Recently I reviewed an essay on evolution and the human diet and concluded with 4 main ways to improve the modern human diet:
1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake
Unfortunately, modern Americans with their SAD diet are not the only ones guilty of ignoring the lifestyle points above. Many health conscious individuals and their so-called nutritious diets fail as well.
For instance, vegans are known for eating tons of grain-based meals coupled with staggering levels of salt and oil. And while many vegans don't struggle with hyperadiposity, there is definitely no shortage of under-muscled veg-heads.
But what about RAW vegans? Well, it seems that there is much room for improvement amongst this special class of health hobbyists as well.
Salt
The average raw foodist eats too much salt, as well as other spices and condiments. Here's a raw soup recipe I found while scouring the web:
* South River unpasteurized miso
* Tomato concentrate by Premier Research
* Hijiki
* Goji Berries
* Hemp Seeds
* Raw Honey
* Sea Salt (pink himalayan salt is a great option)
* Other seaweed (optional)
* Nutritional flakes (optional)
* Agaricus mushroom powder (optional)
Can this really be considered a recipe? It seems to be made up of flavorings rather than actual nutritious food.
Grains Over Fruits and Vegetables
You would think that most raw foodists would naturally favor ripe fruits and veggies over difficult to digest grains.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many cooked-made-raw recipes, like burgers, wraps, and pizzas, use sprouted grains.
Here's an example of a raw pizza:
* 400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
* 2 medium fresh tomatoes
* ½ a medium sized onion
* 6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
* About 10 leaves of fresh basil
* Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
* 1 clove garlic
* ⅓ cup of olive oil
And while many mainstream raw foodists do eat good amounts of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., they put WAY too little emphasis on sweet fruit. Some even shun fruit completely!
For more on the problem with eating grains, check out my article here.
Exercise
I don't know what it is, but mainstream raw food vegans seem to HATE to exercise...not including meditation and low-intensity yoga, of course. ;)
Actually I DO know why: they don't eat enough calories! It's impossible to find the energy to work up a good sweat when you're living on heavy fats and low-calorie veggies.
This is why it's so common to see super skinny, yet still over-fat and under-muscled raw foodists.
Fat
Here's the big one: raw foodists eat way too many avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils. They're used in salads, soups, salsas, sauces, and even sweet desserts!
ESPECIALLY the desserts! Here are the ingredients for an almond cake recipe:
* 1 cup walnuts
* 2/3 cup almonds
* 1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates
* 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
And that doesn't include the almond creme...
* 1 cup cashews
* 1/3 cup almond milk
* 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
* 3 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons pure almond extract
* 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
...or the whipped creme...
* 3/4 cup almond milk
* 1/2 cup cashews
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 3 tablespoons cacao powder
* 3 tablespoons maple syrup
* 2 teaspoons carob powder
* Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
* Pinch celtic sea salt
* 2 tablespoons melted cacao butter
* 1 tablespoons coconut oil
...that go along with it.
Holy Cannoli!
No wonder so many raw foodists have issues with candida overgrowth.
Raw Rules for Everyone
So yea, unfortunately cooked food lovers are NOT the only ones guilty of dietary sin. But that's okay, because you definitely don't have to follow the trend:
1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake
No matter what your current diet, you will see tremendous health gains by adopting the 4 guidelines above.
Go raw and be fit,
