12 Steps to Raw

I know this is a popular read but I've previously avoided reading it, finding the food addiction idea somewhat off-putting..... well I just wanted to commment that I bought it for my mom for Christmas (it would def appeal to her), and I've not been able to put it down! I'm REALLY enjoying this book.

Interesting, because I had the opposite reaction. I hated it, hated the exaggerations, the oversimplifications, and the outright lies. Just all empty posturing IMO.

I prefer the matter of fact approach, such as that of Helen Vlassara.

The previous book I read was Dr. Cousens' Rainbow Green - heavily scientific - absolutely loved it but realized that alot of people don't have the patience or enthusiasm for that kind of in-depth factual analysis.

Victoria's book is oversimplified but that's the beauty of it - most Americans don't like science - and she does say it's all her theory, not scientifically tested facts. But the facts do largely support it - maybe not 100% - but still, think about how far off the mark conventional medical theory is - this book hits the mark much closer than that.

I will check out Helen Vlassara - I've never heard of her.

You have nailed the terrible dilemma. Most people are not at all interested in science and very susceptible to snake oil salesman.

But they need to know some things. How to convey this knowledge without putting them to sleep? Or turning them off, as many people automatically turn off when anything technical is presented.

>I will check out Helen Vlassara - I've never heard of her.

She's very important. She is going to be the one who proves that uncooked food is life-extending. That is, if she hasn't already done so.

She has done a lot of work on diabetic rodents, of course they get worse with more highly cooked foods. Rumor has it that she also has shown this with normals but she hasn't published in a journal. All we have is a report from a conference. It might be a 15% increase in lifespan.

I haven't read it. All I've read is rumors.
[www.liebertonline.com]

Advanced Glycation in Health and Disease: Role of the Modern Environment by Helen Vlassara
[www.annalsnyas.org]

Advanced glycation endproduct
[en.wikipedia.org]

Arugula said, "Interesting, because I had the opposite reaction. I hated it, hated the exaggerations, the oversimplifications, and the outright lies. Just all empty posturing IMO."

Could this be because you did not have a food addiction like some of us? I found her book right on the mark. I have not read the other person you mentioned, but I will do so soon.

Thanks James, yes, I have read many of her papers on diabetic rodents and also diabetic humans. Also her group published a paper with the most complete list of glycotoxin values for foods. The nutshell is that cooked fats are the worst, cooked proteins, intermediate, and cooked carbohydrate foods, the least bad. In addition, cooked animal foods are worse than cooked plant foods.

I am looking forward to more from her group. It's high excitement for me.

Mtnkathy, it wasn't her writing on addiction that bothered me, it was the lack of scientific grounding. I do consider myself an addict, I still want some of it.

I still want:

chocolate
cake
cookies
candy
nachos
pancakes

etc.

I have no desire for any flesh foods, though, they repulse me. But I still crave vegetarian junk foods at times. And sometimes I really want something crispy, like a real cracker (as opposed to a dehydrated flax cracker, which is tasty but too much trouble to make).

Arugula, do you check your urine Ph regularly? Is it properly alkaline? This could account for some cravings at times.

arugula Wrote:
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> But they need to know some things. How to convey
> this knowledge without putting them to sleep? Or
> turning them off, as many people automatically
> turn off when anything technical is presented.


Yes Yes exactly!!

We need simple 4th grade science project-type studies. Make it easy. I would love to do some or help someone else. I'm full of ideas!

Though I suspect, with the current medical behemoth being what it is, that it's going to be women - our quest for beauty - that will actually be the path to this diet rather than concrete scientific proof. Once more women realize how beautiful they can be on this diet, then everything else should fall into place.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2006 04:18PM by sunshine79.

Also, I find that it's the people who are least willing to listen to science who are the first to denounce any new ideas as BS.

I spoke with a medical doctor recently, explained the theory, and he was quite astonished - he loved it!! But with him it was easy, because he was a science person.

I've pretty much given up on trying to explain this to non-scientists, they hate it.

Which is why I think Victoria's book is great - same end result, completely different angle to explain it with.

This thread is a testament to our education systems everywhere and how terrible they are relative to how much better we could make them.