Men's Journal interview with Dr Fuhrman

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Re: Men's Journal interview with Dr Fuhrman

Postby FitKid » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:39 am

squarepusher wrote:I'll take you up on this, so you plan to eat raw wheat? Humans have had fire and thus cooking for hundreds of thousands of years, and cooking very likely played a key role in our existence today.

I'm really not sure what point you are making, other than avoid canned foods and eat 50% raw? I already avoid most canned foods, but some things I buy still comes in cans. Could you eat a potato raw?


Where did you get the idea that I'd eat raw wheat or potatos?

For example potateos are toxic if uncooked, they contain solanine. In wheat there are lectins and phytates.

I suggest you read what I have written again.

Also on cooking toxins read Dr. McDougall's article, I've provided a link to it. It focuses on Acrylamides.
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Re: Men's Journal interview with Dr Fuhrman

Postby ulialen » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:57 am

FitKid wrote:
squarepusher wrote:I'll take you up on this, so you plan to eat raw wheat? Humans have had fire and thus cooking for hundreds of thousands of years, and cooking very likely played a key role in our existence today.

I'm really not sure what point you are making, other than avoid canned foods and eat 50% raw? I already avoid most canned foods, but some things I buy still comes in cans. Could you eat a potato raw?


Where did you get the idea that I'd eat raw wheat or potatos?

For example potateos are toxic if uncooked, they contain solanine. In wheat there are lectins and phytates.

I suggest you read what I have written again.

Also on cooking toxins read Dr. McDougall's article, I've provided a link to it. It focuses on Acrylamides.


I also just knew about acrylamides but i knew that it was produced only at temperatures higher than 120 Celsius degrees. So boiling or cooking under this temperature is not dangerous.
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Re: Men's Journal interview with Dr Fuhrman

Postby patty » Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:32 am

First I am not advocating a raw diet or eating starch raw. I am just wondering if snacking on raw sweet potatoes or spiraled potatoes would be healthy. I use a microwave.. seems Dr. McDougall and Dr. Fuhrman have no opinion to its use. Boiling or steaming wouldn't be a problem.

I remember my herbologist sharing raw potatoes were good for balancing flora bacteria. And in juicing potatoes for fasting was suggested at one time. I know you can purchase a Japanese salad with raw potatoes. In just doing a quick search I found this article where it says with colon cancer the resistant starch in raw potatoes can be good.

The pros and cons of munching on raw potatoesQUESTION: I grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and I always used to like eating raw potatoes like apples. I still like them better raw than cooked, with a little salt on them. My mother always said they were healthier that way. Was she right?

– RLL, via e-mail

ANSWER: Although not a common component in the American diet, the eating of raw potatoes has footing in some family traditions. There are some considerations and interesting science regarding eating them this way.

The potato plant produces a number of defensive (toxic) substances in the upper plant (leaves, stems and above-ground fruit), but they are not in the below-ground tubers, which are the “potatoes” we're familiar with. However, a potato (tuber) that's been injured, exposed to sunlight or stored for an extended period of time might begin to sprout or develop patches of green. The green is chlorophyll, produced by photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll is not toxic, but if photosynthesis has begun, it means that toxic alkaloids, such as solanine, will be also present. Green potatoes and especially potato sprouts, should never be eaten. Cooking does not deactivate these toxins.

The raw potato also contains antinutrients that act as enzyme (protease) inhibitors. This might be a consideration if you don't eat well and crunching on raw spuds is a regular part of your diet.

The August 2006 issue of the Journal of Food Science looked at three of the enzyme inhibitors found in raw potatoes and how they decreased during cooking. These substances tend to be in the peel, so you might consider removing the peel. You'll also lose some of the nutrients, but it's a reasonable trade.

Unlike cooked potatoes, some of the starch in raw potatoes is digested poorly. Called “resistant starch,” it passes through the small intestine into the large intestine, where it ends up being fermented by the flora that live there.

Similar to what happens when we eat legumes, this can result in increased fecal bulk, bloating and possibly some undesirable gastrointestinal effects. All this has a positive side in that the fermentation of resistant starches increases the production of butyrate, a fatty acid that is associated with favorable effects on diseases in the colon.

A study in the March 2009 issue of Gut reported how resistant starch had positive effects in colon cancer patients. Another benefit is that raw potatoes don't increase blood sugar like their cooked counterpart.

Interestingly, a study in the November 2005 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that if you chill a cooked potato, you regain some of this effect. (In that study, they served the chilled potatoes with a vinegar dressing.)

The bottom line is that if you want to eat raw potatoes, aside from peeling them, look for fresh, unblemished, unsprouted potatoes with no hint of green. If you have a choice, opt for potatoes that are grown organically.

There is a complete list of potato nutrients at tinyurl.com/dyerf5. This list represents the nutrients in the raw potato. Cooked potatoes have less vitamin C, thiamine and riboflavin. When eating cooked potatoes, include the skin if you can.

Ed Blonz, Ph.D., is a nutritional scientist based in Northern California. General-interest questions about nutrition can be mailed to: Ed Blonz, Focus on Nutrition, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191, or sent via e-mail to [email protected].


Aloha, patty
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Re: Men's Journal interview with Dr Fuhrman

Postby FitKid » Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:24 pm

Good post Patty,

Although cooking does reduce these compounds, it's not as much as I thought (on boiling methods) after checking on some of them.

For anyone interested in learning more:
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/?objectid=6F5E ... A48ABB25F4

Here's a summary on the effect of cooking:
http://sciencealerts.com/stories/168566 ... KVa_oWKzNw

According to the summary cooking by boiling (peeled and salted water) reduces them by 39% vs. unpeeled by 8%. Frying (non-recommended cooking method) by 92% as they leech into the oil. As the article states the glycoalkaloids first appear closest to the skin so peeling reduces the content the most in the initial stages.

So according to the toxicology report on the Dept. Health and Human Services, boiling and steaming has no real effect on reducing these compounds.

I didn't specifically say that it's the green in potatoes and this should be considered toxic and should not be consumed. So it's good the article states that.

Potateos have been an excellent staple and source of nutrition for the world and like everything else should be handled properly.
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Re: Men's Journal interview with Dr Fuhrman

Postby FitKid » Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:39 pm

Here's a good video on Anti-Cancer Vegetables by Dr. Greger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tAAehC4BYs

http://nutritionfacts.org/about/

In the above video he talks about myrosinase and alliinase containing vegetables and their effect in blocking human cancer cell growth in a petri dish.

Unfortunately the distinction between cooked and raw is not made, which I think is very important.

This is consistent with the evidence (studies - I sited only a few earlier) found in people suffering from cancer.

I hope this helps people.
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