| Have you bought the idea that a completely raw | | | | So is the solution for all raw-food enthusiasts to |
| food diet is the ultimate, most logical, best diet for all | | | | move to the tropics? Certainly not! |
| humankind, no matter where they live in the world? | | | | My point is: |
| (Like eskimos eating watermelon...) | | | | - There's no need to demonize cooked food - A diet |
| It seems to me that it's the implied idea transmitted | | | | that includes both raw and cooked food makes a lot |
| by many raw-foodists, raw food website, books and | | | | of sense on many levels. You don't have to eat |
| seminars. | | | | 100% raw. This is really an individual choice based on |
| The idea is: | | | | your health, your location, and your preference. |
| Raw Food is Good, Cooked Food is Evil, and the | | | | - A raw food diet can be unnatural - Eating 100% |
| World Would Be a Better Place If Everyone Ate Only | | | | raw foods in the north can be unnatural and |
| Raw Foods | | | | unsustainable. And for many more reasons that I can |
| OK, I may be exaggerating, but often that's the | | | | expand on in future articles, it's certainly not a |
| general tone of many of the raw food gurus' | | | | solution that can be proposed to the entire world! |
| message. | | | | - If you live in the north, follow the seasons - Many |
| Is it actually true? | | | | people, as summer approaches, have the desire to |
| Would it be possible that the resources required to | | | | include more raw food in their diet. But in the winter, |
| transport those foods would actually make the raw | | | | instead of freezing to death, they choose to |
| food diet fairly unecological, considering the fact that | | | | incorporate more raw, cooked foods. That is |
| eating a diet of bananas and mangoes in Northern | | | | perfectly fine, natural and even desirable for most |
| Canada isn't the most natural choice? | | | | people. |
| How much food do you need as a 100% raw food | | | | Here's a list of some additional tips to enable you to |
| eater? | | | | eat more ecologically and sustainably, while |
| It's fairly well-known that anyone deciding to eat only | | | | incorporating more raw fruits and vegetables in your |
| raw foods in a sustainable way (for health) needs to | | | | diet, no matter where you live: |
| eat a tremendous quantity of fresh fruits and | | | | 1- Freeze Berries and other Fruits in Season - Berries |
| vegetables. | | | | are some of the most nutritious and |
| In order to get enough calories from fruits and | | | | antioxidant-packed foods you can eat. To avoid the |
| vegetables, without using too much raw fat (which | | | | consumption of too much imported foods in the |
| would be detrimental for health), here's the average | | | | winter, I encourage you to freeze a huge quantity of |
| amount of food that's necessary: | | | | ripe, local, organically grown (or wild) fresh berries |
| For a 2000 calorie diet: 10 pounds a day (with peels | | | | when they are in season. I personally freeze a lot of |
| and all) | | | | wild blueberries, which are local. Then, use them |
| For a 3000 calorie diet: 15 pounds a day (with peels | | | | throughout the winter in your recipes. You can thaw |
| and all) | | | | them in advance to avoid the negative effect of |
| I based those numbers on average consumption | | | | consuming cold foods. |
| most 100% raw foodists go through in a typical day | | | | 2- Grow Sprouts - Grow some fresh, toxin-free |
| (those who are not on a detox program!). | | | | sprouts such as clover and sunflower greens, to get |
| So basically, 70 to over 100 pounds of food per | | | | a supply of cheap, fresh, local vegetables in the |
| week! | | | | winter! |
| That's a lot. | | | | 3- Avoid out of Season Fruits - Some fruits may be |
| Where does your food come from? | | | | available in your store, but may actually be out of |
| If we would want to get a more accurate picture on | | | | season in your hemisphere of the world. If you live in |
| the ecological impact that eating a large quantity of | | | | North America, the season for grapes usually ends in |
| imported fruits would have versus a smaller quantity | | | | September or October. Grapes during the winter are |
| of local cooked, animal or grain foods, we would | | | | imported from countries situated in the opposite |
| need to analyze a lot of variables. I haven't been able | | | | hemisphere, such as Chile, where the seasons are |
| to get an accurate estimate from the data that's | | | | reversed. Avoid that! Learn the seasons of different |
| available. | | | | fruits and vegetables and choose to avoid foods |
| But just knowing that most imported fruits come | | | | imported from such far-away places. |
| from fairly far away, and that large quantities are | | | | 4- Make Different Salads and Vegetable Dishes in the |
| necessary on a completely raw food diet, I can draw | | | | Winter - In one of my recipe books, I give different |
| the obvious conclusion that eating this way is not | | | | kinds of salads and dressings depending on the |
| necessarily the most logical, natural and ecological | | | | season. In the winter, I recommend salads made with |
| choice. | | | | cabbage, carrots and other root vegetables. In the |
| Consider that: | | | | summer, I incorporate more lettuce, tomatoes and |
| - Grapes from Chile travel a minimum of 4000 miles | | | | fresh vegetables. You should do the same. |
| to get to you | | | | 5- Shun Exotic Fruits - Exotic fruits such as durian, |
| - Bananas from Costa Rica travel about 2000 miles or | | | | Thai coconuts and litchis can be great to try, but |
| more to get to you | | | | they inevitably come from faraway countries such as |
| - Mangoes from Mexico at least 1000 miles to get to | | | | Thailand. In addition to leaving a huge ecological |
| you | | | | impact for being imported from so far, they are also |
| - And so on... | | | | heavily sprayed with toxic chemicals. Durians are |
| All of the fossil fuels used to transport all of these | | | | particularly notorious for that. Try them for fun, but |
| foods leave an impact, which may offset or even | | | | stick to fruits and vegetables as local as possible - at |
| counter-balance the possible environmental benefits | | | | least from somewhere you could drive to. |
| of choosing a raw vegan diet (which requires less | | | | Finally, I would like to encourage you to continue |
| resources when produced locally), versus a local diet | | | | making the best choices for your health. Sometimes, |
| that would contain both raw, cooked, plant and | | | | that may sometimes mean: |
| possibly even animal foods. | | | | - Eating fresher, locally grown commercial foods |
| It's always been obvious to me that a diet of all raw | | | | instead of less fresh, imported organic foods |
| foods in Canada makes less sense on many levels | | | | - Eating ripe, local commercial food instead of unripe, |
| that one that includes some cooked foods, more | | | | imported organic foods |
| local foods and fewer imported fruits. | | | | - And eating some cooked, warm "local" food instead |
| There's also the fact that these fruits are picked | | | | of just cold imported fruits |
| unripe in many cases, the acidity level is too high and | | | | Lookt at true consequences of your own choices, |
| the nutrient level too low. | | | | and realize that there's not one size that fits all. |