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