Scientific Studies Support a Raw/Living Foods Diet

I'm back to reading There is a Cure for Diabetes (ISBN:978-1-55643-691-8) by Dr. Gabriel Cousens M.D. (see November 14th post). The Oakville Public Library has a copy of it and The Big Carrot in Toronto has it as well as the film Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days for sale.

Dr Cousens explains the importance of adopting an organic plant based raw/living foods diet as follows:
Scientific research done in 2001 by Dr. Stephen Spindler shows that within a month, rats underfed by 40% had a 40 percent increase in the expression of the anti-aging genes as well as an increase in the anti-inflammation genes, antioxidant genes, and anti-cancer genes.


A raw/living foods organic plant-based diet is a natural form of calorie restriction (read on...), and successfully turns on anti-aging genes, anti-inflammatory genes, and theoretically, the anti-diabetic genes.


According to scientific studies done at the Max Planck Institute, cooking one’s food coagulates 50% of the protein. Other scientific research has proven that cooking food destroys 70-90% of the vitamins and minerals, and up to 100% of the phytonutrients. (As one example, the phytonutrient resveratrol is instrumental in activating the anti-aging genes and is gaining recognition in the fight against age-related diseases including dementia and diabetes.)


Because one is eating nutrient-dense foods and maintaining a very high level of nutrition, 50% fewer calories are consumed on a proper raw/living foods diet when compared with the Standard American Diet, characterized by the calorie-dense foods offered in restaurants and fast food dispensaries throughout the Westernized world.


Diabetes, a disease related to accelerated aging, is the metabolic degeneration process of our body’s rebellion to being overfed and undernourished.


Here's Dr. Joel Fuhrman's list of nutrient dense foods given in this same book:

Kale 1000, collard 916, spinach 886, bok choy 839, romaine lettuce 462, boston lettuce 412, broccoli 395, artichoke 352, cabbage 344, green peppers 310, carrots 288, asparagus 280, strawberry 254, cauliflower 269, tomato 197, cherries 197, blueberries 155, iceburg lettuce 132, orange 130, cantaloupe 120, apple 91, peach 88, kidney beans 84, green peas, 844, sweet potato 81, soybeans 74, tofu* 69, mango 61, cucumber 59, oatmeal 55, white potato* 53, brown rice 49, salmon* 48, shrimp* 46, skim milk* 43, grapes 40, corn 37, avocado 36, banana 36, walnuts 35, almonds 33, chicken breast* 32, low fat yogurt* 31, apple juice 30, egg* 29, feta cheese* 25, whole wheat bread* 25, whole milk* 23, white pasta* 22, white bread* 21, peanut butter* 21, swiss cheese* 18, ground beef* 17, potato chips* 13, vanilla ice cream* 6, olive oil 2, cola* 0.6. In my understanding, foods marked with an asterisk(*) are not recommended by Dr. Cousens.

So what was for dinner last evening? Collard wraps (calcium!) stuffed with black dinasour or lacinato kale, sprouted adzuki beans and Hippocrates' Red Pepper Dressing (see December 11th post for recipe), spiralized yellow summer squash topped with a raw marina sauce (see recipe below - it's a definate keeper and fast!), zuchetti with Hippocrates' Pesto Dressing (see December 11th post for recipe), kale/spinach salad with raw almonds and the Hipporates Curried Ginger Garlic dressing (see December 11th post for recipe), organic peppers, cauliflower and heirloom tomatoes.

Marinara Sauce (makes 2 cups)
from The Raw Food Primer
by Chef Suzanne Alex Ferrara
ISBN: 1-57178-130-7

Tools: blender

Many people find the quality of this sauce equal to the familiar marinara cooked by traditional means. Remarkably, it takes only minutes rather than the whole day required to prepare a classic marinara sauce.

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes soaked in 1 cup water until soft (about 30 minutes), with their soaking water
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
½ cup chopped carrot
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
2 tablespoons shoyu
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
1 to 2 cloves garlic

Combine all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Note: On the boat, I've omitted the fresh tomatoes and carrot, used Bragg's Seasoning as Nama Shoyu is made from wheat (i.e. gluten), and substituted Frontier's Pizza Seasoning for the fresh oregano, rosemary and thyme. I also use 2 tablespoons of oil and water to thin to desired consistency. It keeps well in the fridge for several days. I special ordered a case of dehydrated organic sun-dried tomatoes from The Big Carrot in Toronto which reduces the cost. Hippocrates substitutes red bell peppers for tomatoes in all of their recipes for food combining reasons so I'm going to look into ordering a case of dehydrated organic red peppers if such a thing exists.