Frederic Patenaude Raw Foods Diet

I know that for many of you, you are in the middle of winter, the weather is bad outside and you are letting some of your good health habits slip.  That’s why I want to use this blog post to encourage you to get back on the right track and get your lagging energy back.

Eat a Good Breakfast: It’s important for the rest of your day to eat well in the morning.  Now, I know some of you are saying *but I’m just not that hungry first thing in the morning*.  Well, you still need to get something into your system, so that your body will have the fuel it needs to get a good start to the day and not overeat or *crash* later in the day.  Just having a smoothie will get you off to the right start.  I share some great smoothie recipes monthly in the daily menu planner that’s free with your membership to the Raw Vegan Monthly Mentor Club.  Check it out at: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Eliminate Oils in Your Diet:  Eliminating oil from your diet will seriously improve your levels of energy.  Oils are pure fat and are not whole food.  I’m not saying don’t have some fat in your diet – you need it, but you can get what you need by eating only *whole foods* (such as avocados and nuts) and avoid all concentrated fats.  A little bit of olive oil is not going to hurt you, but you should just stop buying oils. For a good salad dressing, try blending a little avocado with a tomato and some balsamic vinegar. Most people really enjoy that one.

By the way, each month I publish a completely original and detailed menu planner that gives you new delicious raw food recipes for each week of the month, along with shopping lists and a handy weekly planner.  If it sounds like something you could use to take out the guesswork of figuring out what to eat (all my recipes are based on seasonable ingredients), sign up for my Raw Health Inner Circle. You’ll get your menu planner each month along with lots of exclusive benefits. Go to: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Take Vitamin B-12: too many vegans and raw-foodists have run into vitamin B-12 deficiencies, which can very badly affect your energy levels.  It could be because we’re meant to eat small quantities of animal foods. It could be because we’re not getting the right bacteria in our colon. It could be for a number of reasons, I don’t really know to be honest.  So, to be safe, all vegan doctors recommend to take a supplement.  I do, it’s the only supplement I recommend.

Drink Enough Water: I would say that most people are living in a state of more or less constant dehydration and are not aware of it.   In the winter, you are probably drinking water even less than usual.  If you’re consuming lots of raw fruits and vegetables, you’re already getting more water than most people, but sometimes, it’s still not enough.

What I do every single morning is drink about half a liter to a liter of water (500-1000 ml.) with some lime juice.   It’s hydrating and cleansing.

Exercise Every Day: humans are meant to live an active life. Being sedentary was not the norm for human beings, even in the Western world, until just a few decades ago.  My commitment now is to exercise everyday, and my energy level is always better after I do.  Even though I might not have felt like doing it when I started, I never thought to myself, “I shouldn’t have gone for that bike ride” or “That was such a bad idea to take that yoga class!”

On the contrary, I felt much better afterwards, and my energy level definitely comes bouncing back.  It is a basic human need to exercise everyday.   When you do this, you’ll be even hungrier for natural food!

*This is a “Do What You Love E-mail Tip”. I send these tips every week by e-mail. To receive them, go to www.dowhatyouloveuniversity.com*

I wrote before that if you can build a list of about 10,000 qualified subscribers, then you can make a living on the Internet.

Why 10,000? I estimate that someone with a list of that size should be able to generate between $2500 and $10,000 per month on the Internet, depending on their efforts.

It also seems to be the “critical mass” that allows many to start seeing some real success with their online efforts.

For example, I was only able to make a full-time living doing what I love starting around the year 2003 or so. Before that, I was keeping some part-time jobs to make ends meet.

What happened that year that turned it around?

I was able to build a list of over 10,000 and started using it for generating profits.

Of course, just having a list will not be enough. If you build a list of 10,000 subscribers but only get in touch once every two months, and have no products of your own to sell, you won’t get the same results.

Two keys:

1- You need to actively, regularly build the relationship with your list. That means sending them unique, interesting content at least twice a month.

2- You need to develop your own products to sell, or sell affiliate products where you earn at least $20 per sale.

If you dream of being able to make a living on the Internet, you know that you need to build a list.

In fact, building a list should be your most important activity!

And you need to build that list to at least 10,000 subscribers if you want to see some real success.

How do you do that?

Here are:

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Fred’s List Building Tips for 2009
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1) The first thing you need to build a list is to subscribe to an autoresponder service that will automate this process for you and take care of confirming your subscribers, managing your list, removing people who no longer want to receive it, and more.

There are several services available, and I only recommend two:

- The first one can be found at http://www.fredericscart.com
This is the shopping cart that I personally use in my own business. This is the service you should use if you are serious and are thinking of creating MANY different types of products.

- The second service works even better than the first one when it comes to sending e-mails, but it’s not as integrated. It’s a great choice if you are going to focus mostly on selling digital products, such as eBooks. This service can be found at:  http://aweber.com/

NOTE: You are not going to go anywhere if you don’t set this up first! I know some people want to avoid the expense until the last possible moment, but realize that this is your most important expense for your online business. You can’t avoid to skim on this. If you can’t afford the monthly cost of the autoresponder service, then it is NOT time for you to start your own business. You should focus on building a saving base first.

2) The next thing you’ll need is what we call an opt-in page. This is a very short page where people can subscribe to your list.

An example of a page like this can be found at:

http://www.dowhatyouloveuniversity.com/

Another example can be found here:

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/tropical-confirmation.html

As you can see, in both cases I’m offering something in *exchange* of a subscription to my list.

I suggest to do the same! Here are some of the things you can offer:

- A special report (which is an article on a specific topic) with a sexy title
- A video
- A series of tips
- An eBook
- Any piece of information that’s valuable

You are also welcome to copy the design of any of those pages. These designs have been around for a long time and are no longer new. Also, these pages are fairly easy to set up. If you don’t know how to, ask a webmaster to do it for you.

3) You need to drive as much traffic as possible to that page

Before you start spending any money on advertising (which I’ll cover in an upcoming tip), you need to start testing your page and see how good of a response you get from it.

Here are some ways to do that:

- Start interacting at MANY discussion forums on your topic of interest. Become a valuable member of these communities. If that’s possible at these forums, have a signature file that promotes your special report and that directs people to your page.

For example, it could be something like this:

“Want to Know How I Lost 30 pounds in 30 Days with the Raw Food Diet?” Check this out: LINK

- Write a series of articles. Ask other websites, blog, and ezine to publish them. In your article, have a resource box that promotes your website and report.

- Use a signature file that promotes your new website on ANY e-mail that you send out.

- Promote your new website on your facebook and twitter accounts.

- Ask other websites to link to you.

- Publish some of your articles by going to: http://www.naturalnews.com/021982.html

4) Those are some first steps! You should be able to get at least a couple hundred subscribers that way.

In my next article, I will talk about some other important things you need to start building your list.

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He’s recently put together a VERY affordable course on how to get started with your online business. It’s called “Royalty University”, and I *highly* recommend it to anyone who wants to get started doing what they love on the Internet.

Plus, you will be pleasantly surprised when you see the price for this course. Check it out at:

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Yours for health and success,

Frederic

PS: Do you have questions on the subject? You can post them below!

- Word From The Editor
- Nature’s First Law
- How Raw Science Has Evolved
- Questions and Comments from the Readers (That’s You!)

I can’t believe it when I look at what happened in the last 10 years.

I remember when I was younger, my grandmother would tell me: “life just goes by too fast”.

I never thought I would be someone who would eventually think to myself: “Wow, those last 10 years went by so fast!”

And I’m glad I don’t feel that way. Honestly, those last 10 years of my life don’t feel as if they just “went by”. They are so packed with events that it doesn’t quite seem that “yesterday, I was 22.”

When I first started on the raw food diet, it was the summer of 1996, and I was 20 years old.

I had just read a book that had completely changed my outlook on life. That book was “La Nourriture Idéale” by Albert Mosséri. This book has never been translated into English, but it roughly means “The Ideal Food” or the “Ideal Diet”.

This book contained, among other things, a word-for-word translation of the book “Raw Eating” by Hovanessian.

After reading it, I was shocked!

I instantly understood that everything I thought I knew about nutrition was possibly wrong!

The author said that eating raw foods would “cure all diseases” and that every single disease under the earth was caused by cooked food.

Albert Mosséri, however, did not believe that — as no rational person should — but he wanted to include parts of the book “Raw Eating” in his book because he thought that Raw Eating was one of the most enthusiastic, inspirational book ever written on the subject of health.

And he was right!

Mosséri himself recommended a diet composed of mostly fruits, raw vegetables, and some steamed vegetables and very small amounts of nuts and avocados.

So in a sense, it was a low-fat raw food diet, although not completely raw.

After reading that book, I immediately started following this Natural Hygienic diet, and reading everything I could on the subject (including the 20+ books that Mosséri had written).

I corresponded with Mosséri, and have maintained contact over the last 12 years. In 2005, Mosséri gave me permission to translate all of his books and reprint them. I have so far only translated some of his works, which I published in my book – The Raw Secrets.

Eating a mostly raw diet, alone in the heart of the Canadian winter, at 20 years old, living with my parents and going to school… was not an easy thing.

Even though Mosséri had given me great information to follow, I was still confused about a lot of elements of this diet/lifestyle.

Nature’s First Law

Eventually, in the summer of 1997, I discovered a strange website by three naked guys in avocado trees. They had published a book called “Nature’s First Law: the Raw Food Diet”, which I immediately ordered.

I wrote to Nature’s First Law, with a good, old fashioned hand-written letter that I dropped at the post office, and surprisingly got an answer back from David Wolfe himself.

I had offered to translate his book into French, and he invited me to come visit him in San Diego to talk about it. This led me to spend almost three years in Southern California. The year was 1997.

Although the project of translating Nature’s First Law into French never realized, I eventually started working with their company, and then went on to publish my own newsletter “Just Eat An Apple”, which is how I first got involved and known in the raw food movement.

My First Experience Versus My Second Experience

Going back to my story, when I first went raw, I did it the “traditional” way, which is: I ate a lot of fruit and vegetables.

I didn’t know about smoothies (unfortunately), or raw food recipes (fortunately!), so I just bought as many fruits and vegetables I could carry on my bike every day, and ate them simply and in few combinations.

I would ride miles and miles on my bike every day to get from one supermarket to the next, in order to find the best produce.

One store had papayas — a tropical fruit I had never tried before — so I was excited! Another had ripe avocados. And yet another store had dried figs.

It was my final year in music school, and I had decided to move to Southern California as soon as the summer was over and I could save enough money to leave.

When I left in November, 1997, I already had over one year of Natural Hygiene under my belt, and almost 5 months on a 100% raw food diet.

I was feeling pretty good!

At the time, Greyhound had a special on bus fares. You could go anywhere in North America for the same low price of $80.

So I paid $80 for a one-way ticket to San Diego, the farthest place I could go except Alaska!

It was a three-day trip, and the only thing I ate during the trip was apples and dates. I brought with me a giant bag of apples, along with some dates.

When I arrived to California, I felt pretty good, in spite of the long journey.

The first day I arrived, I spent the day at the beach with a few raw-foodists I had met: Don the “Raw Guy”, R.C. Dini (the Raw Courage Vegetable Guy) and Heidi.

When I arrived at Don’s house, RC showed up with a giant bowl of garlic-flavored guacamole, and invited me to dig in.

I was hesitating because my Natural Hygiene background led me to believe that raw garlic was not a good thing (and in fact, I was right…).

But I thought, “What the hell,” and enjoyed the meal, which was followed by more “combo-abombos” or “combinations-abominations” as RC affectionately called his raw-food recipes.

I remember how Don Meritski looked me in the eyes and said: “Dude, you’re going to eat SO much food while you’re in California, you’re not gonna believe it!”

And indeed, he was right…

In 1996, I started out with a pure, natural hygiene perspective.

Then in California, I was confronted with the greatest and coolest raw food movement on the planet, and discovered gourmet raw food recipes I never though I could eat before.

Over the course of the next two years… I lost pretty much all of the health benefits I had gained over my first year on the program.

I was eating several avocados a day, because they were free, often “harvested” from local trees in the neighborhood. I was eating a ton of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and combo-abombos.

The general rule I got from the raw-foodists was: Eat anything you like. If it’s raw, it’s cool!

After a little over a year on that program, I was already sick.

After two years, I had less energy than I ever had in my life, and I was starting to develop more serious problems such as cavities and blood-sugar imbalances.

All of that from the “perfect diet in the world”.

How “Raw Science” Has Evolved

It’s a lot easier for someone today to succeed on the raw food diet than ever before. Although more “bad” information is available, the good advice is also more readily available from different sources.

When I first started, the diet I was following was not bad. I was eating fruits and vegetables, and avoiding excess fat and combinations.

I was on the right track… but I just needed some extra guidance, which I didn’t have at the time.

The second diet I tried is the “high-fat” raw diet that a lot of people still promote today. On it, I reached the lowest level of health I ever reached in my life.

Here are just some of the insights that I didn’t have at the time, which are now clearer to me than ever:

It’s important to eat enough calories from fruit to meet your needs, otherwise you’re going to look everywhere and crave anything to fill the need.

Smoothies can make it a lot easier at first to get those calories in a more concentrated and easily digestible form.

The raw diet should be a diet of raw fruits and vegetables, with very little of anything else concentrated.

Green smoothies are one of the best ways to consume enough greens.

Dried fruits and other dried items such as nuts should be minimized

Special attention must be paid to dental health

There are over 100 insights such as these, that I have described in detail, in the Raw Health Starter Kit.

As usual, this is getting to become a pretty long introduction to my ezine.

The reason I started this rambling is that pretty soon, I’ll celebrate my 33rd birthday.

As I was looking at the last 10 years, I realized it might be time to write another book. Not an eBook, but another real, published book, a sequel to “Raw Secrets”, so to speak.

But to write it, I need your help. What would you like to hear about? What do you think I should write about?

Post your comments at the bottom of this page!

Do you need to detox? In just over a week, we’re organizing our annual “Green Cleanse”. Only 50 spaces total are available. Join us at:
Click here to find out more.

Who Else Wants to Overcome Cravings, Deficiencies, Dental Problems and Achieve Their Ideal Weight?”
	Watch in awe as the Green for Life helps you shed pounds, overcome deficiencies, reverse signs of aging and make you feel just awesome! Click here to find out more.

To leave a comment or question, go to www.replytofred.com

Books Selling Miracle Diets

I just wanted you to know how much your articles/newsletters have meant to me. I’ve bought every health book out there, my digestive problems are currently so bad that I can only tolerate liquids! I feel helpless/hopeless and all those books that did nothing but make me try to force someone else’s miracle diet on me.

I loved your article on the raw food movement; it’s just not that complicated is it?! We are destroying ourselves looking for every and any way around doing what’s right and natural, I hope to have learned my lesson. Thank you for being there for me and for all of us.

Sincerely, Meredith Machin

Not Everybody Can Move to Costa Rica

Dear Fred,

I admire your generosity in the information you give, thanks.

However, everyone cannot move to Costa Rica, if even a million people take your suggestion and move they will destroy the country because not everyone is respectful as you.

I know what it is like to live in the tropics and I wish I could live there again but it is not practical. Enjoy your new lifestyle. Not every one can join you.

As it is Costa Rica is now gaining a lot of attention by those who want to go green and they loooove the planet and want to escape the rat race. They are bringing their selfishness and greed with them in their quest to escape America.
Heather

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: Thanks for writing, but you sound a bit negative. Do you seriously think that millions of people would move to Costa Rica after reading my articles? It’s estimated that the North American population in Costa Rica is less than 100,000, even after 20 years of PR and promoting Costa Rica as a retirement destination. In comparison: a popular book on retiring to Costa Rica sold over 250,000 copies over the last 20 years.

No, living here part time or full-time is not for everyone. But honestly, I wish more of my readers would make the move. This country (and other countries) needs more health-conscious, raw food enthusiasts.

By the way, I haven’t found that people moving here bring their “selfishness” and “greed” with them. At least, not more than in any other place. Maybe you should reconsider your negative position by actually spending some time here?

Private Consultations With Frederic

Dear FP,

Thanks for explaining that you are a very private person. I am not a very private person. Perhaps because I am still struggling to achieve optimal health. I would very much like to correspond with you about my personal issues. I realize that sharing about health is your business and I am willing to pay for support. Is this an option?

Sincerly, Regina Eldred, San Diego CA

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: I don’t offer personal consultations at the moment but I do correspond publicly and privately to my Raw Vegan Mentor Club members on our discussion forum at www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Come to Canada!

This is my 3rd comment in the last 3 years… same comment! I live in Toronto… just wondering WHY you do not offer workshops/retreats in CANADA! There is a need!!

Tori

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: Good question! I haven’t been involved in doing many lectures since 2004. But this year I should participate in many live events. I was scheduled to speak at a raw food festival in Canada this year, but the organizers have canceled it. However a workshop should be organized soon in the Ottawa area. More information will be sent soon…

The Importance of Green Smoothies

Hi Frederic,

Thank you for reiterating the importance of Green Smoothies. I signed up for your “green” information even though I have been drinking green smoothies and have been raw for more than a year. I just keep giving my Green for Life books away. As far as I am concerned, Green Smoothies are the mainstay of the raw diet.

The importance of the greens and this drink cannot be overemphasized. My husband and I have our Green Smoothie after our morning five mile run. It’s the best breakfast I have ever had!

I first learned about them when I heard Victoria speak at Arnold’s Way, the raw cafe in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Your good friend Roger Haeske has been there a couple of times. Arnold is doing wonderful work promoting raw food and Green Smoothies. He is tireless and generous of heart. There were probably close to 100 people at his potluck last night, a testimony to the good work he has been doing.

If you don’t know of Arnold Kauffman, you should check out his website: http://www.ArnoldsWay.com. However, since you have both been active in the raw food world for some time, I imagine you may be familiar with Arnold’s Way. By the way, you can catch my husband and I on Arnold’s Way YouTube. Again, thank you spreading the message of the Green Smoothie.

Best regards, Leslie Arnold

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: I know Arnold’s Way, of course. And thanks for your comments about Green Smoothies. In just over a week we’ll be leading our next Green Cleanse. In just 7 days of eating green smoothies you can see amazing results. More information here.

Eating for an Exam

Hello Frederic,

First off, I have to say that your website and the information contained in it is amazing! I have a question: I intend on taking a graduate school exam (MCAT) soon. I was told to eat protein mixed with carbohydrates for energy (since the test is 5 1/2 hours). I was wondering if fruit would work to eat in the morning of the exam, as it may induce me to running to the bathroom and this could mess up concentration as the test is time sensitive. I was wondering if you had any tips on raw foods I could eat in the morning the day of my exam that would not induce me to running to the bathroom consistently.

Thanks, Maya

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: I would be tempted to recommend fasting, although for such a long test it would probably not be a good idea. I imagine that the average person doing this test must at least drink something during the duration of the test?  The best choice if you want to get mental energy during the test is eating fruit. However, you don’t have to eat large quantities which like you said, might necessitate a few trips to the bathroom. Just a few pieces of fruit, consumed at regular intervals during the test will give you the energy you need. Bananas and dried fruit at that time would be a good choice (even though I don’t usually recommend dried fruit).

Food Combining Question

Hi Frederic — Many thanks for all the great health tips! You have been so helpful!! How many hours should I wait after eating fatty foods (like oils, nuts seeds) before eating fruit? Is two hours enough time? Or vice versa, how long should I wait before eating nuts and seeds after eating fruit?

Thanks for your input.

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: If you eat fruits FIRST, which is what I recommend, you don’t have to wait very long to eat other types of foods, such as salads containing fat. Just waiting 15 minutes or so is enough in most cases.

Acid fruits combine also fairly well with fatty foods. So after eating something containing fat, you could have an orange or another acid fruit.

Don’t make food combining more complicated than it should be on a raw diet. The only combination to really avoid is concentrated sweets with fats together. For example: nuts and dates.

Acai

Have you ever tried acai berry? What are your thoughts on purchasing it as a juice/concentrate?

Thanks.

RESPONSE FROM FREDERIC: I have eaten Açai when I visited Brazil in 2004. For those who don’t know, Açaí (pronounced AH-SAW-EE), is a slightly fatty, anti-oxidant rich fruit that grows in Brazil.
The Brazilian buy it frozen in big blocks. They make a national dish by blending it with either honey or guarana syrup, and serve it with granola. It’s simply delicious.
However, its recent use as “miracle food” is deplorable.
People buy it at a 10 or 20 times markup.

Even though Açaí is a decent food, it’s not necessary to eat it to stay in great health. There are other great, anti-oxidant rich foods available such as blueberries or pomegranates. You don’t need to pay an outrageous price for this exotic juice.

If Açaí were available frozen at a reasonable price, then I would suggest making some sorbets with it, similar to what the Brazilians make.

Do you need to detox? In just over a week, we’re organizing our annual “Green Cleanse”. Only 50 spaces total are available. Click here to find out more.

I just finished a great call/interview called “Raw Foods Can Save Your Life” as part of the Self Care Mastery Event.During this call, I talk about:

- How to avoid cravings on the raw food diet

- The reason why the raw food diet WORKS!

- Benefits to expect if you do it right

- How to plan your menu

- And more!

Listen to it here:

Or click here to download to your computer

Last weekend, I went on a new “exploration” trip in Costa Rica to discover new areas that I didn’t know before.

I went all the way to the beach resort of Jaco, taking the road to the Pacific. But the real purpose of my trip was the town of Orotina, which has been called the “fruit capital of Costa Rica.”

I needed to see it for my own eyes!

Unfortunately, I missed the farmer’s market by a few hours, but got to taste some of the delicious fruits on sale there.Things like:

Cashew Fruit — One of my favorite. It’s the fruit from the cashew nut. The fruit has a delicious, refreshing juice and a unique flavor. As I’m writing this, the amazing smell of cashew fruit is all over the room. It’s wonderful!

Star Apple — Called “caimito” in Spanish, it has the rare quality of being purple/blue inside, but delicious and sweet, with a wonderful aroma.

Soursop — called “Guanábana” in Spanish, this is one of my favorite. We bought 4 huge fruits! The white flesh is a bit acidic, but also sweet and delicious, and it has one of the best flavors of all fruits. I like it blended, as a pudding.

At the farmer’s market in Alajuela, I also got some of the best mangoes I’ve tasted this year, “sweet” lemons, delicious papayas, and more. I also bought a breadfruit for 30 cents!

If you ever come to Costa Rica, I encourage you to make the trip to Orotina. The farmer’s market is on Friday morning.

Answering Your Questions About Moving to a Tropical Paradise

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What Is Holding You Back?
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Are you worried about hurricanes? If so, make sure you choose a place below the hurricane belt, such as Costa Rica.

–Do you seek a place that is family friendly? If so, go to family-oriented places such as Bali and Costa Rica.

–Do you need long-term residency? I think that most people who are thinking about relocating to a tropical paradise are over evaluating the importance of acquiring residency.

In most cases, you DON’T want to become a resident of the new country. Residency only becomes important if you’re thinking about a long-term move, and you’ll only make that decision once you spend a significant amount of time in the country.

That being said, some countries make it easier than others to acquire a resident status, especially for those considering retiring in these countries.Panama is an example.

–Health Care — If accessibility to modern hospital facilities is important to you, then find the right country for this, and more importantly, relocate in the RIGHT area of the country.

For example, in Costa Rica, you probably want to be near the central valley to access the best hospitals of the country. I personally live a few hours away from the capital, but there’s a central hospital nearby in case of an emergency.

In general, in countries like Costa Rica, Panama and Thailand, health care is much more advanced than you imagine. For example: Costa Rica has a lower infant mortality than the United States.

You can get a high-quality insurance to cover any possible emergency at a fairly low-cost, compared to what you would pay in the USA.And if you need dental care, you can get it in those countries at about 50% of the price you would pay back home, and get the same high-quality service.

–Language: The ability to communicate is important. A lot of people are not comfortable with the idea of learning a new language, or learning a complicated language. If that’s your case, don’t relocate in an area where the language is very hard to learn, such as Thailand. Instead, stick with Spanish speaking areas, or consider English-speaking countries such as Belize.

Alternatively, you can locate in an Spanish-speaking country where you’ll find a lot of English speakers and expats, such as the Central Valley of Costa Rica, or Panama City.

–Poverty. How comfortable are you with poverty around you? If you are more of a “pioneer” spirit, you could relocate to a place like Nicaragua for much less money than you’d spend in more affluent places. But if you don’t like the sight of poverty, then stick to affluent places like Costa Rica or even Panama.

Granted, the standard of living is not the same as in America, but you won’t see beggars in Costa Rica — nothing like Nicaragua. Costa Rica is an affluent country for Central America.In a big country like Brazil, poverty is generally centralized to the suburbs or “favelas” of the city. As soon as you leave these places, you’ll find the country to be generally very affluent and poverty-free.

–Bugs — Do you hate bugs as much as I do? Then do yourself a favor: choose a place in the city, or with some elevation. If you’re right at sea level near the beach, you’re more likely to encounter mosquitoes and bugs. If you live a bit above sea level, you’re more likely to be mosquito-free.

–Local Feelings Towards Foreigners. How do people perceive Americans and other nations? This tends to vary a lot from country to country. In Costa Rica, although North Americans are affectionately called “gringos”, the locals definitely enjoy our presence and harbor no negative feelings towards us. In fact, they welcome us with open arms!In French Polynesia, the Tahitians tend to resent the French. That was not to my advantage because I spoke French, so they thought I was French.

Of course, this is for historical reasons and is not a generalized feeling, but a tendency in the culture.I would say that all of the stereotypes of “American-hating” nations are not true.Even the French, who are supposed to be rude and hate Americans, are generally very friendly with Americans, or other nations.

Here’s what happens: you have the typical “ugly” American who travels abroad. Picture a loud guy from New York, who travels for the first time to Europe.He doesn’t bother to learn “please” and “thank you” in the local language, and talks to everyone very fast in heavily accented New York English and expects and DEMANDS to be understood. He doesn’t want to learn something from the local culture… in fact he looks down upon it.So in other words, you’ve got your stereotyped American traveling abroad.

The same guy will come back home and tell everyone that “Europeans are rude and hate Americans”.So I think you can start to get an idea where the idea comes from.

–Crime — A lot of people are concerned with crime in foreign countries. This is certainly a genuine concern. Certain areas of the world are dangerous. And also, certain areas of a particular country can be dangerous.

For example, let me tell you about my trip to Brazil.I started getting anxious before leaving because everyone was telling me how dangerous Brazil is. They talked about all the murders in the city, and that I shouldn’t go to visit.And in fact, they are right. Some areas of the big cities like Rio de Janeiro can be quite rough.

But did I go there?

I travelled all over the country and found it to be perfectly safe. But I didn’t not go hang out at night in a “favela” to see what would happen.Some areas of the USA can be quite dangerous. But does it mean that traveling to the USA is dangerous?

Certain countries as a whole are safer than others.

Costa Rica is safer than Guatemala, or Mexico — for example.But it also depends where you travel in those countries. San Jose, in Costa Rica, is more dangerous than a rural town in Mexico.

Safety is very relative, but bottom line is you can travel very safely if you stick to safe areas and countries.

Last week I posted an article about why I’m “mad” at the raw-food movement, here.

This article has generated more interest than any other article I have published before. Over 148 comments have been sent to my blog, and a large number of e-mails as well.

These are not short little comments, but involved, interesting, compelling stories. So today I want to address some of the questions I’ve received after publishing the article.

First of all, I want to thank everybody who contributed their two cents. It’s incredibly valuable to share your experience, thoughts and concerns with others.

I also think that some people made some assumption in the article that simply weren’t there.Here are some answers:

Low-fat means “no-fat”

Some people seem to think that a “low-fat” diet means a “no-fat” diet. I got a lot of comments from people who told me I was not making the difference between good fats and bad fats.

The point of the article was that an extremely high-fat diet is unhealthy. The average raw-foodist eats 60% of his calories from fat, which is 20% higher than the Standard American Diet.

Just reduce that percentage to 20% and you’ll already be on your way to health.Does it have to be 10% or less? That’s what Dr. Graham recommends after 25+ years of experience.

A study of the three-longest lived cultures in the world showed than they eat on average 15% of their calories from fat. My recommendations: reduce the fat progressively, increase the fruits and vegetables. 10% or less is ideal.

But that still means you can enjoy delicious avocados, nuts, seeds, and even a tablespoon of olive oil on your salad once in a while won’t hurt you.It’s the overall picture that matters.

Fruitarian is fruit only

There seems to be some confusion as to what is a “high-fruit diet”.First, what is a fruit? Nutritionally speaking, we are talking about sweet fruits such as bananas, oranges, peaches, melons, mangoes, etc.

Even though avocados, tomatoes and squash are also fruit, botanically speaking, we won’t classify them as such, because nutritionally speaking they are vegetables.

Fatty foods and nuts form their own category.

Greens also can be seen as a separate category.

All of the fresh fruits AND vegetables can and should be included in the raw diet. An abundance of greens and vegetables should be consumed.

But because vegetables are low in calories, if you eat 100% raw then the bulk of your calories will come from fruit.

But that doesn’t mean you’re ONLY eating fruit.

One Size Fits All

Some people have been accusing me of a “one-size fits all” philosophy. That I’m right, while everybody else is wrong.They’re saying that “there’s no single answer that can benefit everybody. Something that cures person A can kill person B.”

I strongly disagree with that statement, and the way it’s often being used.One thing that I really hate is people who can’t take a stand on certain issues, either because they haven’t done the research, or can’t come up with a conclusion.

The most “useful” piece of advice you’ll often get is “just do what works for you”, which is open to a LOT of interpretation.I believe that there are basic PRINCIPLES that work for everybody, but with exceptions.Some things are true… or they aren’t. And yes, some things are somewhat in-between.

For example, as a general rule, we can say that fruit and vegetables are the healthiest, most appropriate foods human beings can eat.

Are there exceptions? Of course. Some people are allergic to strawberries. Some people have no teeth and can’t chew vegetables.In those cases, compromises can be made. The diet can be adapted.It’s not this fixed, rigid thing that everybody must follow or else…

I am very open-minded.In fact, I’m far from what you could call a “militant raw-foodist” by any definition. Just meet me in person and you will see.

But I will also take a stance on certain issues.I hate wishy-washy writings and advice such as “just do what works for you”, which ultimately doesn’t help you in any way.

I believe certain things are TRUE, and I will let you know which ones and why.

That doesn’t mean that you have to agree with me.

It’s more than food

Some people said: “it’s more than food. There’s also the importance of exercise, peace of mind, etc. Some raw-foodists eat a perfect diet, and still are not healthy.”

I couldn’t agree more.Yes, it’s more than food.But food is also important, and it was the focus of the article.

25 bananas a day

The idea of eating 25 bananas in a day seems to strike some people as particularly unhealthy.So let’s settle the controversy: You DON’T have to eat 25 bananas in a day.

If you’re going to eat all raw, you just have to eat ENOUGH calories to meet your needs.If you need 2000 calories a day, like most people, then 25 bananas is going to be too much.

If you need 5000 calories because you’re a training athlete, then 25 bananas is just going to cover 50% of your needs.You don’t have to eat JUST bananas. This is just one example. You can eat a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc.So let’s not freak out about the 25/bananas a day thing.

Certain Guru Looks Good, or Bad

I got some emails about how someone decided to NOT follow the raw diet because they thought Dr. Graham looked bad.

While others told me they decided to follow it because he looked good.Someone else decided NOT to follow the high-fat diet because they thought that Wolfe looked bad, while Roger looked better.In the end, people have different perceptions about who looks GOOD and who looks BAD, based on their own criteria.

You shouldn’t make it the decisive factor.I prefer to look at a NUMBER of people following the same diet, especially if they’ve been doing it for several years.There are more important factors than just looks.Try to evaluate health as a whole instead.

It’s all about Balance

Some people told me: it’s all about balance. If you eat mostly clean 95% of the time, then it wouldn’t be bad to eat cacao once in a while. It’s the overall picture that matters.I definitely agree. Did I say otherwise?I’m just against the ideas that are promoted as panacea, such as eating cacao EVERY DAY, which is definitely unhealthy.

ResourcesIf you’ve been participating in this discussion, or just curious about it, and what to take it to the next level, then here are some resources you can use to learn more about the low-fat diet.Where should you start? What’s the best way to learn?

Raw Vegan Mentor Club

Every month, I send a complete, information-packed, advertisement-free newsletters to the 200+ members of the Raw Vegan mentor club. This features clear, step-by-step information on how to make the raw food diet work in the REAL world.Every month, you also receive a complete menu planners, even with shopping lists and recipes included, all based on seasonal ingredients.You also get audio tips, interviews, and more.

SPECIAL for “MAD AS HELL” ARTICLE: If you sign up in the next 72 hours, I will also give you my eBook “Raw Secrets” for free. Just contact us after placing your order at www.fredericpatenaudesupport.com and we’ll send you the download link for “The Raw Secrets” — FREE.

PLEASE NOTE: You need to sign up for the “Raw Vegan Mentor Club” FIRST: Click here to sign up.

Lightning Speed Fitness

I talked about my friend Roger Haeske, who at 41 looks like he’s 25. He sells an excellent, youth-rejuvenating fitness program. Click here for more information.

The Raw Health Starter Kit

This is our most complete package on how to get started on the raw food diet. Best value anywhere for an awesome package of information. Check it out here.

The Perfect Health Program

Want to learn more about Dr. Graham’s philosophy in more details? Check out the “Perfect Health Program” — our most advanced and useful package. It features 12 hour-long masterclasses where I interview Dr. Graham on the most important questions YOU want to get answers for.Check it out here.

I also highly recommend the book “The 80-10-10 Diet” available on Amazon.

If you just want the recipes? Check out my book “Instant Raw Sensations” (also included as part of the Raw Health Starter Kit).

Want more “hands-on” stuff, where you’ll actually get to put this information into practice? Then join us for the next Green for Life Program, starting in March.

Want to avoid dental problems forever? Check out:http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/oralhealth.html

If you have comments or questions on the “Mad as Hell” discussion, please send them in below.

- Word from the Editor

- Why I’m So Mad at the Raw Food Movement Today

- The State of the Raw Food Movement Today

I’ll be pretty brief with this section, because I know you want to jump right into the main article to know why I’m mad at the raw food movement today.

But there is something else that’s new:

I’ve just released a new program called “How to Move to a Tropical Paradise”.

This program is all about increasing your quality of life with more sunshine, less stress and better fresh fruits and vegetables by relocating part-time or full-time to a tropical paradise.

This is the first time that we’ll do this program live.

You have until February 21st to sign up. Check it out here: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/tropicalparadise.html

Frederic

Why I’m So Mad at the Raw Food Movement Today

Last week I met someone whose story really moved me in a deep way.

About two weeks ago, I was visiting Dr. Graham at his fasting retreat in Costa Rica, along with my girlfriend and my friend Roger Haeske.

Dr. Graham had generously invited us for dinner and also to spend the day visiting his retreat near the Chirripo Mountain in Costa Rica.

The place is absolutely gorgeous! It’s about 4000 feet in elevation, so the air is a little cool at night and in the evening, but it’s was superbly sunny during the day.It’s right next to the Chirripo River, with amazingly beautiful water and big rocks, with a ton of little pools to jump into.

In fact, I couldn’t help myself but jumping in — and found the water to be surprisingly “refreshing”.

Let’s say that it got the blood flowing, like the cold water I’m used to in Canadian rivers and lakes.

Fortunately, there’s a pool with warmer water as well.But let’s get back to my story.

For lunch, we had a delicious smoothie made with bananas and papaya. It was of a beautiful bright orange color. We ate it with a variety of greens such as lettuce and celery.

I got to meet some of the people who fasted there, which reminded me of my own fast in 2005.

At this point, they had started eating for about a week.

For dinner, we were served one of the most beautiful, tasty and yet simple raw food meal I remember EVER eating in my life.

The entrée was a delicious smoothie made with orange juice and mangoes. It was just “wow”.

Then we had a bright red tomato-mango soup, flavored with a few fresh herbs. The tomatoes had been slightly dehydrated in the sun for a day, which gave them a chunkier consistency and more intense flavor.

Then the main salad came. It was just beautiful. It was “rice” made with a tropical squash called “chayote” that they had processed to make a base for the salad. On top of it was a delicious mixture of tomatoes, cilantro, mangoes and a few other ingredients I can’t remember.

But the most amazing thing about this meal is that it did not contain any fat — no avocados, nuts or seeds, or oils — and did not contain any salt.

These two ingredients are SO common in raw food cuisine that it’s rare not to have them featured in every single dinner recipe.Yet, it was absolutely delicious and satisfying.

It’s not that they never served any fat, but they just didn’t that day. And nobody was missing it, I can tell you.

A Meeting That Moved Me

At the table, I was sitting beside a wonderful woman who had just completed her fast at the retreat. We chatted both in English and in Spanish, because she had moved from South America to the USA when she was younger.

At some point I asked her about her fast.She told me something shocking.For over three years, she could not walk. And since the fast, she was walking again.

I could see the tears filling up her eyes as she was telling me her story.

What happened I asked?

It was arthritis. In fact, it got so bad that she could not hold any utensils. Now she was doing it, and walking again!

But here’s where the real shocker came:She told me that for 4 years she had been following a raw food diet!

That’s right! She had started the raw food diet 4 years ago, and her symptoms had gotten worse, to the point where she could not walk anymore.

But what kind of raw food diet?

“Frederic, she told me, I was eating raw foods for 4 years. I was following what they were saying, all of the gurus, like Robert Young and others.”

Turns out she had done some live blood cell analysis. At this point, I knew where the discussion was headed. I wished she had met me at that time, and I would definitely have advised her against it.

But she did it, and the expected thing happened: all of the gurus told her she had some “fungus” in her blood and she needed to avoid all sugar, including fruits.

So she followed the raw food program as it’s recommended now by most raw food diet books you’ll get everywhere: a diet where you actually eat very little fruit and not that much more vegetables, and where you get most of your calories from fat and oils.

And from that point, things got worse and worse with her health.You could tell that this woman was dedicated to improving her health. But she also got very confused along the way.

As she was telling me her story, I could see how she was actually MAD at the people who led her astray.

Those so-called “gurus” who had no idea what they were talking about, and left her in a worse situation with their advice.

She had found out about the low-fat raw vegan diet and fasting through a friend of hers, who had in turn found out about it through my website.

It really was an amazing moment when these two persons came to me and told me eye-to-eye: “Frederic, I want to thank you. Without you, we would never be here.”

Other Examples of Confusion

I would like to say that the raw food movement is “one big happy family”, but that’s not the case.

There’s a WORLD of difference between the diet that I recommend, and the diet that you’ll see promoted in most other raw food books and websites.

The differences between the low-fat raw diet and let’s say, the Sunfood Diet (by David Wolfe), or the Hippocrates Diet, or Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine (by Gabriel Cousens) are as great or GREATER nutritionally than the differences between the vegetarian diet and the meat-based diet.

I’m not saying that because I want to draw a line in the sand.Any nutritionist looking at a detailed nutritional analysis of these two kinds of diets will have to agree: these are completely different diets!

So it’s very misleading to mix everything together and call that “the raw food diet.”

When someone tells you they “failed” on the raw food diet, you have to ask “what kind of raw food diet?”

For example: I know a guy in Hawaii who was eating a 100% raw food diet for over 5 years. He even wrote a couple of books on the subject, and sold them through his website. Then a couple of years ago, he got really sick.

He stopped eating raw, and then revised his books to say that raw food was not the answer.

But he didn’t get sick because he started to eat cooked food.

He got sick ON the raw food diet program he was following.

And what kind of raw food diet was it? The high-fat raw diet – the same diet that’s recommended everywhere in the raw food movement (even though they will never give it that name).

Another example: ME!

I started on the raw food diet in 1997. That’s starting to be a little while ago.When I first started, there was not as much information available as there is today. The Internet was just getting going. In fact, my website was one of the first websites on the topic.

When I started the raw food diet, I was doing pretty well. I was following the European model for raw food, which was pretty much the low-fat raw diet, after having studied with my first mentor, Albert Mosseri from France.

Then I moved to California and I became very influenced by the main leaders of the raw food movement. You probably heard about them. They’re the biggest names people associate with “raw food diets” today.

The advice was pretty simple: eat as much raw food as you’d like! As long as it’s raw, it’s okay. You can eat as many avocados as you’d like. Raw is law. Cooked food is poison.

After less than a year on the program, I got seriously ill.

For an entire month I had no energy at all. Just walking for 2 minutes made me dizzy.

I was even afraid to tell people that I was sick, because raw-foodists were not supposed to get sick.

So I stayed in bed for an entire month, and ate only apples and a few other fruits.

After a month, I was feeling much better, and started working again.

Still to this day, I don’t know what happened to me. I did not consult any doctor (because doctors are cooked, I thought at the time), and I told very few people about what happened.

It was a sudden illness, but with plenty of warning signs.And I was young! I was in my early twenties, supposedly on the best diet in the world.

The rest of the story has been told in my book “The Raw Secrets”:

I discovered the mistake I was making, and then changed course to eat a lower-fat, high-fruit raw food diet, and now all of these years of struggle and low-energy just seem like a distant, unpleasant memory.

Some Good Examples

I told you earlier that my friend Roger Haeske came to visit me for a couple of weeks in Costa Rica.

I knew Roger because we had worked together on some projects, and through his own website and blog. But we had only met briefly in person while I was waiting for a flight in New York back in 2007.

He had never left North America in his life, and he was eager to come and check out Costa Rica. So I invited him to check it out, and got to show him around the Pacific Coast to some of my favorite, most beautiful spots I know in the world.

Roger has been eating a 100% raw food diet for 6 or 7 years I think. He had a similar history: he had started eating the high-fat diet everybody recommended, did not do well, and then switched to a low-fat raw diet and has been thriving ever since.

Let’s put it this way: Roger looks SHOCKINGLY young for his age.He’s almost 42.

When he was taking his shirt off and playing soccer with the Costa Rican kids on the beach, people were mistaking him for a “muchacho” in his twenties.

To be quite honest, I’ve never met a man in his early forties who looks as young as Roger does. He even looks better in person than he does in his pictures.

His open secret?

• The low fat raw diet
• Vigorous Exercise (Roger practices a series of high-intensity exercises he claims helps him stay young. I believe him. Check out his program here).
• Blended salads! (for more information, check this out)

Another Example

Last summer, I met a 35-year old guy named Grant.

Grant is what people call “an ultra marathon runner”, and what I affectionately call, “a crazy dude!”

He’s done things such as running 100 kilometers through the mountains, where the hardest things at some point is just to fight off sleep while you’re running.

Basically, when Grant invites you to go out for a run, you better have a few hours available (if not a few days!).

Think Forrest Gump (without the chocolate part).People say all the time: those people who eat a high-fruit diet, they’re not really healthy. Eating 25 bananas a day can’t be healthy, they say.Yet, all of the healthiest people I have met have been eating this way.

In fact, whenever I’ve been to a typical raw-food potluck, I see a lot of pretty pale-looking people. Not the type you’d necessarily ask to help you move your furniture.Except if it’s a low-fat group. Then I’ll meet people who just INSPIRE me to get healthier and fitter.But back to Grant…

When I saw him again at Chirripo, he just had a glow in his face. “This is not the guy I met last summer!” I told him.

Even a camera won’t properly capture it.It’s something you’re not used to seeing. It’s a sort of radiating happiness.

Or maybe… it’s just this long-forgotten look we call “health”.

I’ve met a lot of athletes. And often I just don’t see that look in their face.

Bodybuilders tend to be the worst. Even though they have the “perfect” body, they have the look of sickness in their eyes, coming from their protein overeating.

The State of the Raw Food Movement Today

I recently read an article written by a popular raw-food author.

Maybe you’ve seen this article, or maybe not. I’d rather not reveal the identity of the author as to avoid attracting unnecessarily attention to his teachings, because honestly, I’ve rarely read something that bad.

But I think it pretty much sums up the state of the raw food movement today: that of mass confusion.

Here’s the whole point of the article:

- The raw food diet is not the answer, but avoiding overeating is.

- The basic advice he gives is to eat raw, but to avoid overeating.

- You shouldn’t be counting calories, or percentages of fat versus sugar, but just make sure you don’t overeat.

Of course, “overeating” is never clearly defined in the article, and left to the imagination of the reader.

But he gives us some clues: according to him, eating 25 bananas a day is overeating.

On the good side, he advises against eating chocolate and too many raw food recipes.But what is overeating? Isn’t it not eating more than your body needs?

If an athletes needs 3000 calories per day, and yet eats 25 bananas a day plus some greens, they should technically be “under eating”, because the bananas only provide 2500 calories at the most, and the greens almost none.

Calories

Oh, now some people will say “calories don’t matter”.

I used to believe that. Until I realized that calories are just the energy you get from food, and yes, they DO matter.

Everyone will naturally be drawn instinctively to eat the exact amount of calories they need, as long as they are provided with natural foods only and they put ridiculous theories in their minds such as “I must avoid overeating at all cost”.

Over the course of a month, a wild animal will eat the EXACT amount of calories it needs.

I once did an experiment. I wrote down everything I ate for an entire month. I didn’t count calories. I just ate enough to be satisfied.

Then after a month, I calculated the calories for every day.

I was very surprised to realize that I ate almost the EXACT same amount of calories every single day, without counting them at all.

So you do NEED a certain amount of calories to survive and thrive.

The Real Overeating

The average raw-foodist is NOT overeating on total calories. In fact, they are “under eating”.

What happens is the average beginner with the raw food diet will eat too much fat, and not enough fruits and vegetables.

Raw-Foodists are just not eating enough fruits and vegetables, period!

The advice of “avoiding overeating” is simply one of the worst I’ve heard in a long time.

Here’s what will happen: people will try to follow it, but with no real understanding of the nutritional balance that must be achieved on a raw food diet.

So they’ll keep eating too much fat, and not enough fruit. They’ll constantly be craving something, but will try to use their willpower to eat less, because they think their problem is overeating.

In fact, they’ll notice that they feel better when they eat less.

Of course! When they’re eating less, they’re eating less of the excess fat they were consuming!

But there’s still that nagging sense of constant hunger, and for that they blame themselves. “I must not overeat”.

Their body is BEGGING them to eat more carbohydrates, and they’re starting to seriously crave some sweets and some cooked foods.

But NO! I must not overeat.

Sooner or later, they’ll give in and either binge on something sweet other than fruit, or high-fat raw food recipes, or binge on chocolate and pasta.

Then they’ll feel bad, because of the “overeating”, but get enough calories to keep them going for a while.

And the cycle will go on and on, over and over again, until their health goes down the drain.

Raw Food Restaurants

Last summer, I took two weeks to drive through California on a vacation.

I flew to Los Angeles, drove to San Diego, drove all the way to San Francisco, then Fort Bragg where the Raw Food Expo was happening, and then drove all the way back to LA.

Let’s say that I did a lot of driving!

But I also got to stop at many raw-food restaurants along the way, because after all, California is the “Mecca” of raw-foods.

What I found by eating at a few different raw food restaurants is this:

- First of all, very few fruits and vegetables are served. In my opinion, you can get more fruits and vegetables if you go to an Italian restaurant, or even a Steak House, than you’ll ever get at a raw food restaurant.

For example, at Juliano’s restaurant, I was served the special of the day. It was a sort of imitation of Fettuccini Alfredo. The vegetables used were zucchini, bathing in a white sauce made with nuts and who knows what. The whole thing was very fatty, very salty, and in my opinion, not very good at all. The quantity of vegetables used was TINY compared to what I’m used to eating. And I got the same experience at every other raw food restaurant where I stopped!

- It takes much more creativity to create a gourmet meal out of fruits and vegetables, without using a lot of fat and without using salt and spices. Then you have to be a REAL chef and rely upon the natural flavors of food, the presentation, the combinations, etc.

But any fool can add a bunch of fat and salt to a dish and make it taste reasonably good. So that’s why I say I’m not impressed with raw food restaurants: I really don’t see a lot of creativity there. All they’re trying to do is reproduce the meals from the Standard American Diet using raw ingredients.

Conclusion

This is getting to be a pretty long article, and I feel I still have a lot more to say.So let me wrap it up with a conclusion.

I’m mad at the raw food movement because of all of the misinformation spread everywhere.

And in fact, I’m very close to saying that there is no such thing as the “Raw food movement”.

What we seem to have is a circus of self-proclaimed gurus who are promoting completely conflicting philosophies. You might as well separate them into two or three completely different diets.Yet, they all want to sing under the same banner. Well, not so fast…

As a group, the raw food movement is pretty confused; when in fact, it does not need to be so complicated. When in the world did we think that this diet was supposed to be about packaged “superfoods”, chocolate, and recipes that imitate cooked foods?

The whole thing was about eating LOTS of fruits and vegetables! An abundance of fruits and vegetables — not an abundance of fats and oils.

You can become incredibly healthy, but you have to know where you’re going.

Are you going to keep trying to mix all kinds of conflicting philosophies into a mishmash of a program that works more or less for you… or are you ready to radically transform your health using the principles of the low-fat raw food diet?

I’ve met a TON of people all around the world who are experiencing amazing success with the low-fat raw food diet.They all seem to have some things in common:

- They have given it enough time. Not just a few weeks or a month or two.

- They are paying great attention to MANY factors of their health, not just diet.

- They eat a LOT of fruits AND greens, and very little fat.

- They try to make health and fitness their priorities.

What do YOU think of all of this?

I want to hear from YOU. Do you have a story to share?

Please post your comment under this article.

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Folks who consider moving to a tropical paradise, full-time or part-time, eventually consider Costa Rica or Panama. So the question pops up: which one is better as a place to live?

The debate still continues. When I first considered moving more permanently to Central America back in 2006, I did some research to find out which one of these countries would be best.

All of the oversea retirement experts, including International Living Magazine have been recommending Panama over Costa Rica for many years in a row.

In fact, most of these publications barely talk about Costa Rica nowadays.

The talk is all about Panama, Panama, Panama.Last year, I even attended a week-long “relocation and investment” seminar in Panama City, to get the final word on the subject.

So what’s the big deal about Panama?The big deal is the strong and booming economy, lower cost for real estate, but mainly a more attractive “pensionado” program, which is the retiree program.

It’s definitely easier to obtain residency in Panama than in Costa Rica, and “pensionados” get many tax-free breaks and even discounts on restaurants and public transportation!

The infrastructure in Panama is better.When I first visited Panama from Costa Rica, I felt like in a different world.

Modern highways, fast and efficient bus systems, and a much more “Americanized” feeling everywhere.

And Panama City is simply the most modern city in Central America. While I’ve never seen Skyscrapers in Costa Rica, Panama City is full of them. The supermarkets are filled with imported goods, including lots of “health food” types of items I had never seen in Costa Rica, such as organic baby spinach (imported from the USA), organic fruit bars, and items you regularly seen in your health food store.

Panama City is just a more modern city, period. And Panama in general has attracted more wealth and saw huge improvements in its infrastructures from US presence.But what about Costa Rica then? Why am I here?

Here’s a few more positives about Panama:

- Buying a car is much cheaper

- Alcohol is much cheaper (but I don’t care cause I don’t drink)

- Imported goods in general (such as clothes) are cheaper

- The country has more islands! More scuba diving possibilities…

- English is spoken more widely (but is it true? So I’m told. I’m not sure because I speak Spanish).

- The country uses US dollars (and not the funny Costa Rica currency with a constantly changing exchange rates that forces you to perform maths everywhere you go to figure out how much things really cost).

Now some negatives:

I found Panama City too hot for my taste. The weather is in the 90s, and very humid too. I don’t see anyone living comfortably there without air conditioning.

Overall I found much more agreeable climates in Costa Rica, although if you go a bit in the mountains in Panama you will find cooler climates. But I just wouldn’t imagine living in Panama City for now. Too steamy, too much of a city for me. Great to visit, but I prefer to live somewhere quiet.

And try to find a cheap, modern apartment in Panama City right now! Just look on Craigslist and you will find what I’m talking about.It seems there’s been increased demand for housing, but not enough supply. So the prices are totally inflated, and it will take a while for them to normalize as more apartments and condos are made available.But there’s more than monetary considerations.

I found Panamanians friendly, but the Costa Ricans (Ticos) are friendlier. In fact, they may be some of the friendliest people in the world.In Costa Rica, I feel more at home.Yes, the roads are bad in some places, but to me that’s almost part of the local charm.

Things might take more time in Costa Rica to get done. You want a cell phone? You need to be a resident or own a corporation (which is easy to set up, by the way).

And to get phone lines and Internet access in some places can take months.But if Internet access is important to you (and it sure is to me!), you’ll find it. Just make sure you don’t relocated to a remote area.

Here in Costa Rica my connection is fast enough for what I need. I get the equivalent of a standard DSL connection.And you can get up to a 2 MB per second line.

Sure, in Canada I get an even faster connection, 10MB per second type of cable setup, but it’s mostly a luxury because I can do just fine on a standard high-speed connection.From my personal experience, Costa Rica has more charm. The people are friendlier, and there are so many gorgeous places it’s unbelievable.

I haven’t fully explored Panama, so I cannot tell you for sure, but after two trips, my experience is that for someone into raw foods and health, Costa Rica is a better place.

There’s lots of fruits and vegetables grown, and you can find organic. You’ll also find a wide range of tropical fruits, and more importantly, there’s an established network of raw-foodist and natural health enthusiasts.

For me, that was the deciding factor. I just KNOW more people here, and I happen to really enjoy the country.

The Ticos really enjoy the company of North Americans. In Panama, I would say that this feeling is not as widespread (without saying that they are not welcoming people).

Like I said, I just felt more “at home” in Costa Rica.

But Panama has so much to offer, that my solution is to live in Costa Rica (at least part of the year), but also take trips to Panama: it’s right next door!

Although it might be more difficult to get residency in Costa Rica, it’s also easier to easily move there part of the year.When you enter the country, you automatically get a 90-day visa. This visa can be then renewed for another 90 days by just leaving the country for at least 3 days and coming back. (That’s when you’ll want to take your trip to Panama).

Technically, you are allowed one extension and then after you should leave for at least three months, but the law is not enforced and there are many visitors that have been living here for years and just renew their visas every 90 days.

In Panama, you only get 30 days, and then you can only extend it to 90 days.So for me the choice is easy: Costa Rica, with visits to Panama.The only way for you to know for sure is to come down here and check it out for yourself.

Frederic Answers Reader’s Questions

Hi Fred

I have acquired so much great information and fabulous recipes from your books and e-mails. Thank you! I do have a question:

I am allergic to avocados and most of your recipes contain this ingredient. Can you suggest a substitute in your recipes? Thanks.

Denise C

MY ANSWER:

It would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that “most” of my recipes contain avocado. In any given recipe book, maybe 5 to 10% of the recipes will contain this ingredient.

My suggestion is to use nuts instead. All dressings containing avocado can be made with nuts. The taste won’t be the same, of course. But the results will be similar.

You can also make a delicious guacamole using green peas. I included this recipe in my book “Gourmet Raw Food Cuisine” which is now available as a bonus for the Raw Vegan Mentor Club at: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/mentorclub.html

Here’s the recipe:

Peamoli

2 cups fresh or frozen green peas
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon, juice of
1 medium garlic clove
1/4 sea salt (optional)
1 tsp. dulse powder (optional)
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced (cherry tomatoe halves are best)

Blend all ingredients, except the tomatoes, in your Vita-Mix or food processor.
You may also homogenize the peas in a Champion or Green Life juicer with the
blank plate on, and add the other ingredients separately in a bowl.
Add diced tomatoes, then mix well.
If you use frozen peas (organic only), you will have to let them thaw overnight.
Add the dulse powder if you prefer a “smoky” flavor.
Serve with sticks of celery, carrots, peppers, and green vegetables.