Frederic Patenaude Raw Foods Diet

Last week I was giving a conference on the raw food diet in Montreal, Canada. This is my home-town, but I haven’t given a talk here in a long time. One reason is that I’m more of a writer than a speaker, but also because even though I’m French Canadian, most of my material is in in English.

The talk I gave was in French this time, at the loft owned by Montreal’s only raw food restaurant, “Crudessence”, and organized by Ildiko Brunner (www.rawinmontreal.com)

The information I presented was in big contrast to what most people are used to hearing on the raw food diet. There was no talk about enzymes, no discussion on the “miracles” of wheatgrass juice, and no promotion for sprouts.

Instead, I showed my proven principles for succeeding on a mostly or completely raw diet, and the mistakes that are commonly made by most people who try out this lifestyle.
I explained that the raw food diet is like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be extremely powerful and beneficial. On the other hand, it can harm you and hurt you if you don’t do it properly.

It’s not that fruits and vegetables are dangerous… but the incomplete advice people often get from books on the raw food diet will lead many people to new health problems they didn’t have before!

Twelve years ago, the same thing happened to me. I was in perfect health, then went raw, and started getting sick! I had no energy, and felt like my vitality had been sucked from my body. Why did this happen? I just subscribed to the philosophy of “as long as it’s raw, you should eat it. If it’s cooked, don’t it eat.”

It took me many years to learn to do it properly… and even though many people have read my books and others describing those common mistakes, I see people making them over and over again!

7 or 8 years ago, I was very active in the Montreal raw food community, when I lived there. I hosted many potlucks, and attended most of the other potlucks by other raw-foodists.

At my talk last week, even though we had a full house, I saw NONE of those same people again. Are they still raw-foodists? I seriously doubt it.

It seems that after 5 to 10 years, the raw-food community completely renews itself and the people that used to do it have either dropped it, or are doing something different. New people are coming on board, and the same cycle starts again.

I’ve seen the same thing happen everywhere.

People don’t stick with this program because the way raw food is taught by most people simply doesn’t make sense and doesn’t work!

In my talk, I explained exactly why that happens, and how you can make the raw food diet work in practice.

HINT: a lot of it is about following basic nutritional principles that every nutritionist knows, but most people think no longer apply to eating raw.

Big mistake!

In the Q&A session, people asked me about all kinds of things.

For example:

“What do you think about sprouting?”

“What do you think of superfoods?”

“Do we need to eat organic foods”?

I explained that all of these things, in the right context, can have some value but their importance is quite secondary in the whole picture.
Focus on applying the principles of a low-fat, raw vegan diet first, and THEN, and ONLY then, can you worry about more “advanced” things like eating organic, or maybe sprouting some seeds in the winter to have some fresh vegetables.

People tend to focus all of their attention on these little details that make literally no difference in the beginning and forget the whole picture!

In the grand scheme of things, starting and maintaining a successful exercise program will be 1000% more effective than just worrying whether everything you eat is organic, or whether every food they eat is a “super” food or not.

But few people want to hear this!

In the beginning of my talk, I asked people:

“How many of you would like to have a simple, powerful way to increase your vitality and improve your health without using supplements and products that often don’t work?”

Everybody said yes.
Then, just for fun, I asked:

“How many of you would prefer that I just sell you a magic pill instead?”

It made people laugh, and only one person raised their hand, but quickly said they were joking. But in reality, this is what people want!

If I could buy a magic pill that would transform my health with no effort, I would do it without a second thought, and stop talking about this raw-food non-sense!

But in reality, it doesn’t work like that. At least, not without side-effects…

The raw food diet can be incredibly powerful. But it can also destroy your health, if you do it improperly.

The best thing to do is master one important principle at a time. For example, I always tell people it’s more important to eat a low-fat, vegan diet than just eat raw.

Master that level first… and then move on to the rest by making your diet more raw.

If you want to get started immediately and increase your health and vitality with the raw food diet, while avoiding all of the common mistakes people make, get your copy of the Raw Health Starter Kit, my most complete raw food program, at:

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

It contains everything you need, and more. And, if you don’t like it, you can return it so you have everything to gain by giving it a try.

I will be giving more talks in Europe in the next few months and I will post excerpts on my blog as well. Stay tuned!

Yours for health and success,

Frederic

PS: The Raw Health Starter Kit includes my book “The Raw Secrets”, my recipe book “Instant Raw Sensations”, my “un-cooking” set of DVDs, my new book “The Raw Vegan Coach”, and more! Take a look at what’s available and get your copy at:

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

Pictures From Seminar

Have you heard of the 80-20 rule? You probably have. If you haven’t, it’s pretty simple and powerful:

An Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto came up with what is known as the “Pareto principle” in the 19th century.

What he found was that:

80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population

He discovered that this disparity was widespread. For example, he observed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas!

———————————-
Quick Update:

I’m currently giving away $1200 worth of products as part of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club introductory offer.

This includes my book “Healthy Salad Dressings” and five other recipe books, hundreds of dollars worth of videos, over 12 hours of interviews with raw food gurus with transcripts, and more.

This offer will be changed or removed within the next few days. Make sure you get your own package at:

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

Later the Pareto Principle has been expanded to business, and it’s commonly understood in business that:

- 80% of your sales will come from 20% of customers

Or computer programmers know that if they fix 20% of the most commonly reported bugs, they in turn fix 80% of the crashes.

In health and in life, I’ve also found the Pareto principle in action. But instead of being 80-20, the proportion seemed to be even more extreme, more like 95-5.

Here are some observations:

- Only 5% of the things you can do could bring you 95% of your long-term health and happiness.

- We generally spend 95% of our time on things that bring us no real long-term results!

Generally, we spend too much time on little things that don’t matter that much, and not enough time on things that REALLY matter.

And what’s crazy is that almost every single health author out there wants you to believe that this 95% that only brings you 5% of your results is SO important. And they make you forget about the 5% that really matters.

What’s this 5% that really matters? Here are some of my finding:

- Your diet. Mostly or all raw. Low fat, fruits and vegetables —  avoiding grains, meat, dairy, refined foods, oils and salt.

- Your exercise program — getting in at least 30-45 minutes a day on average and paying attention to all elements of fitness (cardio, strength, flexibility, etc.)

- Your sleep — Getting enough (usually 7+hours for most people).

- Access to clean water, pure air, getting enough sunshine, etc.

- Avoiding drugs and stimulants —- prescribed, or illegal. Including coffee, cacao, alcohol, etc.

Emotional poise, healthy relationships, love, etc.

- Eliminating stress from your life

- Expressing your creativity, your talents, doing something you love

There are a few more — these are called the “essential aspects of life”. And these are the things that really count! This is the 5% that gives you 95% of your results.

But what do other authors want you to spend your time on? Largely on unproven practices and techniques, and little things that can bring you tiny benefits, but nothing in comparison to the “big guns”.

Here’s a few of these possibly time-wasting health practices:

- Seeking a particular kind of “special” water

- Many superfoods and supplements

- Insisting on consuming all-organic foods, while taking other drugs and stimulants

- Walking barefoot on the grass at dawn

- Eating clay

- Seeking organic beef, organic fish, organic dairy (instead of not consuming these products in the first place)

- Drinking wheatgrass juice, without changing the rest of your diet

- Drinking your own urine

- Using colloidal silver

- Getting your mercury fillings removed (for the most part, it can be more dangerous to remove them)

- Ear candling

- Powdered vegetable mixtures

- Supplemental enzymes

- Colonics and enemas

The list is endless actually. Most of these practices are either unproven, and some can be downright dangerous. Some of them can be beneficial, but the benefits are so small compared to the essential elements of life I mentioned previously.

But the main thing is that they distract you from what’s *really important*, which is the 5% that makes all the difference!

Are you getting distracted?

Are you spending your time and energy researching things that don’t really make a difference?

Instead of spending your afternoon researching on the Internet about the latest supplement that could *possibly* improve your health, why not go for a hike?

Instead of spending $300 a month on “superfoods”, why not hire a personal trainer to get you in shape? Or spend that money on fruits and vegetables?

Why not actually make some changes that will *really* make a difference?

And by the way, the reason why these things are not popular is that most people already know about them, but are not doing them!

Focus on the 5% that matters, and health will follow.

Yours for health and success,

Frederic

PS: Did you get your hands on our “Raw Food Package?” I’m currently giving away $1200 worth of products as part of my Raw Vegan Mentor Club introductory offer.

This includes my book “Healthy Salad Dressings” and five other recipe books, hundreds of dollars worth of videos, over 12 hours of interviews with raw food gurus with transcripts, and more.

This offer will be changed or removed within the next few days. Make sure you get your own package at:

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

Opening my Bag of Hatemail!

- In this issue

- What’s Wrong With Wheatgrass?

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

Dear raw-food enthusiast,

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

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

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

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

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

http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

Frederic

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

http://tinyurl.com/mjq7r4

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

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

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

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

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

Wheatgrass: Nature’s Perfect Food?

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

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

Jamba Juice sells it.

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

Why would you want to drink such a nasty beverage?

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

1-Chlorophyll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2-Enzymes

Perhaps you should drink wheatgrass juice for enzymes?

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

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

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

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

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

3- Most Nutritious Food

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

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

Wheatgrass Juice (1 ounce)

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

Raw Spinach (2 pounds)

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

Raw Carrots (2 pounds)

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

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

Eating Olives

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

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

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

How Much Protein is Enough?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-  Frederic’s Update

-  Feature Article “Do You Have to be All Raw?”

Today I will give you my all-time, best strategy for eating more raw and experience thriving health and energy with a high-fruit diet, one bite at a time.

But first, a quick reminder, for those of you interested in making a living doing what you love.

The special for my course “How to Write and Sell Your Own eBooks in 24 hours or Less” ends in just a few hours.

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

This is my complete course about making a full-time income writing eBooks sharing and spreading the word about health or whatever your passion may be.

If you sign up this time around, you will automatically receive my $497 program “The List Building eCoaching”, where you’ll learn to build a list of 10,000 subscribers in 6 months or less.

This is the only time I will offer this program as a bonus. After that, it will cost $497 to join.

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

Special event: Quebec, Canada

On the weekend of April 25th, I will be giving a 2-hour presentation in French on the raw food diet and raw food cuisine at the Voluntary Simplicity Congress in Quebec, Canada. This is a two-day event on a very interesting topic, and I am the only speaker on the raw food diet there. If you are interested, find out more information (in French) at: http://www.simplicitevolontaire.org

Do You Have to Be All-Raw? Meet “The Banana Wall” I just came back from a weekend with a couple of new “raw” friends I just met. As always, I’m always blown away by how GREAT people look in the low-fat, high-fruit raw vegan crowd. They are slim, but fit and muscular. Their eyes are glowing. They have energy and vitality, and clarity. I honestly couldn’t say the same of the low-fruit, wheatgrass juice/sprouting crowd, who as a whole, look like they could use a little “forbidden fruit”. But going back to my story, often when you meet new raw people the topic turns to “are you 100% raw”? Some people claim to eat 100% raw, and have done it for a certain number of years. Upon further inquiry, many of those people admit that a few times during that time, they did cheat on some cooked food. Others are 100% raw, all-the-time, count-on-it. And the vast majority are 100% raw, most of the time, with “cheats” a few times a month. Because it’s the OVERALL lifestyle that is important, they still get great benefits. For everybody, it’s a process of evolution. You learn as you go along, and you improve along the way. At some point comes the realization that diet alone is not everything, so you start paying attention to building a strong fitness program, getting sunshine regularly, getting enough sleep, finding your purpose in life, and paying attention to the other requirements of a healthy life. So do you NEED to eat 100% raw? Rather than answer than question directly, I will instead answer the more important question: How can you eat more raw? The biggest issue everyone who is getting started on the raw food diet is facing is that of TRANSITION. How do you go from where you are now to a completely raw food diet (with or without cheats), while enjoying the process? I’ve always said that everyone should learn to make 7 to 10 raw food recipes they TRULY enjoy. Even on a standard cooked diet, most people eat the same kinds of foods every day. We are creatures of routine. Once we find something we like, it’s easy to stick with the program. When I was in high school, I learned one day how to make tuna sandwiches. I liked them so much that I ate them almost every day for lunch for a long time. When I first started the raw food diet, I had no idea what foods I could make. Every recipe I tried was just “so-so” and nothing could sustain me for very long. Since then, I have learned some simple recipes and patterns of eating that satisfy me day after day. Every successful person I know follows some kind of PATTERN. They vary their diet throughout the year, but often they’ll eat the same delicious foods every day, while changing the recipe regularly depending on ingredients that are available. So here’s my super-simple, transition strategy to eat MORE RAW: Step #1 — Eat a raw breakfast The first step is the easiest. Eat a 100% raw breakfast. Discover a few recipes that you like. For me, breakfast is pretty open. Sometimes I’ll have a green smoothie, sometimes just some fruit, sometimes just a fruit smoothie. Try out many different fruit recipes that are easy to make, until you find the one you really like for breakfast. Or eat your favorite fruit! Step #2 — Eat a raw lunch The raw lunch takes a bit more commitment, but it’s also very easy. You just have to accept the fact that it’s perfectly okay to eat a lunch of just fruit. Because lunch should be the largest meal of the day, it’s often easier to have a smoothie that can pack in the calories. The quantities will depend on your needs, and whether or not you’re trying to lose weight. All of my lunches usually center around bananas. Why? Because they are always around, they are non-acidic, high in calories, and very nutritious and versatile in the kitchen. One great smoothie I love is: Bananas + papaya flesh, blended together, with some water and if desired a bit of ice Or bananas blended with water and some berries of your choice. Again, you have to try out many different ideas until you find the one you like. You may also want to accompany your meal with some celery or lettuce, or have a green smoothie for lunch. The ideal lunch should leave you satisfied for at least 3 hours. If it doesn’t, then you simply didn’t eat enough. Step #3 — Start dinner with fruit If you’re trying to lose weight, you will want to skip this step. But if you’re at your ideal weight and active, then you’ll want to start your dinner with some fruit. Juicy and acidic fruits are great: fresh pineapple, oranges, peaches, mangoes, etc. This usually is the part that most people resist. After having fruit for breakfast AND lunch… they feel like it’s “too much sugar” to have fruit for dinner as well. But the truth is… if they are active enough and eat a dinner without fruit, invariably at the end of the meal they will crave something sweet, and end up binging on dates and nuts. I understand it doesn’t FEEL natural to eat fruit for dinner. But it’s only because you are not USED to it. After a while it will feel as natural as anything. Step #4 — Follow your fruit with a vegetable soup In these progressive steps, you are free to eat whatever you like after eating the required foods for the steps. But once you take on another step, then obviously there’s little space available for the rest. After you get used to eating fruit before your dinner, then follow that fruit with a delicious, fat-free vegetable soup. I’ve been making this soup almost EVERY DAY for at least a year, and I never get tired of it because it’s so good. I’ve made this soup for many raw-foodists who had never tasted it, and they all swore it was one of the most delicious things they had ever tried. In my upcoming DVD series, I explain in detail how to make a low-fat vegetable soup. For now, here are two variations of the recipe: Variation #1 1 large tomato 1 large mango, only the flesh 1 handful basil Blend Variation #2 1 large tomato 1 mango, only the flesh 1 cucumber, peeled and diced Fresh dill A couple of green onions, or celery Blend slowly (not completely) When I’m in Costa Rica, I always add tamarillos (tree tomato), which looks like a cross between a tomato and a kiwi, and has a wonderful flavor. The idea with these soups is to mix vegetable fruits, sweet fruit and fresh herbs. No fat is used or needed. In my upcoming Raw Vegan DVD Series, I explain in details how to make these soups. Step #5: Follow the fruit and soup with some kind of salad or blended salad. Here you create a salad of your choice with a dressing of your choice, with or without fat. Here you really need to find recipes you love, and would almost never get tired of eating. If you like simple stuff, you can munch on plain lettuce or spinach, with optional avocado. At this point, most people are pretty full and won’t need anything more. But if you are still hungry, have some steamed vegetables, or anything else you desire. Step #6 — Go all raw! The last step in the series is to eliminate the last bits of cooked foods that you’re regularly eating. Pretty simple? This transition plan works great because you replace cooked calories with raw calories, without relying on excessive quantities of fat to do it. Please share your favorite recipes in the comments (try to only include low-fat, hygienic recipes)!

This might make me a few enemies, but I believe that 99% of supplements and “superfoods” on the market are an absolute waste of money.

It seems like every time you turn your head, someone is offering the latest and greatest “beauty enhancing” or “breakthrough” superfood or supplement.

But what if I told you something shocking yet so simple to understand: there’s no “food” that arrives in a bottle, having been made in a factory and sold in powdered form, that will ever compare in terms of “super-nutrition” to fresh fruits and vegetables.

But still, almost every day I get an e-mail that says, “what do you think of __________” (fill in the blank with whatever supplement or superfood is now being promoted as the latest “amazing” product).

Although it would take forever to review every product on the market, let’s review some popular supplements and superfoods that, in my opinion, are an absolute waste of money.

Green Powder

Almost every supplement company has a variation of the “green powder,” which is basically a powder made with dried grass, dried grass juices or dried vegetables and possibly algae. This powder is supposed to make your body more alkaline and give you nutrition you can’t find elsewhere.

First, I would say that grass powder is not a worthy food and anyone growing grass and turning it into a powder and making a lot of money selling it is really laughing their way to the bank at the expense of unknowing customers. Even if it’s called “wheatgrass”, it’s still grass.

A powder of vegetables or algae can never compare in nutritional value to fresh vegetables, even if those vegetables are not organic.

The real superfoods are dark green vegetables such as spinach, romaine lettuce, black kale, parsley, celery, arugula, and so on.

With the use of “green smoothies” made with *fresh* green vegetables and fruit, anyone can obtain superior nutrition in a few minutes a day (ruling out the argument that people don’t have “time” to eat well).

Green smoothies and fresh raw greens literally put these green powders to shame. For a free mini-course on the power of green smoothies, go to: http://www.greenforlifeprogram.com

Protein Powder

Another all-time favorite of supplement companies is protein powder, in all its forms. There’s the ultra-refined soy protein powder, we’ve got whey protein, rice protein, and now a less refined hemp protein.

But the idea is the same: that somehow, no matter how much food you eat, there’s still a chance you might not get enough protein, so therefore you should consume protein in a concentrated, powdered form.

This idea is especially popular among body-builders and gym-goers. It’s interesting to note that starting from the Greek gymnasiums two and a half thousand years ago through the ages of gladiators and modern gymnastics, men and women of all ages have been able to build magnificent, muscular bodies eating nothing more than simple foods and without the use of protein powders.

This is a classic example of how you can market a product by first “creating a problem” that doesn’t exist.

Nutrition textbooks teach that you can get all the protein you need as long as you consume enough calories from whole foods, even if all you eat is fruits and vegetables.

Noni Juice

Although this discussion could lead me to cover any possible supplement or superfood among the thousands of products available, I think you’re starting to get my point.

I’ll just finish with an example of a “superfood” called noni and sold as “noni juice.”

The noni is a fruit that’s been used for centuries in Polynesia for its alleged medicinal properties. But there is very limited scientific evidence to support these properties.

When I visited Tahiti last winter, I was on the tiny island of Huahine and had the chance to try real noni juice from a local Tahitian couple who made the juice from their own fruit tree.

Let me tell you that it was the most disgusting, horrible concoction that I ever had in my entire life!

Obviously, the noni is not a natural food for humans, as there is no way anyone would want to consume it unless they thought it had some medicinal value.

My Tahitian friends explained how they prepare the noni juice. They put all these unappetizing, weird-smelling noni fruits in a jar and then let the thing ferment for several days.

Then the fermented juice that oozes out of the fruits and reeks like the juice that’s formed at the bottom of a trash container, is what they drink.

Now American companies have had the great idea of adding a bunch of sugar to this awful tasting Tahitian folk remedy juice, making up a fantastic story around it, throwing in some questionable science and selling millions of dollars worth of the stuff to gullible people.

Listen closely: it’s completely absurd to think that one food can be a universal remedy for all our ills. We need nutrients from different sources and Nature isn’t so capricious as to put everything in one place.

We’re meant to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, drink pure water and have a healthy lifestyle with lots of exercise and healthy relationships and positive thoughts.

All the rest is marketing and hype.

Of course, you are free to believe what you want about noni juice and other kinds of superfoods available on the market.

But do yourself a favor and make the decision to try for yourself what the study and experience of natural hygiene and health through a pure raw-based diet can do for you.