Welcome to a new issue of the Pure Health & Nutrition E-Zine, brought to you by Frédéric Patenaude. Whether you are a vegetarian, a vegan, a raw foodist, or just someone interested in finding out more about diet and nutrition, you will find in Pure Health and Nutrition: lots of food for thought and practical advice.

In this issue

From the editor. Comments & Questions From the Readers. Featured Articles: Seaweed: food or slimy green stuff? Highlights from the next issue.

From the Editor

Dear readers,

Have you checked out the new look of the e-zine? I hope you like it!

Recently, I sent you some information about a new dental health product that I've been wanting to make available to you for many months. This is the result of an ongoing seach about dental health that I've been engaged it for at least 1 year and half. For more information on this product, please check out the ad in this issue.

Next week, I will have a very interesting article for you on the topic of dental health, a contribution of Tom Cornwell of Oramedia who wrote this article especially for you guys. I learned so much from the books that Tom publishes, and I will make this information available also on my website. Tom and I will also be organizing a teleconference on the topic of dental health, and that's to come in October.

I'm trying to answer the questions you've been sending, and the popular Q&A section keeps growing. Next week, we'll have another “Raw Profile” that I hope you'll enjoy.

I enjoy receiving your comments, and always welcome ideas on how to make this e-zine better and better!

Yours for the best health,

Frederic

PS: To tell a friend about this e-zine and my website, go to:
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Comments & Questions From the Readers (That's You!)

WHAT DO YOU EAT?

“What would really help me is to know what you eat, say over 2/3 days so I could judge whether what I am doing is similar to you. It would just be interesting to know anyhow!” Melanie

ANSWER: Sure, let's see if I can outline that for you. What I eat really depends on what's available in season. Here's what I ate yesterday: Morning: a big fruit soup made with cantaloupe, tangerines, pineapple and apple. Then at noon I had a smoothie containing about 6 mangoes and a bunch of purslane (a wild herb). A few hours later I had about 12 red prickly pears. Then dinner was a big salad containing fresh romaine lettuce, arugula, tomatoes... and a dressing made by blending 2 tomatoes, two handfuls of spinach and _ avocado.

Some days are more unusual. For example, today I was caught a little short on food. There were no bananas, mangoes, or other such “filling” fruits left, and I'm not going to town until later this week! So here's what I had: Morning: a fruit soup made with cantaloupe, mango, and tangerine, along with fresh flowers (my girlfriend made it...). Later I had 1 honeydew melon. Later I had a few fresh figs, a bunch of red grapes, and tomatoes from the garden. Then I had some grapes and some greens. I might have the same later on...

Basically, I find that I'm able to have only 2-3 meals a day if I eat enough fruits and vegetables, and especially enough fruits that have a high-caloric content, such as bananas, figs, mangoes, persimmon, jackfruit, durian, etc. If I run short of those foods, then I have to eat more often. But I also find that I can easily go several hours or even a whole day without eating, without “passing out” or experiencing any other discomfort.

WHAT IS “LOW-FAT”?

“Hello Frederic - thanks for the always-thought provoking comments and advice. I really look forward to your newsletters every week! My question, from the last one is:

What is low-fat as opposed to no-fat (which is what it sounds as if you are really espousing) - ? Are you really saying not to eat any fat at all? If you ARE saying a little fat is okay, can you define how much that is on a daily basis, and what any 'good' fats might be?” Sarah Eck

ANSWER: No-fat would be impossible to do because all fruits and vegetables contain a certain percentage of fat naturally, even if you don't taste it. But when we talk about a low-fat diet we mean that there is little added fat in the form of concentrated fatty foods, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, oils, etc.

I've covered this in great depth in my book “The Raw Secrets” as well as in my course “How to End Confusion About Nutrition.” For more information, see http://www.therawsecrets.com, and http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/endconfusion.html

But here's some additional information. Yes, a little fat is okay, in the form of avocados, nuts and seeds, and other fatty foods such as durian and coconuts.

How much fat is “low-fat” really depends on how much food you eat. But I'd say that it's probably much LESS than you imagine. Most people who say think they are on a low-fat diet actually eat over 40% of their calories from fat.

But to give you an example, if you eat 2000 calories per day, which is average for a woman who's not too active, then that would be about _ avocado, or a very small handful of nuts. If you're more active and eat more, then you could increase those quantities.

Remember that the diet should be low in fat “on average”. So that means that some days you could eat a little more fat, and some days you could eat no fat at all - I mean, no concentrated fatty foods. For example, today I won't be eating any concentrated fatty foods - just fruits and vegetables.

GARLIC AND SPICES

“I have some comments on the garlic question. When I started researching raw foods, I was not surprised to find that many experienced raw-fooders recommend no garlic, green onions and stimulating spices. If you look at Aryurvedic dietary guidelines, they restrict those substances for various conditions (I forget which, see any book on Aryurveda).

“ Also, the Bikkhu precepts established by Buddha prohibit consumption of garlic and green onions (as well as consuming anything after mid-day).

“Also, I'm reading the autobiography of Gandhi at the moment. Although I'm not surprised now, I never knew this -he began eating a raw vegan diet, I believe, in his thirties. He also cut out garlic, onions, and spices - in order to support his practice of celibacy. (I'm not sure where Gandhi made this specific connection, he was sharing a lot of information with European vegetarians and also exploring the Indian religious traditions) He cut out salt after awhile, too.

“So back to my point about garlic, onions, and spices. To wonder about their nutrition or toxicity is still a little narrow. Our diet also creates our consciousness. People and traditions who spend a lot of time focused on that know that stimulants will not aid you in elevating your consciousness. It's not necessarily a question of "health." Lesley Eisele

QUESTION ABOUT LIGHTNING SPEED

“Frederic, I really enjoy your newsletter. Keep it coming.

“Have you tried out the Lightning Speed Fitness Program? It just sounds too good to be true! If you do endorse it, though, I will probably get it.” Kim

ANSWER: Yes, I totally endorse it. I'm working on it with a friend of mine, and it's some of the most intensive stuff, but it's really rewarding. It is very simple, but not necessarily “easy”. Try for yourself! If you don't think it's worth it, you can ask for a refund. For more information, go to: Click Here

FOOD COMBINING QUESTION

“Thank you very much for sending this list of food-combing rules, I found it to be very informative. I have been eating raw now for several months, and feel better than ever. I do have a quick question for you. In you rule #2, you state we should not combine acid with starch, for example, a tomato sandwich. However, what is your opinion of making a tomato sandwich, where the starch is made from Ezekiel bread? That's become a staple for me: Ezekiel bread/hummus/spinach/tomatoes.”

ANSWER: In reality, this is not great food combining. But you're the one to judge. If you get gas, or any other signs that digestion isn't optimal, then I suggest leaving out the tomatoes from that mixture. You might even find that Ezekiel bread is hard to digest in itself! Personally, I don't really eat any form of sprouted or cooked grains.

WHAT ABOUT COCONUTS?

“Do young coconuts belong in the raw food diet? I cannot imagine how primitive man could open them without tools. What do you think? Thanks.” Eric Rothwarf.

ANSWER: Yes, young coconuts can be a nice addition to a raw diet. It's possible to open them with only rude tools, such as rocks. I've personally had the experience to try that when I was traveling in tropical countries!

Seaweed: Food or Slimy Green Stuff?

My readers often ask me if seaweed is a healthy food and is it necessary to include it in the diet in order to get enough minerals.

Typically, the reasons people eat seaweeds are:

1- They believe it's good for them.
2- They miss the “salt” taste, and want a natural replacement.

Before I answer the question about whether or not we should eat seaweed, let's first ask ourselves:

What is Seaweed?

The National University of Ireland gives the following definition:

“Seaweeds are marine algae, saltwater dwelling, simple organisms that fall into the rather outdated general category of "plants". Most of them are the red (6000 species), brown (2000 species) or green (1200 species) kinds (...) and most are attached by holdfasts, which just have an anchorage function.”
Generally, when people look at seaweed, they do not view it as “food.” Seaweed doesn't appeal to our senses. It is an “acquired” taste, not an innate one. If you present a variety of natural foods to people of all ages, they are not likely going to jump at a pond of slimy seaweed to eat it!

Eventually, some people get to like it. Personally, I have always found most types of seaweed too “fishy” for my taste. There are just a few that I have liked, and mostly for the salty taste.

I think it's a highly overrated “food” and is certainly not important to have in the diet.

There are several considerations that make seaweed a poor choice for nutrients in the human diet. Although I'm not “against” some occasional consumption of seaweed, I believe there are more reasons to opt for not having it than there are for having it.

The Dry Truth About Seaweed

Out of the thousands of varieties of seaweed on the planet, none are poisonous, but very few are eaten by humans. Most varieties are too tough or unappealing to be eaten.In fact, most types of seaweeds sold have been “tenderized,” which means that they have been boiled for a long period of time. These include the popular hijiki, wakame, and many other varieties.

A few varieties are eaten raw, but rarely fresh. Seaweed is sold dried.

Is Seaweed Vegetarian?

Although seaweed appears to be a vegetarian product, it often contains small fish or other forms of ocean life. I was told by a number of credible sources that there is no such thing as vegan “nori”. The way nori is processed almost inevitably invites various little fish to “join the party” before the seaweed is pressed and sold as nori sheets.

I don't know about you, but when I learned that, nori kind of instantly lost its appeal. Is it any wonder that it smells so fishy?

Seaweed Has a High Mineral Content

Seaweed's high mineral content is one of the main reasons people eat it.

The mineral content of seaweed - measured by their “ashes”, can reach the proportion of 10 to 50%. It means that if you burn seaweed half of the volume of ashes remaining will be composed strictly of minerals.

In comparison, the mineral “ashes” of fruits and vegetables are much lower.

- Apples leave mineral ashes of 0,3%
- Carrots leave mineral ashes of 1%
- Almonds leave mineral ashes of 3%

Personally, I find that “too much” is not any better than “too little.” I actually think the mineral concentration of seaweed, especially sodium chloride, is too high, and that this excess is a burden to our filtering and elimination organs.

Do We Need It?

Mainly, the reason people like seaweed is because it contains a lot of salt. Yes, this salt comes from the ocean, but it's not any better to use than any other type of refined salt. It potentially adds too much sodium to our diet, and this contributes to a large number of health problem, including high blood pressure, which is now epidemic in our society as well as in all other cultures eating high-salt diets

Our sodium requirements are so low that we do not ever need to add any type of concentrated salt to the diet. We know for example that about 90 percent of the salt consumed in the standard American diet is eliminated in the urine, as it is in excess of the body's needs.

There is enough sodium in the fruits and vegetables that we eat to meet all of our needs.*
The so-called benefits of the minerals in seaweed is a curse in disguise. In the end, we're just entertaining our addiction to salt and burdening the body with an excess of minerals, mostly sodium chloride, it must expel.

* The sodium issue will be discussed in a future article.

Seaweed is Contaminated

Seaweed does to the ocean what plants do to our air. They purify it. The downside is that the ocean is much more polluted than our air. Seaweed catches and filters a lot of pollution. Heavy metals, toxic material, and any type of junk that finds its way into our water also has a strong possibility of ending up in your food: in that seaweed that you eat.

The Food Standards Agency even advised people not to eat a type of seaweed called hijiki because of the high levels of arsenic that it contains. There are probably various types of toxins that could end up in the seaweed that you eat, simply because the ocean has never been so polluted and it keeps getting worse.

When seaweed is labeled as “organic,” it simply means that the seaweed has been tested to make sure the levels of heavy metals they contain is not above a certain level judged “problematic.” It doesn't mean that the seaweed doesn't contain any heavy metal. In fact, it would be impossible to make such a claim because seaweed sold is a wild food that comes from the same ocean that everybody knows to be polluted.

This, to me, is probably the biggest argument against regular seaweed consumption.

Seaweed Addiction

It's hard to believe, but some people get addicted to seaweed. I must confess that I have been one of them. I was buying dulse by the pound, and it didn't take me very long to go through it. Even though I was rinsing it to get salt off, I was probably still getting a lot. That's why I liked eating it. It had that concentrated salty flavor, and a certain chewiness reminiscent of foods I'd eaten in the past.

The more I ate dulse, the more I wanted to have dulse, even though I wasn't feeling that great after eating it! While, it wasn't a big addiction to break, at some point I just got sick of it. I decided to really give up salt and since then everything has been working better. My energy has increased, my craving for dulse and salt are gone, and overall I feel much better without it.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that most people do not have to worry about whether or not seaweed is a problem to them, because they rarely eat it. For raw-foodists or vegans who regularly consume seaweed in order to “supplement” their diet, or for those who think they are on a salt-free diet, but simply have replaced the salt shaker with the bag of dulse, it might be time to revise your ideas about seaweed.

You might find, like I do, that an occasional taste of it is perfectly okay. More than that, however, is likely to become problematic.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: Young writer and entrepreneur, Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book “The Raw Secrets” and is known for his no-gimmick, BS-free approach to health and nutrition. To learn more about “The Raw Secrets,” and to read his FR*EE how-to articles and newsletter, visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com

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Coming next week, in “Pure Health & Nutrition”

The principles of excellent oral health: find out how you can keep your teeth for life, without dentists or expensive surgery.

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