raw diet

I have been trying the VB6 diet for two weeks now and what I hoped to get out of it most was intention and mindfulness which I have. But it too requires a lot of planning and I have petered out by the end of each week and was borderline grumpy about it. That said, I think it gets easier and I appreciate the challenge it brings which spurs creativity and a thoughtful approach to eating and feeding my family. But it doesn't mean I have given up cheeseburgers or steak! I have just tried filling most of my meals with better food. I think if you had a co-op of people or a raw food club it would help. A lot of cookbooks I have seen require a lot of crazy equipment and time which is why I haven't tried more myself. And in wintery places I'm not sure how one would manage. Every diet is a trade-off of something you might value I think.

For me a totally raw diet would take an enormous amount of the joy of cooking and eating out of my life, so it would be pretty self-punishing for me to do that personally. I am, like some have said above, in general a believer in balance and moderation, but even to practice balance and moderation to the exclusion of joy isn't worth it to me, either! Finally, I would also say that there are hundreds of thousands of years of evolution behind the human practice of cooking food; individual variation aside, it can't be all bad, right? I mean, we've made it this far...

We all have different likes/dislikes and different life experiences. Going raw 100% of the time is a lifestyle that requires additional planning and foresight. For me, trying to incorporate raw meals (and vegan meals) into my weekly diet helps me think outside of the box when it comes to creating a dish.
With respect to nutrition, many people survive eating THE WORST possible foods ever. (I had a friend who would eat small amounts of candy bars, potato chips and some chicken throughout the day. I think most would agree that, nutritionally, the candy-chip-chicken diet is more deficient than the raw vegan, despite the protein. ) I try to do some raw vegan but, I enjoy others types of cooked preparations that prevent me from adopting it for all meals.

That was a pronouncement, not a judgment. Let's be tolerant of us omnivores too, shall we? ;-)

There are people who cannot tolerate meat, believe it or not. I know several of them. Let us be tolerant of their dietary limitations rarer than judge.

Life without steak isn't living. Okay, maybe there are a few vegans who won't agree with that statement so let me rephrase: Life without the Maillard reaction and caramelization isn't living. Why anyone would want to give up many of life's greatest joys is well beyond me, especially given there are no up sides. Proven up sides. To anyone not selling books.

Just another fad diet that hardly anyone will stick to long term.

Bittman's Vegan before 6 is not a bad idea and sounds more realistic but I am a serious meat eater and could never do it.

Most if not all doctors advocate a diet that includes a lot of raw fruits and vegetables. I have cooked from "RAW" a cookbook by Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein and while the recipes were delicious the extraction method ended up being very expensive and not very filling. I tried my husband on one of her soups and he ate a recipe for 4 people! (but he thought it was delicious). She had a restaurant and take out window in Larkspur for a while and that was extremely expensive.

I love fruits and veggies, raw and cooked, but if I don't have protein at meals I don't feel satisfied and end up being hungry and hour or so later. Further, cooking many foods makes their nutrients more available for absorption by the body. I also tend to be suspicious of extreme diets. I think balance overall is more sustainable than a totalitarian way of eating.

I think it is sound advice to eat more raw foods, but personally I would find it hard to live on a raw diet. I think eating less processed foods is an important factor to consider when going about a change in diet. Keep the bad stuff out of your system to a greater extent. My system can take gluten so I treat myself to bread and baked goods every now and then. Every body is different. Mine needs lots of protein, so I supplement with a protein shake.

It is not for me - I need protein and a more balanced diet over the long haul. And I do like my cooked as well as raw veggies. For me, moderation is the key.

Is it healthier than what most of us healthy eaters already do? Are there drawbacks? When I looked into a bit more, I was really surprised by how little protein many raw dieters claim they need.

Is it healthier than what most of us healthy eaters already do? Are there drawbacks? When I looked into a bit more, I was really surprised by how little protein many raw dieters claim they need.

I think that there are a lot of benefits, especially since it forces many to eat more healthily, fewer mass produced foods, and fewer preservatives. I've done some research and while it is great for getting people to eat more fruits, veggies, I think that it takes a ton of commitment to keep it healthy and to get the adequate calories and protein. I think a great alternative would be to start having a few meals like that or having a couple designated 'raw' days per week.