What about breads? How do you meet that need?

   Bread is not even a nutrient, or even one of the 12 food groups. You do not need bread and are better off without it. Most breads, of course, are made from highly refined white flour, which has had the good stuff removed. All breads, even whole grains, contain some gluten, which is a form of glue (remember when you made paper mache out of white flour). It clogs the colon and leads to a lot of disease. However, bread is addictive. Its a comfort food for many. In fact, its part of our addiction to carbohydrates and sugars, making it hard to give up...hence the feeling that it must be something your body needs. Instead, learn how to use a dehydrator to make healthful and delicious raw crackers.

Are avocados fattening?

   Avocados have anywhere from a 5-10% fat content, depending on the variety of avocado. They contain large amounts of lipase. The lipase which is an enzyme helps digests fat and is able to burn more fat than the avocado contains. If a person eats raw avocados and plenty of vegetables during the day, without cooked food or oils, chances are they will lose weight. A director of a famous weight loss program was put on an avocado and salad diet. In a very short time she went from a size 18 to a size 12.

Do we need fats in our diet?

   We need a lot of fats. I advocate good fats, such as avocados, unrefined oils, like olive oil and flax seed oil. Also wonderful tasting young soft coconuts, pine nuts, raw butter, tahini, almond butter and macadamia nuts. The raw free-range egg yolk has excellent fat and protein in it.

What about nuts & seeds and cashews or peanuts?

   The sunflower seed is a wonderful food. Make a sunflower cheese which is a base for some dressings, deserts, patties and breads. Use almonds and other nuts in making dressings and they are a base for loaves and sauces which youll find in this recipe book. Its also wise to use sesame seeds. They are a very rich source of calcium. Cashews and peanuts are not nuts. They are in the bean family. Dont advocate using legumes. Legumes are very hard to digest. Peanuts also carry aflatoxins which are not good for your health. If you ate cashews raw you would become ill. Raw cashews are steamed to get the poisons out.

Are fruits good for us at all?

   Its not good to eat fruit in any excess. For most people, especially in the beginning of a raw food lifestyle, they have far too much sugar. They also do not have a good mineral balance nor much fiber. The exception to that rule are the papaya and mango which have a higher mineral value than most vegetables but not much fiber. I also like pineapple, which is loaded with papain, a powerful digestive enzyme. If you have trouble with fruit because of the sugar content try eating berries, granny smith apples and prickly pears. Fruits that have a high good fat content are baby coconuts which are sold in Asian markets and health food stores, avocados and durians also sold in Asian markets. Foods that have a high fat content also contain lipase which eats up fat.

Are there any foods that can aid digestion?

   There are specific foods that can aid in digestion. Fresh pineapple and papaya eaten with each meal may aid in digestion. Spicy food such as kim chi, pickled food and salsa aid in digestion. People do much better with enzyme supplements. Our enzymes vary according to which part of the digestive system you are having a problem with. Sometimes you may need both animal and plant based enzymes depending on what part of the digestive track is not balanced. To have total success with nutrition and good health your digestive tract needs to be working well. Also a purification program works well for digestion because it helps rejuvenate the digestive tract.

How do you get a variety of foods only eating vegetables and fruits?

In the beginning you may get bored eating just fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. But that is because your body is adjusting. The truth is that you get bored and need variety only when you are starving, even slowly starving, on a typical cooked, processed diet. Your body knows what it needs nutritionally. After decades of not getting adequate nutrition, your body is desperately looking wherever it can to find something nurturing to eat, so you get cravings and a desire for a lot of variety.

 Conversely, after years of eating raw, whole, nutritionally dense foods, your body starts enjoying everything you put in it immensely. Everything tastes wonderful! In addition, you lose the cravings and the need for a lot of variety. You only desire what you need and you enjoy that more than enough to satisfy you. Its called intuitive eating or conscious eating and comes for most people after many years of cleansing and eating only whole, raw foods. Until then, during the transitional period, there are lots of things you can to that are not difficult to make whole foods more fun and appetizing and feed your need for variety. Preparation is the key to variety and taste. This recipe book describes how to change the textures and tastes of vegetables using your blender, food processor, dehydrator and juicer and by using herbs and seasonings. The variety of dishes that can be made from simple vegetables is only limited by your efforts and creativity.