Did they eat these foods raw as apes would?

The outcome of the test does only show that it can reduce cholesterol and sodium in a short period. What it would do on the long run is not known. It seems that we need sodium and fat. Here in the Netherlands we had a 'hausse' of some kind of diet from a lady that made herself very popular and she had many followers: Sonja Bakker. But insiders say that on the long run you will develop a lot of shortages in you system like vitamins and minerals. You defenitly need fat to absorb these elements.

With those nuts and the olives in brine, I don't see how you can say there isn't sodium and fat in that diet.

this does work, i have eaten a high - over 80% - raw diet for decades and a 100% raw for years do not experience colds aches pains illness and have great energy, oh and it makes you very happy too

Here we go again, another bizarre way of eating because in reality, we're not apes. Insofar as raw fruits and veggies are concerned, you'd have to live on a farm and make sure everything is grown organically, otherwise, I wouldn't risk eating anything raw nowadays. Besides, what percentage of the population can carry off an *apelike* eating regimen? This is just another variation on the theme of Atkins!

Here's another way to lower your cholesterol and blood pressure:

Eat everything, but in moderation, that includes alcohol and sweets; apple pie, ice cream, but small portions. Move! Doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you move - every day.

Eating in moderation and staying active is ultimately the most viable way of maintaining good weight and controlling cholesterol and blood pressure, and, it is the most difficult to master.

There are many who exercise, eat right, maintain proper weight, who walk around with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Unfortunatley, genetics does play a role in our body chemistry. A total bloodwork, once a year, even for those in their 20's is prudent.

What about protein? Is there enough in this diet? Our ancestors evolved as hunter/gatherers which certainly included meat and fish. We may be distantly related to apes but we are not apes. We are smarter, more physically capable and in general live a lot longer. Wouldn't it be better to concentrate on our own evolution?

Exactly...what about protein? In the short term this is ok but long term without enough protien you would set yourself up for a host of problems. Sure there is some protein in the nuts but not enough and not the whole range of amino acids which are so important. There is also no B12 in a diet like this as B12 is vertually impossible to get without animal products. A lack of B12 the long term can lead to many chronic problems as well as neurological issues. And although a high veg diet is great it also means a high carbohydrate diet. We also need protein and fats, in about the ratio of 30:30:40. Fats have had a bad name but we forget there are good, essentail fats and there are bad fats. Fast food obviously contains bad fats but there are a host of good fats from fish oil, nits and seeds, coconuts and animal fat that without we cannot be healthy. Yes even a lack of saturated fats, (animal or coconut derived) can lead to issues such as hormonal problems. High cholesterol is an issue but so is low cholesterol.

Like Frances Gudge I too have eaten over 80% raw for years. I too do not get sick. Its to do with the alkalinity this type of diet creates. Oh, and I am happy too!

If we evolved from apes, why do we still have apes?

I ate a vegan diet for 3 years. I felt horrible and looked even worse. I finally went back to lean proteins and fish and am back to a healthy weight and feel stronger then ever. It's not for everyone!

I ate a vegan diet for 3 years. I felt horrible and looked even worse. I finally went back to lean proteins and fish and am back to a healthy weight and feel stronger then ever. It's not for everyone!

We do need some saturated fat in our diet to the tune of about 6 oz of beef per week.

Generally we should avoid red meat and instead get our protein from chicken, fish, legumes and nuts.

Some recent, very large studies can be found at:

Plant Based , Low Carb Diet May promote weight loss and improve cholesterol
Newswise http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/553096/?sc=dwhn

34% of Cancer is preventable through low red meat diet:
American Institute for Cancer Research: http://www.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=14613&news_iv_ctrl=2461

The Real Cost of Red Meat
Nutrition Action Letter: http://www.yourhealthandmine.net/food220.htm

I'm also 80% raw and feel great doing it. My breast-milk supply has INCREASED and i'm finally beating my Candida issue i've had for years. Also, the warts on my feet are falling off after attempts for 8 years to get rid of them.

We have more ancient ancestors than the hunger/gatherers. Whether you believe in evolution or creation... we are meant to pick fruit from tree's, eat plants and vegatation in their raw form.

If you felt ill on a vegan diet it was probably cause you were eating too many complex carbs such as cooked graines, breads, ect... which take a super long time for the body to digest, leaving us feeling fatigued and ill. Also they break down into simple sugars in our body and stay in the blood stream for many hours. Sugars found it fruits, on the otherhand don't take anytime to digest and our cells in our body use up the sugar (because we need it) rapidly and it doesn't stay in our bloodstream long enough to impact blood-sugar levels. That is why i am beating my candida.

I eat all the fruit i want, but restrict my fat intake. Fat is PROVEN to slow absorbion by 2-3 hours (for just 1 drop). Low fat, high natural carbohydrates (fruits/veggies) and low protein (nuts/seeds) is the ideal diet. Yes, we should have MUFA and EFA in our diet but not in large quanitities. If we go back in time to where humans began foraging... we wouldn't have been eating spoons and spoonsful of oils. We'd take so and so long to crack open and nut and after about 5-10 of them we'd move on to another type of food.

Our jaws are meant to be herbavors/frugavores... we don't have canine teeth like the animals that catch and eat meat raw. If we were meant to eat meat, we should be able to eat it in its raw form. PLUS, we could quench the thirst of thousands or millions of people with the water we use to feed the cows that we turn into beef. We could feed the hungry people with the crops of grain we feed our livestock with. We could safe the rainforests if we stopped cutting them down to mass-produce soy/corn fields.

People, do you research! And, i do not believe a refined, produced sugar that is found in sweets/ice-cream, ect should be eaten in moderation. Nature has its own candy. Dates, pecans, mangos...Mmmmm! Plus, we are the ONLY mammals that feel the need to rob another mammal of their breast milk after we've weaned from our own mother. Cows milk is meant to nourish a baby calf and we should not be eating or drinking it in ANY FORM. It has 300 X more casein in it than human breastmilk does. Casein is what we make GLUE out of. I feel fantastic ever since i cut dairy and all animal products out of my diet.

Wow! Thanks for all that info Kristi! I am currently eating high raw and feel better than ever! I still probably eat more oil than is ideal but I have made a huge difference in some health issues I had been facing and can't say enough about the difference in energy I feel when I feed my body nutrient dense foods with a high water content instead of dried out cooked foods. Its simply brilliant. : )

Read the book "The China Study" which reviews the scientific research related to a vegan diet. Reducing cholesterol levels is only one of many benefits provided by changing what we eat. My husband and I switched 2 years ago - we have more energy, sleep better, and my joint pain disappeared.

Lots of good info in there Kristi but vegan diets are not for everyone! I know many who have tried and felt worse! I thing everyone needs to see what works for them - there are indeed good things that we can get from animal products that we can't get from plant sources. Most people should cut down the amount of animal products we consume and increase the number of fruits and veggies for a healthy balanced diet. North Americans do indeed eat too much protein - it should be the side dish on our plates - not the main attraction!

Great job. We need studies like that which shows the power of raw and living foods. I have been eating a diet of raw foods for more than 30 years with great results in my health and freedom.

I think a lot of people who suffer during extreme vegan conversion are actually cleansing. It can take years to really cleanse all the toxic build up. I do believe every body is different and has different needs, however most animal products sold today are laden with chemicals we would never intentionally ingest. I don't believe any one should make extreme dietary changes with out reading both sides of things themselves. I think a lot of people are making changes uneducated and don't really understand the process they are going through. Read, read , read.

Just want to say that I have been very sick with spastic colon, and I now eat only raw fresh foods throughout the day, like grapes and spinach salad (and loads of fruit any kind I can get my hands on). And then for dinner I will eat some meat, preferably fish, and a fresh salad and occassionally a small carb. I am very slowly getting better. I have noticed also that I do not get colds or the flu anymore. First winter in my whole life I didn't get a cold. But I was finding though that I was not doing well on cooked veggies at all. I do way better on fresh. And same with fruit,must be fresh, not canned. Can tolerate frozen fruit though

I'm surprised no one has mentioned blending all that produce to make it simple to consume and absorb. Boutenko's book "Greens for Life" explains how they added green smoothies of fruit and veggies after being raw for several years and had another dramatic increase in their health. A lot of us just don't have the teeth to chew all that stuff!

Great comments here I think you are reinventing the wheel just eat live food ie food that has not been cooked.


Which plonker thinks their ancesters are apes.
When you cant prove a theory after all these Darwin years..... why is that?

you may like to know that the world is round like a melon or an orange not really an apple
love you all xx

Awesome I've just read through everything and have started my own little test for the past 6months on raw foods and eating food from my home land, Wow great results, Stronger, Fitter, Faster. I am from the Island of Tonga and eating more food from my home land has enhanced my performance and health, I also have cut out all dairy products which was the greatest test of all but man amazing I dropped 25kg in about 4-5months I didn't think i had that much fat on me and didnt lose Strength or power they all increased and I also became mentally clearer. I reckon people need to become more conscious of there decisions and that will allow them to make the change to more raw foods but they must also look at their water intake aswell which is very important for me. Exercise is also one of the key factors, Mental Stability is a major issue for most and also Spiritual.

I agree with so many of your comments. Thank you for all this information. I work for a group of physicians who treat nutritionally and traditionally and I know they feel that ideally a vegetarian diet would be the way to go, unfortunately most people who try it (and feel bad, look bad, gain weight/lose too much weight) dont educate themselves FIRST before trying it. Many of the great studies, including this one (it looks as tho) show study figures while being fed a balanced and complete diet. It is really difficult to shop for, maintain freshness and be conscious of all that goes into such a healthful way of living (including getting enuf oil, protein, sodium, etc as mentioned above) without taking in too many carbs for calories - for the majority of fast paced people these days...:( Keep educating !!!

Thanks Marian for suggesting "The China Study". It contains over 30 years of nutritional research. You can get it on Amazon.

In one way or another have been involved in the food industry in most if not all areas for over 40 years. The safest way to follow is remain focussed on foods whichave been"manipulated" as little as possible. Stopped eating meats and dairy prod. ( use a little bit of unsalted butter and eggs ) ten years ago and feel great; no medication and am in the final quarter!!!! Work from home ( trader) and have a high level of energy. Do juicing ( veg. and fruits ) and my own cooking which i must admit is easy as I am considered a professional - in my previous life..!!! Bon Appetit !

It is quite interesting to read a variety of perspectives, some I would agree with, others I would disagree. At the same time, there are some I would question. I just wanted to say that the overall eating like an ape can improve your health. This is because apes, like all other animals are smart when it comes to eating food. They eat to live, not live to eat. THe food that apes intake are lots of greens, raw vegetables and fruits. We may not want to compare ourselves to an ape because we are not. Therotically speaking, however; our body make up as in absorption of food are quite similar, if not intricately the same. The fact is we may be smart as people, but when it comes to food animals are smarter. We are in this age of technological advancement and in the utmost western state. Everyone is working longer and harder and our supermarkets are packed with "edible-like" foods being advertised as real food. We are so overwhelmed by the technology and western world, it has made most of us dumber to the essentials: Eating to keep us alive. This cycle of eating is degenerative, and yes lowering our expectancy to live. So can eating like an ape improve our health? Definitely! At this point eating like any wild animal could.

Going back to the way our bodies was designed to eat. Which is all natural not processed foods. The diet makes total sense. Like many of you have concerns about the fats and the proteins is absolutly a great concern. If you haven't heard about Mila which is the highest level of Salvia Hispanica, two tablespoons of day of the Whole Raw Food added to your diet will give you 3000 miligrams of Omega's and you natural receive phyto- nutrients amino acids and antioxidants. Mila is really cool many vegetarians and vegans have added Mila into there diets and noticed the nutrients had made positive changes in how the feel and looks. I have been working with Mila for about a year now and seen how it has helped feel in the missing nutrients in the bodies diets. Many doctors are using Mila and recommending it to their patients. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

My first impulse to comment came after reading Catherine Houghton's comment about it being a another bizarre diet. Getting "food" from the drive in window is what I call bizarre. Also bizarre is what I see people putting in their shopping carts. I've thought that the reason animals in the wild know exactly what to eat is because they are not smart enough to build factories to make artificial food or to build labor saving devices (and then pay to get the missing exercise at a gym). My parents had a good size garden and didn't spray it with poison. I was the chief weed control. I found out how bad commercial food tasted when I became an adult. Now I try to ignore unproven theories about eating like all raw or low carb (awful diet - yeh it works in losing weight but so does cutting off a leg). I like raw fruits and veggies but some foods need to be cooked to release the nutrients or to inactivate toxins. I eat very little meat but never raw. I have a couple general rules: It has got to taste great and it has to be healthy. When you rely on food as close to nature as possible you can use your own taste buds to tell you what is good (just as the animals do). I really enjoyed reading all the comments. Great thoughts.

alex commented on 10-Jun-2009....

we AREN"T from apes or chimpanzee's

Please watch this and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSmTPThWD_c