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