What's cooking? Nothing at all Raw food diet is all the rage with health conscious But critics say it's half-baked, maybe even dangerous by TANIA PADGETT SPECIAL TO THE STAR Six years ago, David Norman, a real estate developer, was battling a weight problem, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and hair loss. Norman's health problems were particularly frustrating because he didn't smoke, drank alcohol only occasionally and he ate a vegan diet, avoiding meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Desperate, Norman decided to try an even more restrictive diet, one consisting mostly of fresh fruits, uncooked vegetables, nuts and grains made edible with soaking. Within a year, he shed 35 pounds and was able to toss out his blood pressure and cholesterol medications. His hair stopped falling out, he says, and even his poor eyesight improved. "My doctor advised me against doing this diet," says Norman, who hails from Texas. "But when my blood tests came back normal, he says, `Keep doing what you're doing.''' Move over, South Beach Diet and Atkins. The latest diet may not be hot, but it's gathering steam. As more people become health conscious, many are turning to the raw or living foods diet that advocates eating mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, but eating them uncooked. The diet also has become more popular as more celebrities endorse it and gourmet chefs add an epicurean flourish to it. But just as the diet is taking off, allegations that it is unhealthy and, in some cases dangerous, also are growing. Dietitians argue that the diet, which allows no meat or meat byproducts such as eggs or dairy, is too low in protein, a much-needed building block for the human body. Raw foodists argue that the diet, or even the more healthful lifestyle that often results, has healing and rejuvenating benefits. Many people who go on the diet do so because they don't feel well or have illnesses that haven't responded well to traditional medicines. Uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains have more nutrients and digestion-aiding enzymes than cooked food, adherents say. Raw foodists spurn any food that has been heated beyond 116 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which most enzymes are said to be destroyed. Susan Pensack, a 48-year-old Manhattan resident and an editor at Columbia University Press, says symptoms from a thyroid problem disappeared once she went raw four years ago. Susan Halperin, an opera singer from Manhattan, says a nagging sinus condition and severe allergies cleared up shortly after she embarked on a raw food lifestyle 19 months ago. Others, particularly celebrities and models, rave about speedy weight loss, more youthful-looking appearance and increased energy levels after going on the diet. "Cooked food is toxic," says Rhio, a longtime raw foodist who has written a book on the subject, Hooked On Raw, and who operates http://www.rawfoodin fo.com, an informational Web site. "There are no enzymes or nutrients in it, which is why people get so sick." But living the raw foods lifestyle is not easy. The diet is one of the strictest around. Most adherents advocate buying the pricier organic fruits, vegetables or bottled water to avoid pesticides. Food preparation — particularly without a blender, juicer or high-powered mixer — can be long and arduous, because most raw food recipes demand constant cutting, chopping and blending of fruits, vegetables and nuts. That doesn't mean, however, that dieters will be subject to homemade meals of bland, unappetizing foods. In fact, one reason for the diet's popularity is the explosion of living foods cookbooks, restaurants, Web sites and packaged raw food products. "Raw food has definitely been going mainstream," says author David Wolfe, who operates http://www.raw food.com, which hawks organic foods, supplements and books. "Hits to my site have increased enormously in the last year; raw food restaurants are popping up everywhere and it seems as if everyone is writing a raw book.'' Indeed. Six months ago Charlie Trotter, a leading American chef, began offering raw food delicacies such as unheated shiitake mushroom soup with lime radish and winged beans (a tropical legume) and portobello mushroom pave with white asparagus vinaigrette at his Chicago restaurant. His latest book is Raw, co-authored with California raw food chef Roxanne Klein. In the past year, the raw food movement in New York has gained momentum. The city's five exclusively raw food restaurants often are filled to capacity at dinnertime. More vegetarian restaurants are getting the hint and adding raw dishes. And, in the past six months, the raw food gourmet class at Manhattan's Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health has become so crowded that students had to be turned away, says Jenny Matthau, school president and director of chef training. The raw food or living food diet has been around since the 1950s, when Ann Wigmore, a self-taught nutritionist, began popularizing it through her health institute. But the diet really didn't take off until the late 1990s, when high-powered chefs and celebrities rediscovered the diet and began singing its praises. Felicia Watkis, a raw food caterer who has prepared food for jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, says it's important for food to look and taste good. "Raw food meals really didn't taste too good, until gourmet chefs starting coming into the picture," says Watkis. "Most people enjoy it now because we try very hard to replicate the taste and textures of dishes that people love.'' Despite the claims of raw foods enthusiasts, many doctors and dietitians scoff at it. Katherine Tallmadge, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says she thinks the diet is "dangerous," particularly for pregnant women, children, the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. "The diet is protein-deficient and nutrient-poor," says Tallmadge, who also is author of Diet Simple, a book promoting weight loss by making only a few changes to the average diet. "The idea that cooked food is toxic is absurd. There is absolutely no science to back that up.'' Tallmadge is not alone in her assessment. Five months ago, Florida authorities says the death of 5-month-old Woyah Andressohn probably was the result of malnutrition brought on by a raw food diet. Investigators also found that Andressohn's four brothers and sisters, who also were allegedly on the diet, were severely malnourished. The news brought a wave of anti-raw foodists, including doctors and chemists who say the science behind raw food diets was specious. Dietitians argue that the body produces enough enzymes that the extra enzymes raw foodists insist the body needs are unnecessary. They also argue that cooking helps kill off many germs. But many enthusiasts maintain that any initial discomfort of the diet is worth the health benefits. And that eventually many people become huge supporters of the lifestyle. Source: Toronto Star,11/28/03 Living Raw in Tulsa, by Jane Hanson, ND, NHC Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.