What can be said about it when applied to a raw vegan diet? Obviously it's not a raw substance, but are there any significant health effects, positive or negative? I might add it to salads sometimes.

Who said it's not raw? I buy my spices in bulk from Whole Foods. The one near me gets their herbs/spices from Frontier and I have seen the bulk package where it says 'non-irradiated' and I imagine that they are not heated as well. Think about it: many spices like cinnamon bark, oregano, clove buds...they are dried but that doesn't mean in an oven. Black pepper is used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine. I've had some of those Yogi teas and they all seem to have it as part of their formula. Some people experience stomach upset, though. Here's a link:

[ezinearticles.com]

It is a medicine not a food.

If it's a flavour that you enjoy and it makes your meal more pleasant for you then it has that as it's value and that is significant. Basil can also be used medicinally but that doesn't exclude it for culinary use. Just use reason when judging these things. What is right For You?

Making the meal more pleasant force us to eat more. It is not a good thing NATURAL HYGIENICALLY

In your opinion.
In my experience I have control over how much I eat and am familiar with the feeling of adequately full no matter the flavour. I don't need dogma to dictate this to me.

What differentiates between a medicine and a food when it comes to these sort of herbs/foods?. Just because it has medicinal properties? Raspberries, bananas, every fruit and vegetable i can think of has some research behind it on there own unique medicinal/health boosting properties are they now a drug also. I have never understood natural hygiene society's view when it has come to this. Any food can be considered a drug/medicine as it alters the bodies human physiology.

In fact many of the phyto-nutrients and compounds which give certain herbs there benefits are the same ones contained in fruits and vegetables.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

It is difficult to imagine adding MORE FLAVOR to a meal of ripe mangoes, papayas, and durians, even grated carrots. You cannot outsmart nature.

There is a HUGE difference between a food and a medicine. You cannot eat a medicine as food until your are full. You cannot eat black pepper by itself until you are full, it is not a food



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 04:01PM by RawPracticalist.

What is life without SPICE? The super pure raw foodists who literally don't use any spices and what not are far too pure for me, lol. It seems pretty extreme to be against even flavoring your food. Or at least, it isn't a life I would want. I consider myself a chef, it's one of my biggest passions, if I was eating plain papaya all day I'd be missing out on a lot of the fun I have in the kitchen.

So yes I use black pepper, I don't know if it is raw but it sure is yummy!

And those papaya seeds are full of papain and very peppery. I make myself chew a few sometimes after consuming the flesh

RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is a HUGE difference between a food and a
> medicine. You cannot eat a medicine as food until
> your are full. You cannot eat black pepper by
> itself until you are full, it is not a food

Why do we judge what is a food or medicine purely on what we can eat till we are full. I could eat wheatgrass powder until im full and probably get a full scope of most nutrients needed to live but is it a good idea probably not. In this case of spices etc most of them are dried to be used as seasoning/flavoring. I suppose you could eat tumeric in its root form until your full too so is tumeric a food or a medicine?.

Dandelion leaf is a popular herb with medicinal/health boosting properties i could sit and eat dandelion leaf until i was full so again what category does that fall into food or medicine?

Medicine by definition is:
1. The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease.

2. Any substance administered in the treatment of disease; a remedial agent; a medication; a medicament; a remedy; physic.

That could relate to pretty much every healthy food, herb or spice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 05:09PM by powerlifer.

powerlifer it is very simple, simple as abc
1. All foods are medicine
2. Not all medicines are necessarily foods
3. If some produce cannot be eaten as a mono meal until you are full, it is not a food. It could be a medicine
4. From the previous black pepper is not a food.

There is a reason raw foodists get called orthorexic and that sort of dogma is exactly it.

I can't eat carrots until I am full, not apples or mango or lettuce or anything. I get a definite taste change before having consumed enough to fill me 3/4 full (optimal stopping point for a meal) or even 1/2 full.
What you are saying is OPINION and yet it is being presented as fact. Opinion is fine, that's what we are all here sharing. Stating things as fact? Not so welcome, thanks anyhow.

RawPracticalist Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------
> 1. Sort of agree most foods have health boosting properties so yeah those foods could be considered a medicine. But not all foods do.

> 2. Of course that goes without saying, many medicines are man made chemicals and obviously not food.

> 3. Again like my next answer anything that has nutritional value can and should be considered a food.

> 4. Black pepper and various other spices have nutritional value thus are a food.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 05:34PM by powerlifer.

The definition of a food is very simple, common sense.
You can hear somedoby says I had mangoes for lunch, I had grape for breakfast, I had carrots for dinner, but NEVER will hear someone says I had black pepper for dinner. It has nutrutional values, so does soil, dirt, but dirt is not a food.

Its not really, seems a wild view that is pretty much unfounded like most of the natural hygiene societies views on these things.

Food - definition.
any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth, etc.

Well black peppers contains nutrients and can be eaten or taken into the body.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 05:51PM by powerlifer.

"You cannot outsmart nature."

And nature didn't make black pepper? I don't get it. My body happens happens to react well to spices, in relative moderation, thank you very much.

powerlifer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Food - definition.
> any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or
> otherwise taken into the body to sustain life,
> provide energy, promote growth, etc.
>
> Well black peppers contains nutrients and can be
> eaten or taken into the body.

Yes, very reasonable. Food = things that can be eaten, not only things that can make a meal. That's just silly. To each their own but again I will call that sort of limiting thinking dogma and say no thanks.

Guys, Gals, let's promote natural simple health in eating foods that nature provides in natural form. Save yourself time in doctoring up foods, do not waste your precious time in the kitchen, black pepper cannot add any more value to food from nature.
Black pepper makes you eat more, denature your natural taste, your threshold for eating, and stop eating.
Your body will be full of energie to enjoy the simple fact of living.
I had a pint of celery carrot juice and mangoes for lunch, not pepper.

RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guys, Gals, let's promote natural simple health in
> eating foods that nature provides in natural form.
> Save yourself time in doctoring up foods, do not
> waste your precious time in the kitchen, black
> pepper cannot add any more value to food from
> nature.
> Black pepper makes you eat more, denature your
> natural taste, your threshold for eating, and stop
> eating.
> Your body will be full of energie to enjoy the
> simple fact of living.
> I had a pint of celery carrot juice and mangoes
> for lunch, not pepper.

Come on that is just not true, if you add black pepper to your food you add the nutrients black pepper contains. Its abit like saying if i add a slice of melon to my fruit salad it cannot add any more value to food from nature. Black pepper is from nature, turmeric is from nature and aswell as every other spice/herb.

I haven't read any information to suggest black pepper makes you eat more.

After reading this post:

"Guys, Gals, let's promote natural simple health in eating foods that nature provides in natural form. Save yourself time in doctoring up foods, do not waste your precious time in the kitchen, black pepper cannot add any more value to food from nature.
Black pepper makes you eat more, denature your natural taste, your threshold for eating, and stop eating. "

I have to agree with this:

"There is a reason raw foodists get called orthorexic and that sort of dogma is exactly it."



For the record I do not consider anything I do in the kitchen to be a waste of my time... creating delicious (*and yes, sometimes spicy) foods is a part of my passion and spirituality. It is something I NEED on a day to day basis and something that would make my life less rich and special were it to be taken away.

If one enjoys mono eating and isn't into food prep, that's fine too. But to imply black pepper and other spices are unhealthy or that there is something unnatural about combining spices and flavors, that is just way over the line for me.

For me, raw food is about ABUNDANCE, FLAVOR, VARIETY. It isn't about restrictions.

Tumeric, another spice, is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogens one can take. It has one failing. Taken by itself, it is very poorly absorbed by humans. However, taken with black pepper, its bioavailability increases 2000 times. The synergism is remarkable. Both are natural substances working in harmony to improve health. I think when we get too restrictive, it is counterproductive for me anyway, in my humble opinion.

Tea has no calories; not does water. Not very filling but both have medicinal properties, a food? a spice? or neither? I don't care. Doesn't matter. Tea and water are nutritional without calories as is black pepper but there is no confusing the two liquids from the solid. Hmmmm pepper tea? Is there such a thing? Dunno. Best.

Paul



RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Guys, Gals, let's promote natural simple health in
> eating foods that nature provides in natural form.
> Save yourself time in doctoring up foods, do not
> waste your precious time in the kitchen, black
> pepper cannot add any more value to food from
> nature.
> Black pepper makes you eat more, denature your
> natural taste, your threshold for eating, and stop
> eating.
> Your body will be full of energie to enjoy the
> simple fact of living.
> I had a pint of celery carrot juice and mangoes
> for lunch, not pepper.

Let me turn this around for you.

>RawPracticalist Wrote:
>promote natural simple health in eating foods that nature provides in natural >form TO YOURSELF.
>Save YOURSELF time in doctoring up foods, do not waste YOUR precious time in the >kitchen IF YOU FEEL THAT IS A WASTE OF TIME.
>Black pepper makes YOU eat more.


These things are not true for me.


> I had a pint of celery carrot juice and mangoes
> for lunch, not pepper.

Good for you. I put pepper on my food, enjoyed it and am satiated while not full. I had a fun in the kitchen too, not a moment of wasted time.

pborst Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hmmmm pepper tea? Is there such a thing?
> Dunno. Best.
>
> Paul
>


Black pepper is one of the ingredients in Chai tea, you can make an herbal version that doesn't contain caffeine.
Thanks for the reminder about combining turmeric and black pepper, I'll remember that when I take the turmeric I capped up.

Lots would be surprise how much nutrients various dried spices contain let alone the various phyto-chemicals and compounds which give there health benefits.

[www.whfoods.com] - Black Pepper

Why is Black Pepper buring in the month. The body is telling you it is not WELCOME. Why can't you eat more of it, because you cannot, the body does not want it, your educated, cultural mind may, but the natural body does not want it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 06:42PM by RawPracticalist.

Well personally black pepper doesn't burn my mouth and that again is a poor analogy if that's the right word. Hot spices such as cayenne contain compounds which give them there heat, that doesn't mean there bad for you infact again cayenne has shown to have a number of benefits such as for the circulatory system etc

What about the other dried spices that don't have any heat such as sage, basil, oregano etc. Whats wrong with them?

RawPracticalist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is Black Pepper buring in the month. The body
> is telling you it is not WELCOME. Why can't you
> eat more of it, because you cannot, the body does
> not want it, your educated, cultural mind may, but
> the natural body does not want it.

hmmmm, whose mouth are we talking about? Strong pungent flavor may well be the sign of powerful antioxidant and anti-cancer activity, e.g. kale juice, raw onion. The dose is the poison and also the taste. Fattening white cake probably tastes good if your taste buds are so inclined. But whether it tastes good in the mouth is not a reliable measure for anything. It simply means what it means, you don't like x possibly because you took too much or too little. But some people may like it, some may not. Since tastes vary, how can one's taste buds serve as a measure for how good or poorly one food is for everyone?

Paul



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 06:57PM by pborst.

I never liked spicy food but after going raw it started to appeal to me and now I quite like it. Bitter foods as well, like dandelion. I've heard and read that gaining a taste for bitter foods indicates a well functioning liver, wonder what gaining a taste for spicy food indicates.

ETA Powerlifer, vitamin K? Wow, it's better than I thought! That's wonderful news, thanks for the link.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 07:07PM by coco.

The QUESTION you are all avoiding is this:

Why do you stop eating black pepper or any pepper when you are not full yet?
Because the body does not want it, it is not a food.

You can continue to eat mangoes or tomotoes until you are full as long as there are more of them.

If you are on raw foods and like spicy foods then you have miles to go still but that is your choice but do not call pepper a food. It burns.