I went to the dentist last week for a regular cleaning, and received some bad news. I was told that I have 3 cavities—small cavities, but nevertheless, they are cavities. This is rather upsetting to me, since I've only had 2 cavities in my entire life, before beginning a raw food diet. Three cavities in less than one year is not good.

I remember Frederic Patenaude writing about how raw foodists often have dental problems, and his own personal struggles with cavities. Apparently, the acid in fruit can cause erosion of tooth enamel and contribute to faster rates of decay. Frederic Patenaude has suggested rinsing your mouth with water after eating any fruit. Unfortunately, I have not been very diligent with this practice (and now I am paying for it).

According to a study conducted by the Department of Operative and Preventive Dentistry at Justus Liebig University, raw food vegans have an increased risk of dental erosions…

Compared to the control group, subjects living on a raw food diet had significantly more dental erosions. Only 2.3% of the raw food group (13.2% of the controls) had no erosive defects, whereas 37.2% had at least one tooth with a moderate erosion (55.2% of the controls) and 60.5% had at least one tooth with a severe erosion (31.6% of the controls). Within the raw food group no significant correlation was found between nutrition or oral health data and the prevalence of erosions. Nevertheless, the results showed that a raw food diet bears an increased risk of dental erosion compared to conventional nutrition."

To make sure I don't develop any more cavities…

• I have started brushing my teeth after every meal. I will not let sugar from fruit sit on my teeth for long periods of time.
• I have started eating greens with my fruit. I think this may help to neutralize (or counterbalance) some of the acid from the fruit.
• I have scheduled 3 yearly dental cleanings—once every four months. This will help me recognize and respond to potential problems early. Previously, I had been visiting the dentist once per year because I am not very fond of doctors (i.e. traditional medicine doctors). Side point: Did you know that doctors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.?

I encourage anyone who eats a high percentage of raw food to keep a close watch on your teeth, schedule regular dental cleanings, and brush after every meal. I would also suggest eating more whole foods, instead of juicing. Blending is better (in my opinion) than juicing because it retains the pulp, skin and fiber of the fruit.

Also, find a dentist who does not use amalgam fillings. See my next post on the dangers of amalgam fillings.

A new raw food website for Australians has just been created by Paul Benhaim, a living food lifestyle coach.

According to the website, Alive Foods is Australia's information portal to everything RAW.

The site includes information about detoxification, detox and health retreats including meditation, relaxation, nutrition, raw living food preparation, seminars, lectures and raw food cooking schools.

This is interesting. There was a Chocolate in the Raw class taught last Saturday by Jeff Rogers, of Naughty Vegan in Seattle. Recently, there seems to be a lot of controversy over whether raw cacao is healthy and beneficial for you. Everybody seems to be promoting cacao (also known as "raw chocolate") as "healthy."

Opponents claim that raw cacao produces an acidic residue (thus, not an alkaline ash) in the body and that it's addicting because it contains theobromine. David Wolfe and Shazzie are in favor of raw cacao, since they just published a book together called, Naked Chocolate. Paul Nison and Frederic Patenuade, on the other hand, seem to think that raw cacao can be dangerous.

In his most recent newsletter, Paul Nison had this to say about raw cacao…
"And while I’m on the topic of my new book, I will expose the truth about the cacao craze. BOTTOM LINE: CACAO IS DANGEROUS! It is another addicting food that is setting people up for a big down fall.

Adding fuel to the fire, Frederic Patenaude writes this about cacao and raw chocolate…

Many of my readers have been asking me what I think of the whole raw cacao craze. For those who don't know, raw cacao beans are now sold by different raw-food companies as the latest 'superfood.' Cacao beans are traditionally roasted and used to make chocolate. Now, raw-foodists have found a raw version of the beloved bean and are apparently using it for its magical properties.

First, let me start by explaining what my own personal use of cacao is. I've known for a long time that cacao is a stimulant. Not as strong as coffee, but its stimulating 'qualities' are easy to spot when your body is not used to eating such foods. Because of this, I often used carob powder in my recipes. Carob powder is made from a fruit and has a taste that reminds of chocolate. It is naturally sweet. Instead of being a stimulant, carob is a mineral rich food and has a calming effect. So, like most raw-foodists, I used carob powder in my recipes. But, then one day, I decided to use cacao powder. I figured: if I'm going to make something that tastes like chocolate, why not use the real thing? I've noticed that cacao has a stimulating effect, but since I was using it occasionally (i.e. less than once a month) and just for fun in some recipes, I was not too bothered by that little indiscretion. However, I never considered it to be a health food.

Now, cacao beans are sold to us at an exorbitant price under the assumption that it's one of the best things we could ever eat. I couldn't disagree more.

First of all, cacao beans are not really food. If you found them in nature, you wouldn't eat the seeds. You would eat the fruit, which is apparently delicious, and throw away the seeds. Even if you wanted to eat the seeds, they would not taste like chocolate. In order for the cacao seeds to taste like chocolate and become the cacao beans that we know, they have to be fermented first. They are fairly bitter, indicating the presence of a poison. And when I say a 'poison,' I'm not making this up. Just do a little research and you'll discover that cacao contains many chemicals with a stimulating effects, such as theobromine and caffeine.

A popular article on raw cacao beans claims that cacao "increase(s) your focus and alertness and contains nutrients to keep you happy." My answer to that is the same as has been said and is being said about coffee. The fact is that what people actually confuse with "alertness" is actually an adrenal response to the stress that the body has to deal with when eliminating the toxins found in cacao beans. What you get is NOT energy. What you experience as energy is actually your body working hard to establish balance (homeostasis) again! It's like whipping a horse. Eventually, it will fall down.

Here's an excerpt from Neal Barnard's book, Breaking the Food Seduction…

Researchers at the University of Michigan brought out the truth about chocolate. In a research study, they gave 26 volunteers a drug called 'noxalone.' They then offered them a tray filled with Snicker's Bars, M&Ms, chocolate chip cookies, and Oreos. Normally, these snacks would have quickly disappeared. But, the drug knocked out the desire for chocolate. A candy bar was not much more exciting than a crust of dry bread.

Noxalone is an opiate blocker. That is, it stops heroin, morphine, and other narcotics from affecting the brain. And, it blocks the effects of chocolate, too. This research study showed that chocolate's appeal does not come from its creamy texture or deep brown color. Chocolate stimulates the same part of the brain that morphine acts on. For all intents and purposes, chocolate is a drug — not necessarily a bad one and not a terribly strong one, but strong enough, nonetheless, to keep us coming back for more."

Many people would argue that when cacao is not cooked, these chemicals do not have the same effect on the body. But yet, those same people actually admit to eating cacao beans for their stimulating effect! Many people have reported not being able to fall asleep if they eat cacao beans late at night and that they are still looking for the "best" time of the day to eat them. Others tell me that when they eat cacao beans, they get so much energy, but then have a 'down' later on. Does that remind you of something?

If you like the taste, you could use some cacao once in a while in a recipe. But don't fool yourself into thinking that there's somehow something really good about this. Personally, I would consider using cacao when making a special desert for a special occasion. I don't recommend eating cacao otherwise. I don't find anything special in it. I don't buy the whole raw cacao craze and I don't think it is worth the price that is charged for it.

Remember: A rose by any other name is … just as thorny.

***

So, who should you believe? Well, you'll have to make your own decision. However, be careful if you choose to eat cacao. Try only a small amount first, and make sure you have no negative reactions to it.

Interesting article on how to stay on a Raw Food Diet.

Staying on Raw & Living Foods: How to Avoid/Minimize Backsliding
by Tom Billings

Following a raw or living foods diet can be difficult, given the general stress of living in modern times, and the prevalence of junk food and cooked food. One is often tempted to take the path of least resistance, which is usually junk or processed foods.

Additionally, raw and living foods are cleansing diets, which means the body is slowly cleansing itself of toxins, which can cause cravings for inappropriate foods previously eaten. Also, other physical symptoms of detox, like headache, stomach pains, can make the dietary transition uncomfortable, which may (indirectly) enhance cravings for the temporary "comforts" of inappropriate foods.

Listed below are some things [you] can do to avoid backsliding. Others are invited to comment on this list and make additional suggestions.

A. Direct Actions

1. Avoid temptation:
Avoid temptations whenever possible. If you are going to the store for produce and you feel a craving for candy, then stay away from the candy section! Don't read, watch, or listen to anything that tempts you to eat inappropriate food (to the extent possible).

2. Think of the consequences:
If you are feeling cravings or being tempted to eat something bad, stop and think about the negative effect the bad food will have on your health, and your peace of mind. Often you will conclude that the bad food tastes good, but it's not worth the discomfort or suffering that will follow if you eat it. A relevant suggestion here, esp. for those who maintain a journal or diary: when you backslide, write down the negative side effects, then re-read those sections when you feel cravings. This approach works best after you have been on raw foods for some time.

3. Substitute good raw foods for cravings:
If you are feeling cravings for bad foods, eat snacks of natural foods instead. If you are hungry for sweet food, eat fruit instead; dried fruit is a substitute for candy. If you are hungry for salty foods, you can eat sea vegetables or drink celery juice instead (celery juice with a little bit of lemon/lime juice added is delicious and soothing) or eat raw tomatoes, provided you find them agreeable. Cravings for inappropriate fatty foods can be resolved with avocados or soaked/sprouted nuts (also raw sesame tahini). One caution here – when one eats good foods as a response to cravings, there are risks: overeating, psychological dependency, and, in the case of dried fruit, sugar addiction. Substitution may be a good short-term strategy, but is less attractive in the long term.

4. Consider modifying your diet if you have long-term cravings:
If you have an extremely restricted diet (e.g., mostly fruit), and cravings are a long term problem for you, then you should seriously consider changing your diet, to one that is more diverse. High fruit diets are notorious for their associated sugar (and salt) cravings. Consider adding more veggies, sprouts, nuts, to your diet. After all, if you have cravings all the time, can you honestly say that your "perfect" diet really works well for you?

B. Indirect Support Actions

5. Eat sensibly
Eat moderately, at regular times, and don't overeat. This is standard common sense, and it can reduce opportunities for cravings.

6. Eat mindfully, slowly, with no distractions
Food that is eaten this way will remove hunger and be more satisfying (reducing cravings), than food eaten in a hurry, under stress, or while distracted (TV, reading, etc.)

7. Seek the company of other raw fooders when possible.
Join or start a local support group for raw fooders in your area. Starting a group is easier said than done – running SF-LiFE, our local group, is a big effort for those involved. However, a small group that meets at homes, is much less work to set up. SF-LiFE actually encourages small, special interest groups, in the form of meal clubs, which meet in member's homes.

8. Have a regular exercise program
Have a regular exercise program that is appropriate and suited for you. Exercise reduces stress, improves your health, is cleansing, and helps reduce cravings. Hatha yoga is an excellent form of exercise; it has considerable healing power. The meditative forms of tai chi can be very helpful also. However, yoga or tai chi won't help if you don't do them, so choose an exercise program that appeals to you, and that you can follow.

9. Positive affirmations and meditation
Positive affirmations and meditation may help you develop a positive mental attitude which can make you significantly more resistant to cravings.

10. Be careful about fasting.
Fasting is very healing and cleansing, and is one of nature's most powerful curatives. Through its cleansing power, fasting can (eventually) reduce food cravings. However, fasting can also cause a psychological sense of deprivation, which may lead the faster to overeating and/or binge eating after the fast is over. If your reaction to fasting is a cycle of overeating-fasting, then it is not doing you any good! Those fasting "experts" who suggest very long fasts, often ignore this problem.

11. Develop a spiritual or ethical foundation.
For the religious, this means being fully "grounded" in your religion. The non-religious (including atheists and agnostics) can adopt or develop a guiding philosophy of life, or a system of ethics. The benefits of this are in stress reduction, which makes one more resistant to cravings.

If you do backslide and eat something bad, simply resolve to avoid the mistake next time. Learn from your mistakes, but don't dwell on them unnecessarily, as guilt is a negative emotion. A tiny amount of guilt, if used only to motivate you to avoid backsliding, is OK. A large amount of guilt is bad for you as it is negative, and negative emotions are harmful to your body and mind.

Cravings can be a major problem during the transition to a raw/living foods diet, and may take more than a year to dissipate. After you have been on such a diet long enough, the cravings will usually dissipate. However, if you are 75+% raw, and are having severe problems with cravings in the long term, then you should evaluate your diet — raw and cooked portions, to see whether changes are appropriate. Although the goal of 100% raw is advocated by some raw-fooders, the reality is that raw food diets are not for everyone. Be kind to your self — do what is best for your body, whether the diet you follow conforms to raw- fooder dogma or not.

The excerpt below was originally published at Raw Food Info.

Cooked Food Versus Raw: Some of the Known Differences

Cooked foods cannot create true health because they are missing some very vital elements needed by the body for its optimal functioning; things like enzymes, oxygen, hormones, phytochemicals, bio-electrical energy and life-force. When foods are heated above 105 degrees Farenheit they begin to lose all of these. By 118 degrees Farenheit, most food is dead. Yes, the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are still there, but in a greatly altered state — not at all what nature provided.

Each cell of the body is like a tiny battery, and raw and living foods supply the bio-electricity which charges these batteries. The bio-electrical energy of raw food can be clearly seen in Kirlian photographs of the food. This photographic process shows electrical discharges that naturally emanate from all living things as luminescent, aura-like flares surrounding the subject. The glow is bright and radiant in raw foods, yet almost totally absent in Kirlian photographs of comparable cooked foods.

To me "life-force" means "the energy that is able to create life." The sprouting ability of raw foods demonstrates the presence of the life-force within them. All grains, legumes, beans and seeds sprout. Nuts in the shell sprout. Potatoes sprout and create new potato plants. (Do not eat potato sprouts as they are poisonous.) If you stick the top part of a pineapple into water, it will sprout roots. Apple seeds create apple trees. Avocado pits and mango pits sprout. Now, take cooked versions of all the above, put them into soil and see if a plant will grow. Cooked food rots, rather than sprouts, and a new plant does not come forth. Through observation, you can easily demonstrate for yourself what you are losing by eating cooked foods. A food that is cooked cannot create life and cannot maintain the life-force energy in our bodies.

Cooking food disrupts its molecular structure and kills all the enzymes too. Enzymes are the indispensable catalysts which enable the body to utilize vitamins and minerals. (Think of enzymes as the workmen and vitamins and minerals as the bricks and mortar. Without the workmen, the bricks and mortar don't get put into place.) Enzymes are extremely heat-sensitive and thus do not survive in cooked foods. The vitamins and phytochemicals also are injured, greatly diminished, and left in an altered molecular state. The minerals are made less soluble.

The fats have turned from life enhancing fatty acids to trans-fatty acids, which create damaging free radicals in the body. Trans-fatty acids also interfere with respiration of the cells. The proteins (including vegetable proteins), become denatured; they then coagulate (like the white of an egg) and are very difficult to digest. Some researchers report that unmetabolized protein particles in the bloodstream are a possible cause of allergies.

When you eat cooked (enzymeless) foods, you put a heavy burden on your body, which then has to produce the enzymes missing in the food. One of the reasons you feel lethargic or sleepy after a cooked meal is because the body is diverting its energy to replacing the enzymes that were not supplied. By comparison, a raw food meal leaves you feeling light and full of energy. You can judge this for yourself. Uncooked foods digest in 1/3 to 1/2 the time of cooked foods. The stress of creating and replacing enzymes, meal after meal, day after day, year after year, greatly contributes to accelerated aging.

Ingesting cooked food also causes the body to produce a surge of white blood cells (leukocytosis). These cells normally defend against disease, infection and injury to the body, but their production is a routine effect of ingesting cooked foods (as if the body considers such food a threat or danger). Because leukocytes carry a variety of enzymes, there is another possible explanation for the increase in white blood cells. The leukocytes may be delivering the missing enzymes so that digestion can proceed unhindered.

Leukocytosis does not occur when raw, unheated foods are eaten. According to Viktoras Kulvinskas, "in any pathological condition, including the intoxification of the digestive system with cooked food or other toxic materials, these white cells increase from 5 or 6 thousand per cubic millimetre to 7, 8 or 9 thousand per cu.m.m." Leukocytosis also occurs when additives, pesticides and chemically based supplements are ingested. And, of course, producing these cells creates an additional stress upon the body.

Raw foods are full of oxygen, especially green leafy vegetables which contain an abundance of chlorophyll. The chemical structure of chlorophyll is almost identical to the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. The only difference is that the hemoglobin molecule has iron in its nucleus and the chlorophyll molecule has magnesium. Chlorophyll detoxifies the bloodstream and every other part of the body better than anything else you could eat. When you eat raw green chlorophyll foods, you oxygenate the blood. The bloodstream, through its capillary system, then delivers this oxygen to every cell in your body. And when you eat greens in blended form, such as juicing this process is even more efficient.

Sprouted seeds contain vital elements which nourish our glands, nerves and brain. The hormones needed by the body are created out of the natural fat and other essential principles found in seeds. Think about how few seeds are found in the average diet. The plant breeders are hybridizing most of the seeds out of our foods. Now we can get seedless watermelons, seedless grapes, seedless citrus, and the list goes on. Even if we did find a seed, most of us don't understand the value of eating it and thus, it would be discarded.

When you eat cooked starch, the body absorbs more than it needs. Getting rid of the excess starch then becomes another burden to the body. Those who favour cooked foods often make the point that since the body cannot absorb raw starch, this is a sign the food should be cooked. Another way to look at it, however, is that the body absorbs just enough of the raw starch for its needs and then passes out the rest. (When pig farmers feed their pigs raw potatoes, the pigs stay slender. Since farmers sell their pigs by the pound, they have learned to feed them cooked potatoes, which fattens them up.)

Cellulose — the woody, fibrous part of food — was previously believed to be unnecessary to the body because the body did not absorb it so it was deemed unimportant. Now we know that this fibre is what keeps things moving through our body so that we don't become constipated. Nature is vindicated again! I believe, in addition, that raw fibre has the ability to act as a broom which sweeps the intestinal tract and keeps it clean. Cooked fibre has lost the ability to do this for us. Enemas and colonics serve their purpose, but they are a poor substitute for what nature, by putting (raw) fibre into foods, has provided.

Raw and live foods nourish and improve the body's inner environment. Raw and live foods enable the body to dislodge and expel accumulated wastes. A member of my family had a tiny sliver of metal lodged in his hand as a result of an accident. For two years he tried to get it out by squeezing, pushing, and probing with sterilized needles, etc., but it wouldn't budge. He went to the Optimum Health Institute (to learn about live foods) for a week and, when he returned home, decided he would continue on raw foods. Four weeks later, a bubble formed on his hand and inside the bubble was the sliver of metal. The bubble then burst and the sliver came out. This is an example of what raw and live foods do. If something is not supposed to be in your body, it will be expelled.

Eating cooked food prevents the immune system from working on what is really important in keeping us superbly healthy and young in body, mind and soul. We exhaust and dissipate the body's strength by using the immune system to combat the unnatural cooked foods, chemically based supplements, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones (in meats, poultry, fish and dairy) and numerous other toxins we ingest, breathe in or absorb through our skin. When we really need the immune system to support us (as when a disease or infection develops or an injury occurs), it then lacks the strength to defend us properly.

Eating healthy means giving your body power foods it can easily assimilate and use for regeneration and rejuvenation. Life comes from life. So the more foods you eat which are organic and straight from nature's raw garden, the better you are going to feel.

The following information about food combining is from Frederic Patenuade's raw food newsletter. I found the information very helpful, and I hope you find it helpful, as well…

Food Combining Simplified:

In my book, “The Raw Secrets,” I have simplified food combining to a few simple rules. Let’s take a look at those rules again…

1.) DO NOT COMBINE FAT WITH SUGAR

This is probably the most important rule to follow. The combination of fat (or protein) with sugar encourages fermentation. Some authors allow combining an acid fruit (such as an orange) with a fat (such as nuts or avocado). Although this combination isn’t the worst, it still isn’t
optimal and often creates digestive problems.

Examples of this combination: dates with nuts, dried fruits with avocado, avocado with sweet fruits, a fruit salad with coconut, etc.

2.) DO NOT COMBINE ACID FOODS WITH STARCH

Acid with starch is a pretty bad combination. The acidity literally stops the digestion of starches, or makes it much more difficult (and sometimes painful).

Examples of this combination: mixing tomatoes with (cooked) potatoes, the classic tomato-sandwich, but also mixing bananas with oranges. Oranges contain much acidity and bananas still contain starch, even when they are ripe. Bananas combine better with fruits that contain less acidity (sweet apples, mangoes, etc.).

3.) DO NOT COMBINE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FATTY FOODS WITHIN ONE MEAL

Fatty foods are quite difficult to digest. When many of them are present within a meal, digestion is considerably slower.

Examples of this combination: nuts with avocados, nuts with an oil, coconut with avocado, coconut with other types of nuts, etc.

That’s it! Those are the rules when eating a raw/hygienic diet. Of course, we could come up with more rules, but they would be for combinations that wouldn’t be appealing. For example, I doubt that fibrous vegetables (such as broccoli) would mix well with fruits (mangoes, etc.), but this combination is naturally unappealing, so it’s useless to discuss it."

Here's a simple, quick, and great-tasting raw food breakfast recipe for you. I threw this together this morning.

Quick & Easy Breakfast Smoothie

• Throw 1/2 a quart of organic strawberries into the blender. (I think it was 1/2 a quart. The container holding the organic strawberries didn't say what size it was.)
• Add two organic bananas and 1/2 a cucumber (leaving the cucumber skin on).
• Blend all ingredients together in the blender.
• Add a small amount of water if necessary (to make the mixture more smooth).

Initially, I didn't add the cucumber. I only blended the bananas and strawberries. However, the smoothie was too sweet for me, so I added the cucumber. I've noticed that I have a higher sensitivity to sugar after eating mostly raw for a year. What I used to consider not sweet (bananas and strawberries) now seems extremely sweet to me.

I'm still participating in Frederic Patenaude's raw food cleanse/challenge. It's going very well. I have managed to avoid all fat so far.

Eating Fruit

"Always eat fruit on an empty stomach; wait three hours after a salad meal. Best is fruit in the morning."

– Rene Beresford, Coordinator of the Fruitarian Raw Food Network

There is way too much emphasis placed on protein by so-called "nutritionists." Surprisingly, research reveals that too much protein compromises the immune system and is detrimental to your health.

A great book on the dangers of excess protein, and the importance of the acid/alkaline balance is Your Health, Your Choice by Dr. M. Ted Mortmer. In addition, "Your Health, Your Choice" has one of the most simplified, easy-to-understand explanations of the digestive process.

Cancer and other diseases thrive in an acidic state within the body. Many people do not know that all food eaten leaves a residue of acid-ash or alkaline-ash in the body. The human body will do whatever it takes to counteract the acid-ash residue left from the SAD (Standard American Diet) we are used to–this includes pulling calcium from the bones to neutralize the acid in the system.

Drinking homogenized milk only aggravates the acidity (milk leaves an acid-ash residue which must be neutralized). According Mortmer, the ideal PH of the body is 7.5 which is alkaline, and the human body goes through ENORMOUS lengths to maintain this PH level. Alcohol, coffee, flesh-based protein (i.e. meat), and stress all create acidity within the body and should be avoided.

Since flesh-foods leave an acid-ash residue, it's best to get your protein from plant-based foods which leave an alkaline-ash. Unfortunately, many people are ignorant and believe that you can't get protein without eating meat. This is entirely false. Read more about The Protein Myth.

I just recently found out about CSA's, otherwise known as Community Supported Agriculture projects. As a member of a CSA, you will receive fresh produce harvested from a local farm each week.

Benefits of Joining a CSA

• CSA's are a great source of fresh weekly produce from local farmers (make sure you find an organic farm, if possible).
• By joining a CSA, you will be supporting sustainable agriculture and family farming.
• Buying produce from a CSA is usually cheaper than buying produce from the health food store.

Here's where to find fresh raw food and organic produce in your local area.

Would you like to connect with other raw foodists in your local community? Living Nutrition's website has a directory of raw-food potlucks across the U.S.

Find a raw food potluck here.

This is a great way to get support and encouragement from like-minded people.

For raw foodists who have very little time to fix food, you can order raw food meals from Raw Life Line. The food looks mouth-wateringly good. It's fast-food with a raw food twist…delivered right-to-your doorstep.

I'll have to try ordering from them. Has anyone tried this? The coconut creme pie, raw tabouli, raw sweet potato soup, and the raw flax seed crackers with (raw!) hummus look great. So does the cream of broccoli soup.