Living on Live Food 
asked by speaker on November 9, 2006 7:54 AM
Sometimes, though not often enough, someone comes through and delivers something really special into the raw food scene. On this occasion, and not a moment too soon, it's Alissa Cohen from the USA. Alissa brought to the table Living on Live Food, her first book, and quite literally a work of art inside and out, together with an accompanying DVD set of the same name.Aimed especially at newbies, though of benefit to everyone, the book is huge! It's one of the largest books on raw food ever to come into print.Containing 32 chapters on just about every topic you can think of, such as: It's so easy!; ***** What is raw and living food?; Shopping for raw and living foods; Your raw and living food kitchen; How to start raw today!; Four week shopping and preparation guide; Food combining; Detoxing; Learning to have fun; Testimonials, and much more, it really is essential reading and is worth every penny and more. Indeed, the testimonials flooding in to Alissa daily clearly illustrate how completely do-able a raw food diet has been made - even for people who have tried and given up before.The second part of the book consists of recipes - 254 pages of them - covering all manner of dishes including appetizers, side dishes, dips and spreads, breads, "cheeses", chips, soups, sauces and condiments, entrees, salads, desserts and drinks. ***** The great thing about these recipes is that they're not so simple as to be boring, but not so complicated that you won't be bothered to attempt them! Sitting perfectly balanced in between the two, these dishes are everyday good wholesome filling raw delights that anyone can do, including children. ***** There are great photos of Alissa going about her everyday life (she looks a radiant picture of health), as well as inspiring food photos of some of her recipes.
Reviews
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I loved this book, it is a great starter for those who want to transition raw, personally i didnt use too many of the recipes, i like blander food or just simple recipes but for most they are great for transition especially meat eaters who may find raw foods "unsatisfying" at first. Way to go Alissa!
reviewed by advisor on November 23, 2006 11:24 AM
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This is in reply to M. Korogodsky "Michael" stating that this book is "useless", and rating it 1 star:
[I quote]
"This is a very primitive book. Most of the recipes do not follow proper food combining and laden with carbohydrates, sugar and starch. Not good for diabetics or somebody who wants to reduce weight. Waste of money."
Below I [quote], Alissa Cohen:
"Why don't I have to count calories or fat grams? How can I eat avocados, nuts and other high fat foods on this diet and still lose weight?
There is a huge difference between cooked fats and raw fats. The studies that have been done linking fats to high cancer rates, heart attacks, kidney failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, angina, cardiovascular disease, and all of the other diseases that clog up the blood and the arteries have been done with cooked fats. Obesity is linked to a high cooked fat diet.
Raw plant fats on the other hand, have exactly the opposite effect. Raw fats, such as avocadoes, olives, coconuts, nuts and seeds are imperative in a healthy diet. These fats contain antioxidants. They contain oils that help the joints, nerves, and bones. These raw plant fats do not cause the body to gain excess weight because they still contain the enzyme lipase; this is the enzyme that is needed to digest fat. Cooking fats destroy lipase, along with other important enzymes and minerals.
The fat digesting enzyme, lipase, breaks up the raw plant foods as they are eaten and help to digest the oils in these foods. Because this food is getting assimilated and digested properly, It is not clogging up the blood and arteries, and causing all kinds of chronic and degenerative diseases, and it is not getting stored as excess weight in the body. You will not get fat by eating avocadoes, sprouted nuts and seeds and other plant fats. When I first started this diet I was eating 2-3 avocadoes a day and losing weight. I didn't have much weight to lose, but the few extra pounds just melted off because I was eating fats in their whole natural form with all of their enzymes intact."
[End of quote]
ALSO:
[quoting Steve Pavlina]
"It is a myth that you need to combine different plant foods to form complete proteins. The idea was that most plant foods only contained some of the essential amino acids, so you'd have to combine "incomplete" foods like beans and rice to form meals that contained complete proteins. This idea was put forth in the 1971 book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé. It was a million-copy bestseller. Unfortunately, many people still aren't aware that this theory was later found to be completely false, as Lappé herself recanted her original theory in later works that were far less popular. The truth is that most plant foods do contain all the essential amino acids, but furthermore, your body will store amino acids in a pool between meals -- it doesn't even need to get all the essentials in a single meal. So the theory of combining plant foods to form complete proteins isn't even remotely correct. Of course, lifelong vegans already knew Lappé's theory was wrong, as they weren't suffering from protein deficiencies regardless of how they combined their meals.
...Plant foods are generally abundant in protein. For example, lettuce gets 34% of its calories from protein, and broccoli gets 45% of its calories from protein. Spinach is 49%. Cauliflower is 40%. Celery is 21%. Beans range from 23% to 54% depending on the variety. Grains are 8% to 31%. Nuts and seeds are 8% to 21%. Fruits are the lowest at around 5-8% on average.
If you wanted to suffer from protein deficiency, you'd either have to seriously restrict total calories (i.e. starve yourself), or you'd have to eat a really messed up, unbalanced diet like nothing but low-protein junk foods and certain fruits. But in those cases, protein deficiency probably won't be your biggest risk.
Personally I've never met anyone suffering from protein deficiency in the USA, vegan or otherwise. The much greater risk (in the USA at least) is overconsumption of protein."
[End of quote]
*~* ALISSA COHEN really explains the importance of Enzymes, (that are only found in raw food). And also having good Acid Alkaline Balance, that is found in raw food diet -- in having Optimum Health.
Dr.Humbart Santillo, MD:
"A human being is not maintained by food intake alone, but rather by what is digested. Every food must be broken down by enzymes to simpler building blocks. Enzymes may be divided into 2 groups, exogenous (found in raw food) and endogenous (produced within our bodies) The more one gets of the exogenous enzymes, the less will have to be borrowed from other metabolic processes and supplied by the pancreas. The enzymes contained in raw food actually aid in the digestion of that same food when it is chewed. One can live many years on a cooked food diet, but eventually this will cause cellular enzyme exhaustion which lays the foundation for a weak immune system and ultimately disease."
Dr Edward Howell:
"Humans eating an enzyme less diet use up a tremendous amount of their enzyme potential in lavish secretions of the pancreas and other digestive organs. The result is a shortened lifespan (65 years or less as compared with 100 or more), illness, and lower resistance to stress of all types, psychological and environmental. By eating foods with their enzymes in tact and by supplementing cooked foods with enzyme capsules we can stop abnormal and pathological aging processes."
Alissa Cohen:
"When we are born we are given a limited amount of enzyme energy that has to last us a lifetime. Think of this as your enzyme bank account. If we do not make regular deposits to this account from eating exogenous enzymes that are found in raw foods, and we continue to eat cooked foods that use up our enzyme supply, we become more susceptible to:
'aging, disease and premature death.'
The enzymes that are destroyed in cooking food is detrimental in so many ways. Not only does it effect our immune system but also our brain function, and our energy levels."
Dr. Ted Morter:
"When your body is too acid for too long, it plays the game of life with a lineup of backup systems. These backups are either substitute minerals, or ammonia. When your body is too acid - when your normal ph is too low - the systems and organs of your body work overtime just to stay even. But systems and organs aren't designed to function flat-out in red-alert mode all the time. They need rest just as you do. If the red-alert goes on for months or even years, systems and organs become exhausted. An exhausted body can't compete with disease. Eventually, disease wins the game."
Alissa says:
"An over acid body is found in most people with acute or chronic diseases. Some common symptoms of an overly acid body are: arthritis, depression, headaches, lethargy, gastritis, dulled mentality, canker sores, fatigue, muscle stiffness, stomach aches, chest pain, constipation, irritability, sinus problems, acid reflex, restless sleep, and so much more. But an overly acid body can lead to many more serious health problems. For example, cancer cells are able to live better then normal cells in an acid environment.
So how do we get our bodies at the right ph balance and create an internal environment that is slightly alkaline? We can do this by eliminating acid producing foods, and eating a diet that is high in raw fruits and vegetables. I say raw because when you cook food it makes it more acidic. When you eat a diet that is made up of raw fruits, vegetables, sprouted nuts, seeds and grains you will begin to shift that acid state, to a more alkaline state."
[I quote]
"This is a very primitive book. Most of the recipes do not follow proper food combining and laden with carbohydrates, sugar and starch. Not good for diabetics or somebody who wants to reduce weight. Waste of money."
Below I [quote], Alissa Cohen:
"Why don't I have to count calories or fat grams? How can I eat avocados, nuts and other high fat foods on this diet and still lose weight?
There is a huge difference between cooked fats and raw fats. The studies that have been done linking fats to high cancer rates, heart attacks, kidney failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, angina, cardiovascular disease, and all of the other diseases that clog up the blood and the arteries have been done with cooked fats. Obesity is linked to a high cooked fat diet.
Raw plant fats on the other hand, have exactly the opposite effect. Raw fats, such as avocadoes, olives, coconuts, nuts and seeds are imperative in a healthy diet. These fats contain antioxidants. They contain oils that help the joints, nerves, and bones. These raw plant fats do not cause the body to gain excess weight because they still contain the enzyme lipase; this is the enzyme that is needed to digest fat. Cooking fats destroy lipase, along with other important enzymes and minerals.
The fat digesting enzyme, lipase, breaks up the raw plant foods as they are eaten and help to digest the oils in these foods. Because this food is getting assimilated and digested properly, It is not clogging up the blood and arteries, and causing all kinds of chronic and degenerative diseases, and it is not getting stored as excess weight in the body. You will not get fat by eating avocadoes, sprouted nuts and seeds and other plant fats. When I first started this diet I was eating 2-3 avocadoes a day and losing weight. I didn't have much weight to lose, but the few extra pounds just melted off because I was eating fats in their whole natural form with all of their enzymes intact."
[End of quote]
ALSO:
[quoting Steve Pavlina]
"It is a myth that you need to combine different plant foods to form complete proteins. The idea was that most plant foods only contained some of the essential amino acids, so you'd have to combine "incomplete" foods like beans and rice to form meals that contained complete proteins. This idea was put forth in the 1971 book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé. It was a million-copy bestseller. Unfortunately, many people still aren't aware that this theory was later found to be completely false, as Lappé herself recanted her original theory in later works that were far less popular. The truth is that most plant foods do contain all the essential amino acids, but furthermore, your body will store amino acids in a pool between meals -- it doesn't even need to get all the essentials in a single meal. So the theory of combining plant foods to form complete proteins isn't even remotely correct. Of course, lifelong vegans already knew Lappé's theory was wrong, as they weren't suffering from protein deficiencies regardless of how they combined their meals.
...Plant foods are generally abundant in protein. For example, lettuce gets 34% of its calories from protein, and broccoli gets 45% of its calories from protein. Spinach is 49%. Cauliflower is 40%. Celery is 21%. Beans range from 23% to 54% depending on the variety. Grains are 8% to 31%. Nuts and seeds are 8% to 21%. Fruits are the lowest at around 5-8% on average.
If you wanted to suffer from protein deficiency, you'd either have to seriously restrict total calories (i.e. starve yourself), or you'd have to eat a really messed up, unbalanced diet like nothing but low-protein junk foods and certain fruits. But in those cases, protein deficiency probably won't be your biggest risk.
Personally I've never met anyone suffering from protein deficiency in the USA, vegan or otherwise. The much greater risk (in the USA at least) is overconsumption of protein."
[End of quote]
*~* ALISSA COHEN really explains the importance of Enzymes, (that are only found in raw food). And also having good Acid Alkaline Balance, that is found in raw food diet -- in having Optimum Health.
Dr.Humbart Santillo, MD:
"A human being is not maintained by food intake alone, but rather by what is digested. Every food must be broken down by enzymes to simpler building blocks. Enzymes may be divided into 2 groups, exogenous (found in raw food) and endogenous (produced within our bodies) The more one gets of the exogenous enzymes, the less will have to be borrowed from other metabolic processes and supplied by the pancreas. The enzymes contained in raw food actually aid in the digestion of that same food when it is chewed. One can live many years on a cooked food diet, but eventually this will cause cellular enzyme exhaustion which lays the foundation for a weak immune system and ultimately disease."
Dr Edward Howell:
"Humans eating an enzyme less diet use up a tremendous amount of their enzyme potential in lavish secretions of the pancreas and other digestive organs. The result is a shortened lifespan (65 years or less as compared with 100 or more), illness, and lower resistance to stress of all types, psychological and environmental. By eating foods with their enzymes in tact and by supplementing cooked foods with enzyme capsules we can stop abnormal and pathological aging processes."
Alissa Cohen:
"When we are born we are given a limited amount of enzyme energy that has to last us a lifetime. Think of this as your enzyme bank account. If we do not make regular deposits to this account from eating exogenous enzymes that are found in raw foods, and we continue to eat cooked foods that use up our enzyme supply, we become more susceptible to:
'aging, disease and premature death.'
The enzymes that are destroyed in cooking food is detrimental in so many ways. Not only does it effect our immune system but also our brain function, and our energy levels."
Dr. Ted Morter:
"When your body is too acid for too long, it plays the game of life with a lineup of backup systems. These backups are either substitute minerals, or ammonia. When your body is too acid - when your normal ph is too low - the systems and organs of your body work overtime just to stay even. But systems and organs aren't designed to function flat-out in red-alert mode all the time. They need rest just as you do. If the red-alert goes on for months or even years, systems and organs become exhausted. An exhausted body can't compete with disease. Eventually, disease wins the game."
Alissa says:
"An over acid body is found in most people with acute or chronic diseases. Some common symptoms of an overly acid body are: arthritis, depression, headaches, lethargy, gastritis, dulled mentality, canker sores, fatigue, muscle stiffness, stomach aches, chest pain, constipation, irritability, sinus problems, acid reflex, restless sleep, and so much more. But an overly acid body can lead to many more serious health problems. For example, cancer cells are able to live better then normal cells in an acid environment.
So how do we get our bodies at the right ph balance and create an internal environment that is slightly alkaline? We can do this by eliminating acid producing foods, and eating a diet that is high in raw fruits and vegetables. I say raw because when you cook food it makes it more acidic. When you eat a diet that is made up of raw fruits, vegetables, sprouted nuts, seeds and grains you will begin to shift that acid state, to a more alkaline state."
reviewed by bigben on November 25, 2006 9:35 PM