"let's go bananas!"
Can someone please explain to me while plain steamed green and starchy vegetables are not good for you?
I know they are not BAD but clearly there is a reason why people are 100% raw.
Will eating plain steamed veggies stop me from experiencing all the benefits of this lifestyle?
Will eating steamed potatoes/veggies everyday make it harder for me to gain weight?
I know DR & Freelee say it is okay to eat steamed veggies when transitioning but why not long term? What is the harm that comes from them?
If someone could explain this I would greatly appreciate it!
Permalink Reply by Kristi McKee on Its not that they are not GOOD for you, they are still beneficial in ways. they are not IDEAL. They make you want cooked food more and more. Give yourself an inch and you will end up taking a mile. Its not the HARM that comes from them, its the fact that you aren't eating to the best that you can.
You shouldn't need them OR crave them if you are eating enough fruit. Eating SUFFICIENT and HIGH calorie fruits will make it so where you don't crave those anymore.
Honestly, if you want them every once and while, eat them. BUT in my experience, i eat cooked food once and its all i can think about, The more cooked food i eat, the less raw food i want.
They are incredibly addicting (yes i have noticed that EVEN cooked potatoes and rice are addictive and incredibly habit forming foods that make me want them all the time)
It isn't that they are going to harm you long term, its just about eating the best that you know how BECAUSE you don't need to eat any less than the best. Transitioning is one thing, but long term isn't beneficial. if you are eating sufficient calories from fruit, plenty of greens and water, you shouldn't need them. However, if you feel like you want them once and a while and they won't compromise your "rawness" then do it. But trust me, allow it once per day, it will then become twice, then every meal and eventually you will be how i was. Raw vegan one day, 3 days later cooked and eating dairy and eggs.
Slippery slope.
Eat the best, high quality fruit, in HIGH quantities and potatoes, rice and steamed veggies won't look as good to you. In fact, they won't look like an option of food in your life.
Good luck, this might not be the answer you were looking for, but when i was fence sitting, i was looking for reasons to eat cooked food, until i started eating more fruit. Honestly, once i started eating 18 bananas for breakfast instead of 8, 80/10/10 clicked into place and works beautifully for me now
<3
Permalink Reply by Jessica on Thank you for sharing your opinion and experience, I really appreciate it. I still don't completely get why steamed veggies/potatoes are not ideal. Does steaming the veggies hurt your body any way?
I have been trying this lifestyle on and off for 6 months now. I am doing well with it right now and able to fight off the cravings for cooked junk vegan/vegetarian foods, but I have been hardcore craving steamed veggies and potatoes. I am just really sick of the sweet taste all the time. I have made raw savory salads/pastas in the evening but I don't enjoy them.
Tonight I made a raw corn/mushroom/tomato salad with dill, rosemary, thyme, and basil which was very good, BUT I was still craving steamed potatoes/broccoli/green beans. I ended up going to the grocery store in the evening and getting some veggies/potatoes to have around the house, and I steamed a yukon gold potato and put some thyme and basil on it and it was so delicious. I feel like having steamed veggies will help me avoid going back to the cooked vegan junk food that I have continually gone back to after just doing 1-3 days 100% raw, since the steamed veggies and potatoes seem to satisfy my cravings for savory non-sweet foods in a way that I haven't been able yet to satisfy with raw savory salads/pastas.
Everyone says that if you eat enough you won't want something like steamed veggies and potatoes, but it's the sweet taste that I am getting sick of. Don't get me wrong, I still love eating tons of fruit each day, but I want savory, too. I am worried that eating steamed vegetables could be a slippery slope back to cooked junk as you said, but on the other hand, I feel like it might be just what I need to help me overcome eating that junk and get it out of my system and give my taste buds and body time to forget about those foods and stop thinking about them as options for me.
I do wonder though how I will eventually phase out the cooked steamed veggies/potatoes and if this will be super hard for me, or if it is even necessary to do. I am not interested in eating steamed rice/grains. I will only eat those items if they are my only option for food.
Did you find that when you ate steamed veggies and potatoes that you had more trouble losing weight? Did you notice any changes in how you felt overall?
Permalink Reply by PK on @Jessica,
To counter that sickening sweet feeling, the diet must be balanced with tender leafy greens of the lettuce variety. Many of our members eat at least one pound a day.
In nature, chimpanzees eat about 40% of their diet in volume and calories from greens.
They eat their sweet fruit meal in the morning followed by a few greens. It is thought that the geens may aid in alkalizing and cleaning the mouth, and may aid in digestion.
In the afternoon, they will continue to munch on greens.
I am not saying you have to eat that many of course, but it helps.
http://www.hcgfatloss.com/victoria-boutenko/green-for-life/how-chim...
Greens are also higher in mineral content and chlorophyl that seems beneficial to human oral health.
Peace, PK
Permalink Reply by Kristi McKee on Honestly, i think that if you can eat mostly raw and some steamed, cooked veggies here and there. Do it. I know this goes against being 100% raw, but in my opinion, 100% isn't the most important thing in the world. This is your life, there doesn't have to be 100% OR 0%. There is no "transition" in life.. IF you want to continue doing it for life. Basically, If it helps you eat healthier, and you aren't going to be swayed one way or another, do it. If it is on a "i need it or i will eat a hamburger" basis, do it. Trust me, i have tried 811lfrv MANY times and have failed because of the "i need cooked food" cravings
I just don't allow MYSELF to eat them because i KNOW that it will make me want more. I have a VERY addictive personality. LOVE savory food and LOVE hot food. Salt is my weakness.
Permalink Reply by Universal Mind on This question makes me wonder:
How did we, for hundreds of thousands of years before we tamed fire, manage to steam our vegetables in the wild? Sure we may have found starchy, bland, flavorless or bitter starchy vegetables and crushed them on a rock and added water to make a paste like consistency in order to digest them easily; but would we honestly rely on that if there were available fruit trees?
Steaming plant matter is not the worst thing you could do to it. For plant matter that is not palatable or difficult to digest, sure, steaming will make this matter easier to eat. But at what cost to its nutrient availability?
If the heat is too much for your hand to touch, could it be possible that the heat is too much for the living matter inside fresh vegetables?
However, if something needs alteration to be palatable, then you must wonder; is this food for human consumption?
Steamed rice, potatoes, and vegetables can work to assist you into transitioning safely by keeping your calories up so you don’t fall off the wagon. But in the long-term, relying solely on these sources of calories and minerals will be, at best, very subpar compared to their organic raw alternatives.
Permalink Reply by Jessica on Thank you for this thoughtful response. I totally feel you on every point. I guess I am just curious if eating steamed veggies would increase ones risk for more diseases and cancer, and if yes, then why scientifically? I feel at this point that steamed veggies and potatoes are going to help me to transition, I guess I just don't know how long is a good amount of time to allow for transition and if it is going to be super hard for me to stop eating steamed veggies and potatoes when that times comes.
Permalink Reply by Universal Mind on No specific foods are known to cause a cancerous state in the body, especially something, compared to fried or processed food, as trivial as steamed vegetables or starches.
Please read this writing on the seven stages of disease. http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/cancers-tumors/part-i/the-seven-sta...
Since living naturally entails the avoidance of fortified processed foods (mineral and vitamin fortified) or multi-vitamin supplementation, we must be sure that we are always eating plenty of plant matter in its unaltered state in order to insure that we’re getting enough of what our bodies need. Altering plant matter through intense amounts of heat may or may not decrease the bioavailability of minerals present in the plants raw form. I know if you google this, you may find some more science based information on this concept. In the long-term, is eating foods that may not have the right amount of what your body seeks really a risk you would like to take?
If you really want to know if it will work out for you in the long-run, then have a full vitamin and mineral analysis on your body to get a feel for where you’re at now. Then, eat the way that you are now for 8 months to 1 year. Go to the doctor again and have another analysis. Compare the results. Then, for another 8 months to 1 year, eat nothing but fresh, ripe, whole, raw organic fruits and vegetables. Go to the doctor again and have another analysis. Compare the results.
Listen to your body. As you delve further into this experiment we call a natural 'diet’, you will find that even something as simple as a steamed sweet potato, brown rice, or steamed vegetables will alter the way you feel. Will eating steamed foods make you deficient to the point of your body developing cancer? No one knows that answer right now. Looking at past generations, one would assume probably not. But we are not those generations and we live in a much different time.
Remember, it’s all an experiment. We’re guinea pigs in this movement.
How about this: As an experiment, eat nothing but raw fruits and a ton of organic, tender leafy greens. Drink distilled water. Avoid sea-salt, oils, vinegars, and plant matter that you cannot make a mono-meal out of and enjoy (garlic mono-meals are interesting, in a negative way that is). Sleep plenty, gently exercise, stretch, meditate and live as stress free as possible for at least 6 months. Do this consistently without fail. Then, without dogma attached, eat boiled and steamed starchy vegetable matter. Record how you feel.
As to how long it is for you to allow for transition? You’ll know and everybody is different. One thing to remember is; the longer you avoid sea-salt and foods cooked in oils, the easier and more rewarding eating raw will be and the less appetizing cooked will be.
It’s also easy when you have access to ample amounts of sweet, ripe, organic fruit on a consistent basis; while also having access to ample amounts of fresh, organic, grown in proper soil, leafy greens. If these conditions are met, you will then find this lifestyle to be incredibly simple to execute daily.
If you don’t have this luxury available, then it’s all will power and your individual design of a program that will make this experiment work best for you.
Finally, no matter what you eat, keep tabs on your B-12 and Vitamin D levels. These are issues that span over all humans, regardless of their dietary regimens. There is plenty of literature within this community that will educate you further in these fields.
Permalink Reply by Jessica on Thank you for all of this great insight and information. Also, thanks for the tip about the B12 and Vitamin D. I think I get enough D right now as it's summer where I am right now, but I am looking into starting B12 shots soon. I need to find more info though on how much to give myself and how often. If you or anyone else knows more about b12 shots amounts and how often to take them I would appreciate more info about that as well.
Permalink Reply by PK on @Jessica,
Have a blood test done to test for B12 levels. If you are not low, then there is no need for supplementing. It is recommended as much as possible to avoid putting synthetic chemicals into the body.
The good b12 and vitamin K news.
In nature, cows eat grass and manufacture their own. Primates eat little or no meat, and have not shortage.
In healthy individuals with healthy digestive systems that have little or no damage done by a SAD diet, drugs, alcohol, or medications, can get enough of these vitamins from gut flora.
No matter what the diet, if the digestive system is damaged, one will not make or utilize their own b12 or K. If the diet is high fat, one will not absorb these vitamins very well, even from supplements.
When we eat fruits, the body will only take what it needs of fructose and break that down in the liver into needed components. The rest of the fructose passes into the intestines and gut flora feed on it. It is said that up to 80% of our dry feces is actually bacterial debris.
I quote from this free ebook: Health Unlimited by Alan Immerman D.C. page 61-62:
Vitamin B12 is needed for normal functioning of the nervous
system. A deficiency causes a sensation of pins-and-needles in
the forearms, hands, legs, and feet, leading to weakness,
stiffness, unsteadiness, and fatigue. If a person is also deficient
in another vitamin named folic acid, then anemia will occur with
a B12 deficiency.
When foods are analyzed, vitamin B12 is not found in fruits,
vegetables, grains (bread, rice, etc.), or beans. It is only found in
meats, dairy products, and eggs. Therefore, most nutritionists
state that a strict vegan diet will lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vitamin B12 is exclusively manufactured by bacteria. These
bacteria live in a cow's stomach. When they produce B12, it is
absorbed into the bloodstream and then ends up in the muscle.
When the cow is processed into steak and hamburgers, B12 is
found in the meat.
Despite the fact that there is no B12 in non-animal foods,
many studies on strict vegetarians have failed to find signs of
B12 deficiency. Nonetheless, since scientists have not been
able to find B12 in non-animal foods, vegans have been advised
to take B12 supplements.
The solution to this mystery has recently been found. For
years, it was thought that B12 produced by the bacteria that
commonly live in the human intestine could not be absorbed by
the body. However, in 1980 a study was published in a major
British medical journal which found otherwise. Significant
amounts of B12 are produced by intestinal bacteria in an area of
the intestine where it can be absorbed. This is probably the
reason that strict vegetarians almost never develop a B12
deficiency.
Regardless of diet, a B12 deficiency can occur as a result of
sickness in the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, or certain
other organs. If a person on any type of diet becomes ill, he
should be examined by a doctor. A simple blood test can
determine if there is the cause is a B12 deficiency.
And here is the vitamin K reference:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamink.html
Peace, PK
Permalink Reply by Catherine on I really appreciate our answer as I have been one a 80 % raw diet for a while now and feeling sometimes really bad about not being 100 %. You are making me feel good about myself and my journey again and giving me lots of hope that if I keep eating more and more fruits each day I will get to 100 % raw without feeling like crap on the way ! thank you so much !
Permalink Reply by Jessica on Thank you for being empathetic about the steamed vegetables and potatoes. I think it is wonderful that you intuitively feel the desire to eat mostly raw, not by willpower, but by desire. My problem isn't really with eating enough, it's that I get to this point in the day where the idea of eating more sweet just sounds so unappealing and I don't really enjoy salads or raw pasta at this point. I made a dish with raw corn, raw mushrooms and cherry tomatos that was savory and good, but I still crave more savory. Hopefully the steamed veggies won't be a big problem from me and I will eventually move away from them. Did you find yourself sick of sweet at any point?
Permalink Reply by Rhonda Richlen on I will give you two examples of why I would not steam starchy vegetables, such as corn or potato. Raw corn has water in it, and when you cook it, you remove the water and the natural sugars are converted to starch (I hope I'm explaining that correctly) and then your body must convert the starch back to sugar (i.e. glucose) for fuel. Regarding cooked potatoes, cooking them also removes the water, and your body must also convert the starch to a sugar and the cooked potatoes are just going to be "sludge", sludging through your system. That's how I look at it anyway, and I'd like to hear a more scientific analysis if anyone has one. Bottom line is why would I want to eat corn and potatoes cooked, which slow down my digestion and are not "optimal" (there is a decrease in nutrients when cooking these vegetables) when there are better raw veggie choices out there. After eating sweet raw corn, I have completely lost my taste for cooked corn with the accompanying butter and salt, and I could only imagine eating potatoes for the taste, as I do like them. But I don't think they fit into the 80/10/10 regimen at all.
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