So you guys have been so helpful as I started my journey to a raw food diet. I'm doing so well already, I feel better and I've lost some weight already. But as I mentioned I'm doing this out of necessity, I have metastatic prostate cancer so my learning curve is a bit more pressing than most people's.

I'm reading all kinds of things about how many things that are sold as raw are actually not. How do you tell? I know most people suggest calling the company and grillin them about their processing techniques. I'm hoping someone has a website that cas compiled differnt items and which are truly raw? Do I have to sell my house and buy an organic farm?

Some items in particular that I'm interested in are nuts, sprouted bread, oats and other grains for sprouting.

Also, I was at Whole Foods the other day and saw "raw sprouted" seeds, nuts etc in the dry bulk section. My GF was so excited but I just couldn't wrap my arms around how they could get them to be both raw sprouted and have a shelf life to be left out unrefrigerated. What gives with this? Are they really "raw"? Is it some marketing trick that says they are saying that they WERE raw when they were sprouted but since have been heat treated or pasteurized? Did I miss an opportunity to hit a home run or did I rightfully turn my nose up?

I think those raw sprouted seeds were probably dehydrated, but since they were in the bulk section, I assume there wasn't much of a label or description.

They probably had salt added, too.

Buy more items from the produce department and less from a package/bottle is my advice.

Find your local rawfood grower and buy from him and or learn how to sprout. All comercial almonds are not 100% raw. Don't worry about what WFM is selling it is all dehydrated and not optimal. Some of the small venders have good sprouted snacks but you can make your own easy. Soak your own nuts and sprout your own beans, mung and lentil are super easy, nuts are even easier, just soak. Brasil nuts are boiled in the shelling process so it's hard to get good ones. Most importantly as Brian Clement states is using algae's and sea vegies! and who would know better? The grains are ok, sprouted bread is cooked accept for some sprouted flat bread wich is dehydrated. I would not buy the bulk sprouted stuff from the bulk bin even though it is probably just soaked and dehydrated.

Broccoli sprouts extract is supposed to be excellent in taking on prostate cancer, as are all sulforaphane bearing cruciferous vegetables. Considering the severity of your condition, you might want to consider using a broccoli sprouts supplement on a daily basis. I'm assuming though that if you eat the veg they must be cooked to render the phytochemical assimilable. Raw is not always THE one and only answer. Here's a study from the Linus Pauling Institute:

[oregonstate.edu]

Very cool, thanks for the study. My Naturopath was just discussing this with me. He seemed to say that the sulforaphane is active in both raw and cooked, but since I am able to have 10% cooked maybe it's time to have cooked broccoli for lunch. Thanks so much.

Great. I seem to recall reading somewhere that in order to maximize the amount of sulforaphane, the sprouts should only be a certain amount of days old. This is why supplements are often recommended as an addition to the real deal. I guess that proper supplements conform to the proper age of the sprouts.

I was reading your link, it seemed to suggest that if you cook it for a short time, 2-4 minutes, it looks like you can get all you need right from the broccoli with no sprouts at all. It was saying that if you are going to use sprout powder then the use of fresh sprouts had an additive effect. I suppose with how important this is to me; sprouts, supplements and broccoli wouldn't be too extreme LOL

Yeah, I was focusing on your specific need. You probably want to make sure that you have it all covered. I studied this stuff a while ago, but do seem to recall that a decent Broccoli sprout supplement should supply you with the same amount of sulforaphane that's found in a full head of broccoli or something like that.

Apologies if I repeat something that's already been mentioned. Anthocyanin rich foods are also helpful with cancer.

See the section on "anti-cell proliferation:" [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Dietary source list: [en.wikipedia.org]

Red cabbage should give you a nice combined dose of sulforaphane and anthocyanin. I love it. I'm always loading up on the foods that provide both. They comprise a huge portion of my diet.

One more thing: I like a nice full glass of water every morning with half a lemon squeezed in. It's such a refreshing and healthy way to start every day. I love lemon.

[www.waterbenefitshealth.com]

Yes I heard red cabbage is very good also. When I had first been diagnosed I was pretty advanced. My Natropath put me on a 2 month juicing regimin along with some supplements, miatake, tumerac, flor essence, and lots of digestive support and enzymes. He was looking to strengthen me up for the surgery and treatments that were to come. Anyway I had to juice red cabbage as part of my witches brew.
I'm thinking a red cabbage/broccoli slaw, any ideas on how to dress that up?

I love this dressing as a raw, plant-based fat source. He uses sunflower AND sesame seed. I prefer to avoid both because they're highly estrogenic. I use raw, soaked organic almonds instead. I feel that it tastes better without the dill, but that's just me. If you add salt, use pink Himalayan. A seaweed like dulse is also nice to add but not so much that you can taste it.

[www.youtube.com]

Although I do not have your health concerns, I know you will find the right foods to help you heal.

I, too, feel overwhelmed at times about what is raw..luckily, we have this forum and each other to guide us along.

Everyone seems very eager to help.

Thanks HH, I'll check it out. Where did you get your infor that sesame and sunflower are estrogenic?

Michelle, you are so right =)

I was studying hormones and diet a while back and came across it. I'm sure that a google search for "sunflower sesame estrogen" will produce something.

Here ya go: [www.livestrong.com]

Shoreroad,

You're getting great advice here. I second the advice to focus more on fresh and less on dried/dehydrated/cooked. I add, also, that broccoli sprouts a couple or three days old are among the easiest sprouts to grow at home and the easiest to eat in large amounts because they are so darn tasty, especially with a zingy raw vinaigrette

Shoreroad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes I heard red cabbage is very good also. When I
> had first been diagnosed I was pretty advanced. My
> Natropath put me on a 2 month juicing regimin
> along with some supplements, miatake, tumerac,
> flor essence, and lots of digestive support and
> enzymes. He was looking to strengthen me up for
> the surgery and treatments that were to come.
> Anyway I had to juice red cabbage as part of my
> witches brew.
> I'm thinking a red cabbage/broccoli slaw, any
> ideas on how to dress that up?


I would just mix with other vegies like lettuce, cucumber, celery and all the sprouts you can afford, sunflower are one of the best. When you are cancer free then you can help other people in your area do it the same way.

Opps I was thinking a juice with the cabbage and broccoli, no ideas on the slaw.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2012 02:09PM by rzman10001.