- Frederic's Update

-  Questions from the Readers!

- "The Fruitarian": Most Amazing Raw Restaurant in the World!

Greetings from Costa Rica!

Today, I want to tell you about “The Fruitarian”, the most amazing restaurant in the world. But first:
Last week, I released a package called “The Raw Vegan Lifestyle Program”.
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/enchilada.html

I also call it the “Whole Enchilada Deal” because it includes literally every paid program I have ever published on the subject of raw and living foods, spanning my 12+ years of experience in the field.

Normally enchiladas are eaten cooked, but this one is definitely raw!
If you’re tired of incomplete and conflicting information, check it out because there’s never been anything as complete ever released on the subject. Over 25 different CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMS.

But it’s not “too much information” because it all fits together in a complete system that takes you from A-to-Z in your raw food lifestyle.
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/enchilada.html

At the moment, I’m in Costa Rica. Check out these videos I just recorded:

The Manuel Antonio Beach:

Xandari by the Pacific: Living in Costa Rica:

Esterillos Este Beach

 “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?”

Raw Grains, Bad Digestion

I am getting your emails that I must have subscribed to and forgot, and I am enjoying them. I just wanted to ask about sprouted grains and where you think that fits into a raw vegan diet. My husband and I have been trying to go raw. We tried to go from a pretty healthy vegan diet to raw cold turkey. We lasted two weeks and gave up. Now we are doing well with 75% raw. However, i'm concerned about gas. I started to have gas that felt like it was stuck in my esophagus while we were 100% raw. I couldn't breathe well at times and felt like I had a pile of apples stuck in my throat, and I was cold. after going back to some cooked food it moved to my intestines. Sometimes it's so painful I can't move. I don't feel very good after eating cooked food and I find myself actually craving fruit almost all the time and salad has been a turn off. I know I am eating too much fat, but it feels weird to eat just fruit or to shop that way for my family (husband and two small children). If I give into my cravings for just fruit all the time, do you think i'll have less gas problems?

ANSWER: In my opinion, raw sprouted grains don’t have much of a place in a raw vegan diet. The large quantities of raw starch they contain are pretty much indigestible. This is one type of food that would be better to cook rather than eat raw, if it is consumed at all. But you should know that most people are gluten sensitive or even allergic to gluen. (The protein found in almost all grains except rice) Gluten is even a major trigger for asthma and other allergies. As for your fruit cravings, you would be better off following them! It’s okay not to eat much salad in the first few months. After, you’ll find yourself craving greens naturally, but try forgoing the fatty oil or avocado dressings and whip up some zesty no fat dressings with fruits, veggies and herbs. Eating mostly fruit leads to the best digestion. Whenever people have problem with fruit, it’s usually something else they are eating that miscombines, not the fruit itself. You only get gas when you have new food fermenting on top of old partially digested food in your intestines.  Chances are it's something heavy like the cooked foods and fats that are giving you problems.  Try eating only fruit for a day or two and I'm sure you'll feel much better.

–
Eating Raw in Japan

hi i am organic rawfood Japanese girl…. i am 23 years old..i want to rawfood diet more and more.. so i ate only fruits for a month.. next now i eat only greens. no fruits. so, i eat 2 or 3 avocados and many cucumber and tomato, greens and alfalfa spurouts a day.. but i feel my stomach heavy….and yesterday i watched your site…. you say dont tooo fat… my rawfood mane is not so good? and you dont think food combine… For example banana and acid fruits….. what rawfood menu do you eat eveyday??please answer!!!

ANSWER: It seems that you’re doing a program without any direction or guiding principles. One month fruit, one month vegetables. That is not sustainable at all. 2-3 avocados a day (for a girl), will definitely put you in the very high fat category. I suggest that you first read my book “The Raw Secrets” (http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/rawsecrets.html).
My typical menu is:
Breakfast: fruit meal or smothie
Lunch: Another large fruit meal
Snack: Fruit
Dinner: Raw vegetable soup (such as Veggie Stew) + salad meal + any other extras.

Don't try to live on only vegetables and avocados.  It's not sustainable and your body is needs carbohydrates to function not excessive fats.

–

Eating Local or Imported?

hi, i come from an 'in season & local' background. I live in Boston where there are not a lot of fresh fruit choices in the winter…unless they are trucked up from Florida. no pineapple trees grow in Boston, nor oranges, mangos, papaya, grapefruit,bananas etc. I have my doubts that eating these items in winter is a good idea. Can't help but notice that Fred has relocated to Costa Rica. Hippocrates Health Institute used to located in Boston. Where did they move with their raw sprout diet? Florida. I would like to hear Fred's explanation for my concerns. Maybe i am missing something but this diet sounds dangerous. I do eat a lot of raw foods but scale back the % in winter to 50-60%, thanks, Tom

ANSWER: The concept of eating “in season and local” is flawed to begin with. First of all, if you do it for an environmental reason, you should know that transportation costs amount to less than 10% of the energy used in the production of food. From that point of view, it’s much better to eat imported New Zealand apples in the middle of the summer, rather than consuming “local” apples from last crop that have been kept refrigerated for months at a time that they sell year round at the store.

I believe we should eat foods we’re biologically designed to eat. If those foods are not available in your area, then you will have to eat imported foods such as tropical fruits. Just because you live in Boston does not mean you are biologically designed to eat differently than if you live somewhere tropical. All herbivores eat the biologically similar foods, so do frugivores like bonobos.

I do live in Costa Rica at the moment, but I grew up in Canada, and ate a raw-food diet for many years in the North. The only way I could do it was to eat imported foods and buy in bulk when i can to save money.

There is no reason whatsoever to think that these foods would be bad for your health, just because they are imported. Transportation nowadays is so efficient, that often the foods we get up north are just as fresh as the ones sold in the tropics. Even here in Costa Rica, bananas are not left to ripen on the plant. Otherwise they’d be taken over by bugs, birds and monkeys. They are shipped unripe after they've been picked and then ripen at home on your countertop.

–

Translating Raw Secrets in Portuguese

Hi Frederic! I don´t know if you remember me, but I have sent you an email a few months, and I told you about my blog : www.alimentacaointeligente.blogspot.com , where I post a lots of information about health, positive thoughts, exercises etc … and all this before I met your work. Ah, I´m a brazilian girl too and I wrote my email in portuguese… So, what I want to teel you is that I wonder if there is a possibility that your books be translated into Portuguese, and if I can be helping in this process. I´m writing to you, because I receive a lot of questions of people who are searching and want to became healthier. I help them with what I have of knowledge and my onw experience on this way of life - frutarianism (80/10/10). But I still think we could have more knowledge about this "way of life" here in Brazil - translated!, in this land so rich in ideal foods! I would love to know if there is possibility of these translations happen, and I really want to be helping and sharing with other persons this knowledge and your work! Just for you to know, I´m on the 811 for about 1 year now, and I study a lot about nutrition and all the things that can bring us health… and you help me a lot with your emails !!! Thank you! I´ll wait your answer with lots of hope. Beijos! Malu Paes Leme

ANSWER: Many people have approached me to translate some of my books in their  native language. I’m open to that, but I am too busy at the moment to participate in the project. This is something you will have to do on your own. If you’re up for that, I can give you my blessing. Just contact me when the translation is done and I can approve the distribution. I don’t require royalty fees if it is for a non-profit purpose.
 

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!

"The Fruitarian" Restaurant: Most Amazing Raw Restaurant in the World, on the Island of Rarotonga, Cook Islands

A friend of mine just came back from a trip to an exotic island in the Pacific called Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and was raving about this “amazing” restaurant he had discovered there. 

It’s called “The Frutarian”, and truly, it’s the most amazing place I have ever heard of. Apparently the owners have been raw for over 20 years, and have decided to open this place in this remote island, and in spite of all expectations, it’s doing great!

I was a little curious because I have yet to find a restaurant that truly blew me away with the type of cuisine I eat on a regular basis: low fat raw vegan. Every vegetarian restaurant, let alone raw food restaurant I’ve been to featured the same staples fatty salads and tofu or nuts as the base of every dish. 

So my friend went on describing this place as the new “it” restaurant in the Pacific, it was drawing in lots of tourists among vegetarians, raw foodists and other various health seekers. 

It had a breathtaking view of the ocean and an open air sitting room for about 25 people, they were open from 8-5pm and always had a steady flow of satiated patrons. “What did you order there that was so amazing?” I asked my friend.  “Fruit and salad!” He exclaimed.  I raised my eyebrow in curiosity and he went to elaborate.

Apparently this place had combined all the great things about a juice bar, a smoothie bar, a salad bar and a sit down restaurant and rolled it all into one. He pulled out a To Go menu from his pocket to satisfy my skepticism. I transcribed it for you below:

Breakfast:
All-You-Can-Eat Mono Fruit Plate (banana, mango, papaya, pineapple or watermelon) $10.99
Sunrise Pudding (blend of sweet papaya and bananas garnished with chopped fruit) $7.99
Green Goddess Smoothie (bananas, fresh lettuce) Regular $5.99 Large $7.99
Wake Me Up Mango Smoothie (fresh orange juice, mangos) $5.99 Large $7.99
Going Bananas Smoothie (3 kinds of bananas) $5.99 Large $7.99
Vitality Vegetable Juice (tomato, cucumber, celery, lettuce, carrot, beet) $6.99 Large $8.99

Lunch/Dinner:
All-You-Can-Eat Mono Fruit Plate (banana, mango, papaya, pineapple or watermelon) $10.99
Banana Sandwiches (bunch of bananas served with fresh lettuce) $6.99
Guacamole Wrap (avocado, cherry tomatoes, and lime served with fresh lettuce) $8.99
Veggie Wraps (shredded carrot, cucumber, beet, zuchinni served with avocado and lettuce) $7.99
Island Tacos (guacamole and salsa served with lettuce and cabbage leaves) $9.99
Going Greek Salad (cucumber, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and Greek dressing) $7.99
Mango Love Salad (mangos and sweet oranges on spinach leaves) 8.99
Super Size Me Salad Style (build your own: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, green onions, red onions, sprouts, snap peas, celery, heart of palm, fresh herbs, apple, raisins, mango) Reg. $10.99 Sumo Size $15.99
Fresh dressings: light guac, sundried tomato, Greek, summer dill, mangolicious, Reg. $1.99 Large $2.99

Appetizers:
Gigantic Fruit Plate *serves 3-4 (banana, mango, papaya, pineapple, apple, kiwi) $15.99
Skewer Me Fruity (pineapple, mango, papaya fruit skewers) $9.99
Mini Pizzas (zuchinini rounds topped with sundried tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes) $8.99
Little Dippers (celery, cucumber and zucchini dippers served with guacamole and salsa) $9.99

Juices:
Fresh Green Coconut $3.99
Pressed Cane Juice $4.99
Orange Juice $4.99 Lg. $6.99
Apple Juice $4.99 Lg. $6.99
Watermelon Juice $3.99 Lg. $5.99
Vitality Vegetable Juice $6.99 Lg. $8.99
Build Your Own Juice $6.99 Lg. $8.99

Smoothies:
$5.99 Lg. $7.99

Going Bananas Smoothie (3 kinds of bananas)
Wake Me Up Mango Smoothie (mango, orange juice)
Green Goddess Smoothie (banana, lettuce)
Banana Loves Papaya (banana, papaya)
Island Love (coconut water, pineapple, passionfruit)
Workout Buster (coconut water, banana, celery, lettuce)
Green and Lovin’ It (Coconut water, kiwi, dates)
Build Your Own Smoothie

Desserts:
Coconut Cream (Coconut water, jelly and dates) $5.99
Banana Icecream (frozen bananas and vanilla made into softserve) $4.99
Glazed Fruit (fruit plate glazed with date sauce) $6.99
Fresh Dates (seasonal) $6.99

This menu looks amazing, I thought. It has everything that a raw food restaurant is missing, fruit and healthy low fat recipes. I couldn’t wait to check out this place and try it for myself.  I asked my friend, do you know who owns this place?  He flipped over the back of the menu and showed it to me.  It read, “Owned and Operated by Frederic and Veronica Patenaude”.

Sadly, I woke up at just that moment and realized that this amazing place was purely a figment of my imagination.  Yet it had seemed so real.  I could actually picture this place existing from the description I was given and this menu flowed out of me with some items I’ve never even made before!  It got me thinking though, wouldn’t it be nice if someone somewhere had the same dream as me and was looking for a fresh new edge on the raw restaurant scene?

Maybe one day… but hey until then feel free to reference this imaginary menu to get creative in your kitchen and try some amazingly tasty low fat raw vegan cuisine! You’d be surprised how great your food can taste with only a few ingredients and some simple tools like a mandolin and blender.

Wishing you all the best in health and success,

Frederic

“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.

 

  

Yesterday, I released my new Raw Vegan Lifestyle package:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/enchilada.html

I also call it the Whole Enchilada, because it includes every book, program and product I have ever released on the subject of raw foods, including some neat out-of-print stuff. There’s about 24 hours left to order it at launch price, and save $100:

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

On the webpage, I said that this product was the equivalent of hiring your own team of raw food coaches to help you succeed, because it features so many different aspects of natural health living.

*How Coaching Helped Me*

I’m a big fan of coaching.

Before I started getting specialized coaching, I wasn’t making dramatic progress in my life. I was trying to do everything myself, but everything came from my own perspective.

Have you ever had the experience of knowing someone with problems (perhaps relationships), and feeling that it’s so clear and obvious what’s *really* going on, yet your friend is totally oblivious to the truth?

Imagine how many times that happens to us, but we can’t realize it!

We’re so used to seeing things from our own perspective, that it’s often really hard to see things any differently. It often takes a coach to point out a different way to look at the problem.

That’s how coaching has helped me.

A good coach will help you make dramatic progress in your life by showing you a different way to look at things you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.

At the moment, I spend about $1000 a month on my two coaches.  One is a business coach who helps me with business ideas.  The second one is my personal health coach. 

That may seem pretty extreme for some people, but for me it’s the best way I can make dramatic progress in my life, and it’s definitely worth every cent I pay.

If you feel you’re not making progress, it may be because you’re trying to do everything yourself. You might be stuck into thinking that you can solve every single problem on your own.

You might need coaching!

I said that the Raw Vegan Lifestyle Program I released the other day is like getting your own team of raw vegan coaches.

However, if you order within the next 24 hours, I’ll make it true for real.

I’m offering telephone coaching sessions to anyone who orders the program before the end of the launch, which is in 24 hours. It includes email follow as well.

Think of all the breakthroughs you could be making by having an experienced raw-food coach help you show you a simpler way of getting the results you’ve been after. I normally charge $120 for these sessions.

Check out the Raw Vegan Lifestyle at:

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

Frederic

PS: Even if that program is not for you, I still recommend that you get some coaching to help you succeed in different areas of your life. But check out what we offer at:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/enchilada.html
 

Last night, I was enjoying another delicious Savory Veggie Stew, and I was thinking about everything I learned over the past 12 years since I started a mostly raw food diet.

The idea of blending greens and other vegetables to make a liquid concoction, a sort of “magic potion”, is something that has been around for quite some time.

There have been many different stages in the evolution of this type of meal that we could call a green soup.

First of all, why are blended greens so important on the raw food diet?

———————-
First: A Quick Reminder
There’s just 48 hours left to order the Savory Veggie Stew program from Roger Haeske and get all the bonuses.
==> http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4
Make sure you contact Roger at support@superbeing.com to claim your bonuses for being a reader of my ezine.
———————-

It’s not that blended greens are essential on the raw food diet, but they are very useful.

Eating fruit only will probably not provide enough alkaline minerals (such as calcium) for most people’s needs.

A fruit-based diet is best, but I do believe that this diet will be improved by the addition of one or two pounds of vegetables and greens per day.

But there are many problems we face when attempting to eat this quantity of raw vegetables every day:

-    Most people don’t chew well enough, or have compromised dentition, and therefore don’t absorb as much as they should from the vegetables they eat.
-    Most salads are not very palatable unless we add a fatty dressing to them. However, too much fat, even in the form of avocados or nuts, is detrimental to health.
-    Making a huge salad takes a lot of time in preparing the vegetables, rinsing and spinning the lettuce, chopping everything, making a dressing, and most importantly: chewing it all! Who has an hour to spare every day for such a routine?

Some people have attempted to solve this problem by drinking green juice. However, the problem with green juice is that it’s too concentrated.

I’m not opposed myself to consuming a reasonable quantity of vegetable juice every day, such as 8 or 10 ounces. If you go beyond this amount, I believe you’re not doing your body a favor by consuming concentrated doses of strong vegetables (such as parsley, kale, etc.), which can be mildly toxic.

However, the problem with juice is that you leave behind the valuable fiber, and you’re also consuming a refined food.

Also, a juice is not a “satisfying meal”. It’s a nice appetizer, at best, but not something that leaves you satisfied.

So that’s why smart naturopaths and natural hygienists of the past have created various forms of the “Green Soup”, where you blend the vegetables, instead of juicing them.

*The Evolution of the Green Soup*

This type of meal has gone through several stages of evolution.

1) The Blended Salad

First, we had the natural hygienists of the past, who came up with a “blended salad”. The idea was to blend various kinds of leafy greens and vegetables to create a liquid soup with a baby food consistency. To that, they sometimes added fruits (such as bananas or apples), or avocado.

It wasn’t too unpalatable, as long as you saw it as a temporary solution to help your digestion get back on track. It certainly wasn’t “tasty” and exciting.

2) The Energy Soup

At some point after, or around the same time, the naturopath and living food pioneer Ann Wigmore popularized her version of the blended salad, that she called the “Energy Soup”.

Initially, Ann Wigmore advocated juicing, but later she realized that blending foods was more preferable.

The Energy Soup was the cornerstone of her program, and contained a mixture of greens, sprouts, rejuvelac (the fermented juice of soaked wheat), vegetables and dulse. The soup often contained some avocado and apple.

I have tried making different variations of the Energy Soup, and none of them really appealed to my taste. I found the combination of seaweed, sprouts, apples and avocado quite repulsive, and could only manage to eat it if I drastically altered the recipe.

It felt more like “punishment food”, rather than something you would want to eat every day. However, the Energy Soup worked, people got better, and the idea of living foods, thanks to Ann’s amazing work, continued to flourish.

3) The Green Smoothie

The idea is not new, but it was about 5 years ago that Victoria Boutenko (from the Raw Family) popularized the concept of the Green Smoothie.

The Green Smoothie is essentially a blended salad composed of fruits and leafy greens, with some optional water. Generally, hard or savory vegetables such as carrots or tomatoes are avoided. Only fruits and leafy greens such as celery and spinach are included.

The concept was not new, but the idea worked, and Victoria has done an amazing job selling over 100,000 copies of her book Green For Life, and helping countless people regain their health with green smoothies.

For more information and to get some green smoothie recipes, go to: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/greenforlife.html

4) The Savory Veggie Stew

Finally, the latest stage of evolution of this green soup idea has been recently popularized by Roger Haeske with his Savory Veggie Stew program.

==> http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

Blended salads were a little bland, and the Energy Soup generally only appealed to hard-core living food enthusiasts, or people on short-term detox programs.

Green smoothies are great, but they are sweet, and sometimes we want a savory flavor instead.

The Savory Veggie Stew answers that problem, and I think Roger has done an amazing job over the years refining his recipes and creating an entire health program based around them. 

Currently, the program has 8 videos, 4 recipe booklets, 5 bonuses and a 15-minute consultation with Roger. It’s really a complete health program.

==> http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

Initially, Roger started making simple blended salads, but kept trying harder to make them tastier and more interesting.

He’s finally done it.

For me, the Savory Veggie Stew has finally answered the question “What can I eat for dinner on a raw food diet”?

The answer is simple: I start my dinner with fruit, then follow with as many servings of Savory Veggie Stew as I’d like (I make a new one every night), and if desired, I follow that with a salad or anything else I want.

Every time, I’m amazed how satisfying it is.

You can find out more and get the entire program at:

==> http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

Remember that there’s 48 hours left to get extra bonuses that are not advertised on Roger’s website. These extras are only for readers of my newsletter. They include:

- The digital version of - "Your First 30-Days Raw" audio program in which I interviewed Roger about what he suggested were the best dietary and
psychological strategies to succeed in your first 30 days of going 100% raw.

- Roger will also send you the printed transcript of the call in a downloadable and beautiful PDF file.

- You will also get 2 special reports of brand new information that Roger recently shared with his raw coaching clients.

The first Special Technique is called:

"How to Beat Cravings of Any Kind with Your Mind"

The second:

"How To Make Desires Stronger Or Weaker"

With your Savory Veggie Stews program and the Your First -Days Raw program, going 100% raw and loving it will be easier than ever before.

Get it now here:

==> http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

To your Raw Success,

Frederic Patenaude

P.S. Don't forget to email Roger your receipt for your Savory Veggie Stews order to support@superbeing.com and they'll email you the bonuses described above.

Get the program at: ==> http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

P.P.S. Please be patient, as they have to email you this information manually. It could take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to send you the bonus materials. Hopefully though, it will be a lot sooner.

- Frederic's Update

-  Questions from the Readers!

- Can the iPhone Help You Succeed With Your Health Program?

Right now I’m here in Costa Rica, where I am relocating for the next 6 months with my fiancée, enjoying the tropical air.

After many years of spending most of my time in cold climates, with a few months a year, I found that I enjoy the “tropical lifestyle” so much that I could not enjoy living in Canada for most of the year.

For me, the tropical lifestyle means being able to walk around in comfortable clothes and short-sleeved shirts, leave the windows wide open day and night, enjoy warm tropical air, enjoy the sunshine and bright days (even when it’s gray, it’s still brighter than up north), and being able to go to the beach and travel around the country as a tourist, while living there as well.

It used to be that I could see myself living in Canada 6-8 months a year and in the tropics the rest of the time. But now, I don’t even enjoy the month of May in Canada. Too cold and rainy. Same for October!

If your dream is to live the tropical lifestyle, I really encourage you to make it happen, but one step at a time, like I did. That avoids a lot of disappointments. If you’re interested in this topic, I highly recommend my course “How to Move to a Tropical Paradise” available at: 

www.fredericpatenaude.com/tropicalparadise.html

In December of this year, I’ll be welcoming participants of this course to a special “Day in Costa Rica with Frederic”. Wanna come? Check out:

www.fredericpatenaude.com/tropicalparadise.html

What if you’re left in the cold? Here are some tips and ideas from my Raw Vegan Mentor Club newsletter. There is WAY more in the actual newsletter, including what to do about low-body temperature. If you’re not a member, check it out here:

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

Here are a few more tips to make the most of the winter and avoid some of the problems related to this season.

Tips for the Cold Season and the Raw Diet

•    If you can, get some sunshine, first thing in the morning, even if it’s just stepping outside and getting a bit of sunshine on your hands and eyelids. This will help tremendously to keep your mood up during the cold season.

•    Get some full-spectrum light bulbs. They make a big difference, especially when you’re working on the computer or reading. These types of light bulbs can be ordered online.

•    If possible, take a vacation south so you can get necessary sun and vitamin D!

•    Grow your own sprouts and indoor greens, to get some super-fresh vegetables to add to salads.

•    Make raw warm soups in the vita-mix. Warm them up in the dehydrator, if necessary. As a compromise, you can steam some vegetables and blend them in the vita-mix with some of the cooking water for a delicious, salt-free soup.

•    Exercise! Remember exercise is the best thing to keep your mood up and your health during the winter.

•    Help your body increase it’s resistance to cold by letting it regulate it’s temperature more naturally.  Don’t immerse yourself 24/7 in the same hot environment at work and at home while wearing multiple sweaters.  Your body will not learn to adapt and raise and lower your body temperature when necessary in the different seasons. Wear lighter clothing if in extremely warm buildings, but bundle up when going outside. Your body can adapt just like outdoor animals can in the different seasons if you help it.

“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?”

Four Pounds of Fruit a Day

You suggest to eat 4 pounds of fruits a day. How do I weigh the oranges and grapefruits ? with the skin or without a skin? Some big oranges and grapefruits are heavy course of very thick skin. How would I do it?

ANSWER: The suggestion of 4 pounds a day is a STRICT minimum to get started on the raw-food diet, but nowhere near the amounts necessary for optimal health for most people. The amount is with peels. It’s far better to measure food consumption by calories, because some fruits have much more calories per serving than others. The idea is to get most of your calories from fruit.

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Traveling in the Raw! Family-Friendly Raw Destinations

Hello! You have clearly had a lot of experience travelling and raw-food-ing, could you possibly tell me where the best holiday destinations with the most fruit are that are also family friendly? (I am from New Zealand - so even seemingly 'obvious' destinations (ie California??) would be very helpful!). Thank you so much! P.S. Thank you for all your info/books etc! Without them I would still be eating a not-quite-so-SAD diet, but not 100% raw!

ANSWER:  Here are some of my favorite holiday destinations where you can find the most fruit and that are family-friendly, with average cost of living.

California: Great for the health food and raw scene. Car rental is usually a must to get around because of the large distances. Lots of raw restaurants and the best well-stocked health food stores. Hotel room prices start at $100-130 for a decent room. Food costs are average for first word countries. Must visit if you’re into raw-foods!

Hawaii: Great place to visit and easy to get around. Some raw restaurants and good fruits at the farmer’s markets and some good health food stores! Hotel room prices for a decent room are above $150. Food costs are higher than mainland USA.

Thailand: The ultimate place for fruit. Very safe and children-friendly. Cheap accommodations and good rooms for families can be found at around $50, with other more comfortable, higher-end options at prices far below North American (ultra-cheap but clean rooms are also available in the $10-20 range). Food costs are ultra cheap too.

Bali: My favorite island and still magical in spite of the tourism. Super children-friendly. Prices only slightly above Thailand, but very affordable.

Costa Rica: Where I choose to live most of the year. Great for families and nature lovers. Lots of Bed and Breakfast types of room (where a fruit breakfast can usually be served — just ask). Lots of fruit if you can drive to the farmer’s market. A good idea to rent a car or at least a driver to see more of the country and be able to get fruit. I love the Southern Area (San Isidro + Dominical, Uvita). Families can rent a room for around $75-100 or less in most areas, but less expensive options are also available.

If other readers have some more ideas, please feel free to comment!

–

Raw Food Videos

I was able to access the videos on the Raw Food Mentor Club website this morning. Thank you so much for including videos on this website. The information you are providing is helping me to deepen my commitment to the Low Fat Raw Food Program. I really appreicate all of your sincere efforts on behalf of all of us. Caron

NOTE: The raw food videos are a new feature of the Raw Vegan Mentor Club. Not a member? Find out more at www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

–
 

Sun Tea

Hello Frederic, I was wondering if Sun Tea (which is made by putting a tea bag in a jug of water, then letting it set in the sun for a few hours) would be an acceptable beverage for somebody who wants to adapt a raw food diet. At least in my part of the world, the temperature of the water would never exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and the tea leaves are dried, so I don't see any cooked element in it. Of course, there is some caffeine in some teas — but you could also make it from a herbal "tea" with no caffeine. I'd be extremely interested in hearing your opinion on this in an upcoming blog post. Best regards, Tom

ANSWER: I don’t see anything majorly wrong with that. I personally avoid all forms of caffeine and would recommend to do the same for optimal health.Your health is your own, so if you choose to include some sun tea in your diet for your enjoyment, then so be it.

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!

It’s Not That Complicated

I’ve noticed lately from reading some comments left on my blog, that a lot of people are trying to make the raw food lifestyle a lot more complicated than it is.

There always has been a lot of confusion in the natural health field, as well as plenty of contradicting opinions. This is literally paralyzing many people from taking any action at all. They feel lost and don’t know what to believe anymore.

Others are turning simple recommendations and observations into dogmas, and the raw food community into a cult. They are unable to think outside of these rules and think for themselves.

Are you making it too complicated?

Are you confused by all of the different diet theories?

Let me offer you a quick guide to eating raw without the confusion and the dogma.

1)    Be Self-Motivated. The only reason why someone would take the time, energy and effort it takes to eat a raw food diet and learn how to do it right is because they should be able to gain something for themselves. If there are no benefits to be gained, then there should be no reason to do it.

That motivation is usually health-related. Either improving your health, overcoming an existing condition or avoiding illness in the future. You should be very clear what your motivations are in the first place, and avoid following someone else’s motivation.

Don’t just go raw because someone is telling you it’s the right or “cool” thing to do. Do it for your own reasons.

2) Eat fruit. Eat Vegetables. Eat little fat — The concept is very simple. The basic idea is to eat fruits and vegetables! Don’t make the raw food diet much more complicated than it is. It’s not about jars and pills and prepared meals, it’s about eating fresh produce!

Also realize that you’ll always be hungry if you try to live on raw vegetables and greens, that you’ll inevitably be drawn to junk foods. It’s just not sustainable.

The only way to make this diet work is if you get enough calories. I believe that fruit is the ideal food for human beings, and I think most of our calories should come from fruit, with minimal quantities of fat.

As far as the percentage goes, I say 10% or less. If another percentage works for you, then more power to you. But make sure you are honestly evaluating your results before coming to any conclusions.

3) Get Some Basic Nutritional Knowledge.

A lot of people are confused because they don’t really understand what fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and other nutrients really are.

They eat a large apple for breakfast and wonder why they’re hungry after 45 minutes.

Spare yourself a lot of trouble and spend a few hours to study the basics of calories and nutrition. Eventually you should be able to look at a piece of fruit or a meal and be able to evaluate on the spot how many calories it contains.

4) Do Your Tests

Every single “guru” or author in the field makes recommendations based on the diet that they’re eating or trying to eat, and what they believe is best (if they’re honest).

Each of these people took the best of the information that was available to them, tried to synthesize it in a way that made sense, and created their own program.

You should do the same. Test the theories out in your life, after you evaluate them with logic and eliminate the non-sense.

Don’t just take what I say word-for-word. Learn to think for yourself.

5) Respect your Body

I might be a big fan of mangoes, but maybe mangoes don’t agree with you. Respect your body and avoid them for the time being if they're not working for you.

It doesn’t mean that sometime in the future you might not give them another try. Maybe at that point they could agree with you.

You’re the only person who really knows your body, so don’t try to force someone else’s preferences as your own.

6) Know a Few Great Recipes

You can’t enjoy this raw food lifestyle if you don’t enjoy the food. That’s why you should know at least 5 to 7 great recipes that you really enjoy and could eat day after day.

If a recipe is NOT appealing to you, then don’t try to convince yourself that you like it. Maybe you don’t, at least for the time being!

If you’re not enjoying the foods, you’ll eventually quit. So discover some recipes that you truly enjoy, and don’t hesitate to modify existing recipes for your own tastes.

7) Don’t live with too many rules.

Eliminate the word “rule” and replace it with the word “suggestion”. For example, you might know some basic food combining “rules”. Instead of calling them rules, think of them as “suggestions for food combining”.

Simpler meals tend to digest better. But they can also be boring for some people. Certain combinations are appealing to the taste, but more difficult to digest. It’s all a compromise.

Choose what makes sense to you depending on the situation. If you find that a particular combination digests perfectly well, then go for it, even if there’s a “rule” against it.

The reverse is also true.

Keep things in perspective. Only 8% of the US population follows the basic health recommendations (No tobacco and alcohol, exercise 3 times a week, keeping a healthy weight and eating at least 5 fruits a day).

There are only actions and consequences. If a particular action always leads to negative consequences and very little to gain in exchange, then it makes sense not to repeat it.

If on the other hand, an occasional indulgence brings you certain benefits (social or personal), with minimal consequences that can be manageable, then it’s certainly something you could consider.

Only live by your own rules, not someone else’s.

7) Eat For Long-Term Pleasure

The average person only lives for short-term gratification.

For example, these Dorritos chips taste great when I put them in my mouth. I get immediate pleasure. If I’m a dumb robot, then that’s all I care about and that’s perfectly fine. Eat the Dorritos and be happy in the moment.

Smart people consider long-term consequences of their choices.

If I eat these Dorritos, they will taste great, but they will also ruin my sleep. I will wake up the next day feeling terrible. And if I keep on eating these Dorritos every night, one day I will wake up and I’ll be 40 pounds heavier, and sick.

Therefore, I’ll pass on the Dorritos, and instead eat something that might not give me that instant jolt of pleasure, but that’ll still taste great and leave me feeling much better after.

Eat foods that make you feel great. In the moment and in the long term. That’s not a rule. That’s a suggestion!

“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's Update

-  Questions from the Readers!

- Can the iPhone Help You Succeed With Your Health Program?

After a three week stay in Calgary, nicknamed "Cowtown", I'm back in my home province of Quebec. I must say, the produce quality we get in Montreal is a lot better than what I could find in Calgary. Maybe I missed something when I was there… but I think I can find more stuff in Quebec.

Last trip at the farmer's market yielded two different varieties of great-tasting mangoes (which are hard to find now), delicious Greek figs (fresh), Italian pears (tasty!), amazingly crisp grapes, and more (as shown on the picture on the right).

It's funny because sometime I speak to people and I tell them that one of the main reasons I decided to move to Costa Rica most of the year, besides the weather, is because of the fruits and vegetables I can find there. Most people can't imagine that I would want to move somewhere because of the food!

Yet, food is a very important part of life, and even more important for a raw-food and fruit aficionado.

I know many people who relocated to places such as the Bay Area ( San Francisco), Hawaii, Miami, Thailand, Australia and other places because it makes it's easier to enjoy their raw-food lifestyle.

Have you ever considered a move somewhere because of the fruits, vegetables and weather you could get there? Have you ever successfully moved somewhere for those reasons? If so, let me know in the comments!

Another thing:

Next week, I'm organizing a FREE Cleanse next week for the fall. Make sure you join us for this event and get back in shape before the holidays! Go to:

http://tinyurl.com/3ku5cj

Frederic

PS: Next month I'll be in Costa Rica. In December, I'm organizing a "Day Tour of Costa Rica" for people interested in moving to this tropical paradise, part-time or full-time. This is for students of my course "How to Move to a Tropical Paradise." For more information and to sign up, go to: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/tropicalparadise.html

Dear Mr Patenaude, I just read your book the Raw Secrets, and it makes a lot of sense.. However, the fruit-section is quite hard, because as long as I can remember, I do not like fruit, I get shivers if I even think of them.. (ok, because I got myself in bad health conditions with unfood, diabetes, candida etc) so, is it wise to use only blended salads without the fruits, and maybe start to eat them whenever I feel like I'm ready? Cause I have the feeling if I just start to eat them now, I'll go crazy with itchiness etc.. Anyway, thank you for all the information and I cannot wait to get myself better! Cheers x

ANSWER: A transition is certainly possible, however you should be aware that a blended salad without fruit has almost no calories, so it would be impossible to survive on them and you would lose too much weight too quickly and be very hungry all the time. I wouldn’t recommend living on blended salads with fat in them (avocados, nuts, etc.) because that would bring the total percentage of fat in your diet above 70%, which is very unhealthy. The main way to get well is to remove the cause of your health problems. Living on a high-fat diet will certainly not help you and will only make things worse in the long-term. I would much prefer that people go on a simple low-fat vegan diet that includes cooked items such as potatoes and rice (but avoid gluten-based products) and then progressively include more fruit to phase out the grains, rather than going on a high-fat, all-raw diet and from there try to lower the fat content. For health, it’s much more important to eat low-fat than to eat all-raw.

IS COCONUT OIL FAT?

I have a question in regards to your article on sugar with fat, and I would appreciate it if you could be kind enough and answer it as it regards something I eat on a daily basis and if there is a problem with combining, I would like an alternative option. Here it is: Every morning I grind flax seeds and add all kinds of seeds like hemp and chia, sometimes I even add freshly ground sunflower seeds and pumpkin (sprouted of course). I grind some goji berries which is low glycemic sugar and then I add flax oil and coconut oil. Question is whether the oils are considered fats, whether seeds are fats, and whether goji berry fall into the category of sugar since they are really low glycemic. As a matter of fact, when I eat fruit, I usually add seeds. Thank you Frederic, Shoshannah Sarah

ANSWER: I’m glad that you read the article, but for further information you should also read my fruit report at http://TinyWebLink-001.com/?pid=2961304
Flax seeds, hemp, chia, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds — even when sprouted — are still high in fat. Flax oil and coconut oil are definitely fat. In fact, they are 100% fat by calories, just like any other oil. I recommend avoiding the combination of fruit and fat in general (except for small quantities in salads), and limiting the percentage of fat in the diet to less than 10-15%, which will be something like half an avocado a day for most people, maybe more if you’re very active.

CONSUMING VEGGIE STEWS AND GREENS ON THE GO

PLEASE, can you and Roger get your heads together and come up with a plan on how we can consume all these green smoothies, stews, etc. during the day in which we do NOT have access to a Vita Mix! These are not portable drinks and need to be consumed right after making. Not all of us have or can have the type of job the 2 of you have. Also, Dr. Cousin suggest a diet of mostly fruit and Roger claims (and you endorse) a diet of Savory stews with some fruit. Is one more important than the other? Thanks!

ANSWER: It’s very easy to bring green smoothies around. My friend Diana Stoevelaar from Calgary makes 4 large green smoothies a day and she brings them in large “sports bottle” types of container (32 ounces each). If you add some ice or some frozen fruit in them they will keep for several hours. When I travel, I always make smoothies in advance with some ice or frozen fruit and bring them for the day. I also cut up fruit and bring them in plastic containers (Tupperware and the like). Also, keep in mind that the idea is not to consume mostly green drinks or veggie stews and some fruit. You got it wrong. I recommend mostly fruit with a Veggie Stew for dinner for active people, while everyone else can replace some of the fruit meals during the days with green smoothies. Roger eats a LOT of fruit during the day and at night he has several servings of his world-famous craving-busting veggie stews (which I highly recommend and that are still available at: http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4)
 

I am wondering if your Raw Health Starter Kit is worth the money because I can't imagine what information there would be which I haven't heard of yet. You're website gives already information about eating less fat and more fruit. But other than that, I can't imagine that there would be new information, which does trigger me to stay 100% raw. I am having problems in staying raw and I am really desperate to find success. But I can't imagine how it would be possible. Can you give me a reason why I should buy the starter kit instead of books like 'conscious eating' and 'raw beauty'?

ANSWER: If you are desperate to finding success, then I assure you that the Raw Health Starter Kit will fill in the blanks. Very few raw books contain any recipes or real life solutions.  Too much of the information is confusing, contraidictory and have opinions that are often unfounded and go against common sense. Why waste any more time sifting through the endless information out there when I can share with you my 12 years of experience in living this diet and show you how you can achieve the same results by avoiding my mistakes? Check it out below: 

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!

Can the iPhone Help You Succeed With Your Health Program?

If you use an iPhone or iPod Touch or were thinking about getting one, you will love this article. I’m going to share with you how to use the iPhone to improve your health and fitness on the go, with my favorite “raw” programs.

I admit that I’m a bit of a geek. I love my iPhone. I use it not only to listen to music, make calls, track my expenses, and take pictures, but I also have found a ton of useful programs that help me succeed on the raw food diet.

Since Apple has sold over 50 million iPhones and iPod Touches I think I must not be the only geek out there.

Although the apps I will describe are great, I think there’s room for more innovation for the raw food community on this mobile platform. For example, what about a program that would automatically send you raw food tips every day? Or what about a database of raw food recipes you can easily search and view on the go?

I’ve entertained the idea of developing some programs for the iPhone (and iPod Touch), but only if there’s enough demand to justify it. So be sure to let me know in your comments if you think this is a good idea.

All of the programs below are available in the iTunes App Store.

Absolute Fitness — $14.95 —  This is a great tool to replace “Fitday” and other similar nutritional databases to keep track of your calories, your fat intake, and your fitness activities.

The program includes a searchable database of foods, including most fruits and vegetables. If necessary, you can create custom foods.

You enter your foods eaten and it will automatically create stats for you. You can watch your fat consumption day by day or on average, and set your own limits for each nutrient.

The only missing feature is the ability to view the percentage of calories coming from fat, protein and carbs. But at least you have the amount of fat consumed daily, which can give you a good idea. I hope that the developers will improve this and add the caloronutritient ratio in future versions.

You can also track your fitness activities and see how many calories you’re burning daily. All in all, a great tool.

iHeartRate — $0.99 — Are you curious what your resting heart rate, or how fast you recover from a workout? Although you can take your pulse over 15 and 30 seconds and then multiply it, I’ve always found that method a bit complicated, leading to several trials to get a good number. With the iHeartRate app, you simply take your pulse and tap along with the other hand on the screen. After 10 taps the app automatically calculates your heart rate, and it’s pretty accurate! For 99 cents, it’s also a good deal.

Fitness Builder — $19.95 — This is the ultimate mobile fitness app! It’s more expensive than the more popular iFitness, but light years beyond. Look no further. This program features hundreds of workouts you can use in any circumstances, stat calculators, and the ability to track your workouts overtime.

You can also search workouts by locations and goal. For example, say you’re at a hotel and you want to do some cardio or body-building. Just put those preferences and the program automatically finds the best workouts for you.

When you’re working out, you have nice picture of each exercise, and you can stream videos if necessary. You even have a timer to calculate your rest time between reps. You can also track your results and can easily see how much you lifted last time for the same exercise. Of course, you can listen to your music while you’re working out as well.

 

YogaStretch — $1.99 — This is a nifty little app to have your own yoga instructor on the go. Simply select the duration of your desired workout (up to 60 minutes), and launch the program. An attractive female voice leads you through your yoga session, while on the screen you can see illustrations of each pause and time left.

Bento — $4.99 — Bento is a program made by File Maker to create various kinds of databases. An obvious use for us is the recipe database. I’ve started inventorying all of the new raw recipes that I’m creating. You can even take a picture on the go of your new creation. The best way to use this program is to also own the desktop version ($49.95) and use the iPhone as a synchronized version and an “on-the-go” recipe database.

Finally, why not load on your iPhone or iPod Touch my new Low Fat Raw Vegan DVD Series? It’s simple. Simply use a program like Roxio Crunch to rip my DVDs, so you can take curly-haired Frederic with you and watch your favorite recipe demos on the go!

“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's Update

-  Raw Cacao

I'm here in Calgary getting ready for a raw food event called "High Fat or High Fruit?", put together by the wonderful Diana Stoevelaar from Awesome Rawsome, who's also contributing a great article on cacao for this issue of the ezine.

If you're in the Calgary area and would like to attend, the event is on September 23rd at 7 p.m., on "High Fat or High Fruit", that is the question! For information about attending, go to: www.awesomerawsome.com.

New Edition of How to Make a Living in the Natural Health Movement

Do you dream of starting your own business in the raw food or natural health field?

Would you like to make a full-time income working part-time doing something you love?

We're about to launch the next edition of our course "How to Make a Living in the Natural Health Movement". We only do this twice a year at the most! The next edition is going to be great!

Today is the last day left to sign up: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/makealiving.html

Is Raw Cacao a Superfood or Harmful Stimulant
By Diana Stoevelaar of www.AwesomeRawsome.com

Is raw cacao a superfood or harmful stimulant? Although some raw food leaders highly promote cacao as something that should be revered as a food of the Gods, others have spoken out against raw cacao and raw chocolate. Who should you believe? Don’t be fooled by all the hype!

“Many people are being mislead to believe cacao and other foods are healthy. Many of the people who promote it, have a good heart and really feel it is a good food, but I know there are many who sell this product knowing it is toxic and addictive, just to make money.”

Many raw food leaders including Victoria Boutenko, Dr. Doug Graham, Frederic Patenaude, Paul Nissan, Jeremy Safron, Dr. Fred Bisci, and Dr. Brian Clement, have already come to the conclusion that raw cacao is not a superfood but an addictive stimulant. What do they know that you perhaps don’t yet know?

They probably have discovered what Dr. Neal Barnard says in his lecture, Breaking the Food Seduction, namely that, “Chocolate, just like sugar, elicits an opiate reaction within the brain that trips the dopamine receptors and gives us a pleasure response…I don’t mean to say that chocolate is a drug. What I mean to say is that chocolate is the whole darn drugstore! “

 When Narcan or Noloxone, the drugs used to block opiate receptors for those suffering a heroine overdose are used in research studies for those with a chocolate addiction, test subjects lose their desire for chocolate.

Jeremy Safron’s findings were as follows:

• Cacao is one of the most addictive substances known.
• In some cases of long term use there are also psychological effects that range from addictive tendencies, sexual dysfunction, violent outbursts, lack of reasoning, and decreased will.
• At mega does of 40 plus beans it acts as a hallucinogen and can cause many effects attributed to LSD or Hashish.
• Cacao is super toxic to the liver.
• The result of long term use is a high level of liver and blood toxicity which can cause extreme: mood swings, angry outbursts, violence, depression, paranoia, and dizziness.
• It is extremely clogging due to the toxins carried in the oils contained within. Plus the fat chains are highly complex and require tons of work to break down.
• It acts as a stimulant and agitates the kidneys and adrenal glands this can cause: insomnia, nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night, shakes, and extreme energy shifts.
• No animal in nature will eat it unless tricked into it with milk or sugar.
• If you can convince an animal to eat it then it greatly shortens their life span if it doesn’t kill them immediately. (as with dogs)
• The native people who ate it only ate the fruit of the theobroma (which contains all the benefits and none of the detriments) and only used the cacao seed as an addition to their psychedelic brew ahyuwasca and as a medicine in emergences.
• Native people did not eat it as a food nor as a supplement, but only for sacred use.
• When Native people did eat it, they only ate the fruit which contained the benefits without the detriments.

Jeremy Safron’s final stand on cacao is that it is for medicinal, sacred and for entertainment usage only; it is not a health food!

Paul Nison says “The processing of cacao beans into powder and chocolate is an unsanitary, risky procedure to say the least. To be blunt - chocolate and cacao are laced with animal feces and hair, insects, and molds. The carcinogenic mold called aflatoxin has been found in large quantities on cacao beans.” and continues…”

Watch Paul Nison in this very informative 9:33 minute video of with references to the scientific research regarding the harmfulness of raw cacao/chocolate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz_XezJ8cMY&feature=related

Doctor Fred Bisci, a raw foodist for about 40 years also confirmed what Jeremy Safron and Paul Nison suspected; cacao is toxic!!!

You can hear him speak about his findings and personal experience with raw chocolate here in this 3 minute clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AQA5IJ10Lg

Listen to Dr. Brian Clement explain in this short clip why he does not recommend raw chocolate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuSWFZO2qs0&feature=related

Cacao is a Dangerous Heart Stimulant

Just last week I was visiting a health food store to purchase my greens (nature’s best source of minerals, trace minerals and magnesium) all without stimulants, addictive substances and high amounts of saturated fat, when I got into a conversation with a very health conscious gentleman who asked me what I thought about cacao. I told him that I agreed with Dr. Neil Barnard and others, that chocolate is harmful to our health. Chocolate contains caffeine, theobromine, as well as phenylethylamine which slows down the breakdown on anandamide just as with the use of marijuana. Now you can understand why it’s so addictive!

He relayed an interesting story to me that clearly illustrates raw chocolate’s stimulating effects. He told me how he had recently started adding chocolate to his energy sports drink to help his energy and recovery. He rode his bike to the Blood Donor Clinic as he does every two months and tried to donate blood.

Unfortunately he couldn’t pass the screening test because his heart rate was too high! They asked him to sit for 15 minutes to allow his heart rate to normalize but it was still too high. He was shocked since this had never happened to him before!

Adding raw cacao was the only thing he had changed in his diet. Now, you might wonder why chocolate would make his heart race? Its due to the caffeine and theobromine, a sister molecule to caffeine, the same chemical that kills many dogs when they eat chocolate! The adrenal glands rev up metabolism so as to quickly eliminate the offensive substance. This is called stimulated energy which is always followed by fatigue, and therefore a desire for more of the stimulant.

My Personal Experience with Cacao

I never bought into the raw cacao craze; I was forewarned by knowledgeable people who knew the truth, but when a friend of mine wanted me to import some for her a few years ago, I obliged after trying to persuade her not to buy it. When it arrived I asked her if I might sample some so I could have a personal experience with it. She offered me a few nibs which I popped into my mouth. I chewed them a few seconds and felt compelled to spit them out into the kitchen sink. They were so bitter I couldn’t stand them and I used to be a dark chocolate fan! Apparently no animal in nature will eat them either unless you fool them into by combining the raw cacao with milk or sugar. So ended my desire to ever try it until…

I had the opportunity to try a raw chocolate dessert (a brownie made with raw cacao powder) for the first time at a raw food potluck. After just a few bites I felt a strange trembling sensation throughout my entire nervous system and then faintness came over me. I became very weak and had to be supported to walk. I linked the experience with the raw chocolate and decided not to touch it again until…

I worked for Avena Originals and they begged me to try their chocolate saying it was more “pure” than the cacao I had imported from a supplier in California. So after much coaxing I agreed to their request – to test their cacao by consuming just 2 tablespoons daily in my banana smoothie at lunch instead of the usual carob. After adding twice the amount of dates to the smoothie that I usually used, it was actually quite delicious.

The first thing I noticed was that I always wanted more after I had consumed the last drop, unlike the satisfied feeling I had with my banana –carob smoothie.

Secondly, I found it difficult to sleep through the night and suffered from insomnia. My gums started bleeding after about a week of consuming cacao daily, but the most unbearable side effects I experienced were the excruciatingly painful leg cramps in my calves that occurred nightly after about 2 weeks of consuming cacao. It was then that I abandoned my experiment and decided that cacao was definitely harmful for me. It appears that the cleaner one’s body the greater the sensitivity, which explains why long term raw foodists tend to experience the worst side effects. Fortunately all of these symptoms disappeared when I stopped consuming cacao.

I know you probably don’t like to hear that your favourite raw food is not good for you. That’s why I’ll never be as popular as those you try to convince you that it’s a SUPERFOOD. But then I am only doing my best to educate you; I’m not trying to convince you that the chocolate addiction you brought with you from the cooked food world is now actually good for you and that you should now consume cacao or raw chocolate with reckless abandon because it’s a SUPERFOOD! No, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, not due to cacao’s stimulating effects (I don’t eat it!) but because I have a conscience.

Please note that I stand nothing to gain by telling you not to consume cacao except knowing that I did the right think to inform you so hopefully you would not be led astray and lose what health you’ve gained by consuming more raw food. Reserve your money to buy real superfoods – leafy greens!

“Greens are nature’s true superfoods.” ~ Sergei Boutenko

NOTE BY FREDERIC:

Some people claim that raw cacao is perfectly healthy because it's a fruit. Because I live in Costa Rica half the year, I know what a real cacao fruit is. In fact, I often buy it at the supermarket. There's a sweet/acidic pulp surrounding the seeds, and the way to eat the fruit is simply suck on the seeds like a candy, and then throw away the seeds! Why? They are not edible and taste horrible in their completely raw, natural state.

On the right is a photo of a Bribri native in Costa Rica, eating Cacao fruit.

What is your experience with raw cacao? What do you think?  Let me know with your comments below!

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!

- Frederic's Update

-  Rethinking Food Combining

I just came back from an amazing time in California, with a 4-day stop in Fort Bragg, for the wonderful event "Vibrant Living Expo". If you missed the event, all lectures have been filmed and you can catch the replay at www.rawfoodchef.com by signing up for their "encore" program.

After the event a bunch of us met at the vegetarian Raven in Mendocino, where there was a raw food menu as well. On the picture: Daniel Topkis, Kevin and Annemarie Gianni, Paul and Andrea Nison, Nomi Shannon (the raw gourmet), me and my girlfriend Veronica Grace, Dr. Ritamarie Lozcalzo.

Check out pictures and more on my Facebook page at facebook.com/frederic.patenaude

Raw Event in Calgary!

I will be speaking in Calgary, Canada, on September 23rd at 7 p.m., on "High Fat or High Fruit", that is the question! For information about attending, go to: www.awesomerawsome.com. Event details will be posted there later today or tomorrow.

New Edition of How to Make a Living in the Natural Health Movement

Do you dream of starting your own business in the raw food or natural health field?

Would you like to make a full-time income working part-time doing something you love?

We're about to launch the next edition of our course "How to Make a Living in the Natural Health Movement". We only do this twice a year at the most! The next edition is going to be great!

For details, sign up for the mailing list at: www.dowhatyouloveuniversity.com

Rethinking Food Combining Rules

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…
 

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!

- 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?

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.

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!

- 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.

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.
 

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- Symptoms of Transition

Symptoms of Transition to a Raw Food Diet

Symptoms of Transition

Let’s take a look at some of the symptoms that you could experience when transitioning to a raw food diet.

Some of these symptoms can appear simply by switching from a typical, high-fat raw food diet to a low-fat diet such as the one I promote.

Let’s review these symptoms one by one, understand them, and know what to do about them, if anything needs to be done at all.

Sleeping More

If you find yourself needing more sleep when you switch to a low-fat raw food diet, it’s probably a normal response from cutting many stimulants. In other words, you’re catching up on sleep debt you didn’t even realize you had.

You want to make sure however that you’re not eating too much fat or nuts and seeds. Analyze your diet to make sure that you’re not above 10% by calories.

If that’s not the case and you still need more sleep, get all the sleep you can, even if it’s 10-12 hours a day. After a month or two you will stabilize to your normal levels.

Also remember that increasing your fitness will increase your sleep requirements.

Sleeping Less (Insomnia)

The opposite, common problem is suffering from slight insomnia when first going raw.

I recommend going with the flow and not forcing any sleep you don’t feel you need.

If you’re truly tired because you were not able to get enough sleep and couldn’t fall asleep, I suggest the following:

-    Make sure you’re eating enough calories. Undereating can cause insomnia.
-    Avoid mild stimulants such as vinegar or spices.

From my experience, this mild insomnia can also be caused by muscle recovery. For example, if you haven’t exercise in a while and suddenly start to go to the gym to lift some weights, you might have trouble sleeping at night because of the stress you’ve recently put your system through. So go progressively.

Depression

Generally, a sudden depression after a diet change can be caused by quitting stimulants such as coffee or alcohol.

Make sure you’re not making major mistakes with your diet and know that this will pass very soon.

If you don’t feel better after a week or two, there might be something else going on.

Constipation

Some individuals may experience a stubborn constipation after changing to a low-fat raw food diet. It’s generally not common.

But if that happens to you, the best advice I can give you is what Dr. Shelton used to say to his patients:

“Do your job and let your intestines do theirs.”

In other words, leave your intestines alone and don’t try to hasten the process with an enema, laxative or colonic.

I’ve know a few people who became constipated after eating only fruit. In one case it lasted over 10 days.

But I told them to be patient and in every single case the constipation was resolved on its own.

Contrary to common belief, constipation has never killed anyone. If try to overcome it with a laxative or enema you will only create bigger problems down the road.

Headaches

Headaches are generally caused by suddenly quitting stimulants like caffeine. But even just an important diet change can also cause headaches.

If it’s a mild headache, spend as much time resting as possible, drink water and stay on the program. It will go away.

If the pain is unbearable, you can take a pain-killer like aspirin. You should only need to take it once though. If you stay on the program, the headaches won’t come back. 

Low Energy

This is a pretty common and normal transition symptom, as long as it doesn’t last more than a couple weeks.

If you are constantly tired for a longer period, it could be because of the following reasons:

-    You’re not consuming enough food. Track your calories and make sure you are getting more than enough.
-    You’re consuming too much fat. Track your meals at www.fitday.com and make sure you are not over 10% fat by calories.

Cravings

There are two types of cravings you might experience. The first one is the mild, psychological craving where you’re basically physically satisfied, but your mind wanders and you start being tempted to try something different.

This is purely psychological and perfectly normal after decades of eating in a certain ways.

In future issues and in our bonus features (see the website for one great new feature this month), we’ll give you plenty of strategies on how to deal with the psychological aspects of cravings.

The second type of craving is a strong, physical desire to eat practically anything. This simply won’t go away.

This generally means that you’re not consuming enough calories or in the wrong ratio (too much fat and not enough carbs).

If you’re craving cooked carbs such as potatoes, bread, sandwiches and pasta; it means you are not eating enough carbohydrates.

If you’re craving very heavy, fatty or protein-rich foods like hamburgers, fried chicken or anything of that nature; it means you’re are severely undereating. You need to start counting calories and making sure you are getting enough.

Raw Health Starter Kit The Best Value Bundle! Over $500 worth of products bundled into one, low-priced starter kit. You can get started on the raw-food diet and learn how to use it for boundless energy, detox, rejuvenation, or achieving your ideal weight. Instant Raw Sensations — sprial bound recipe book by Frederic   The Raw Secrets — fresh perspective on raw food diet by Frederic Health & Energy With Raw & Living Foods CD   How to Create Passive Income in Health CD   Starter Kit CD   Digital bonuses - and more! For More Information, Click Here!