I don’t watch T.V. often but I’ve seen a show called Bizarre Foods where this guy Andrew Zimmern travels the world, eating extremely gross foods that are common in different countries. When I first saw the show several years ago, I figured that either the show would be cancelled, or the host would be dead by now. The funny thing is, Andrew is a little overweight as expected, but he is certainly not dead. I still find it very amusing that he can eat the grossest things in the world, but the one food he couldn’t eat was durian, one of the best tasting fruits in the world.

My point is this. You are not going to die if you eat cooked food! The human body is amazing and too many people today are getting stressed out by every tiny bit of food that touches their lips. Yes, the food you eat is important, but if the stress of trying to be healthy is going to create more harm than the actual foods you are trying to avoid, then it may not be worth it. I laugh when I see raw fooders question whether the cashew they ate was truly raw or if the nori sheet is toasted. If you are eating 98% raw foods, that little amount isn’t going to bother you. It may just keep you sane. Stop worrying so much and enjoy your life.

I myself have spent many years stressed about what touches my body, let alone what goes in it, but after doing a lot of research, I’ve come up with the conclusion that we are all going to die someday no matter what we do. That is no excuse to treat our body badly and live unhealthy, but it is a reason to chill out and enjoy yourself. If you can eat a 100% raw food diet great, but if it is too stressful, cooked food is not going to kill you. It’s okay to eat cooked food. If cooked food really killed us, we would all be dead ☺. It’s overeating any food, whether cooked or raw, that does us in!

I am a history buff. I love to study people from the 1700’s and 1800’s. Especially people who shared the same passion I have about health, diet and the Bible. It is so interesting in all my research of the history of the people I read about, I never read about organizations raising money to combat diseases or marches to raise money for research for new drugs to control disease. What I did discover is people ate whole foods and lived a simple life. Processed foods were not available like they are today and big companies didn’t poison the soil that grows our crops.

One thing that truly amazes me is the difference in communication compared to today. I’ve found different health books from the 1800’s and the authors had very little chance to see works by other authors. The amazing thing was they had almost the same exact health plan: eat frugally and eat wholesome foods.

My new book I’m currently writing called“The No Dinner Diet” covers these points. I am convinced you can throw away every diet book available and be confused no longer. It’s very simple:

-Do not eat more than three times a day. Two is best, but not more than three.
-Give at least 4 hours between each meal
-Do not eat within 4 hours of going to sleep. The longer you wait, the better.
-Do not eat when it is dark outside.

When you do eat:
-Do not eat processed foods
-Never eat while stressed
-Chew your food well

Our Creator designed our bodies so amazingly. We need to enjoy life. This doesn’t mean going out and eating anything you want, but don’t lock yourself in your house because you are too worried. Instead of worrying, we need to become aware. We need to also arrange schedules better. More important than the food you eat is how much and when you eat it. Even more important than food is what you really do with your time.

To all those people that feel bad about eating cooked food when I’m at the table, please note that I don’t care what you eat. It doesn’t bother me if you even decide to eat meat. It’s your body. I will never let food get in the way of friendship or family. I eat a raw diet and love it. I eat this way not because I have to, but because I want to. If you are eating a raw food diet because you want to and really enjoy it, that’s wonderful. But never think you must eat 100% raw to be healthy. And you certainly don’t need gimmicks like raw chocolate to get your nutrients. I have a friend who is 107 years old and gets around fine. He in not all raw and he never eats chocolate. I will push, shout and preach about the best diet in the world, the raw food diet, and not eating at nighttime! I know it is the healthiest most natural way we should all eat, but if you decide to eat cooked food and at nighttime, don’t worry. I won’t tell the raw police on you. Enjoy.

paul,

another strawman?

nobody here thinks you're going to drop dead by eating cooked food

i agree that sometimes the mental stress from avoiding cooked can be worse than the effects of eating the food.

but people eat raw because they feel better and because cooked causes problems.

if you minimize the problems cooked causes, it's not being honest either.

I knew he was going to plug his books sometime. This whole avalanche of posts was all about him selling his books. Follow the money.

I have been enjoying his books, they are helpful. I can only allow myself to eat popcorn for cooked foods at this time. The last time I ate cooked food I fell of the wagon big time. I am taking the tiet one step at a time and enjoy it. I have lived 50 years by eating cooked foods and have many illnesses because of it. For me cooked foods is not a healthy choice. I have read tanya Zavastas book "Quantum" eating and she suggests stopping eating before dark. Some cooked food dietetions also suggest haveing a stop time for eating in the evening. Its an overall good habit to get into.

Good luck on your book paul

Pam

Yes, thanks Paul. Your books aren't particularily profitable compared to the gourmet raw cacao biz, I'm sure. But what you write is helpful and intelligently written. Thogu apparently easily misconstrued . . . Again, thanks.

Thank you

I have another question for this topic!
Where I am from, in Sweden, the sun goes up at about 9:30-10 a.m and it goes down at 6:30 pm... I am a dental student, and I need to eat more than once a day for my mind to function properly, but I also go to bed at around 9pm at night so I can wake up and train before my classes start.

How would you recommend I solve this problem, of eating when the sun is up and 4 hours before going to bed, best?

xxPeisi

~I've tasted of the fruit,
it's opened up my eyes...~
-Infected Mushroom

Great question. I address this question in my new book "the no dinner diet" what I have found that works best it to have 2 meals a day, the 3rd and 9th hour of day light. That's the best way to go, how every, eat at much as you need to to begin with for now and just try not to eat once it becomes dark outside. You can go to my website www.paulnison.com and click on my blog for more articles and info about the NDD.

'You are not going to die if you eat cooked food!'

Well, actually, we're all going to die.

The point about cooked is that it, in various ways, kills millions prematurely.

You might as well say

'You are not going to die if you have one cigarette!' or even 'You are not going to die if you have raw chocolate!'

debbietook Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The point about cooked is that it, in various
> ways, kills millions prematurely.

citation needed

Here's a citation for you--

eating cooked foods kills millions prematurely-
brian1cs

I eat raw for the benefits like feeling better, enjoying better health and a lean body. What keeps me from eating SAD is the knowledge of how easily I can step off the raw path and slide down the slippery slope to the cliff where the "used to be raw" peeps go. It works better for me to just say no to SAD because I know that my mind tricks me into a bite of addiction that is like a Chinese finger puzzle and down I go. So I am ALL raw, ALL the time. No exceptions.

Paul,

Those Sapodillas you were eating look so good in your youtube video I will have some in a little while but oval not round and big like the ones that grow in Florida.

I live in florida in the summer and it is the best time for mangoes.

All I know is I saw a good video you just made a day or so ago about fruit trees in Florida and some you grow yourself it was very impressive the number of rare fruit trees you had like Akee if i spelled it right.

He even showed a jackfruit tree with some baby jack growing so I dont think you are a fruit hater like everybody says.
Keep growing them fruit trees.

Cherimoya

Love Peace and Happiness,

>Keep selling your stevia you idiot.<

Globalresult--

I can't help noticing your posts are growing increasingly... er... brazen?/insulting?/confrontational? Maybe you need to eat more fruit. ;-p

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Bryan really needs to get crackin' on the flamers.

Where I live (fairly far North) in Canada, there is 8 hours of daylight in the winter. I would only be able to eat between 8:30am and 12:30pm (the sun sets at 4:30pm)... Plus I'm pregnant, I need to eat more than twice a day!!
To each his own!

Sunflower
Raw Food Chef and Writer
Comfortably Raw
[www.comfortablyraw.com]

well, the advice is pretty general, obviously people who are pregnant or nursing (me!) have different nutritional needs. just like with any diet really.

thanks paul, good pov. much better than that "cooked food is poison!" nonsense that was making the rounds (bumper stickers etc) a while ago. extremism is so ugly on either end of the spectrum.

coco!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One things for sure, you can't have too much coco.

You are not going to die if you eat cooked food! . . .

but you will if you eat FRUIT

GASP

Everyone's going to die someday. Well except David Mason of course.

I don't get stressed out about every time bit of food that touches my lips

david

Ditto dvdai.

Many people seem to overthink every bite.

I think if I eat a largely plant-based diet, I'll be fine. I'm always subconsciously tweaking it a bit here and there depending on how I feel, the seasons, what my energy level is, etc. But I'm not strident about it. And I certainly wouldn't get upset if your diet wasn't working for you because you weren't eating what I eat. Having those kind of control issues takes too much energy!

I just love the food. I like reading about what works for other people. But I am not ego-invested nor monetarily-invested in you eating what I eat. I find it interesting that some people operate best on 811, some operate more on a Wigmore model, some on other models...

Yo Paul,
Keep up the good work with your traveling lectures.
I was at one a year ago in Pa,and it really impacted me.

Vinny

CANADA- I THINK PAUL WROTE TO EAT 4 HRS BETWEEN EACH MEAL, AND NOT AFTER DARK, SO THAT GIVES YOU 8:30, 12:30, 4:30 TO PLAY WITH. I WORK 3-11 SHIFT, I'M GOING TO TRY THIS NOT EATING AFTER DARK THING.