12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Food

You will be amazed at the knowledge this woman entered on the pages of this book. It is mot a recipie book although it does have a few in the back. It is just so full of Facts that I find myself quoteing it all the time! An absolute must read for the average diet american, or those who like to change the average americans diet. ;)

Surely with this book Victoria Boutenko will establish herself as a pioneer in the teaching of graceful living upon the planet and within our own bodies. From the information density, consistency, clarity and authority of this work more of us will become able to "get it right" as some of our ancestors did.

Most reassuring is Victoria's ravenous pursuit of knowledge:
"I started collecting data about every single food that existed for humans."
"I read all of the raw food books about this diet that I could find..." "I...checked out thirty books on addiction."

Paraphrasing and quoting:

>Wild animals intuitively prefer fresher, more alive foods...and they rarely develop human-type degenerative diseases. Domesticated animals, fed processed pet food, develop cancer, diabetes, arthritis...

>Primitive peoples HUNTED and consumed meat to survive long winters, but preferred to GATHER greens, fruits, tubers, nuts, seeds, berries, blossoms, mushrooms, sprouts, bark, seaweed...less hazardous, less laborious.

>Insects have been a survival food or a delicacy for most or all human groups or tribes throughout our history, and 80% of earthlings consume them regularly and deliberately, and 100% consume 1-2 lbs of them each year - unintentionally. Actually, it would be safer to have more insects and less pesticide residue in our foods. And, anyway, by weight and amount of feed required, various insects are more efficient sources of protein than beef, chicken, pork or lamb.

>Greens are rich in almost all essential minerals and vitamins recommended by USDA, including protein, but they must be thoroughly chewed in order to release their nutrients (requires much time!). And also, stomach acid must be very strong... A blender can rapidly rupture most of the cell walls of the greens and fruits for easy nutrient assimilation.

>Inside plant cells, tiny organelles break down carbohydrate and sugar molecules to provide energy - but only if there is no cooking.

>2-3 cups of green smoothies daily will provide you with all of the beneficial nutrients. After a few weeks most come to crave and enjoy the smoothies. Boutenko recommends adding blended greens daily to one's diet for several weeks, and then, transitioning to a raw diet.

>Paraphrasing quoted results of studies conducted at accredited universities:
1.There is ample evidence that cooked and processed meats and fish contain mutagens and carcinogens.
2.Acrylamide, a human carcinogen, formed during heating of starch-rich foods, is present in a disturbingly large number of staple foods.
3.Nine of eleven studies...less cancer with raw vegetables.
4.Heating in hydrogenation and frying involves thermally oxidized fats which produced cellular damage in the hearts, livers and kidneys of lab animals.
5.Cooking meat at high temperatures for a long time produces heterocyclic amines and other mutagens, and increases risk of colorectal cancer.
6.A review of 206 human studies and 22 animal studies about cancer vs. fruit and vegetable (esp. raw vegetable) consumption produced consistent evidence for a protective effect against cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lung, endometrium, pancreas, colon, oral cavity and pharynx.
7.Heating produces AGEs (advanced glycoxidation end products) in foods, and they are involved in...arteriosclerosis, hypertension, stroke, heart failure, decreased resilience and flexibility in tendons and ligaments...

>During WWII, with restriction on animal foods, the incidences of some diseases were generally reduced.

>Your body never makes mistakes - for example:
1.A fever fights pathogens and infection.
2.Diarrhea minimizes the contact time between intestinal mucosa and gut pathogens or ingested toxins.
3.Vomiting gets rid of food when digestion energy must be diverted for healing.
4.Our bodies naturally crave foods that aid healing.
(Not coffee or donuts - cooking can create false cravings.)

>During infancy we are "imprinted" as to food choosing, good or bad, and this persists to defeat well-intentioned dieting and even stomach-stapling in adulthood, but a raw foods regimen can prevail.

>Bread, milk, meat, sugar and salt (opiates in the first 3) are probably the most addictive of all common foods. In one study, tumors were shrinking for 132 cancer patients newly placed on raw diets, but misunderstanding of the power of cooked food addiction brought on their demise.

>Boutenko's workshop success rate greatly improved after she learned and taught about addiction. Compulsive eaters probably must quit cooked foods "cold turkey" in order to start and maintain raw diets.

>At times of higher stress, persons raised on a raw food diet tend to crave grapes, figs, bananas...instead of confections.

>Raw foods are not "comfort foods" unless one is truly hungry. One needs to develop non-food stress management (spirituality, non-food interests, appreciation of small things.)

>It is not our business to control our children or our parents, even if they are dying from cancer. The best method for influencing others toward raw, healing foods is to persist happily and deliciously in the lifestyle ourselves and to respond well to any curiosity, while being supportive of the rights of others to persist in their own lifestyles, while also graciously declining offers of their food when necessary. Nevertheless, simply feeding them delicious raw foods can be most persuasive! For best palatability, in every dish you prepare there should be an element each of sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter.

>To avoid your own relapse, write down your main life goals along with planned responses for each of your temptation situations. A restaurant "acceptable foods" card is also helpful.

>Develop a support system: friends, websites, publications, exercise clubs, raw potlucks...

>Embrace other healthy habits: exercise, sunshine, good sleep, proper breathing, pure water, stress management...

>In lieu of investing in materialism, cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude and forgiveness which will bring increased pleasure to life and lessen one's dependence on addictive, cooked foods.

>Long term incentive can be gained from the increases in resources to do what one wants, resulting from time saved (quicker food prep, reduced sick time, longer life) increases in energy and strength, and savings of money. Boutenko's family's health money goes to best foods instead of health insurance, for example.

I hope that these sketchy notes will motivate you to read the book for a deeper understanding.

Other reviews, browse: "Bill Norwood" "customer review" Amazon.com

The book inspired my husband and me to try to eat raw foods for atleast one meal and to eat as much as possible. We both feel good and my blood sugar fell. The book is a good and simple way to encourage one to try to adopt the concept.

This is a very good book for those attempting to go raw in a cooked foods world. The author charts her own exhilarating adaptation to the raw fooder lifestyle. She frankly, poignantly, and sometimes amusingly presents the reader with various possible pitfalls of making such a drastic lifestyle change, and gives tips on how to avoid them. By repeatedly referring to anecdotes about her experiences as a messenger of raw foodism, Boutenko makes the lifestyle seem natural and enjoyable, but also(and importantly) feasible. By exhaustively referencing medical and other research[there are pages and pages of citations at the back of the book], Boutenko makes the lifestyle seem sensible and optimally health-giving, that is, a desirable thing to want. She argues that, based on her experiences promoting raw foods, the greatest barrier to going raw is physiochemical cravings for cooked food. She presents the process of ridding oneself of cooked food cravings and of switching to raw foods in the form of a practical 12-step process. The author implores the reader to trust themselves with their bodies and health, which makes the transition seem like something one can manage through a modest exertion of will. Boutenko's writing is precise and her tone is lighthearted and earnest without ever being goofy or preachy. I would recommend this book to anyone considering going raw without knowing the consequences to one's appetite and lifestyle, and to anyone concerned with learning more about "taking control" of their health. Over all, a very informative and encouraging book.

I came to Raw Foods through the back door so to speak. I wasn't looking for any special dietary advice, in fact, I didn't think I had a problem. I wasn't over weight. I had permanently activated my Kundalini, and was about to publish a book about it, Deciphering the Golden Flower One Secret at a Time. As the publication date approached, I began to feel "stuffed." This condition interfered with the autonomic self-healing properties of Kundalini. I realized I had a problem. The energy I normally experienced from my active Kundalini was being diluted by gastric interference. Up to this point, my Kundalini had reserved and improved my health, flooding my nervous system on a daily basis with cleansing energy that revitalized my entire body. I tried supplements and colonics. Nothing worked. Then, one day as I pulled into our neighborhood coop, I found myself listening to a radio interview on Raw Foods. It was Victoria Boutenko.

Although I had never heard of Raw Foods, I immediately ordered this book and when it arrived, I plunged into a 100% Raw Foods diet. It did the trick, cleared up my stomach/gastric problems, and kicked my Kundalini activity into high gear once again. I discovered that no matter how much energy one derives from spiritual practices, it's important to eat correctly. yet, as Victoria points out: Cooked foods have the authority of social acceptance behind them.

I decided to hold up publication of my book to include a chapter on the serendipitous, backdoor way I discovered Raw Foods. Raw Foods and Kundalini, a powerful self-healing combination.