| In this article, Rick Dina shares on two main raw food | | | | natural." Well, we don't live in a perfect world and we |
| camp philosophies and the pluses and minuses of | | | | need to take the world the way it is and do the best |
| each. Rick Dina has been a raw foodist for over 20 | | | | we can to be as healthy as possible. |
| years. Rick is a chiropractor and teaches a series | | | | So I don't think we should be afraid of fat, but I |
| called The Science of Raw Nutrition as well. | | | | don't think we should be afraid of fruit either. We can |
| Kevin: All right. Let's close this out by talking about | | | | get moderate amounts of each. Some fruits, lots of |
| the different raw food philosophies and I don't want | | | | vegetables, lots of greens, a few avocados and nuts |
| to say which ones are the best, but what are some | | | | and seeds. For most people that seems to be a |
| of the plusses and minuses of each one. | | | | pretty good balanced plan. |
| Rick: That's a great question because so many | | | | Kevin: What about supplementation? I know natural |
| people get excited about raw food but then as they | | | | hygienists-- |
| start to get into it more they notice that there's two | | | | Rick: Are really down on it. |
| primary camps which in some ways are diametrically | | | | Kevin: Does Hippocrates talk about supplementation? |
| opposed to each other and it's really tough to know | | | | Rick: They do. The Hippocrates camp they all tend to |
| exactly what to do. On the one hand you've got the | | | | agree that vitamin B12 supplements are important. |
| natural hygiene camp which is one of the traditional | | | | They're up on the current research. I think that's |
| raw food camps that says you should eat plenty of | | | | really commendable. They're very much in general |
| fruit, a few vegetables and there's a whole other | | | | into all the green food type supplements - the |
| lifestyle philosophy that goes along with that. | | | | grasses, the algaes and those type of things. I think |
| Whereas there's the other side, the Hippocrates, | | | | a lot of those are beneficial but I do have to say |
| Anne Wigmore-type side and other folks that | | | | sometimes, in my opinion, people get so into "I've |
| promote that, that really look down on fruit. People | | | | got to take this supplement for this and this |
| just don't know what to do. They argue with each | | | | supplement for this," and it gets real complicated, |
| other and there's the classic debates. The hygiene | | | | whereas I can appreciate the hygiene point of view |
| people say, "You guys eat too much fat." "No we | | | | that says, "Look, if you live as healthfully as possible |
| don't. You're eating too much fruit it's feeding yeast | | | | you're not going to need to have all those |
| and candida and causing cancer." And all this other | | | | complications." |
| stuff. | | | | So what I do is I do take a B12 supplement and I |
| I personally think that there are plusses and minuses | | | | use Vitamineral Green and occasionally some type of |
| to both approaches. My personal diet, I mentioned | | | | algae or seaweed or something. That seems to be |
| my typical day earlier, I just basically eat fruit and | | | | working pretty well for me. I'm not against |
| greens all during the day and have a huge salad with | | | | supplements but I think that supplements should be |
| some nut and seed-based dressing in the evening. | | | | just that, supplemental, to complement a healthy diet |
| That, for me at least, seems to work really well. | | | | program. Don't be a supplementarian and eat a few |
| Now what I do agree with on the natural hygiene | | | | things on the side. [laughs] |
| side is that if you're eating mostly sprouts and | | | | Kevin: Things like systemic enzymes and digestive |
| vegetables, we talked about before that vegetables | | | | enzymes, is that something that you think is |
| have on average about 100 calories per pound, now | | | | important? |
| as enthused as you might be about raw food you | | | | Rick: I think digestive enzymes can be very helpful. |
| might get 4 pounds of vegetables in you per day, | | | | Clearly when we cook our food we deactivate the |
| maybe 5. It takes about a pound to fill up your | | | | enzymes and then our body has to make its own |
| stomach. So that's 4 or 500 calories. Most people | | | | enzymes and as Dr. Edward Howe and others have |
| need 1800 or 2000, if you're active 3, 4, 5,000 | | | | hypothesized that draws upon our metabolic |
| calories. So you needto eat some things that are | | | | enzymes. I do think it makes sense when you eat |
| more calorically dense. Fruit on average has about | | | | some cooked food to use some digestive enzymes |
| 300 calories per pound. Bananas are a little less | | | | to help replace what should be there in the food in |
| watery, a little richer, great to make banana ice | | | | the first place. Even if someone's eating a real dense |
| cream out of, they have about 400 calories per | | | | raw meal - a bunch of stuff from the dehydrator, a |
| pound. So eating fruit is a way to supply more | | | | bunch of oil - I think digestive enzymes can help in |
| calories. If you're not eating much fruit then and | | | | that regard as well. There's plenty of cooked meals |
| you're staying all raw what you're left with is either | | | | that are easier to digest than plenty of raw meals, |
| things from the dehydrator or nuts and seeds and | | | | depending on what the choice is. Steamed |
| avocados and things that are high in fat. So if you | | | | vegetables are easier to digest than a coconut pie. |
| can only get about 400 calories from vegetables and | | | | Kevin: Or a raw lasagna. |
| you need to eat 2,000, most of the rest of that is | | | | Rick: I might have one enzyme tablet with the |
| coming from fat. So I do agree with the natural | | | | steamed vegetables and three or four with the raw |
| hygiene camp on that view that if you're totally | | | | pie. I do think they can be helpful. I ran out of my |
| avoiding fruit but staying all raw, if you get enough | | | | supply a few years ago and haven't replaced it yet |
| calories you just end up with the majority of your | | | | but I think if you have them around they can be |
| calories from fat. Even though it's unsaturated, it's | | | | beneficial. |
| protective, it's healthier fat, there's some essential | | | | Kevin: You've been doing raw food for 20 some odd |
| fats, in my personal experiment and from what I've | | | | years now. |
| seen from personal experience from what I've seen | | | | Rick: Twenty-one. |
| with many other people over the years, they're just | | | | Kevin: What do you think is the key to success? |
| not feeling as vital and vibrant and healthy and lively | | | | Rick: The key to success I think is applying all the |
| as they could eating that much fat. Even healthy fat | | | | principles of health and not just diet. What I always |
| is harder to digest than protein and carbohydrates. | | | | say is raw versus cooked is one issue in your diet |
| The Hippocrates camp I'll agree with some of their | | | | and diet is one issue in overall health. The key I think |
| criticisms toward natural hygiene. Greens and sprouts | | | | is just eating primarily fresh fruits and vegetables, |
| are so important, not only lettuce and celery but we | | | | whether you like more fruit or more greens, |
| need to eating kale and collards and bokchoy and | | | | depending on which camp you prefer, that should be |
| some of the grasses and the algaes are really | | | | the foundation. You want to make sure that you get |
| important to add to our diet. I would agree with that. | | | | enough sleep. You want to make sure you have a |
| Greens are the star of the show. Greens compared | | | | positive attitude. You've got to move the body and |
| to fruit calorie for calorie are far more mineral rich. | | | | get some exercise whether it's running, soccer, the |
| They're an excellent source of essential fatty acids. | | | | gym, biking, whatever you enjoy, walking. And just |
| They supply chlorophyll which has a number of | | | | trying to keep all that in balance. |
| beneficial effects in our bodies. And those are all | | | | If there's one key to nutrition I would say it's light |
| really important things. | | | | eating, focusing on fresh, water-rich, fiber-rich fruits |
| So I think a combination of eating a reasonable | | | | and vegetables. The less energy your body has to |
| amount of fruit to get enough calories without eating | | | | use for digestion the more you're going to have |
| too much fat is a good idea. I think you want to eat | | | | available for cleansing, healing, repairing and vitality. |
| lots and lots of greens. And if you want to juice your | | | | Kevin: Great. Well Rick, thank you for being on the |
| greens to get more greens in your system I think | | | | program. I appreciate it. |
| that's great. The natural hygiene camp would say, | | | | Rick: All right. Very good. I appreciated being here. |
| "Well, we don't have juicers in nature that's not | | | | |