend to bring up the specific product in question, I haven’t said the last word on the subject and I will be launching a new website in the near future debunking many claims made about water in general.

• Is water living?
• What kind of water is best to drink?
• Do I need “alkaline” water?
• Should I be concerned about the quality of my water?

These are some of the things I will be talking about soon.

One thing that’s for sure is that there’s a lot of BS out there, and the complete state of confusion of the raw-food movement makes it very difficult for a newbie to find out what to do.

Some people might sound very convincing in their speeches, but upon further analysis you’ll quickly realize that they have no substance behind their claims.

When someone claims that drinking a particular type of water will give you a “completely new bloodstream”, and that unless you drink that water your “spinal fluid is not really alive,” I believe something ought to be said!

Regarding water, one point I did not cover is the following:

When you follow a raw food diet and eat at least 80 to 90% fruits and vegetables, the type of water you drink doesn’t matter as much as we’d like to think!

Why?

Because your requirements for drinking actual water will be greatly diminished.

Unless I’m living in the tropics or engaging in particularly strenuous types of activities, I don’t even need to drink that much additional water.

In fact, many animals in the wild (including gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos) drink almost no water, because they get all the liquid they need from fruits and greens.

The main thing you want about your water to be is pure. That is, reasonably free of impurities, inorganic minerals, organisms and toxins.

Beyond that, there’s actually very little real evidence to prove that any other kind of water will make a major difference in your health.

Even drinking “alkaline” versus “acidic” water is not something you should be worried about when eating mostly fruits and vegetables, because that diet in itself is extremely alkaline-forming, and the PH of your water will not affect the PH of your body the slightest bit.

More important than the water you drink (assuming you have reasonably pure water) is the food you eat, the amount of sleep you get and your levels of stress in your body.

Remember to enjoy superior health, you need to be eating *at least* 80 to 90% raw fruits and vegetables.

That way, you’ll be getting most of the water you need from your food, and your requirements for water will be way less, ensuring you are sufficiently hydrated and well nourished.

——————————————————
To get started on the raw food diet, the most complete set of resources available anywhere is the Raw Health Starter Kit. In addition to my two main books, you’ll also get my complete DVD series on raw vegan cuisine, and more. Get your kit now by going to:

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/starterkit.html
———————————————————

The first time I heard of “raw water”, I must honestly say that the first thing that went to my mind is “Are you kidding me? Do they really think people are that stupid?”

In the video below, you’ll see me debunk claims made about raw water, a new product being promoted in the raw food movement.

Keep in mind that I’m not saying that their water is bad, or that there wasn’t any genuine efforts put into this. I just think that it’s not worth the $6-10 a bottle they are asking for, and that the claims made to promote are downright wrong. What do you think? Let me know below and feel free to pass this video along to your friends.

- Frederic’s Update

-  Videos from Costa Rica

- Did We Adapt to Cooked Foods?

Greetings from Costa Rica!

I’m spending several months here until May, when I’ll be starting a trip/tour around the world. I announced this in a previous post. If you’re interesting in having me come to your city to give a raw talk, check out this post.

Initially, I’m going to Europe, South Africa and Asia, but in 2011 I will come back around to North America for some events there.

Check out these videos I just recorded if you’re interesting in checking out some places in Costa Rica. Forgive me for my bad filming. It might make you a little dizzy!

Farmer’s Market in Costa Rica

Matapalo Beach

Uvita Waterfall

“Who Else Wants to Watch Professional DVDs and Become Confident in the Kitchen With the Most Amazing, Simple and Delicious Low Fat Raw Recipes Ever?”

- Frederic’s Update

- Arguments used against the high-fruit diet

Greetings from Costa Rica!

Today, I’m going to talk about some recently heard statements used by some raw-foodists to try to scare people away from eating fruit. Is fruit healthy or deadly? Some people would like you to think that eating fruit will turn you into an alcoholic. No kidding… Check out these shocking statements below and my answers.

I’m currently in Costa Rica and about to prepare my event Day in Costa Rica With Frederic.

Have you ever fancied moving to a Tropical Paradise? This live event is just one part of my course “How to Move to a Tropical Paradise”. Check it out at:

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/tropicalparadise.html

A few videos below for you:

Eating Dates in Costa Rica?

Having Trouble Opening a Coconut

Arguments Used Against the High Fruit Diet Don’t Add Up

Over the years there has been an increase in the number of raw “gurus” or leaders speaking out against excessive and even moderate fruit consumption, while more and more packaged, refined, and fragmented questionably raw superfoods enter the market.

There are experts on both sides, long term raw foodists and even doctors. For a while now some leaders have been “scaring” people away from fruit or simply giving them vague misinformation.

I have over 10 years experience with both sides of the raw food lifestyle, going from eat anything as long as it’s raw (heavy avocado and nut consumption) to a high fruit low fat no superfood diet. I feel that the
insight that I can provide into these misconceptions is honest and valuable.

Some arguments against the high fruit diet and misleading advice on moderate fat consumption.

ARGUMENT: 100% raw foodists and especially fruitarians run into problems eating excessive quantities of fruit over the long run.

First of all this is a very vague statement, “problems” could be defined as any number of things.  Secondly, the same could be said about anyone following any other kind of diet in the world, be it raw, vegan, vegetarian, standard american etc.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything so there’s no doubt some people will have “problems” on any diet. But “especially” fruitarians is a bogus argument, my good friend Anne Osborne has been eating fruit exclusively for 17 years and has raised 2 children raw and is very healthy and vibrant.

I have many friends that live on a predominantly fruit based diet and they are the most active, healthful people I know.  Your health is in your own hands, do not blame a particular “diet” or “lifestyle” if you have not informed yourself, kept good physical shape and oral hygiene and adapted your eating plan to make up for any deficiencies.

There is no proof of anyone succeeding long term on a high fruit low fat diet.

Clearly this argument is unfounded and meant to scare people away from a natural diet and probably sell them something.

If you look at the diets of any of the primate family you will note that they all eat a high carbohydrate, low fat, low protein diet.

Also fats are simply not available in season year round in abundant quantities for regular consumption (Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts). So why would it make sense that we were meant to thrive on a high fat, unnatural diet?

Perhaps they are omitting the works of numerous natural hygienists such as Dr. Shelton, Albert Mosseri and Dr. Graham, not to mention many other people following natural hygiene around the world.

Eating as much as you want as long as it’s raw is a healthy way to transition.

Everyone coming to the raw food diet has a different issue with food in general, whether it’s selecting the wrong foods to eat most of the time or eating too much of what they crave.  So giving that kind of advice to someone who probably already has issues with food and making poor choices is just not serving their purpose for achieving better health.

You need to be aware of how food effects you and get informed on carbohydrates, protein and fat and calories.  If you do not know the difference between false hunger and true hunger you’re not going to get anywhere by eating anything as long as it’s raw.

You want to get healthy and probably sooner than later. I’ve found too many times people are stretching out their “transition” periods because they like binge eating whether it’s on cooked food or raw treats.

Eating enough fruit calories is going to give you sufficient hydration, vitamins and fibre to help you feel full and curb your cravings for any other unhealthy foods.

Fermentation occurs when digested fruit (glucose) turns into carbon dioxide. C02 is irritating to the body when not eliminated properly. Frequent consumption of massive quantities of fruit leads to fermentation and a highly acidic condition in the body from excessive C02 levels.

Claiming that the sugar in fruit is turned into carbon dioxide is a very deep misunderstanding on how the body works. Fermentation occurs when yeast metabolizes sugar to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. This is commonly done in the production of wine, beer and other spirits.

However, the human digestive track is not an alcohol producing machine. The food we eat doesn’t just sit there and ferment. It passes through a complex set of chemical processes to be quickly assimilated and eliminated. In fact, fruit sugar starts being assimilated as soon as we put fruit in the mouth. The only way for fruit sugar to ferment would be to eat large quantities of it and miscombine it with other foods, such as is commonly done by most raw-foodists.

Food combinations to avoid are:

-    Sweet fruit combined with nuts, seeds or avocados (such as any type of raw bar)
-    Sweet fruits like dates, combined with watery fruits like watermelon

ARGUMENT: Eating fruit by itself is dangerous to the body like taking a shot of hard liquor.

Sure. We see it all the time: alcoholics everywhere are getting their fix by eating apples and bananas! Fruit eaters are walking around in a drunken state. Next thing you know, we will all gather at “Fruit Eaters Anonymous”, or maybe anyone who eats fruit should sit in a session of “Alcoholic Anonymous”.

I’m quite disturbed that this level of low-quality, misleading information is still circulating on the Internet in raw circles.

Fat is a more stable form of energy because it converts slowly.

It’s a frequent misconception to think that fruit should be combined with fat, or fat should be eaten because it “digests more slowly”.

Most fruits are not very high on the glycemic index, and the fact that they are assimilated quickly is a good thing, rather than something to fear.

When we exercise and go through our day, our blood sugar reserves go down. As blood sugar is low, we get hungry and eat to naturally raise our blood sugar to healthy levels. When a person constantly experiences low-levels of blood sugar, we call it “hypoglycemia”, and it’s not a good thing to have.

Furthermore, to experience health we do not want our blood sugars to be high all the time. We want the natural sugars in food to be assimilated quickly and utilized by the cells. We don’t want that sugar to accumulate in the bloodstream.

Eating fat, on the other hand, encourages high blood sugar levels. First of all, high levels of fat in the blood streams lowers what we call “insulin sensitivity — which is the ability for insulin to quickly carry sugar to the cells.

A low fat diet improves insulin sensitivity.  Therefore, it’s a mistake to want to add fats to fruit to “slow down digestion”. All you’re doing is contributing to the problem, rather than solving it.

ARGUMENT: You should eat a small amount of fat with each meal to slow the sugar absorption.

All foods contain carbohydrates, protein and fats in the PERFECT ratio, even lettuce contains some fat.  So why on Earth for proper digestion and sugar absorption should you need to add MORE FAT to your meal?

Especially at each meal that is just going to zap more energy from you to digest food and not going to make you feel more healthy or well balanced.

Eliminating nuts and overt fats in the diet is unhealthy and leads to a fasting like state with increased detoxification of the body.

I do not understand why so many raw-foodists are afraid of detox. It must be because their diet is so unhealthy, that as soon as they start to eat well, they can feel the “detox” more than anybody else.

In my opinion, this idea of “detox” has been greatly exaggerated. It doesn’t take more than a few weeks for the body to adapt to a low-fat, raw food diet. Eating nuts and fats in quantity is absolutely not necessary to keep the “detox” at bay. In fact, even when one eliminates all fats from the diet, there is no resemblance of a “fasting state” as long as one eats enough calories.

It is healthier to overeat on fat than fruit.

This is a rather dangerous and disturbing argument in itself.  It is actually quite hard to overeat on fruit (based on appetite) as removing processed and cooked foods from your diet will make your body more receptive to true hunger and feeling full after an adequate amount of food is eaten.

Fruit has a high water content and is full of fibre and will make you feel full faster than the same amount of calories in pure fat.

It is much easier to overeat on fat and in fact quite detrimental to your health.  It slows down digestion, thickens the blood stream, impedes healing of the body as oxygen is not able to reach cells as quickly and can cause numerous problems with candida and fungal overgrowth.

It is unnatural to eat a high fat diet as it flies in the face of any natural vegetarian mammal diet.  Humans are meant to be active and not require massive amounts of recovery time after each meal.

Eat a whole meal of fruit and you will see that the down time needed to digest your food is minimal if non existent. In no way, can I see it ever being healthier to overeat on fat, than on fruit.

Long term raw foodists and fruitarians experience dental decay because their bodies are acidic and leaches calcium from their bones.

There is only one thing that causes dental decay, and it’s bacteria on your teeth feeding on sugar. This sugar can come from different sources. Usually, the biggest culprits are dried foods like nuts and seeds (and raisins), because they tend to stick to the teeth.

Fruits are actually alkaline foods. According to the Acid Renal Load Chart, all fruits are alkaline forming (so are vegetables). On the other hand, many nuts are acid-forming. And all oils are neutral (they don’t alkalize your body like fruit do).

My advice for fruit eaters when it comes to dental decay has to do with dental hygiene more than anything. I personally experienced the most dental decay when I was eating a high-fat raw diet. Now that I eat a high-fruit diet and with a strict dental hygiene routine, I have perfect checkups.

Consuming greens does not fix the problem of an acidic body when maintaining a high fruit diet.

Again, fruits AND greens are alkaline forming. There is absolutely no evidence to prove that fruits are acid-forming.

The best diet is one that balances all of the raw food groups.

This is another very vague statement as it can be interpreted in many ways depending on what you consider a healthy raw food.

For some people anything that is not heated above 118 degrees is raw, for some it is fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and for some maybe even grains and superfoods.  This is actually where the majority of raw foodists’s diets lie. Somewhere in the middle of confusion, trying to get their greens, trying to get good fats, trying to get all their vitamins and minerals.

Yet the majority of people eating this way have varied health from one person to the next and often nagging issues with candida, excess body weight, low energy, poor skin clarity, bad digestion etc.

As we’ve seen with the Standard American Diet, trying to have a balance of food groups really doesn’t work as people tend to eat what is marketed the most to them as healthy and they don’t listen to their bodies.

If you try to eat an equal quantity of fruits, vegetables and nuts and oils you’re going to have a lot of issues.  Almost no creature eats a well rounded balanced diet of many food groups.  That is strictly something that the human psyche has been programmed to accept.

For long term success don’t have a large amount of fat in your daily diet but be careful to not increase the amount of fruit you are eating once you reduce your fat intake.

Now they acknowledge that a high fat diet is not ideal, but to say “be careful about increasing your fruit intake” isn’t giving you a lot of options of what you can eat.

There are only two sources of sufficient calories in a raw vegan diet, carbohydrates from fruit or fat from nuts and oils.

If you follow their advice you are either going to be trying to eat as many vegetables and greens as you can (which won’t be sufficient for caloric needs) or try to resist the urge to eat more fat or fruit and live on a low calorie diet by will power alone.

Either way this is not only unsustainable it is also quite ridiculous when you think about it logically.  If you are a long term raw foodist you will have a better sense of appetite and should be able to trust your hunger when it comes to fruit and vegetable consumption.

Fats are always slower to register with your hunger receptors so it is still advisable to be aware of how much fat you are consuming because it adds up quickly.

When you are 100% raw you will eventually evolve to require less food over the years.

I don’t like this word evolve as it makes it sound like right now you are subhuman and will eventually become something different the longer you eat raw foods.

While it is true as you age your energy levels decrease and thus you will require less calories to sustain your level of activity, this is grossly misrepresented.  You will probably have the same level of energy when you’re 20 as you’re 25, 30 as when you’re 35.

So unless you still have a lot of weight to lose years after being successful at a raw food diet, I don’t suggest believing you’ll magically require less food to function optimally.  Your body will be less tolerant to large quantities of fats, salts and spices yes, but that is because it’s cleaner than before.

You’re not going to “evolve” to require less fuel from fruits if you’re maintaining the same exercise levels.  No athlete in the world runs a calorie deficit on purpose because they believe their muscles can run more efficiently as they get older.

Perhaps the only type of person this would be true for is if they immediately stopped expending so much energy while being on a raw food diet and spent most of their time idle and not exercising at all.  This of course I don’t recommend to anyone who wants to live a long and healthy life.

The other day I was eating a delicious salad made with the following ingredients:

- Crisp romaine lettuce
- Sweet and ripe raw corn
- Garden-ripen tomatoes
- Diced mango
- Small amount of avocado
- Fresh herbs picked from the garden
- Lemon juice

I can’t express how delicious this salad was. It was truly amazing! And part of the
reason why it was so good is because it was made with fresh and ripe ingredients.

But another reason was the combination of the sweetness in the mango and corn, the savory taste of the tomatoes and vegetables and herbs, and the creaminess of the avocado.

I was telling another raw-food friend about this salad, and her reaction was: “Yeah, but what about food combining rules! You say that we should never mix fat with sugar”.

Indeed, what about food combining rules?

The raw food diet is a pretty strict diet to begin with.

We don’t eat bread. We don’t eat meat. We don’t eat dairy products. We don’t eat eggs (at least most of us don’t!)… and we don’t eat most of what other people eat as well.

But on top of that, we have these rules about not being able to combine certain foods with each other, and how just eating one food at a time is best.

And I must say, for a long time I subscribed to all of these rules. But I also knew that not all food combining rules are valid.

For example, the original book “Food Combining Made Easy” by Dr. Shelton gave a lot of rules with no reasoning at all behind them.

Also, a lot of people have misinterpreted that book. Because Shelton said “eat melons on their own”, some people think they should never eat melons with other fruits (such as peaches), when in fact Shelton clearly stated you could do so.

Essentially, his rule was meant to avoid the common combination/abomination in those days of a big slice of watermelon after of rich meal of meat and pasta.

In my book the “Raw Secrets”, I simplified food combining rules in the raw diet to three essential rules:

-    Do not combine fat with sugar
-    Do not combine acids with starch
-    Do not combine different types of fatty foods within one meal

Today, I’m going to simplify these rules even more, and completely deconstruct the food combining theory!

How I Reconsidered These Rules

For many years, I followed food combining rules blindly without questioning them. Then I started simplifying them over the years, and realized that some of them weren’t necessary.

At this point, I have eliminated most of the “rules” I once thought were essential.

How did I get to this?

Over the years, I’ve watched some other raw-foodists eat who didn’t know these food combining rules.

She simply made combinations she liked that tasted good, without paying too much attention to the combinations like I did.

My big surprise was to realize that I could eat many combinations that I thought were “bad” without any negative effect whatsoever.

The main combination I’m talking about has to do with mixing fat and sugar together.

Why Certain Combinations Occur in Nature

The idea behind many food combining rules is to simplifying the process of digestion. So naturally, the “sandwich” is one of the worst combinations ever, because it combines many classes of food which are optimally digested in a completely different acidic or non-acidic environment in the stomach.

In the raw food diet, we naturally avoid most of these combinations, leaving mainly one: the combination of fat and sugar.

The idea behind this rule is that combining fat and sugar, such as dates and almonds together, will let the sugar ferment in the stomach.

The reason is simple: almonds and other fats take a lot more time to digest than simple sugars. If you eat them together, the sugar you eat will spend much more time in the stomach and intestines and start to ferment.

So far so good…

But even with that rule, the traditional rules of food combining allow for certain exceptions. For example, you can combine acid fruits with nuts together.

The idea is that because nuts digest well in an acidic environment, acid fruits don’t compromise that picture, and also contain less sugar than other fruits.

This line of reasoning always appeared a little suspicious, but I noticed that the effects of that combination were generally positive, as long as I ate very small amounts of fat.

But there’s one strange observation:

-    Many foods in nature contain the combination of fat and sugar in significant proportions!

For example, the durian, a beloved fruit of many raw-foodists, is very rich in sugar and quite rich in fat (20% on average).

Even avocados contain some sugar and carbohydrates, and so do nuts.

And surprisingly, all fruits and vegetables contain a certain percentage of fatty acids.

There are also other fruits in nature that contain this forbidden mixture of fat and sugar, such as the “Ackee fruit”, popular in Jamaica.

So it seems to me a little strange to completely ban this combination, when you can enjoy a ripe durian which contains a mixture of fat and sugar.

Raw-Foodists Eating Too Much Fat

After thinking about this a lot, I realized that most raw-foodists who benefit from these food combining rules have something in common: they eat too much fat!

I agree that the combination of a huge handful of almonds with a bag of dates is a nasty mixture that leads to a lot of fermentation and gas.

But try eating three dates and three almonds together. You’ll probably find that this combination goes down perfectly well.

The same goes for other fatty foods:

Eat a huge guacamole and then have all the figs you can eat, and you probably will experience some gas.

But dice up a third of an avocado in a salad that contains lettuce and mango, and you’ll probably be fine.

So my main observation with the rule of not combining fruit and fat together has to do with quantities.

When small quantities of fat are used in the diet, there is no reason to fear combining some fruit with some fatty foods once in a while.

So my new “rule” is: you can throw in some fruit in a salad containing some fat. Try to avoid fruits that are very concentrated in sugar such as dates or dried fruits or bananas, and instead use juicy fruits. Also, avoid large quantities of fat.

Eating Fruit is Better than Eating Fat (in spite of food combining rules)

Another problem with the food combining rules that have been presented before are the restrictions they pose on people.

Let’s say you have a salad that contains some avocado.

According to food combining, you should not eat anything for several hours after that, or only eat more of the same ingredients for optimal digestion.

So if you’re not satisfied after a meal of salad and avocado (and most people aren’t) because you didn’t eat enough fruit during the day or before the meal, then your only option is to wait several hours or eat more avocado.

What I recommend now is to eat fruit, whenever you feel like it or feel hungry, even if the combination is not perfect.

Eating some fruit after a salad containing avocado will be a LOT better than eating more avocado and more fat after that same meal.

The Spirit of Food Combining Rules

I still believe in the spirit of food combining rules, which is about keeping things simple and avoiding long lists of ingredients.

However, it’s probably not necessary to obsess about these rules, when you can enjoy some simple, tasty and low fat combinations that will taste great and digest well, even if they don’t follow the rules 100%.

I welcome your comments below…

- Frederic’s Update

-  Are you confused?

Today I’m going to address what I believe is the NUMBER ONE problem in the raw food movement: confusion.

The following except is taking from the December issue of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club newsletter, a monthly printed newsletter I send to members of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club only.

As part of the Mentor Club, you receive this motivational and informational newsletter in the mail, get access to it online, along with a monthly menu planner (with recipes for every day of the month), interviews with health and success gurus, and more.

To learn more about the Raw Vegan Mentor Club go to:

www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

I’m almost packed up and ready to attend this years:

Vibrant Living Expo, on August 21-23, in Ft. Bragg, Northern California, organized by Cherie Soria and her team. I’ve attended many raw food events for the past 10 years and this one beats them all, hands down.

I will be there giving two lectures, and with a booth where you can meet me and get to chat a bit in person. Other lecturers include:

•    Dr. Doug Graham
•    Kevin Gianni
•    Howard Lyman (the Mad Cowboy)
•    Victoras Kulvinskas
•    John Robbins (author of “Diet for a New America”)
•    Matt Monarch & Angela Stokes
•    Don Weaver
•    Brian Clement
•    And many others

Get more information and sign up at www.rawfoodchef.com.

Can’t make it to the live event? Sign up for the Internet Streaming Event!!!

I think the organizers have come up with a great option for those who want to attend but be there in person.

For more info: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1038290

Are You Confused?

The following except is taking from the Raw Vegan Mentor Club newsletter, a monthly printed newsletter I send to members of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club only. To learn more about this newsletter, go to www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

One of the biggest enemies to your success on the raw food diet (and in life in general) is confusion and self-doubt.

It’s what I call a “silent killer” because this enemy is very sneaky and insidious.

Confusion and self-doubt will creep in your mind and lead to a chain of thought that will eventually lead to failure.

So let’s talk about it openly and also find some strategies to deal with it and insure your success on the raw food diet.

First, let’s start with a basic concept:

The area of highest leverage in our lives is our thoughts.

I want you to ponder that for a moment.

Everything you see around you that is man-made is the result of someone’s thoughts:

-    Cars
-    Skyscrapers
-    Windows
-    Computers
-    Etc.

Everything we create in our lives starts with a simple thought. Everything we destroy and every failure also starts with a thought.

The most valuable piece of information I got for succeeding in life was when someone told me:

The main reason people fail in life is the thoughts they allow in their mind.

And the most valuable piece of information to succeed on the raw food diet came when I applied that realization to succeeding on the diet.

Of course, other things matter, such as getting the right information in the first place.

But let’s assume that you actually have everything you need to be able to succeed on the raw food diet, to take your fitness to the highest level, to achieve vibrant health and to reach your highest potential in life.

With the information that is now available to you, there is no reason to think that you do not have the basic pieces of knowledge it takes to at least make dramatic progress on those areas.

If that’s the case, then why are you not succeeding at the level you desire? Why are you constantly going through setbacks and “falling off the wagon”?

I believe it’s because of the thoughts you allow to creep into your consciousness.

And the beauty about it is that you only need to start being aware of that fact to be able to control it.

So let’s start with the area of confusion and self-doubt and then move on to some specific strategies that apply to the raw food diet.

Sources of Confusion

I’ve found that one of the biggest reasons for confusion and doubt that lead people to try all kinds of different diets and never find the one that works is being confused by contradicting information.

For example, let’s say that you’ve read my books and Dr. Graham’s books and other hygienic authors and through your own experience and rational thinking, you come to the conclusion that the low-fat, raw vegan diet combined with a fitness program is probably your surest bet to achieve the highest levels of health you’ve always wanted.

But let’s say that one day, you read something from an author that is now saying something completely opposite of what you thought you believed.

That author might even look healthy and be very convincing in his reasoning, and now you’re in doubt. You’re confused and you don’t know what’s true anymore.

What if he’s right? What if you’re wrong? Could it be that you might be on the wrong path?

Or could it be that you’ve taken this raw-food stuff too seriously, and need to loosen up a bit and instead just find a middle-path that works for you?

You’re starting to have all of these thoughts creep into your mind, and suddenly, you’re finding all of this a good reason to try the other program.

But one month from now you read something from a different author and then she’s also saying something that contradicts some of the information you thought was true. What are you going to do now?

When that happens, some people despair. Some give up everything and just go back to the Standard American Diet. If the gurus can’t agree between themselves, how can I know what’s true?

Others try to mix bits and pieces of different, contradicting systems and end up with a mish-mash that doesn’t fully give them the results they desire but at least “works for them” for the time being.

I see that happening all the time.

The moment someone, anywhere says anything with any kind of authority that contradicts something they thought they believed but haven’t fully integrated in their lives, confusion begins.

And that confusion leads to an inevitable train of thought that brings about failure.

Why is it that we’re so malleable and weak that we can’t just look at different available options, decide which one is the best and then stick with it for the long run?

Do You Believe Any Guru That Comes Around?

I’ll give you an example so we can put this discussion in perspective.

There’s a man in California who promotes a diet of raw animal products.

He eats raw beef, raw liver, raw butter, raw honey, raw milk and even raw chicken, with a very small amount of fruits and vegetables.

He claims to have healed himself of cancer by eating this way, and wrote a pretty well-written book on the subject.

A lot of people have come to me and asked me about this man over the past 10 years.

They’ll say “How can you be right with your fruit-based diet when this guy says the complete opposite, and appears to be completely healthy and even thriving on the diet?”

The people who ask me these questions are usually in the “searching” mode (nothing wrong with that) and are very confused about nutrition.

Unfortunately, they’ve naively made a few fatal assumptions. Let’s review them one-by-one.

-    They assumed a wrong cause and effect relationship

The first wrong assumption is the cause-and-effect relationship. They assumed that the only way the author got well was because he started eating such and such food.

In reality, most healing occurs when you remove certain foods from the diet.

That’s why so many diets appear to work even thought they all promote different foods — they all remove enough offensive items to create some positive changes in health.

Most diets either eliminate grains, or cooked foods, or animal products.

It’s entirely possible that someone can dramatically improve their health by simply removing a few major categories of food from their diet, without going 100% raw vegan.

In addition to food, they probably made a lot more changes in their diet, such as:

o    Eliminating drugs and medicines
o    Exercising
o    Moving to a less toxic environment
o    Changing their relationships
o    Improving their state of mind

All of these changes and more can improve your health dramatically. But it doesn’t prove that raw animal foods (or anything) are the main healing factor in that mix!

-    They assumed that the author didn’t lie about his story.

I’m so surprised that most people assume that because someone wrote a book, that he necessarily told the truth about what really happened in it.

Not so fast!

In just the first few years of my exposure to the raw-food movement, I saw many authors lie repeatedly and admit it totally openly in private.

In my own experience with the aforementioned author in 1998, I remember clearly some annoying discrepancies on some figures that he gave.

I remember seeing him live for a presentation, reading an interview with him in a magazine, and reading his book.

In each of those instances, the numbers he gave regarding one element of his story of recovery were completely different!

So don’t assume that just because someone wrote something, that it’s necessarily true. They may have exaggerated or altered the facts to fit their story.

-    They assumed that the self-diagnosis of the author was right.

How many people have found a “cure” to cancer and then published a book about it?

What’s funny is when you actually dig deeper, you’ll often find that their diagnosis for cancer is often very dubious.

For example, one of the oldest and most popular natural health book published is the Grape Cure, by Johanna Brandt.

In it, the author claims to have healed herself of cancer by going on a grape diet, with other protocols.

As it turns out, her “cancer” was self-diagnosed. It’s entirely possible that she didn’t have cancer in the first place!

Often certain authors will exaggerate the facts in order to make their story more dramatic.

-     They assumed that because the author is “good-looking” that is “healthy”.

Most people equate looks with health. They assumed that just because someone looks good, they automatically must be very healthy.

They forget that health is about reaching the maximum potential of each individual, and that the manifestations will vary from one person to the next, but will be mostly hidden to the eye.

Some people are good looking, but unhealthy. Looks are not a guarantee for sure!

However, some signs of health don’t lie:

•    Healthy skin
•    Breath and body odor
•    Fitness levels
•    Etc.

But don’t assume that just because someone looks “great” that he is necessarily healthy on the inside.

Claims of Failure

In addition to the stories of authors who promote a diet that is entirely against everything that raw veganism stands for, you will also find all sorts of people in the raw food movement who will be happy to tell you their story for why the diet failed for them.

Some of them may actually be influential with a website or blog with a lot of traffic.

Will you let confusion and doubt overcome you as you read these testimonials?

When someone says that the low-fat, raw vegan diet didn’t work for them, you might want to consider the following:

-    Did they really follow the program?

I know plenty of people who claimed that the raw vegan diet didn’t work, but yet never actually practiced it properly. At some point, I was even convinced myself that the diet couldn’t possibly work, and was looking for all sorts of evidence to support that belief.

The problem is that when I was having those thoughts, I also knew that I never actually practiced the diet as I should for a long enough period of time. I just wanted to find an excuse to make it not work.

Unless someone is giving the exact details of what type of diet they were following, most likely did not really follow the program that they now claim does not work.

Even if they claimed to have followed it, as I’ve explained before, omission of truth is part of human nature.

As Dr. Spock once said, “not a lie, an omission” (This is the first time ever that I quote Star Trek).

-    Is it possible their symptoms might be caused by something else entirely?

The raw vegan diet is not a guarantee for perfect health. There are all sorts of illnesses that can be manifested by all sorts of causes that don’t have anything to do with diet.

Someone could be following a perfect, low fat, raw vegan program and still get sick. The chances are much slimmer, but still exist.

My belief is that it’s always more advantageous to put all of the chances on your side. Even if a particular health condition cannot be solved 100% through diet and fitness alone, it could still get a lot better, or avoid getting worse.

If a well-known raw food guru were to succumb of a particular disease, it would not be enough to make me doubt the program, especially when it’s an isolated case.

If a naysayer claimed that the raw vegan diet doesn’t work because they got such and such problem, or failed to solve such and such problem, what does it mean?

It doesn’t automatically mean that this problem was caused by the raw vegan diet or that it can even be solved by diet alone.

Complainers Have a Voice

“The internet gives everybody a voice, and the internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice.”

If you feel contempt about something, it’s really easy to voice your opinions online.

That’s often a good thing, but it also means that naysayers and complainers have a much louder voice than before.

In the past 10 years, I’ve travelled all over the world and met thousands of people who have followed the raw food diet at some point or another.

I’ve found that the most successful, healthy people I’ve met were quiet people who had little interest to become involved in the movement.

There are a ton of people out there who are getting fantastic results with the raw vegan diet. Most of these people will never write a book or be known as “gurus” in the movement.

So when someone asks me, “why aren’t there any centenarian raw-foodists out there?” I answer: there are. But you just haven’t heard of them.

Instead, we tend to hear more from people who voice their negative opinions or talk about their negative experience or sell their expensive supplements as the answer to everyone’s problems.

Reasons for Confusion

I believe there are some basic reasons why many people get confused by the contradicting information in the natural health movement.

•    Reason #1: Lack of Basic Principles

The number one reason why people get really confused with health and nutrition is that they are not operating from basic, fundamental principles.

Instead, they gather bits and pieces of information here and there and never manage to organize them into a consistent system.

Nowadays, it’s easy for me to guess the content of a new health book — one that presents a new “revolutionary” theory.

Usually, they’re all the same. Their basic error is operating from the point of view Cure (which is the way of thinking of all Western Medicine) rather than Health.

Most health books — whether they admit it or not, are just following the same path as traditional, Western medicine based on eliminating symptoms, rather than addressing the cause.

That’s their basic fault.

And it’s very easy to see it once you understand fundamental principles of natural hygiene and health.

I’ve never really covered this topic in any of my works (except briefly in some of my books), but since it’s so important, I will start to review these principles, one by one, starting with the next issue of the Mentor Club newsletter.

•    Reason #2: Refusal to Choose One Philosophy and Make it Work

Another big reason for confusion is that most people try to mix together bits and pieces of contradicting philosophies.

I believe it’s fine to learn from different teachers and take some insights from each. In fact, each person has something unique to contribute.

But you shouldn’t try to mix different systems and philosophies that don’t agree with each other.
Instead, choose the one that makes the most sense to you, and really work at applying it in your life.

Years ago, I rejected the naturopathic way of thinking and adopted natural hygiene as my main health philosophy. That’s the philosophy that made the most sense to me rationally.

I can still listen to a lecture by some popular raw-food authors and get some great insights from it and walk away with some useful information.

But generally, these people and others will be in fundamental disagreement on some of the basics of what I consider essential health principles.

So I do not try to follow their approach and mix it with mine, because I know that can only lead to confusion and failure.

Instead, I can get insights from them in other related topics that I might not have investigated as well.

Here are some examples of these basic “errors” and fundamental differences:

-    The use of foods as “medicines”. Natural hygiene fundamentally rejects the idea of using certain foods to cure certain diseases, or taking it certain foods for certain nutrients.
-    The “fear” of fruit. Most nathuropatic philosophies refuse to see fruit as the most essential item in the diet and instead vilify it in every way possible.
-    The use of stimulants: promoting certain foods for energy rather than understanding the true energy-depleting nature of stimulants.

-    Reason #3: Unconscious Desire to Fail

This might actually the most essential reason for confusion: we don’t actually want to find out the truth because we’re scared of chance.

Unconsciously, we desire to fail.

I know how it works because I’ve been there many times.

It’s perfectly okay to decide to eat certain foods or do certain things because you openly admit that you’re not ready for change.

But because that attitude requires a great deal of self-knowledge and awareness, most people try to justify it in some other way.

They prefer to think that the diet failed for them rather than they failed the diet. So they’ll find all kind of evidence to support that.

This was just an except of my monthly newsletter. The same issue also contained a complete description of detoxification, how it works, what to expect, what to avoid, and more description of other symptoms. If you liked it, learn more about subscribing at www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

- In this issue

- What’s Wrong With Wheatgrass?

- Questions from the readers (that’s you!)

Dear raw-food enthusiast,

I hope that you’re enjoying the summer. Here in Eastern Canada we don’t have a summer at all. If the planet is truly warming up, somehow this spot must have been left out because it feels more like October than July!

But it’s perfect temperature for running and so I’m not complaining.

I also had the chance to visit the beautiful country of Thailand in June and bring back many good memories of the beautiful places I visited and great people I met. I’m still sorting through my pictures and videos and hopefully I’ll share some of them with you soon.

Our featured picture on the right is the “durian truck”, a common sight in the province of Chanthaburi about three hours south of Bangkok. I discovered this place thanks to my friend Harley “Durian Rider” (check out his wonderful forum at www.30bananasaday.com), where more durian is grown than anywhere in the world. As low as 50 cents a pound, we couldn’t complain.

A quick reminder: my friend Roger Haeske recently released an amazing program called the Savory Veggie Stews. If you think Green Smoothies were great, wait till you try this. This recipe system enabled me to totally eliminate my dinnertime salt and cooked cravings! After the Green Smoothie Revolution, I’m sure we’ll have a Veggie Stew revolution, thanks to this great new product by Roger. It’s launch week so you’re getting a better price if you order now, plus a bunch of freebies. Check it out here:

http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

Frederic

PS: Remember the price goes up almost every day during launch week, so the sooner you get it, the better.

http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

If you’re curious about the prices in the picture, $1 = 34 Baht, and prices are for one kilo (2.2 pounds).

“Who Else Wants to Watch Professional DVDs and Become Confident in the Kitchen With the Most Amazing, Simple and Delicious Low Fat Raw Recipes Ever?”

Watch the preview YouTube Video to get a peak at what’s inside this DVD series. For more information on the Low Fat Raw Vegan DVD Series, click here. On the video, click “HQ” after it has started for better quality.

To order the Low Fat Raw Vegan DVDs, click here.

The following except is taking from the Raw Vegan Mentor Club newsletter, a monthly printed newsletter I send to members of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club only. To learn more about this newsletter, go to www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Wheatgrass: Nature’s Perfect Food?

Thanks to Dr. Graham for his help in helping me revise the latest version of this article.

Wheatgrass used to be the big “superfood” promoted by popular raw-food authors. Nowadays, you don’t hear much about it since they are too busy selling raw chocolate and other more lucrative items, but it’s more popular than ever in the mainstream.

Jamba Juice sells it.

You can find frozen wheatgrass juice in most health food stores and most of the popular raw food rejuvenation centers offer wheatgrass juice as part of their therapy.

Why would you want to drink such a nasty beverage?

Let’s look at the claims made by wheatgrass proponents one by one.

1-Chlorophyll

One of the big claims made about wheatgrass juice is that because it’s rich in chlorophyll, and that chlorophyll is similar to hemoglobin in structure, that somehow it helps “build your blood”, because hemoglobin is an important component of blood. Some authors have even claimed that the “only” difference between hemoglobin and chlorophyll is the center element, which is iron for hemoglobin and magnesium for chlorophyll.

What is chlorophyll? It’s of course the substance that converts sun energy into chemical energy through the process known as photosynthesis. Without this process, human life would not be possible! Only plants can make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.

Hemoglobin is a protein that transports oxygen into the red blood cells. It makes up about 35% of the blood. Without hemoglobin, human life would also not be possible. It transports oxygen from the lungs to every cell of the body that needs it.

So what’s the link between the two? They are certainly similar in structure, but with very important difference. The main difference is that hemoglobin is built around iron, while chlorophyll is built around magnesium. But to claim that the two molecules are easily interchangeable is really oversimplying things

We know that if you need iron, you cannot just take magnesium and expect your body to convert it like an alchemist would convert lead into gold.

Certain elements that help build the blood (such as iron, calcium, vitamin C, folic acid, etc.) are found abundantly in chlorophyll-containing foods such as green vegetables, so it’s easy to understand that these foods can have some benefits. But the claim that chlorophyll can be converted into hemoglobin is simply not supported by science.

Chrolophyll is not a necessary nutrient in human nutrition. Many populations throughout history have gone for years, or even decades on restricted diets of various foods that do not contain any chlorophyll (such as fruits, root vegetables, grains, etc.), with no apparent difficiency.

But the big misunderstanding about grass as part of the human diet is that we’re simply not grass-eating creatures. All of the various vitamins and minerals that are found in wheatgrass can be found in much more succulent and easily digestible fruits and v

2-Enzymes

Perhaps you should drink wheatgrass juice for enzymes?

First of all, the enzymes that are destroyed in the food are NOT the same enzymes that are required by your body to digest the food you’re eating.

For the sake of clarity, let’s define an enzyme. An enzyme is essentially a protein that helps make a specific chemical reaction occur.

Food enzymes are those found in foods, and their purpose is to carry out the chemical reactions necessary for the existence and life of the plant itself.

They are also destroyed by stomach acids upon ingestion by humans. Even if they could somehow survive the acidity in the stomach, these enzymes were designed for the plant. They helped the plant to grow, and would continue to help the plant carry out its life cycle. They play no part in the human digestive process.

The plant enzymes found in wheatgrass are in no way special. Lettuce and other vegetables contain the same enzymes.

3- Most Nutritious Food

The biggest claim about wheatgrass is that an ounce of wheatgrass juice is worth more than 2 pounds of fresh green vegetables. Is this true? Let’s see how this claim stands scrutiny.

Below you’ll find the nutritional data (taken from USDA databases) for one ounce of wheatgrass juice, compared to 2 pounds of two different vegetables. I threw in the typical carrot in there, just to see, even though it’s not a green vegetable.You’ll find that your typical ounce of wheatgrass juice is nowhere close to replacing the 2 pounds of vegetables, as wheatgrass promoters have claimed.

Wheatgrass Juice (1 ounce)

Vitamin E, 880 mcg (that’s “microgram” not milligram)
Betacarotene,120 IU
Vitamin C, 1 mg.
Vitamin B12, 0.30 mcg (that’s “microgram” again)
Magnesium, 8 mg.
Calcium, 7.2 mg.
Iron, 0.66 mg.
Potassium, 42 mg.

Raw Spinach (2 pounds)

Vitamin E, 18400 mcg.  (I converted to micrograms, for easier comparison)
Betacarotene, 85,066. IU
Vitamin C, 254.9 mg.
Vitamin B12, none
Magnesium, 716.7 mg.
Calcium, 898.1 Mg.
Iron, 24.6 mg.
Potassium, 5,062.1 mg.

Raw Carrots (2 pounds)

Vitamin E, 6000 mcg.  (I converted to micrograms, for easier comparison)
Betacarotene, 152,506 IU
Vitamin C, 53.5
Vitamin B12, none
Magnesium, 108.9 mg.
Calcium, 299.4 Mg.
Iron, 2.7 mg.
Potassium, 2,903.0 mg.

This was just an except of my monthly newsletter. The same issue also contained a complete description of detoxification, how it works, what to expect, what to avoid, and more description of other symptoms. If you liked it, learn more about subscribing at www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Eating Olives

Hi Frederic! I really enjoyed reading your “Raw Secrets” book. What do you think of eating olives? Do olives have a high nutritional value? Some of the gourmet olives taste great although they use too much salt so I usually soak the olives in water and rinse them before eating to reduce the salt. I like olives, but I am just concerned about the excess salt. Since olives are also high in fat, how many do you recommend eating for one serving? Thanks.

ANSWER: I don’t recommend olives, except as an occasional exception. Olives are quite inedible when picked right from the tree, and must be cured and preserved in salt. That makes them quite unhealthy in the first place.

I also know that some people sell sun-dried, salt-free olives. I personally find them bitter as hell and am not attracted to eat them at all. But if you like them, you can certainly enjoy a few (maybe 6-12) with a salad meal. But remember, they should be sundried and salt-free. Maybe if you try them in that state you’ll come to the same conclusion I did, which is that they’re nothing special!

How Much Protein is Enough?

Frederic, I have just received your lesson 3 about protein…that surprised me more than anything so far. I am just curious how you came to this conclusion of less than 6% protein is optimal. I tried to remove proteins from my meals and I felt miserable because I fell eating too much starch and weakening my bodies. An ND told me because I am a blood type O+, I had to have my daily proteins!!…suggesting to go back to meat. Because I am vegetarian, I refused to eat meat no matter what….

ANSWER: 6% of protein in total calories consumed is plenty, for the following reasons:

1.    Human milk only contains 6% protein (by calories). We know that babies are growing fast and need more protein than adult. So there is no reason to think we would need more protein than a growing baby.
2.    Vegetarian and fruitarian animals on the planet all eat a low-protein diet and yet build tremendous strength and muscle.
3.    Proteins in fruits and vegetables are of higher quality than proteins in grains or beans. They contain all necessary amino acids and are not processed, cooked or coagulated by heat. Therefore, they are easy to assimilate.

In the 11 years I’ve been on a raw diet, I’ve never known any raw-foodist with a true protein deficiency.

However, I’ve met plenty of people who consumed too little food and wasted away, in addition to suffering from many deficiency-related problems.

It’s essential to consume enough calories to meet your needs. If you do that, you’ll automatically get enough protein, along with most necessary nutrients (one exception is Vitamin B12. I recommend supplementing for that).

As for the blood type diet, I have debunked it many times, in details in my program the Raw Health Starter Kit.

- Frederic’s Update: Raw Events This Summer!

- Feature Article: Fred Challenged on the High-Fruit Diet

I hope that you’re enjoying the spring as much as I am, even though here in Canada it feels like winter rather than summer is coming

I have three updates for you:

1)  Raw Chat Event! On Sunday, June 7th, at 9 p.m. Eastern I’ve been invited to host a 1-hour live audio/video chat for the website Raw Food Friends. Come to ask me any questions about raw foods and meet other raw food friends. All you need is join at: http://www.rawfoodfriends.com/member/join.php

2)  Raw Event This Summer! Are you looking for a great raw event to meet other like-minded people and learn a ton about this lifestyle with live lectures and demos? The event to attend this summer is the Vibrant Living Expo, on August 21-23, in Ft. Bragg, Northern California, organized by Cherie Soria and her team. I’ve attended many raw food events for the past 10 years and this one beats them all, hands down.

I will be there giving two lectures, and with a booth where you can meet me and get to chat a bit in person. Other lecturers include:

•    Dr. Doug Graham
•    Kevin Gianni
•    Howard Lyman (the Mad Cowboy)
•    Victoras Kulvinskas
•    John Robbins (author of “Diet for a New America”)
•    Matt Monarch & Angela Stokes
•    Don Weaver
•    Brian Clement
•    And many others

Get more information and sign up at www.rawfoodchef.com. Make sure you sign up early to get a discount.

3)  Low Fat Raw Vegan DVDs finally in! Last week I launched my first series of professional raw vegan DVDs, where I show you on the screen how to make simple, delicious and nutritionally sound raw recipes. This is the first DVD series that presents low-fat recipes.

The DVDs have already started shipping. Order yours at: www.fredericpatenaude.com/lowfatdvds/

“Who Else Wants to Watch Professional DVDs and Become Confident in the Kitchen With the Most Amazing, Simple and Delicious Low Fat Raw Recipes Ever?”

Watch the preview YouTube Video to get a peak at what’s inside this DVD series. For more information on the Low Fat Raw Vegan DVD Series, click here. On the video, click “HQ” after it has started for better quality.

To order the Low Fat Raw Vegan DVDs, click here.

Frederic Challenged on the High-Fruit Diet

I was recently interviewed by the Fresh Network for a special event they are doing for their magazine, where they are interviewing different raw food expert and challenging them with important questions about the raw-food lifestyle that are often left unanswered.

I’m publishing below a part of the interview.  Each expert got a slightly different set of questions. As you’ll see, mine featured a lot of questions on the fruit-based diet and the concerns that many people have about it.

1. Fruit

•    How much fruit do you think we should consume for optimal health, and why?

For optimal health on a raw vegan diet, we should consume enough fruit to provide us with the bulk of our calories. The reason is quite simple: no other food that can be eaten raw can provide us with sufficient calories, vitamins and other nutrients while at the same time be low in fat.

Fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals, and contain enough calories to maintain our weight.

One pound of lettuce only yields 63 calories, while one pound of bananas yields 400.

To this fruit-based diet, we add 1 to 4 pounds of vegetables and non-sweet fruits per day, which will provide additional mineral density, such as sodium, which may be lacking in fruit.

•    Please comment on the following: “Although it is clear from our anatomy and physiology that we are frugivores, the fruit that is commercially available today is so different from the fruit our earliest ancestors ate that it is no longer an ideal food for us. Specifically, it is much lower in minerals and much higher in sugar. Therefore, is it not wise to consume sweet fruit in moderation and favour non-sweet fruits, and vegetables, as those foods are likely closer to the fruits on which our ancestors based their diets?”

I don’t believe there’s any evidence for the sugar content of fruits that our “earliest ancestors” ate. If so, I would be interested to see it. We’re talking millions of years, so I don’t think it’s possible to know what the sugar content was back then.

From having travelled the world, I know that the sugar content of wild fruits varies greatly. Some wild fruits are not very sweet and others are extremely sweet. I believe it would have been the same for foods grown millions of years ago.

Let’s compare two raw vegan diets of 2000 calories. Let’s say that someone follows the advice of eating fewer sweet fruits and more non-sweet fruits and vegetables. Because there are not enough calories in the diet, the person will invariably be drawn to eat more fatty foods such as avocados. The result will be an unhealthy diet containing too much fat, even more than what is traditionally recommended as the upper limit.

On the other hand, a person eating mostly fruits grown today can eat the same quantity of vegetables and non-sweet fruits as the person described above, but will avoid the problem of excess fat. So the diet will be more nutritious, contain more minerals from vegetables and less fat.

•    Do you believe it is advisable to eat seasonally and locally? And if so, aren’t those living in cold climates where no fruit grows for 6+ months of the year better off focusing on foods that do grow in their locality, and enjoying local fruits when they are in season, rather than eating imported fruit year round?

Yes, I believe it’s a good thing to eat seasonally and locally as much as possible. However, it’s not advisable to make it a religion and avoid imported fruits when local fruits are scare and not sufficient to provide enough calories in the diet. If not, you will be forced to eat other things such as cooked grains, which are not as healthy.

•    It is very difficult to get ripe fruit these days. Most commercially available fruit is picked 1-2 months before it’s ripe. What are the consequences of consuming unripe fruit?

Yes, fruits are picked unripe but they ripen after they’ve been picked and should be fairly ripe when you eat them.

There would be negative consequences to eating a truly unripe fruit, such as a green banana, which could lead to indigestion. But no one eats them that way.

What I believe people should do is seek the best quality fruit they can. It doesn’t matter that it’s been picked a few weeks earlier, as long as it has had the right conditions to continue ripening properly. Even in the tropics, bananas are picked green, otherwise they would get eaten by monkeys and other animals!

• Sugar consumption is known to accelerate the aging process as it contributes to cross-linking of collagen in the skin and also the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs), both externally and internally. Given the link between sugar and aging is it not wise to consume sweet fruit in moderation or not at all and to favour low-sugar plant foods instead?

I did some research and found this (from http://longevity.about.com/od/researchandmedicine/p/crosslinking.htm)

“Researchers believe that if the concentration of sugar in the blood is high, then more cross-linking occurs. Everyone could benefit from keeping their blood sugar from spiking.”

If you read the above statement, you will understand that it’s not sugar per se that is the problem (after all, our cells need sugar), but high levels of blood sugar, which is completely different. One of the main factors resulting in high blood sugar is the overconsumption of fat (for proof, see the works of Dr. Fuhrman, Barnard, Mc. Dougall, Klaper, Graham, Ornish).

By trying to avoid sugar in fruit, a person will invariably consume more fat, which will lead to the very problem they were trying to avoid in the first place: high blood sugar. On a low fat diet, consuming large amounts of fruit only results in normal, not high blood sugar.

On a personal note, I have tested on myself and with many people using a blood sugar monitor the sugar response from eating fruit. I have found that even after eating a large quantity of bananas (as many as 15), blood sugar doesn’t spike, is extremely stable and in the healthy range, and that for hours.

The author Steve Pavlina also did similar experiments and came to the same conclusions: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2008/02/raw-food-diet/

•    Since it is known that sugar feeds cancer cells, and that cancer cells have more insulin receptors than normal cells and therefore will get fed first when sugar is consumed, is it wise for someone with cancer to cut down on all sugars, including those found in fruit?

Again, I believe here the key is to avoid high blood sugar, rather than sugar itself. The only way to keep your blood sugar stable and avoid the spikes and crashes is to eat a low fat diet and keep your body fat at reasonable levels. Other factors such as exercise will improve your insulin sensitivity.

It’s not possible to avoid sugar completely. If no simple sugars are consumed, complex carbs will be broken down into simple sugars. If no carbs are consumed, the body is forced to convert fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies for survival during a state referred to as “ketosis”, which is essentially what happens during fasting. The body needs a source of energy, and simple sugars are its preferred source.

The consumption of fruit in the context of a low fat diet promotes a stable sugar, which could be key in recovering from cancer.

It is good to note that the American Cancer Society recommends plenty of fresh fruits. ((REF: http://tinyurl.com/8a3e3)

-  Frederic’s Update

-  Feature Article “Boldly Going Where no Raw Vegan Has Gone Before

Before going to my main article today, I want to give you a quick update on my contest for my upcoming Raw Vegan DVDs.

First, I will announce a first winner.

Then, I will let you know what you can do to get another chance to win next week.

I’m of course referring to my long-awaited first DVD series called “the Low Fat Raw Vegan Cuisine” coming out soon. This will be the first DVD series showing you how to make tasty, simple and delicious LOW-FAT raw vegan recipes!

The Winner

Our first winner is Diane West, who wrote:

Thank God for YOU!!!! is all I have to say. I started out on my raw journey back five years ago ,reading Natural hygeine books and then came across your raw sensations uncookbook, My friends and family all commented on how grate I looked and felt, ans the years went on I drifted to the high fat raw with David Jubb,did countless 14 day fasts to clean my liver, then started to have problems two years into it with candita,,teeth problems,vetigo, etc. so I tried to remember back to when I felt good. and came up with YOU,and Dr. Doug Graham, I am back on track,and feelin better than ever, I have my energy, and my looks back, I soooooo cant wait for your DVD, that I couldnt unstand that noone in the natural hygeine way of thought had one, I eat simple, and The eyes always eat first, you look extremely healthy, and that is one of the reasons I chose your way of eating along time ago, I figure If someone lives what they preach,and looks good doing it, It must be a good thing, God Bless you and keep up the work. Inspired on long Island Diane.

Like most people, Diane didn’t leave an email. So to claim your prize, just contact us with your address at www.fredericpatenaudesupport.com

The Next Winner

If you didn’t win and would like to give it another try, all you have to do is:

•    Make sure you’ve posted your comments on my preview pictures article. If you haven’t done so, you cannot be selected for the next draw.

•    Wait for next Monday and Tuesday when I will post a YouTube video excerpt from the DVDs. Post your comment there. I will select a winner randomly from those who commented on BOTH posts.

Good luck!

Frederic

Boldly Going Where No Raw Vegan Has Gone Before

I went to see the latest Star Trek movie last weekend. My dad was a mild Star Trek fan so I was raised watching those movies and series.

As expected, the new movie was incredible with just the right combination of action, great characters and jaw-dropping futuristic settings.

I started thinking about it, because the Star Trek universe is often fancied of the ultimate dream for humanity — the future where technology has done what it’s supposed to do without destroying the world, and when humans are taking the next step exploring other planets.

The tag line is “Boldly going where no man has gone before.”

And it seems to me like the perfect metaphor for this great adventure that we’re currently on with the raw vegan diet.

A lot of people — men in particular — are fascinated by the concept of space travel and exploration.

Even though Einstein proved that it’s not possible to go faster light speed, we like to imagine what it would be like to travel even faster than this and be able to reach the farthest corners of the galaxy, where perhaps strange life forms and civilizations live.

People also like to imagine a future when all diseases have been eliminated through the wonders of science and medicine.

But is it actually what’s happening?

Even though tremendous technological progress has been made in the last 100 years, the surprising truth is that we’re getting sicker than ever.

Even life expectancy is expected to decline by about 5 years in America within the next decades, according to paper publisher by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in 2005.

Medicine is busy trying to find a “cure” for the most complex and deadly disease, when in fact they haven’t even managed to discover a cure for the most benign illness: the common cold.

By their own admission, it’s not even possible to cure the common cold. But yet, they keep promising a cure for cancer or for multiple sclerosis!

In reality, the most obvious cure for almost all health problems is in the cause, like my friend Dr. Ruza says.

Remove the cause of the illness, and you’ve already done most of what needs to be done to let the body do the rest and start healing.

I always find it funny when movies depicting a highly technologically advanced and utopian future, people still drink alcohol and eat cooked meat!

They also still get sick, but fortunately they have a Dr. McCoy with a nifty gadget that wipes out their cancer in a few seconds and in no pain.

This unfortunately is as unlikely to happen as faster-than-speed space travel!

You cannot negate the law of cause and effect.

You cannot keep on hitting your head with a hammer, take a pill to “cure” you while you still smash your head repeatedly!

Of course, it’s not as simple as I make it sound. But you get the point.

The basic problem with our current way of thinking in health is that it’s purely symptomatic.

A guy goes to see a doctor. Doctor discovers he has high blood pressure. Doctor gives pill to patient. Blood pressure goes away.

But what’s really happening behind the scenes? Is the high-blood pressure really “cured?” Or did we just artificially lower it? And what about those nasty “side-effects?” And what if by hiding the symptoms of high-blood pressure, we’re creating more problems in the future?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to discover what caused the high-blood pressure in the first place and get rid of it?

Let’s say I’m driving in my car and I hear a funny noise. Do I go to the car mechanic and ask him to put something to cover up the funny noise so that I don’t hear it anymore?

No! I actually want to know what’s happening. What caused it? Let’s get rid of it.

By the way, I’m not against modern medicine per se. I’m sure glad we have modern surgery, dentistry and antibiotics that can certainly save your life in certain situations.

What I’m pointing out is the basic flaw of not just modern medicine — but also ALL so-called “natural” healing arts — that always try to get rid of the symptoms rather than trying to understand their cause and work on eliminating that cause first.

Boldly Going Where No Raw Vegan Has Gone Before

To come back to the title of this article, I believe that going on a raw vegan diet can be one of the greatest adventures of all time.

For thousands of years, men were puzzled by disease. At first, they attributed it to demons. Then, we discovered germs and viruses and thought ALL diseases could be explained through this model.

Now, for the first time in possibly the entire history of humanity, we understand that we are the architects of our own illnesses — at least most of them.

Even traditional doctors will admit that over 75% of all diseases can be prevented thorough proper diet, exercise and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol.

But with that realization, we also have the science to help us get to the greatest state of health possible.

With advances made in the sciences of nutrition, exercise physiology, and many other fields — we can now carefully  and scientifically design a complete health program that works.

For many years, raw-foodists and natural hygienists had good intentions. They discovered important concepts. They told us to eat raw fruits and vegetables. They told us to exercise. But they made many mistakes in the “how” this was going to be done.

They didn’t know care about calories, or percentages of fat, or principles of fitness training, and made a lot of mistakes along the way.

But now that we have that information and can use it to our advantage, we can truly embark on one of the most wonderful and rewarding adventures of all: the adventure of natural health.

Two Approaches in Raw Eating

Although the raw food movement seems quite confusing nowadays, with lots of different authors, each with a different take on it, and each with a conflicting philosophy, we can easily sort through this mess if we understand this.

There are basically only TWO approaches to the raw food diet.

The first one is what I call the “medical” approach to raw food — which also happens to be the “high-fat” approach.

Its proponents may appear to be different on the surface, but upon close examination they all have the same beliefs. Here are the main characteristics of this approach:

•    The fear of fruit. They follow the typical medical-approach to weight loss which is the high-fat diet (disguised as the “low-carb” diet). They try to teach you that fruit is dangerous and in some cases even claim that fruit eating causes health problems.

•    The symptomatic approach. Just like a clueless doctor who only treats symptoms, these people will teach you to “cure” your lack of energy with a stimulant, like cacao; or improve your digestion with artificial supplemental enzymes; or overcome your nutritional deficiencies with a supplement, not understanding that most deficiencies are not caused by a lack of nutrition, but a problem in assimilation.

•    The “fragmented nutrition” approach. Instead of viewing nutrition as a whole, they understand it in a fragmented way. For example, they believe that if a food is a really high source of a particular nutrient, then it must be a good thing. They don’t understand that “more” is not always better, and the whole processes of nutrition must be understood before blindly recommending anything as “superior”. This fragmented view of nutrition leads these people to recommend various supplements, dried superfoods sold in a bottle and other artificial products, touted as miraculous.

•    The “Woo-Woo” Effect. Even though many of these authors appear scientific on the surface, it’s easy to recognize them because they will often mix in their philosophies with strange and “woo-woo” unscientific elements such as: UFO sightings, breatharianism, End-of-the-world prophesies and, of course, Bigfoot.

•    The Snake-Oil Effect. These people are not just happy sharing good information to the public. They always have an expensive magic pill to sell. Whether it’s a superfood, a dried enzyme powder, a little magnet you can carry around to diffuse “bad energy”, or a magic mushroom, there’s always something in the bag of tricks.

As for the other side of the raw food movement, you’ve guessed it, it’s the exact opposite.

•    High-fruit and low-fat, with an emphasis on calibrating the diet to fit your needs. Getting enough calories is important, as is getting a good variety of fruits and greens.

•    Full lifestyle approach. In this context, achieving a proper level of fitness is an important of your nutrition, in addition to eating the right foods in the right amounts. So is getting enough sleep and sunshine.

•    Foods as Foods, not as Medicines. It’s important to understand that foods should NOT be used as medicines. If a food has strong medicinal properties (such as garlic or medicinal herbs), that’s a good reason we shouldn’t be eating it.

There’s much more to say about this, and in fact, that’s the focus of my Monthly Raw Vegan Mentor Club, where I spend a lot of time every month to write the printed newsletter that we ship to our members. (For more information, click here)

What do you think?

How do you see the future of humanity and where does the raw vegan diet fit into this?

Looking forward to your comments.

Frederic