Raw Vegan Diet - views please

[heartchakra]

I find it simply amazing that someone would read about some guy in India who says do A, B, C, and D
Who claims to have "outstanding success" treating diseases.
Who says to flush out your colon twice a day

That a thinking individual would simply read such stuff, from some unknown, un-proven, guy in India and seriously be tempted to follow his advice.

How about if it included standing on your head and clapping your hands 3 time a day while drinking green tea? Would you still do it? No? Is the twice daily enema any more sensible than that?

Has this India health guru shown any actual evidence that is proof?
Or has he just got a bunch of fellow believers who have bought into all this giving out anecdotal tales.

Simply unbelievable. That is unless you have something more you are going on?

Well, I know a couple of people personally who have benefitted a lot. One person's long standing diabetes was gone in a month and another person who was advised bypass surgery was able to avoid it and remains healthy 3 years into following this. And in his seminars he has a huge line of people giving personal testimonials - what is interesting is he is totally non commercial - does not charge a dime for the seminars except 3.50 $ for the raw lunch that is served !

The enema thing is not a continual thing - twice a day for just the first month. After that he says once a fortnight or once a month is good enough.

But, this fasting and raw food thing does seem very daunting and dont know how sustainable in the long run.

And yes many of the raw food options as someone pointed out means more nuts and more fruits so more sugar.

Maybe I will try it for a short time and see how I feel

[colonyofcells]

It is possible to do a raw starch diet with tubers, winter squash, sprouted grains, sprouted legumes, etc. without resorting to a high fat diet of avocado, coconut, nuts and seeds. Just have to eat more on raw diet since we absorb more calories from cooked food. High fat unprocessed vegan food are probably still better than fatty animal products based on observations of traditional diets. Raw vegan diet like any vegan diet will need daily vitamin b12 tablets.

[waingapu]

And in his seminars he has a huge line of people giving personal testimonials -

The enema thing is not a continual thing - twice a day for just the first month. After that he says once a fortnight or once a month is good enough.

Maybe I will try it for a short time and see how I feel

Amazing, what is the name of this dietary leader?

Personally, I'd require a bit more than a few anecdotes before I'd start forcing water up my rear end twice a day.
Exactly what is it that you are supposed to be flushing out?

[shell-belle]

It was discussed at length last year I believe about the benefits of coffee enemas and why many alt health practitioners advocate them.

Max Gerson was a medical doctor who came up with a therapy for cancer and other chronic diseases that used coffee enemas. Lots of people on this forum say it's all bunk and anecdotal and I'm not wanting to start a debate about this. If you don't want to try a coffee enemas, please do not. I'll post this info here for those that want to learn more:
..........................

All the caffeine that is put into your colon via the coffee enema gets absorbed by the hemorrhoidal vein in about 10 to 15 to 20 minutes. I believe the actual lab tested number is 11 minutes and that was determined by Max Gerson, MD.

The hepatic portal system, carries the caffeine from the coffee along with the antioxidants and palmitic acid right to the liver by what is known as the Hepatic Portal Circulation. The liver processes the caffeine, takes the palmitic acid and from that glutathione is indirectly increased and the other antioxidants from the coffee are also directly deposited to the liver.

If you simply drink coffee, the caffeine gets into your stomach, absorbed into the general circulation and increases your heart rate, stimulates and weakens your adrenals, stimulates a bowel movement, depletes minerals through increased urination, restricts your blood vessels and makes you 'crash' in an hour or so afterwards unless you drink another cup of coffee.

Coffee enema benefits are impressive and far exceed the benefits of drinking coffee.

Coffee Enema Benefits: Quick Facts

Non-stimulating. In fact, they are calming when done properly.
Stimulates bile flow. Caffeine stimulates your gallbladder to release toxic bile - a lot of bile - and bile stores a lot of toxins. This toxic bile gets washed out of your colon when coffee enemas are done properly.
Increases glutathione production. High levels of palmitic acid, found in light roasted enema coffee, stimulates one of the bodies most important detoxification enzymes: glutathione-s-transferase (GST) which stimulates glutathione.
Increases circulation. Theobromine, a stand alone compound and a byproduct of caffeine, is a potent dilator of blood vessels thereby increasing circulation. Poor circulation leads to a buildup of toxins, weak cell metabolism and cellular waste products. Thus, once you place theobromine, and caffeine, directly into your sigmoid colon via the coffee enema, you increase circulation thereby reducing cellular waste, stimulating cellular metabolism and eliminating toxins. Theobromine is found in lightly roasted enema coffees, especially Arabica or Robusta coffees
Stimulates a bowel movement. The water found in the coffee enema stretches out the colon stiimulating the stretch receptors. This signals the body to have a bowel movement. Why is this a plus? You'll learn that in a minute.
Pain Reduction. Pain reduction by coffee enemas was actually one of the first noticed benefits. The pain reduction occurs through a complex of processes which, although theoretical, makes sense and will be explained soon. In short, pain reduction may be due to increased bile flow, circulation and elimination of toxins.
Contains antioxidants. Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants - one of the highest containing levels of any food or product.
Those are the basic coffee enema benefits. While it may seem that only seven benefits are not worthy of going through the entire process of a coffee enema, these seven benefits are extremely powerful - and when combined, even more powerful.

that was from:

http://www.seekinghealth.com/blog/coffee-enema-benefits

[heartchakra]

Amazing, what is the name of this dietary leader?

Personally, I'd require a bit more than a few anecdotes before I'd start forcing water up my rear end twice a day.
Exactly what is it that you are supposed to be flushing out?

His name is BV Chauhan. He is kind of a recluse -not much on the internet and the little that is there is in a regional indian dialect.

[colonyofcells]

Many animals have 2 holes where one hole is for in and one hole is for out. There are probably more safeguards if pushing food or nutrients or liquids thru the mouth.

[sharonbikes]

For me, I do not see any purpose or need for even one enema as part of a healthy diet - a healthy diet should eliminate any "need" for an enema. In one of the Happy Herbivore's recent blog entries she put is well by saying something along the lines of if you give your body a variety of health supporting foods, your body does the math and takes what it needs and sends on through what it doesn't need. Why upset this balance and natural process? I also think that it opens the body up to all sorts of potential infections and other unwanted health issues by sending fluids up an exit only system. Just my .02.



Sharon

[pundit999]

I don't know why you would want to take on a drastic step like this when you already have been following this way of eating for some time.

And a note of caution: it is difficult to find clean, healthy veggies anywhere , but especially in India. It is almost impossible to rid the green leafy veggies of small, hard to see insects.

[colonyofcells]

If already paid for the vegetables with insects, my guess would be that the insects might be nutritious and a source of vitamin b12.

[shell-belle]

For me, I do not see any purpose or need for even one enema as part of a healthy diet - a healthy diet should eliminate any "need" for an enema. In one of the Happy Herbivore's recent blog entries she put is well by saying something along the lines of if you give your body a variety of health supporting foods, your body does the math and takes what it needs and sends on through what it doesn't need. Why upset this balance and natural process? I also think that it opens the body up to all sorts of potential infections and other unwanted health issues by sending fluids up an exit only system. Just my .02.



Sharon

right- if someone is healthy there is no purpose. but some people- sick with cancer or other dreadful diseases -credit the coffee enemas and raw juices & such as enabling their recovery.

[shell-belle]

Coffee in any form is not recommended regardless of the delivery system, and the food plan is shown here. Anything else is a distraction to getting to the healthiest life.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educa ... l-program/

RIGHT - coffee in any form is not part of the mc dougall programming. I never said that it was. I said some alt health practitioners have used the coffee enemas and many people have healed from cancer and other diseases using coffee enemas, juices and vegan or raw food diets. that was all i said. i never said mc dougall says to use coffee or coffee enemas.

[shell-belle]

Gosh I don't think I said it was anything new either.

[ETeSelle]

All other things aside (and IMO this is an ABSURD diet--coffee enemas??!?! ), this has ZERO to do w/ the McDougall plan. If you want to follow this plan, you can't follow THAT plan. Pretty simple.

[mickeyaaaa]

I almost have to wonder if the OP was grasping, hoping for a way around the rules...."i wouldn't be DRINKING the coffee, so maybe this is still allowed under the McDougall plan!"

I love coffee, but i dont think i'd ever be so desperate for a caffeine fix as to squirt it up my butt.

Reminds me of the southpark episode where everyone tries this fad diet where they shove all their food up their behinds and then eliminate out their mouths...

I guess im a pick and choose quasi McDougaller...i havent given up coffee and dont feel a strong desire to do so. I've hit my goal weight after losing 30 lbs.

[dteresa]

Our closest relatives in the animal kingdom eat fruit with a few insects or the occasional small creature if they can catch them. When we came down out of the trees and onto the savannah we expanded our diets and learned to cook. We developed brains big enough to enable us to populate the whole earth while our ape ancestors still require a rather narrow habitat to survive and still have brains that don't allow them to write poetry, solve math problems or like ourselves, mess up the environment which sustains us. A totally raw diet is what apes evolved to eat. We have an average of six genes coded for amylase which allows us to happily eat starches which need to be cooked in order to produce the most energy. Fruit and insect eating apes have only two of these genes. So because of our big brains and the ability to control our environment we can choose to eat an ape diet or a carnivore diet or any other diet. But every choice does not guarantee optimal health. I really like raw food such as salads and fruit but why would I limit myself? I can think of no reason to eliminate cooked starches unless you are a person who has only two genes coded for amylase in which case it could be possible that you really do have a hard time digesting and metabolizing starches. But I don't think that is something you can assume without genetic testing.

didi