Why do some folks seem to go out of their way to post topics about all the things in the world that will kill or harm us?
What the hell are we here for?
Eating all this raw food and eating cold food year round????
I would think that ONE of the reasons we eat this way would be to give us a buffer against all the toxins in the world.
I sure aint in this for the taste.

Its a real bummer.

Vinny

I try not to get too phobic about it because it's really impossible to control completely. Not that I am even in the same category with some on here who are 100% raw or high-raw, but what is the goal? It's to feel good, right? And if you obsess about becoming poisoned, it goes against the whole reason to be raw in the first place!

I know someone who is a vegetarian and over 60 and when the ecoli lettuce and green onions happened, he said that's why he never eats anything not in a wrapper. He's the only vedge who doesn't eat veggies, LOL. I have loosened my need for organic everything and have even been enjoying some conventional apples (in the dirty dozen, ZOMG!). The non-organic ones are nice and cheap right now and it's better than eating Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip I still buy organic all the time but not only organic.

The benefit of knowing about toxic things are avoiding them! I think thats better than not knowing about them. I remember eating a lot of sugary things and processed foods, and my father commenting on how bad they really are. I then asked the obvious question, why are we eating them then? My father didn't have an answer to that.

It seems that every generation has some phobia about food, some nutritional ideas have proven misguided, but I do appreciate that people have time to think about possible harm, and potentially better ways to produce and consume food to make life better. I am often disappointed that lot of people are not only 'not on the same page' nutritionally, but often not even in the same book.

I will admit that I am not raw, I have enough trouble eating whole foods without any added artificial ingredients, hydrogenated oils, corn syrup etc... I heard something interesting on the radio that I never thought about. The person commenting about corn syrup said that its really no worse than processed sugar. I kind of doubt that a bit, but he said the main thing about avoiding it is that its a red flag for a highly processed food. Most of the time it only appears in something that has a lot of other things are no good.

I think that making a post or two about the dangers of certain things is a fine thing and serves a purpose. I think what gets people riled are the times that something is beaten into the ground when the danger level is maybe not as threatening as the level of hysteria might indicate. Another problem comes when people begin to see a perceived danger in something that has been used relatively safely for decades and then start to hail and hurrah at that things replacement... usually something with far less known about it. BPA free plastics have been replaced with what? Why is it safer? How long has it been used in real life situations outside a lab? Stuff like that. In some ways I think fear and hysteria over some things may be more damaging to ones overall wellbeing than the thing itself. Not angry, not even a speck irritated, just saying I see the wisdom in not getting too bent out of shape over each new revelation of danger.

--------------------
Tombotronic

I have a few things to say about this....

First of all, it is good to be informed. I would not want to live in blissful ignorance drinking water from plastic bottles, for example, and continue to undermine my health. I learned about this a while ago, and am glad I did. I'm doing what I can to adjust my lifestyle to avoid it.

Also, for me, raw food and green juicing, and this whole lifestyle is not primarily about trying to buffer and protect myself from all of the atrocities happening on this earth. I'm about living joyfully, and looking for the good instead of worrying and focusing on all of the harmful, bad things going on. I eat raw because it feels the best to me. I just plain feel good when I eat raw and living food.

Personally, I think kale juice tastes foul, and I don't drink it, or anything else that I don't like. The foods I want to eat or drink that I know are beneficial and want to take, I cleverly disguise with other, healthy, better tasting foods. For me, it's not about torturing myself to stay healthy. I prefer to enjoy my food.

I truly believe that a joyful, healthy life is nothing more than a string of joyful, healthy moments. It's all about living in the NOW. Whatever is happening on the outside that is harmful and toxic, isn't going away anytime soon. I want to be informed, and I also want to enjoy my food and my life, and make each moment the best I can. For me, that's what it's all about.