Dr Weil on raw food

[Guest guest]

I couldn't open the Dr. Weil website that Jammer posted, so he mailed me the

article. Here's Dr Weil's take on the subject:

I know some people believe it's harmful to cook food. They say cooking

destroys essential nutrients and the vital essence of foods... here are

people who will soak rice for weeks rather than cook it; or bake their wheat

in the sun for hours instead of using an oven. It's important to eat lots of

fruits and vegetables, but I don't think it is healthy to eat all raw foods.

It's not healthy to eat all anything. The best diet is a varied diet, and

this goes for methods of preparation as well.

Cooking renders some foods more digestible; it also breaks down natural

toxins that are in some vegetables and seeds. If you're not feeling well,

raw vegetables can make things worse. They are especially hard on an

irritated colon. There are also a surprising number of toxins in foods found

in most people's diets. Peanuts and peanut butter often have traces of

aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen found in a mold that grows on the nuts.

Alfalfa sprouts contain a toxin called canavanine. Celery harbors toxins

that may sensitize us to sunlight and damage our immune systems. (Highest

levels occur in celery that has brownish patches, which indicate a fungal

disease called pink rot.) Raw spinach, chard and beet greens contain oxalic

acid, which robs your body of calcium and iron. Cultivated white mushrooms

contain several carcinogens. Members of the cabbage family also contain

toxins. In general, these natural toxins are destroyed by cooking,

especially cooking in water. To me this seems to a be a strong argument

against a diet of all raw foods. But never overcook foods. That will lower

nutrient content and cause other undesirable changes. For instance, charring

foods creates carcinogens.

There are some vegetables I would never eat raw: peas, beans, alfalfa

sprouts, lentil sprouts, mung bean sprouts and mushrooms. Beans, lentils,

chickpeas, and eggplant are best when cooked a long time. Many leafy green

vegetables such as chard, spinach, collards and mustard greens are much

better for you when cooked.

On the other hand, there are some foods not normally eaten raw in the

Western diet that I do suggest eating raw for medicinal reasons. Raw garlic

and raw onions, eaten regularly, can protect against heart attacks by

increasing the body's ability to dissolve blood clots. Raw garlic also is a

potent antibiotic. And some vegetables are just fine raw: lettuce, arugula,

radicchio, watercress, cucumbers, radishes and buckwheat sprouts.

Whatever you do, don't eat beef, chicken or pork raw. There's too much risk

of infection.

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