A lot of this burning curiosity comes from the book Left In The Dark (which is awesome, I can't stress enough, thank you FunkyRob for the recommendation!)... BUT.

Even as a modern-day raw foodist, how close do you think we could possibly come to eating raw foods with similar nutritional content to our tropical diet (high in flavanoids, beta-carbolines, etc.)?

From what I understand, conventional produce is absolutely bastardized compared to wild foragibles. Would foraging help? Fruit nowadays, I read, is bred for one type of the -ose (fructose, glucose, I forget which), and lacking in the rest of the -oses in comparison to wild counterparts. We don't really eat leaves or shoots these days, either. Wild figs also get infested with tiny little bugs that are a source of B12 (!).

It's a broad question... and I'm sure it will whittle down to some practical information with enough discussion. Thanks, everyone. =)

Thanks Phantom, glad you liked the book, like I said in the other thread it really changed my life!

I think it's quite difficult to get the same nutrition as our ancestral diet, but foraging for as much wild food as possible has got to help. The more I research wild food, the more I find, mostly leaves but also a good selection of berries. Try and find a good wild food book for your area - I've done a mini review of some of the wild food books on my blog here [www.rawrob.com] which is UK specific but might help (I'm assuming you are in the US for some reason, is that correct?)

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

I'm in Ontario for now, with my family in Northeastern US. I really want to explore the summers here in great depth, hiking on trails... and looking for wild snacks along the way! I know next to nothing of wild foods. I suppose I should hit the bookstores. I want lots of pictures...

It's no big deal. I think a diet of conventional, fresh, unprocessed raw plant foods can yield 99% of the benefits a person can need (when the other items on the spectrum of wellness are also present). If you need the other 1%, you can always grow your own heirloom produce. The seeds are out there - if you want them. If not, no worries.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

hi Phantom - that book sounds interesting. Could you please give the name of the aurhor as I can't find it on the title alone.

Many thanks
Philippa

The author is Tony Wright. In the US you can get the book from [www.lulu.com]

In the UK and Europe you can get it from my website [www.funkyraw.com] There is also a radio interview with Tony on my website where he explains the basics of his theory.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

this is the book i have, full colour pictures too.
[www.amazon.com]
it's an excellent guide, really terrific.
squarefoot gardening is also pretty good for growing your own in small spaces.
[www.amazon.com]

phantom, brian clement is going to be in toronto in april speaking at toronto sprouts, r u going? we'll try to make it if we can. maybe we'll see you there.