Now that we know we should be eating a diet rich in raw plant foods: What do we do? How do we do it? How do we make the transition? How do we stay balanced? These questions and others will be answered in this and following lessons.
Since beginning my speaking career in 1994, I have become the world’s leading voice of raw nutrition. I have spoken to hundreds of thousands of interested people at seminars, retreats, on radio, and on television. I have coached people over many years of eating raw plant foods. Doing this type of work has brought me into contact with many people in North America, Europe and other parts of the globe, who have been successful with raw-food nutrition in the long-term. I do not know of another person who has communicated with as many successful raw-foodists as I have. I feel, through experience, that I know what the challenges are with raw diets, what the solutions are and how we can experience the maximum amount of benefits with insurance for success.
Knowledge, we know, rests not upon truth alone, but also upon the understanding of error. Genesis 1:29 tells us to eat “herbs and fruits” but it does not tell us how much of each or which ones! I know where the gaps are in the knowledge; this book is designed to fill those gaps.
From studying both the successful and unsuccessful I have deduced a startling pattern that I have seen in every single person who has been successful with raw-food nutrition in the long-term. To me discovering this pattern was a revelation; it was like the Sun bursting through after 40 days of clouds and rain. This distinction improved my understanding of nutrition tremendously and tuned me up to an incredible level of balance.
I discovered there are three essentials to raw-food nutrition (actually to any diet) or imbalances will occur. One can eat other foods, but these three elements must be there to achieve harmony. Here is the dietary pattern I discovered:
1. Green-leafy vegetables
2. Sweet fruits/foods
3. Fatty foods
If one of these food classes is missing in the diet for a significant period (ranging from a few weeks to several months), imbalances will occur. In fact, I have never discovered any raw-foodist to have gone more than 2 years with one of these food classes missing.
Every raw-foodist who follows this pattern, whom I have met, has attained a nice dietary balance which helps one advance into the realms of extraordinary health and clarity. As raw-foodists tend to be more in tune with their diet and how it influences each facet of health, and also tend to experiment more with the effects of raw foods on the body, we may conclude that the collective wisdom which has attracted long-term raw-foodists into this dietary pattern brings forth a powerful insight for us all.
I have found this insight of the three food classes to be extremely useful in assisting thousands of people to improve and balance their diet, no matter what kind of diet they were following. I have found, even with people on standard diets, that if one of these three food classes is entirely missing in the diet, imbalances will occur within two years, and often much sooner.
Anyone who makes 80% or more of their diet consist of green-leafy vegetables, sweet fruits/foods and fatty foods (from raw plant sources) will begin to feel a startling level of magic and transformation.
These three food classes balance against each other in the Sunfood Triangle outlined below:
This is how it works: if one eats green-leafed vegetables, for example, then sweet fruits/foods and fatty foods must be eaten in the same day to balance the body. If the green-leafed vegetables one is eating are very stimulating (i.e. kale), then stronger sweet fruits and fatty foods can be eaten to balance. If one is eating green-leafed vegetables that are not very stimulating (i.e. butterleaf lettuce), then less stimulating sweet fruits and fatty foods are all that is needed to balance.
Another example: If one eats avocados (a strong fat), then deeper green-leaves (cilantro), along with stronger types of sweet fruits (such as oranges), may be eaten in the same day to balance.
Another example: If one eats bananas (a strong sugar), then heavier fats, such as nuts (which go well with bananas), may be eaten along with dark green-leafed vegetables in the same day.
The radiant kiwi, like citrus fruits, represents the Sun’s energy in edible, botanical form.
Another example: If one eats cucumbers (a non-sweet fruit), then that individual will remain centered as non-sweet fruits are low in stimulation and are located at the very center of The Sunfood Triangle. This, by the way, makes non-sweet fruits (such as cucumbers, okra, bell peppers, tomatoes, noni, etc.) excellent snack foods.
For optimal results, all three food classes should be eaten each day (unless one is doing a fast or cleanse of some type). All three can be eaten at each meal, or two can be eaten at one meal, with a third eaten later, or all eaten separately throughout the day. Find out what works best for you and your digestion.
I have found that sweet fruits (carbohydrates) as the dominant food in the morning, green-leafed vegetables as the dominant food at lunch, and fats as the dominant food in the evening works rather well.
We must keep in mind that each body has its own biochemical individuality, and that the exact ratios of green foods (protein), sugars (carbohydrates) and fats/oils differs from person to person. Through insights I have gained by working with Dr. Gabriel Cousens (author of Conscious Eating, Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine and Spiritual Nutrition), I now have more tools of specificity in which to design diets for different types of people. However, you can design your own diet, by following your intuition. A good place to start, unless one is going for a desired effect (see Lesson 13: How To Use The Sunfood Triangle), is to eat: 33.3% green-leafed vegetables, 33.3% fatty plant food, and 33.3% sweet fruits/foods by dry weight (total food weight minus water). This puts one at the exact center of the triangle. For example:
| Protein | |
| Daily Menu Item | Dry Weight: |
| Fats | |
| 0.33 lb (0.23 kg) Macadamia nuts (18% water) | 0.27 lb (0.1 kg) |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) Avocados (75% water) | 0.25 lb (0.14 kg) |
| Sugar | |
| 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg) Apples (84% water) | 0.24 lb (0.11 kg) |
| 2.5 lbs (1.13 kg) Oranges (87% water) | 0.26 lb (0.12 kg) |
| Chlorophyll | |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) Kale (65% water) | 0.35 lb (0.16 kg) |
| 2 lbs (0.9 kg) Lettuce (93% water) | 0.13 lb (0.06 kg) |
| Non–Sweet fruits | |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) Cucumbers | Not applicable |
| 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) Tomatoes | Not applicable |
From this example we can see how balanced this daily diet would be. All the dry weights balance out: fats at 0.52 lb. (0.24 kg), sugars at 0.50 lb. (0.23 kg), and chlorophyll at 0.48 lb. (0.22 kg).
If you would like to work out this type of analysis for certain meals, I have provided the following chart.
Now I do not recommend that you break down every single daily menu as I have here to determine whether you are balancing chlorophyll, sugar, and fats properly. This example is simply to identify two simple relationships:
| Water Content of Fruits, Vegetables and Nuts | |
| Fruits | Water |
| Cucumbers | 96% |
| Honeydew Melon | 94% |
| Tomatoes | 94% |
| Watermelons | 94% |
| Bell Peppers | 93% |
| Cantaloupe | 93% |
| Grapefruit | 91% |
| Okra | 90% |
| Strawberries | 89% |
| Apricots | 87% |
| Tangerines | 87% |
| Lemons | 85% |
| Mulberries | 85% |
| Apples | 84% |
| Oranges | 84% |
| Plums | 84% |
| Mangos | 83% |
| Pears | 83% |
| Raspberries | 83% |
| Blackberries | 82% |
| Cherries | 82% |
| Lychees | 82% |
| Nectarines | 80% |
| Persimmons (soft) | 80% |
| Figs | 79% |
| Grapes | 79% |
| Prickly Pear | 79% |
| Huckleberries | 78% |
| Avocados | 75% |
| Olives (Sun–ripened) | 70% |
| Dates (fresh) | 55% |
| Prunes (dried) | 35% |
| Vegetables | Water |
| Endive | 94% |
| Lettuce | 94% |
| Asparagus | 93% |
| Celery | 93% |
| Watercress | 91% |
| Green Cabbage | 90% |
| Bok Choy | 87% |
| Onion Root | 87% |
| Parsley | 79% |
| Kale | 65% |
| Garlic Root | 64% |
| Nuts/Seeds (unsoaked) | Water |
| Coconut water | 99% |
| Coconut flesh (young) | 64% |
| Coconut flesh (mature) | 35% |
| Almonds | 26% |
| Walnuts | 25% |
| Macadamias | 18% |
| Brazil Nuts | 15% |
| Pine Nuts | 15% |
| Pine Nuts | 15% |
| Sunflower Seeds | 15% |
| (Sources: Paul, A.A., Southgate, D.A.T., McCance And Widdowson’s The Composition Of Foods, 4th Revised Edition, London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1978; and various other references.) |
1. A small portion of nuts and seeds balances against a large portion of fruits and vegetables, because nuts and seeds are low-water content foods. (If nuts are freshly picked, or soaked in water, they can be eaten in larger portions, as they will have about twice the water content as is listed in the chart above.)
2. Green-leafy vegetables need to be eaten in significant quantities as they are actually high-water content foods.
The best path is always the simplest path. Balance the three classes in the easiest way possible, by intuition. If you feel low in greens, eat more. If you feel low in fats and oils, eat more. If you feel you have overdone sugar, eat more fats and greens to balance. Just by knowing that these three classes are the essentials, you will have the tools to stay in balance.
Understand that if the quantities of one class are too low, one can go longer than a day, even for many days or weeks or months without requiring much of that food class — but eventually it will catch up. This helps us understand cravings. If one goes without sugar for several weeks, the desire can become great, and the body will grab for sugar however it can get it, raw (fruit) or even cooked (candy or cake). The same holds true for fat. If the body is deficient in fat, the craving will become overwhelming and one will grab for it, raw (avocados or nuts) or even cooked/pasteurized (cheese or ice cream).
Imbalances are caused by consuming one class of food that stimulates the person away from the center of The Sunfood Triangle. For instance, deficiencies may be caused by consuming excessive sweet fruit (sugar), which can run minerals out of the body. Frugal eating, and fasting, often correct deficiencies because they balance one from excessive stimulation and bring one back towards the center of The Sunfood Triangle.
The fear of fruit (too much sugar), the fear of vegetables (too bitter), and the fear of fatty foods (too fattening) leaves one confused and with dietary health challenges. Motivational speaker Anthony Robbins provides a good metaphor for FEAR: False Evidence that Appears Real. Remember my earlier advice: Stop listening to anyone in any field who is not getting the results that you desire. By reading this lesson you have made the decision to dismiss any fears of fruits, green-leafy vegetables or fats/oils.
Chlorophyll, sugar and fat are the three classes of foods that comprise humanity’s natural dietary character. The eater of sweet fruits becomes a Sun-worshipping, zesty, clean type. Those who eat green vegetation take on the stoic calmness of that food class. The eater of plant fats becomes a stolid, beautiful being.
Chlorophyll
“IF YOU’RE GREEN ON THE INSIDE, YOU’RE CLEAN ON THE INSIDE.”
— Dr. Bernard Jensen
Green is good. Green is the very center of the rainbow. Green is centering.
Eat green-leafy vegetables for strength. Green leaves are transformed into the structure of the body.
Whether it is green herbs or big leafy vegetables (such as kale) green leaves should be a significant part of the diet. Green-leafy vegetables are our best and most reliable source of fiber.
Fortunately, herbs have become quite popular in recent times. Green-leafed vegetables (lettuce, celery, parsley, cilantro, etc.) are truly herbs, but are so common, they are often overlooked for their healing and rejuvenating properties.
Chlorophyll is the pigment in plants within which photosynthesis takes place. It absorbs the vibrant Sun energy and transforms it into plant energy. This energy is transferred directly to you when you eat chlorophyll-rich foods, such as green-leafed vegetables.
Chlorophyll is the blood of plants, just as hemoglobin is the blood of the body. The difference between the two molecules is that chlorophyll is centered on magnesium, while hemoglobin is centered on iron. Eating green-leafy food is a transfusion of Sun energy to blood energy in the arteries.
Green-leafed vegetables are overall the best source of iron; dandelion, parsley and spinach are particularly high in iron. Greens heal anemia. (Other sources of iron include red-colored fruits, such as cherries, berries, pomegranates and red-flesh figs).
Green-leafed vegetables often do not taste as wonderful as fruits. But eating them nonetheless breaks associations of pleasure with eating, therefore decreasing the possibility of overeating. Green-leafed vegetables diminish the enjoyment in eating and act as a natural stop for us in the eating cycle.
Where does the cow get its calcium for its milk? From green grass of course. Now we are not primarily grass eaters, but this analogy is instructive because it demonstrates that all the minerals a cow is constructed from are present in grass — in simple green grass!
Green-leafed vegetables are always the best source of heavy alkaline minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. The alkaline minerals in greens balance the acid-forming minerals (sulfur, chlorine, and phosphorus) found in avocados, nuts, seeds, onions, garlic, flesh products, etc.
Green-leafy vegetation is also an excellent detoxifier of the liver, especially wild green vegetation. The calcium, magnesium and iron in deep green and wild green vegetation bind with heavy metals, chemicals and chemical drugs and allow the body to wash them out as salts through the urine.
If green-leafed vegetables, which are high in oxalic acid, such as beet greens, chard, lamb’s quarters, rhubarb, and/or spinach are cooked, then the heat-altered oxalic acid can combine with calcium in the body, interfere with iron absorption, and eventually (if eaten in large quantities over a long period of time) form stones in the kidneys. If eaten raw, the oxalates in these vegetables are normally metabolized properly by the body. If one feels kidney pains 3-6 hours after eating these vegetables (even if in the raw state), then they should be avoided.
Alkaloids
Alkaloids are bitter organic compounds which are derived from plants bearing seed. Aspirin, caffeine, cannabinoids (THC, THCV, CBD, CBC, anandamide), cocaine, morphine, nicotine, etc. are all alkaloids. Alkaloids provide the heating quality in hot peppers. Peyote probably contains the most powerful alkaloids that we know of. Drugs such as ecstasy, in their original plant derivation (from sassafras and nutmeg), contain alkaloids as their active agents.
Joshua Rainbow, a one-time fruitarian activist, described in his booklet, Biotrophic Protocol, that when alkaloids are introduced into a body with an acidic biochemistry, they neutralize the acid and eliminate acid-induced pain. Alkaloids create a temporary high as acids are neutralized and the blood is alkalized. The alkalizing of the blood tunes one into natural resonant frequencies and insights begin to be drawn in from infinite intelligence — that is until the body’s acid-biochemistry begins reasserting itself mostly through the desire for acid-forming foods which makes the blood more acidic and diminishes the alkaloid high. The insights diminish as one is tuned back into the static.
It is because of the effects of alkaloids on the body, that drugs, coffee, and the smoking of marijuana and tobacco, etc. are so popular. The typical body, acidified by a cooked animal-food diet, is actually alkalized or balanced by the alkaloids of these substances and achieves glimpses of resonant states of consciousness.
By eating significantly more green-leafy vegetables, especially wild herbs, one will alkalize the body chemistry and be able to tap into the natural human frequency more easily and more often, without drugs and their side-effects. (Joshua Rainbow believed this could be done with fruits also, but fruits do not contain enough alkaline minerals to produce the effect.) Placing green leaves in an acid body raises the consciousness as the body becomes more alkaline.
One can overcome coffee addictions (coffee is a cooked beverage as it is made by passing hot water through ground, roasted seeds [beans] of the coffee fruit) by drinking fresh green-vegetable juice in the morning instead of coffee. This will stimulate an excellent bowel movement and give the body the alkaloid stimulation it desires.
I know some raw-foodists who smoke marijuana regularly. Even if a person is consuming an all-raw vegan diet, the habit of typically overeating sugar and fat, and undereating green-leafed vegetables (while trying to make up for it with superfoods such as spirulina) leads to a slightly acid and constricted body chemistry — leaving one tuned-out, just a bit. This condition is alleviated by smoking marijuana, hence the desire. The alkaloids in the marijuana smoke neutralize the acid condition, relax the body and tune one into a resonant consciousness. But smoking marijuana actually perpetuates the same biochemistry that created the desire for alkalinity (alkaloids). Because smoking marijuana interferes with the ability of the blood to carry sugar. The more one smokes, the more sugar the body desires. Also, the higher one goes the more acid-forming foods the body asks for (dehydrated crackers, nuts, seeds, olives, avocados) to come down. This cycle can be broken by eating significantly more green-leafy vegetables and wild herbs which alkalize the body, loosen the tissues, and open the mind.
Sacred white sage contains thujone alkaloids which are likely the primary source of its magical properties.
To overcome the desire for cooked alkaloids, one should replace them by eating them raw and/or by eating more green-leafed vegetables and wild herbs. Raw green leaves have the same effect as alkaloid substances, however, their high lasts much longer. By repeatedly introducing significant amounts of green-leafed vegetables and wild herbs we raise the alkalinity of the body and loosen the constriction of body tissues.
Green leaves soothe the nerves and calm the body. Those with chronic back and muscle pains should be sure to eat plenty of green vegetables. Green leaves relieve pain. Green-leafy foods decrease the overall stress of the body and facilitate yoga practices. For those raw-foodists practicing yoga: drink more green vegetable juice for better flexibility.
Consider that the number one cause of death in the western world is heart disease. The heart concentrates magnesium at a level 18 times greater than what is found in the blood. Magnesium is the primary alkaline mineral in chlorophyll. An abundance of green in the diet strengthens the heart. The heart chakra is green (chakras are bodily energetic centers studied in yoga that correspond to the glands/organs [i.e. heart/thymus]).
Sprouts
In my classification, there are two different types of sprouts: seed/legume sprouts and green sprouts.
Seed/legume sprouts fall into the first stage of sprouting; these types of sprouts are protein-dominant foods. As the sprout matures, it begins to form green leaves of one type or another; it has then become a green sprout and falls into the green-leafy vegetable category. So, for example, sprouted wheat is a seed sprout, but as it grows its green blades, and turns into wheatgrass, it becomes a green sprout.
Seed/legume sprouts include: sprouted sunflower seeds, sprouted wheat, quinoa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, lentil sprouts, pea sprouts, soaked peanuts, sprouted rice, etc. Seed sprouts are not essential in the diet. However, if they are eaten occasionally, they can be beneficial because high-quality seeds contain many trace minerals and available amino acids. Also, seed sprouts are therapeutic in the transition from cooked to raw food as they are very high in enzymes and help reverse an enzyme deficiency situation. If overeaten or miscombined (with avocado for example), seed sprouts may create digestive distress.
Green sprouts include: wheatgrass blades, clover, sunflower greens, barleygrass blades, radish sprouts, pea shoots, alfalfa, etc. Green sprouts fit into the category of essential chlorophyll foods. For most people, sunflower greens are the best sprouts of all; they are the “softest” and most nourishing for the body. Wheatgrass often comes from weak hybridized seed strains; quality counts and one should seek out the best quality seed stock available. Other grass seeds tend to be of a higher quality (kamut, rye, barley, oat) than wheatgrass. Grass juice is an excellent transition, detoxification and maintenance food (especially for overcoming heavy metal poisoning). Grass juice may be too harsh on certain body constitution types and should be avoided if too unsettling.
Eat natural sugar foods for brain fuel. Cognition is dependent on blood sugar.
Our brains run primarily on oxygen and glucose (or fruit sugar). That ought to give us a clue as to what our natural fuel is. Glucose is the fuel of our being.
The more (mentally and physically) active you are, the more fuel (sugar) you can burn off. The less (mentally and physically) active you are, the less fuel (sugar) you require.
Sugar is the fuel of the human body, but it must be taken in the correct form. Sugar in the diet should come from primary organic raw sources, such as sweet fruits with seeds and/or wild (not orchard-grown) honey.
Refined and processed sugars (e.g. high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, brown sugar) are drugs. Natural sugars are also drugs when taken excessively. Refined and hybrid fruit and vegetable sugars slip past the liver like a slipping gear. The liver tries to recognize the sugar, but for the most part, it is unidentifiable and slippage occurs as unprocessed sugar enters the blood rapidly, causing a “high,” — or sugar rush — which has been described by many people addicted to refined sugar or even by people hooked on fruit or carrot juice.
Obviously, refined and processed sugars should be released from the diet. But even amongst certain raw foods, there are some sugars that should be avoided. I definitely recommend against the prolonged daily intake of straight carrot or beet juice. Both carrots and beets are extremely hybridized foods. They may heal one to a certain degree (because they are nutrient-rich raw plant foods), but once you reach a certain level of attunement, the body can begin to react to the sugar. I have seen many people on carrot juice cures begin to become unbalanced as they progressed in their cleansing. If used to sweeten juices, consider using no more than one carrot or one beet per 1 quart (1 liter) of juice. You may also choose to use apple or pear to sweeten vegetable juices. Cucumber softens the bitterness of vegetables and is an excellent base for vegetable juices.
I also recommend that we avoid seedless fruits such as: bananas, seedless grapes, seedless oranges, pineapple, seedless watermelon, etc. These foods, are bred for certain genetics and then weakling, sugary plantings and cuttings are spread to gardens and farms everywhere. These weak strains are essentially artificial and loaded with hybrid sugar (however, if these foods have their seeds they are okay). A more detailed discussion of hybrid foods will follow in Lesson 16: Hybrid Food.
Hybrid sugar, like refined sugar, can overstimulate the endocrine system, unless it is mitigated with fats, green-leafed vegetables or high-protein foods (such as spirulina, blue-green algae, maca or bee pollen) to “lessen the shock.” The glands sense the body is loaded with food, but hybrid foods (especially commercial fruits and sugary root vegetables) are fairly empty of trace nutrients and the body signals more hunger, which leads to an overeating of hybrid sweet fruit (seedless fruit). This overeating can be stopped by eating high-quality green-leafy vegetables, which have the trace elements.
A diet heavy in hybridized sweet fruit can lead to constipation, especially if the individual is not highly active. Because excess sugar spills off into the urine, excessive urination can occur when the sugar is not being immediately utilized (due to a lack of activity). Excessive urination leads to dehydration and a potassium overdose, behind which follows constipation. This process is accelerated if nuts are included in the diet (without greens) as nuts are more difficult to digest and slow the digestive system. If this process continues unabated, a minor diabetic condition will occur as the body is constantly urinating to spill off excess sugar.
Too much sugar in the blood triggers the release of alkaline minerals, such as calcium, from the bones and tissues to buffer sugar’s acidifying effects. These minerals are also lost with the urine. So, excessive stimulation of the body by sugars (including hybridized sweet fruit) not only causes constipation, but also leaches minerals from the body in the long term.
This condition is completely reversible through regular exercise, considerably decreasing the intake of sugary fruits, and by adding a large portion of dark green-leafy vegetables and a variety of raw plant fats to the diet (again reference The Sunfood Triangle). The best way to rehydrate the body is with fresh spring water (plus a pinch of full-spectrum salt and a squeeze of lemon) and/or with celery juice. High-sodium foods, such as celery, are excellent to include to rehydrate the body and to relieve constipation as sodium counterbalances a potassium overdose (which could have contributed to the condition).
Refined and hybrid sugars in the form of sucrose (C12H22O11) actually take water away from the body. In order to break down sucrose (C12H22O11) into two molecules of glucose (C6H12O6), a molecule of water (H2O) is required. Thus, drinks or smoothies containing refined or hybrid sugar can actually make one thirstier. This is why I believe it is best to rehydrate the body with fresh green-leafy vegetable juice rather than with fruit juice. Celery/kale/cucumber/lemon juice is another particularly excellent drink we can use to rehydrate.
Excessive intake of refined and even hybridized sugar (those foods listed in the chart below with a typical glycemic index of 70 or above) can cause a hyperinsulinization of the blood. This can lead to drowsiness and fatigue.
The glycemic index is the rate at which sugar is absorbed into the blood. Consider the glycemic index (below) for certain foods (the higher the number, the greater the influx of sugar into the blood).
From this chart we can clearly understand which foods cause sugar problems. Cooked grains and cooked hybrid vegetables (beets, carrots, corn, potatoes) cause a greater sugar rush into the bloodstream than fruit! Sugar imbalances (diabetes, hypoglycemia) are best addressed by removing refined sugars, cooked grains, and cooked or raw hybrid foods from the diet.
The chart makes evident the sugar imbalance that beer can cause. Alcoholics, in general, have a disrupted sugar metabolism, but they can find relief eating moderately sweet fruits (berries) as a replacement for alcohol. Regular fruit meals can keep the blood sugar levels balanced; assorted greens, plant fats, and superfoods (spirulina, blue-green algae, goji berries, maca, bee pollen, etc.) can provide the B vitamins and trace minerals which are usually deficient in the alcohol consumer.
(Chart Sources: Foster-Powell K., Brand Miller J. “International Tables of Glycemic Index,” The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition,” 62:871s, 1995; Jenkins, D.J.A., “The Glycemic Response To Carbohydrate Foods,” Lancet 2:388, 1981; Jenkins, D.J.A., “Glycemic Index Of Foods: A Physiological Basis For Carbohydrate Exchange,” The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 34:362-366, March 1981; and various other sources. Overall, these GI values are based on over 80 studies in the peer-reviewed literature.)
On The Sunfood Diet, those with hypoglycemia or diabetes can choose low-sugar fruits initially, then move to high-sugar fruits eventually. However, it is extremely important to mention that those with a sugar metabolism problem still need some sugar and that sugar should come from raw, organic natural fruits (with seeds) and/or unfiltered, wild honey.
Fats
Eat raw plant fats for beauty. They make the skin and hair shine. Natural, raw fatty foods contain oils which lubricate the mucus linings and joints of the body. They help cushion and suspend tissues and organs. Raw plant fats keep everything clean and “well-oiled.” Just as sugar is the fuel of the body, raw plant fat is the oil or lubricant of the body.
In this section, we are going to discover why a diet containing a sufficient (and efficient) quantity of raw plant fat is essential for good health.
On the walls of the intestines we find villi. These are small hair-like tissue structures containing capillaries designed to absorb carbohydrates (fruits) and amino acids (green-leafy vegetables, superfoods). The villi of the small intestines contain lacteals (lymph channels), which absorb fats into the lymphatic system after they have been emulsified by bile fluid coming from the gall-bladder and liver into the intestines. The emulsified fat is conducted through the lymphatic vessels to the liver, where the fat is prepared for distribution throughout the body.
All fats are made up of two substances: glycerin and fatty acids. The number and kinds of fatty acids attached to the glycerin molecule determine the fat type.
Some fatty acids are called “essential” because the body is not independently capable of manufacturing these substances at sufficient levels. Nearly all individuals in the Western world are essential-fatty-acid deficient! The essential fatty acids are linoleic and linolenic fatty acids, both of which are found abundantly in fatty raw plant foods, especially in avocados, nuts, and seeds. The highly-touted omega 6 and omega 3 fatty-acid groups contain the essential fatty acids. Omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids are found in an excellent ratio in flax seed oil.
Because of their unique biochemical structure, fats “cut” or disguise more potent substances. This is why milk is used in coffee. It is also why avocados go well with hot chilies. In Mexico they eat young coconut flesh (high-fat) with chilies and fresh lime juice. Fats tone down “hot” foods (such as ginger, garlic, chiles, etc.).
Fatty foods slow the release of sugars already in the digestive track. One can eat fruit in the morning with an avocado and have a longer time release of sugar, which allows one to experience a higher energy level longer.
Excellent foods containing raw plant fats and the essential fatty acids include: avocados, durians, Sun-ripened olives, young coconuts, nuts, seeds, olive oils, and seed oils.
Plant fats contain no cholesterol. Cholesterol is not found in the plant world. Every cell in the human body produces the amount of cholesterol that it needs. Animals and humans produce their own cholesterol. Infants are the only humans who need dietary cholesterol, which they get from their mother’s milk, as they use it for healthy brain formation. All cholesterol problems are eliminated by removing animal foods from the diet.
Studies have found that a diet adequate in fat intake is essential for healthy bone formation and mineralization. Raw plant fats are the “delivery vehicle” for the minerals in green-leafy vegetables.
Raw plant fats insulate the nerve tissue and protect us from pollution and from the harshness of present-day civilization. Many raw-foodists I have met agree that they seem to rarely desire avocados or nuts while living in the woods far away from the urban centers; however, once they return to the harshness of cement, cars and big buildings, the desire for avocados and nuts also increases.
Raw plant fats effectively increase the electric tension on cell membranes, making them more permeable to oxygen and nutrients.
All the craze against fats applies mostly to cooked fats. Cooked fats (containing trans-fatty acids) are totally destructive to sound health: they interfere with cell respiration; they are a major source of damaging free radicals; they lack their associated enzyme lipase and thus are difficult to digest. Trans-fatty acids cause the powerhouse of each cell, the mitochondria, to swell and malfunction, becoming less capable of efficiently producing energy. Fats are always incorporated directly into the cell wall; when trans-fatty acids are incorporated into the cell wall, the cell begins to lose control over what substances are entering through the cell membrane. Salt, carcinogens, damaging free radicals and chemicals begin to accumulate inside the cell. The cell becomes susceptible to ultra-violet radiation and cancer.
Cooked fats include any fatty substances that have been heated, hydrogenated, pasteurized or excessively oxidized. To prevent oxidation from light, all oils purchased in stores should be in dark bottles (including coconut oil). All seed oils should be purchased while still refrigerated or else they will oxidize and become rancid.
Cooked fats are thick, heavy, and have a deranged structure. They clog the blood, arteries and the lymphatic system. Because cooked fat is not miscible with water, is clogging and is generally difficult for the body to process, metabolize and eliminate, eating cooked fats causes the body to gain excessive weight.
In contrast, raw plant fats do not cause the body to gain excessive weight unnecessarily (unless one overeats unsoaked nuts). In fact, as one transitions away from cooked food, s/he can actually lose weight eating a significant portion of raw plant fats. Eating fresh coconut flesh, avocados, olives and durian can help a person lose weight because these fats contain lipase enzymes which allow body fat to be burned. Lipase enzymes are typically missing in the excessive fat tissues of the body. Lipase enzymes, from raw plant fats and their oils, help metabolize cooked fat deposits which have stagnated and accumulated throughout the body. Each raw essential fatty acid replaces each cooked trans-fatty acid incorporated into the cell walls. Raw plant fats (in reasonable quantities) are easily recognized by the liver and distributed properly throughout the body.
Raw plant fats do not clog the blood with red blood cell and platelet aggregation like cooked fats do. Long-time raw-food nutritionist, Ross Horne of Australia, tells us in his wonderful book Improving On Pritikin: “To prove that the fat of avocados did not cause excessive levels of triglycerides in the blood and did not cause red cell and platelet aggregation and blood viscosity when the avocado was eaten raw, I had blood tests done which clearly demonstrated this …”
Raw plant fats have exactly the opposite effect of cooked fats. Raw plant fats are incredible: they are antioxidants, they insulate the nerves, they protect us from pollution, they moisturize the skin, and they ease digestion by lubricating the delicate mucus lining. I have strong experiential evidence that a high raw-fat diet is the best approach for some, but certainly not all.
Many people who are new to raw diets and vegetarianism think they need protein to fill the empty space left by eliminating animal food; what they need and want much of the time is fat. Most people and nutritionists mistake the desire for fat for the desire for protein as they cannot distinguish the difference between the two. Fats are soft, heavy and full; proteins are dense, abrasive and energetic. Protein alone will not fill the empty space when you stop eating cooked food.
New vegetarians and vegans typically attempt to fill the space for fat with cooked vegetables. Cooking densifies vegetation and gives the body the illusion of “fullness” and satiation that fat provides. Many non-raw-food vegans and vegetarians I have met, to me, look deficient in raw fat and overloaded on cooked vegetable starch. I have observed that a fat-deficient state coupled with sugar imbalances due to cooked starch can lead non-raw vegans and vegetarians back to animal foods to get fat for its own sake, and to get fat to slow the entry of sugar into the blood. For vegans and vegetarians, I recommend replacing cooked starch with cooked non-starchy (mostly cruciferous) vegetables, such as purple cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus and artichoke. One can then transition into a raw-food diet, and include more raw plant fat into the diet.
Cooked, densified non-starchy vegetables slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood stream like fats do. I think Arnold Ehret took advantage of this with his low-fat Mucusless Diet Healing System. His system of eating raw fruits and non-starchy vegetables cooked or raw with almost no fats is excellent for detoxification, but deficient in fat in the long term.
Fats are the bridge which carry one from a cooked-food diet to raw-food nutrition. Fats fill that empty space perfectly. They are what the body requires to function optimally. They satiate hunger.
The most digestible fats come from the oleaginous fruits (oily fruits) such as avocados, durians and Sun-ripened olives. They have a high-water content and a simple structure, making them easy for the body to identify, metabolize and assimilate.
Those with liver damage, a weak liver or have a slow metabolism for fat digestion may need to moderate their intake of raw plant fats significantly when embarking into Sunfood nutrition. Nuts may have to be bypassed and avocados and/or blended seeds used instead. You will need to tune into your body, to know when you have eaten more fat than your liver can handle (acne or lethargy may result from an excessive fat intake). Usually, when the liver is working hard processing raw plant fats, the appetite will shut down.
Saturated, Monounsaturated, And Polyunsaturated Fats
Research by Dr. Howell in Enzyme Nutrition and Udo Erasmus in Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill indicates both saturated and unsaturated fats are greatly beneficial as long as they are raw. If the fats are cooked or oxidized, they are altered chemically and may be devoid of lipase (the fat-splitting enzyme) which can lead to health challenges.
There are three major types of fats: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Typically all raw plant fats have some of all three; however, the ratio of each to the other differs for each food.
Saturated fats are more stable than unsaturated fats and the most resistant to alterations due to heat. The best saturated fats come from organic, cold-pressed mature coconuts in the form of coconut oil and organic, cold-pressed cacao oil (cocoa butter). With consuming the whole coconut, I have found, because coconut fat is more stable, benefit in drinking the coconut water and leaving the husk at room temperature for one or two days before opening it up and spooning out the white flesh. Leaving the coconut out at room temperature allows the associated fat enzyme, lipase, to begin breaking down the coconut flesh. After a few days of enzymatic breakdown, the coconut flesh generally contains more “energy” and is easier to digest.
Monounsaturated fats are found abundantly in avocados, Sun-ripened olives, durians, olive oil, cacao beans, almonds as well as most nuts and their oils. The slight electrical nature of monounsaturated fats allows them to split and bind with some toxins.
Polyunsaturated fats are dominant in the substance and oil of walnuts, sunflower, flax, hemp, sesame and other seeds. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have a horseshoe shape. Their strong electrical nature allows them to easily split, enabling them to bind with and carry toxins out of the system. Because of their ability to bind with toxins, raw polyunsaturated fats are the most healing fats for the body. Polyunsaturated fats are highly sensitive and are the most subject to structural derangement through heating, hydrogenation and oxidation. Deranged polyunsaturated fats (otherwise known as trans-fatty acids) are the most damaging fats for the body and should be totally avoided.
Because all oils are in some way sensitive to light, oxidation, rancidity and contact with plastic, I recommend only purchasing oils that are packaged in dark glass. Polyunsaturated oils such as flaxseed oil and hempseed oil should be refrigerated.
Fats And Longevity
Living a long and vibrant life is a matter of minimizing free radical damage to the body through a diet rich in antioxidants. A free radical is an electron-deficient oxygen molecule primarily produced when electrons are being stolen from the body by refined and cooked oils (corn oil, safflower oil, etc.), excessive sugar intake and toxins. In seeking to acquire another electron, a free radical is capable of combining with and destroying enzymes, amino acids, collagen and other cellular elements. An antioxidant is not “anti-oxygen” but is in fact an oxygen modulator, that products healthy cells from oxidation.
Raw plant foods, such as citrus fruits, contain the antioxidant bioflavonoids and vitamin C. Deep green leaves contain the powerful antioxidant chlorophyll. Goji berries are loaded with carotene antioxidants, including the richest source of beta-carotene found in any food. The brazil nut is noted for its abundance of the antioxidant mineral selenium. Blue-green algae contains blue-pigment phycocyanin antioxidants. The skin of the great mangosteen fruit contains highly-medicinal xanthone alkaloids. Raw cacao beans, perhaps the most concentrated source of antioxidants found in any food, contain heart-friendly catechin and epicatechin flavonoids.
Up until now, what had been overlooked is that raw plant fat sources are always also powerful antioxidants. Raw plant fats have long-chain fatty acids which help protect cell membranes from oxidation. Raw plant fats deactivate free radicals by giving them electrons. Raw plant fats are loaded with spare electrons and having spare electrons equates into achieving longevity. Essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6) have a particular abundance of electrons. The spare electrons in fats help sweep toxins along to the liver to be eliminated.
Humans should live longer than any other mammal on Earth because humans can consciously control the amount and quality of food material entering the body. If the intake of this food is decreased to a pleasant frugal minimum (but still includes high-quality raw plant fats, which are antioxidants), then the obstructions and free radicals in the system will be decreased to a minimum. In this way, the system becomes abundant in electrons, is more efficient (well-oiled), and operates with less friction, thus maximizing longevity.
Animal Fats
Raw animal fats are typically saturated, so they are not as strong in their cleansing abilities as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, therefore they do not directly help detoxify the body, but certain saturated fats such as lauric acid, found in raw milk and butter are helpful as anti-viral agents.
Animal flesh fats are particularly dangerous today, not only because they bring some form of karmic energy upon the consumer from the animal’s death, but primarily because they contain stored toxins collected from the environment. Farmed animals eat pesticide and chemical-sprayed foods which end up stored in their fat cells. This gives the consumer a double dose of negativity. The same holds true for fish liver oil, which can contain all the toxins present in the fish. The liver is the detoxification center of the body, through which all the toxins must pass.
As far as raw milk products go, they are high-fat foods. Generally, raw goat’s milk is of a higher quality than raw cow’s milk because goats are a cleaner, more discerning animal — if they do not find the food they like, they will go hungry, whereas cows will start chomping anything green, as well as any kind of grain.
Many have lived long lives taking in raw milk, butter, and cheese to fulfill their fat requirements as Professor Hilton Hotema reported in his classic book Man’s Higher Consciousness, but none I am aware of have ever gone late into life eating large quantities of raw flesh for fat because the negative karma is too great and does come back to entrap the one who ingests too much of such substances.
Raw, organic, dairy products may be used to fulfill the fat category of The Sunfood Triangle for people with weak fat metabolisms or in need of vitamin B12. Raw organic dairy products may also benefit those who have become deficient in alkaline minerals (calcium, magnesium, etc.) from not consuming enough whole green-leafed vegetables and/or who are experiencing a lack of excellent intestinal flora. The karma of raw dairy products is neutral, if the milk is freely given. However, this is rarely the case today, and most dairy animals are enslaved, lead sad lives and are finally killed for their flesh. Also, drinking the milk of another animal, especially after the weaning age, seems unnatural. Raw dairy is mucus-forming and, if taken, should be consumed moderately.
All pasteurized dairy products should be avoided. They contribute greatly to atherosclerosis, encouraging the plaque buildup in arteries that is epidemic throughout the population and cause allergies. The two countries with the highest rate of heart disease, the U.S. and Finland, are also the two countries with the highest consumption of pasteurized dairy products. (For more information on this subject, please read John Robbins’ book Diet For A New America.)
Tree Nuts
Contrary to popular opinion, nuts are a fat-dominant food, not a protein-dominant food.
Nuts and seeds can comprise part of the daily diet, however, they should be eaten in reasonable quantities (a maximum of 0.33 pounds or 0.15 kg per day). Remember, they are negative karma foods. If overeaten, they should be balanced with green-leafed vegetables and juicy fruits.
It is best to eat nuts moderately — ration them and do not eat more than you set aside for yourself. It is easy to overeat nuts and eat them too fast, especially if you purchase them unshelled. Every couple of months I like to rest my body from nuts for a week or two (sometimes several months).
Because nuts are so concentrated, they should always be eaten with or just before a large meal of green-leafy vegetables.
Some of the best nuts include almonds, brazils, cacao, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecans, pistachio, walnuts, and pine nuts. Macadamia nuts are the richest nuts of all because they have the most fat and the least protein. However, macadamias can be mucus-forming unless eaten with a significant amount of green-leafed vegetables.
Cashews have a shell filled with a caustic resin that makes cracking the shells, for the most part, difficult. Thus, cashews are often cooked out of their shells. Even if they are labeled “raw,” they are usually cooked (I did not like finding this out when I first discovered raw foods, but I eventually got over it!). After many years, I finally tracked down a group that supplies truly raw cashews. Each one is hand-cracked and extracted. I have made these available through links on my website www.davidwolfe.com. What pleasure to eat cashews again!
Tree nuts are also potentially mucous formers. If you eat too many nuts, you may find that clear mucus will flow from your nose. This is because nuts are acid-forming in the body. A mucous discharge is a way for the body to dispel some acid-forming minerals and create a more alkaline internal environment. Eating the alkaline-forming green leaves counterbalances the acid-forming elements in nuts, eliminating mucous discharges.
Quantities should be kept to less than 2.0-2.5 pounds (0.9-1.2 kg) of nuts per week. I recommend seeds over nuts because they seem to be more digestible. If not eaten fresh from below the plant or tree, you might consider soaking nuts and seeds in water and/or sprouting them for 3-12 hours to disarm their enzyme inhibitors. Enzyme inhibitors keep nuts and seeds in their dormant state until conditions are right for growth. If eaten in the dormant state without green leaves to help along digestion, nuts and seeds can burden the pancreas and sit “heavy” in the stomach.
If you eat nuts in moderation and eat nuts with green-leafed vegetables, then you need not worry about soaking or mucus formation. A strong digestive tract, strengthened by months and years of eating quality high-fiber green vegetables, is capable of digesting a small quantity of nuts with little difficulty.
Seeds
My experience and research has revealed that the best seeds are those which contain a reasonable ratio of fat to protein. A good edible seed should contain no more protein than 2 parts fat to 1 part protein (2:1 ratio). These include flax, hemp, pumpkin, sesame (used to make tahini), sunflower and especially young coconut (a coconut is actually a seed).
The seeds that we call “grains” and “legumes” are protein-dominant, not fat-dominant. I recommend against excessive protein-dominant seeds like these.
Raw legume sprouts, such as mung beans, kidney beans, lentils and soy beans, can drain the body of water. If legumes are eaten, the best legumes are chickpeas and peanuts (aflatoxin-free wild Amazonian peanuts are the only peanuts I recommend). Chickpeas should be sprouted. Peanuts may be soaked until plump before eating, although they are nice in their dried state as well. Both chickpeas and peanuts have a higher ratio of fat to protein than other legumes, but chickpeas are still protein-dominant. Soy beans have a high ratio of fat to protein (1:2) so they are one of the better legumes, even if cooked. However, they are such hybridized foods (so far out of the natural wild state) and they are mostly genetically modified that I do not endorse them or products made primarily from them (soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers, etc). Research is indicating that more than two servings of soy per week can influence hormone metabolism. Soy is known to be thyroid suppressive.
Grains (especially hybridized, weak seeds) do not metabolize cleanly when cooked. Cooked grains, and to some degree sprouted grains, such as oats, rice and wheatberries, may leave a gummy residue behind that will clog up the tiny lymph and blood vessels if overeaten over a long period of time. If one enjoys eating grains, they should be eaten uncooked and unsprouted in their hard, natural state in the way that the Roman soldiers ate them. After a few moments of chewing, they soften and become quite edible. Raw grains mix well with grasses and wild greens. Be careful, as grains eaten in this state contain amylase inhibitors creating digestive distress if any sweet food is eaten within several hours following a raw grain meal.
If one is to sprout or cook grains, the best for this purpose are quinoa and millet. They have a higher ratio of fat to protein than other grains, although they are still protein-dominant. Quinoa and millet are also closer to the wild state.
Protein
Perhaps the biggest misconception in the field of nutrition is the confusion between fat and protein. When someone says, “I need protein,” they often need and want fat. Most people and nutritionists cannot distinguish between the desire for fat and the desire for protein. Many raw-food advocates have recommended nuts for protein, when in reality the value of nuts is in their fat. Some people can give up fish much easier than cheese, because fish is mostly protein, whereas cheese is mostly fat.
Protein is what we are; it is the structure of our physical body and each one of our cells. The protein theory essentially states that you need flesh protein to build flesh protein. If that were true, then gorillas should have to eat flesh to develop their incredibly muscular 400+ pound (180 kg) bodies.
Imagine a newborn human baby doubling its body weight in several months on a diet of breast milk. Most breast milk is less than 2% protein and even the heavier “hind-milk” is only about 10% protein. Breast milk itself, is a fat-dominant food.
The construction of proteins actually occurs from the free amino acids available to the body. The body has to break down all protein (if it can) into its constituent parts, the amino acids, before the material can be utilized. Protein is a collection of amino acids. The protein structure consists of amino acids strung together like grapes on a vine.
Protein is important, yet not as important as is being overstated by official ivory-tower-sanctioned sources. Protein, of course, should be of the best plant type. And one should not confuse fat/oil with protein.
Very dense protein-dominant foods (animal muscle), whether raw or cooked, create obstructive residues inside the human body. Plant protein is of a higher and lighter vibration that metabolizes more cleanly.
The best, cleanest sources of protein are green vegetables, seeds (hemp, flax, sesame, poppy, sunflower, chia, etc.) and superfoods.
For clarity, superfoods are plant foods with extraordinary properties. Usually they contain all essential amino acids, high levels of minerals, and a wide array of unique, even rare, nutrients. Some prominent superfoods include:
• Marine phytoplankton (this outstanding superfood forms the basis of the entire food chain for the whole planet. Marine phytoplankton is a source of DHA, EPA, and phospholipids)
• Spirulina (a spiral algae consumed for thousands of years by indigenous people in Mexico and Africa. The highest concentration of protein on Earth)
• Blue-Green Algae (Klamath lake algae has a phenomenal reputation in the health field)
• Chlorella (another high-protein algae that has the special property of detoxifying heavy metals from the brain when used in conjunction with cilantro)
• Bee pollen (wild pollen, not orchard pollen, should be used and should come from ethically harvested sources where bees are treated respectfully. Bee pollen is nature’s most complete food)
• Maca (a radish-family root that grows in the high Andes. This root increases the production of progesterone in women and testosterone in men. A warming food, rich in minerals and vigor-increasing properties. Also a powerful aphrodisiac.)
• Cacao beans (this the raw form of chocolate. Cacao is the nut of the cacao fruit. This is likely the most chemically complex food substance in the world. Usually better for weight loss as it inhibits appetite. Please read my book Naked Chocolate for more information on cacao, the food of the gods!)
• Goji berries or Wolfberries (this is the most revered food in Tibetan and Chinese herbalism. These closely-related berries look like red raisins and taste incredible. They contain at least 18 amino acids, are a complete protein and a fantastic source of minerals)
• Hemp seed (the only seed with no enzyme inhibitors. Contains edestin perhaps the most bio-available form of protein. Also contains the youthening sulfur-bearing amino acids and a unique array of minerals)
• Wild young coconuts (not to be confused with white Thai coconuts found in markets, wild coconuts are one of the greatest foods on Earth. The coconut water and soft inner flesh are strength enhancing, electrolyte-rich, mineral-rich, youthening and invigorating. Wild young coconut water is the best base for any smoothie — especially great with other superfoods)
Remember, as with all foods, not all superfoods work for everybody, find the ones that agree with you and enjoy. I usually use them in morning smoothie drinks.
Real strength and building material comes from green-leafed vegetables, seeds and superfoods where the amino acids are found. These are our true “protein foods.” They contain all the amino acids we require. We might look at the gorilla, zebra, giraffe, hippo, rhino, or elephant and find they build their enormous musculature on green-leafy vegetation and grass seeds exclusively.
The World Health Organization has established a minimum daily requirement of 32 grams of protein for a 150 pound (68 kg) male. Women require slightly less protein than men, except when pregnant (then they require slightly more than men).
To satisfy the powerful meat and dairy interests in the United States, the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) presents an inflated protein recommendation of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. This is not a minimum daily requirement, but a “recommended” daily requirement that includes an added 30% “safety margin.” Under the U.S. RDA, a 150 pound (68 kg) male is recommended to consume 54.4 grams of protein per day.
Interestingly, protein can be adequately supplied by raw plant foods. Animal protein is not necessary to meet protein needs. The consumption of cooked animal protein has been statistically correlated with all the major diseases of civilization. As the cooked animal protein increases in the diet, the rate of disease increases in a one-to-one correlation (for more on this see John Robbins’ book Diet For A New America and Howard Lyman’s book Mad Cowboy). Most of the diseases of civilization are actually caused by animal-protein poisoning because protein-dominant animal foods are acid-forming and not natural foods for humans to consume in such large quantities.
Is there enough protein available in the all-raw diet? Consider the following analysis (below) of Day 3, Wednesday, of the All-Raw Menu (Appendix B: The Sunfood Diet Weekly Guideline And Menu Plan):
I have had individuals walk into my office with severe liver and kidney damage caused by the high-protein diet. Seeing lives trashed by incorrect nutritional advice and fanciful theories sends the message home: Please, stop listening to anyone in any field who is not getting the results you desire.
Consider the words of Morris Krok in his book Diet, Health, And Living On Air: “In the metabolism of fats, sugars and starches, the waste which is left behind is carbon dioxide and water. This however is not the case with protein, which leaves as its end-products uric acid and urea, which, if retained in the system, are very harmful. Thus not only is protein not well utilized for bodily heat, but it is also a potential danger to the health of the liver and kidneys, and because of this, is the greatest factor in acidifying the entire membranous tract.”
Dr. C. Samuel West describes in his book The Golden Seven Plus One that the primary cause of disease is undigested protein trapped in the intercellular fluid between the cells.
Although I am something other than a supporter of them, if acid-forming protein-dominant foods (animal muscle, sprouted grains/legumes) are eaten, they should always be combined with green-leafy vegetables. The alkaline greens neutralize the acidity of the protein food. The fiber in greens helps push everything through the digestive system properly.
The Sunfood Triangle and Protein
For the best health, I recommend that the diet predominantly contain proteins (amino acids) in the form of green vegetables, seeds and superfoods.
The Center Point
Food, first and foremost, is a stimulant. We can do without one of these three classes of foods for a time, if we eat very little and do not stimulate our body too far in one direction. If we go too far in one direction, then the other foods should be brought in to pull us back. For example, if you eat too much sugar, you need fat and chlorophyll to pull you back. If you eat too much chlorophyll, you need fat and sugar to center you.
Many newcomers to raw foods and The Sunfood Diet tend to overeat dried fruit and nuts as a replacement for the heavier cooked foods. They are getting a strong dose of concentrated sugar and nut fat. These foods must be balanced by also overeating green-leafed vegetables, such as kale, or one will eventually be thrown off balance.
The Sunfood Triangle: The Center Point
(Chlorophyll : Sugars : Fat)
The least stimulating food on the human body is a low-sugar, high-water content, low-fat fruit, such as the cucumber. Eating low-sugar, non-fatty fruits keeps us close to the center point. Non-sweet fruits are low stimulation foods. Some low-sugar fruits include:
Food definitely stimulates the body. You can demonstrate this on yourself,
when you are tired, perhaps even sleepy, by eating any raw plant food and you will come wide awake. You may eat to stay awake if necessary.
Aside from eating a balance of foods, there are other ways we can become more centered. Deep breathing, exercise, laughter, sex and yoga all help to return us to the center point.
Meditation returns one to the center point. I once spoke with a gentleman who had met and spoken in depth with Fred Hirsch, the publisher of Arnold Ehret’s Mucusless Diet Healing System. This gentleman described that Arnold Ehret’s largely fruit diet was also accompanied by deep meditation, but this was purposely left out of the book, because meditation did not fit the western paradigm of mainstream thought. Meditation is greatly beneficial in centering the mind and body and facilitates the fulfillment of The Sunfood Diet.
Consider that Arnold Ehret’s fruitarian diet consisted considerably of apples and raisins with occasional green-leafed vegetables. Back in his time (the beginning of the 20th century), the hybrid foods (such as seedless raisins) available today, did not exist. Arnold Ehret ate apples (sugar) with raisins with seeds (fat) and green-leafed vegetables, which covers the three classes. Real raisins with seeds are a totally different food than most of us know, especially for those living in northerly climates where grapes grow wildly. Raisins can be stored and eaten all throughout the winter.
Fasting also helps return us to the center point. Our spiritual powers are highest when fasting.
Good, fresh durian must be one of the most incredible edibles on Earth. Raw-food lore is full of durian stories ranging in content from adventures in southeast Asia to all-night durian-cacao parties in Toronto, Canada.
The durian fruit of southeast Asia contains incredible fat and sugar, putting us right at the midpoint between the two. Added with green-leafy foods, we can live on Durian alone, at least for some time. A raw-foodist once told me he believed durian and raw cannabis constituted humanity’s most natural foods. I thought that was interesting. If raw cacao beans and noni were thrown into the mix I would probably say he was right.
We can live for some time on seeded grapes and/or natural seeded raisins. Seeded grapes and natural Sun-dried, vine-ripened raisins with seeds are some of the most incredible foods on Earth. They have the sugar and the fat (the grape seed). Add that to the grape leaves (green-leaves), which come with the grape plant, and we could live on the grape plant alone for quite some time. I did actually eat primarily grape plants (leaf, fruit and seed) for a week once while camping after a horse ate my food.
Watermelon is one of the top foods on the planet. If you chew up some of the seeds for fat (which I have found to be quite an aphrodisiac), and take in the natural melon sugar, you again have a close to balanced picture. Add in the green rind or green-leafy vegetables of some kind and you can go quite some time on those alone.
Apricots are a sweet fruit (sugar) with an edible kernel which tastes like an almond (fat). They also have the sugar and fat wrapped in one package. The Hunzas, one of the longest-lived tribes on Earth, are world-renowned for their diet of apricots. The apricot kernel contains specific compounds that work to repair the prostate. They should be immediately included into the diet of anyone experiencing prostate troubles. I know of several people who have healed themselves of prostate cancer naturally, and who swear by these kernels. (Prostate issues can be helped by releasing pressure in the colon through enemas and colonics and by eating an alkaline diet).
Wild young coconuts are also one of the Earth’s most perfect foods. With electrified water and soft, “spoon meat” on the inside, few foods can compare. Again, green leaves are required to make a coconut diet work for you in the long-term. Also, coconuts are a seed and thus they have a negative karma charge, which should be balanced with positive or neutral karma foods (greens).
Fruitarianism
The present-day fruitarian movement finds its philosophical roots in the scriptures (Genesis 1:29), the writings of spiritual masters, such as Sri Yukteswar in his book The Holy Science, in the writings of Professor Arnold Ehret, in the fascinating accomplishments and philosophy of Dr. Johnny Lovewisdom, in the writings of Morris Krok in Fruit The Food And Medicine For Man, and in the writings of T.C. Fry.
What exactly comprises a fruitarian diet has been the subject of much debate over the years. In this book, I believe I have finally settled the matter. For the record: a fruitarian is an eater of fruits (fatty, sweet, and non-sweet) and green-leafed vegetables.
The fruitarian diet lifestyle is ideally a beautiful way to live, it is in total harmony with the philosophy of Ahimsa (a Sanskrit word that means causing no harm). However, as I have described, raw foods — especially fruits — carry with them a strong karma and energy. For that reason, they must be eaten in a balanced fashion. Too much hybridized sweet fruit will throw the body off balance. The fruitarian diet has to be done correctly (and I would recommend: only for a period of time, not indefinitely). Specifically, green-leafed vegetables must be eaten as they contain heavier minerals, calming properties, fiber and certain intangible items not available in fruits. All frugivorous (fruit-eating) primates include green leaves in their diets; also, fats must be derived from avocados, durians, or olives instead of nuts if one is to remain within the fruitarian Ahimsa paradigm — eating nuts kills the plant embryo.
I do not personally recommend a long-term fruitarian diet, as it brings up the possibility of multiple types of nutritional deficiencies (demineralization and a lack of B vitamins) and potential neurological problems (especially those involving a lack of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA). If one goes too long on a high-fruit diet, the first thing that will happen is that s/he will go deficient in salt (sodium), the next thing that will occur is a deficiency in calcium. However, for those experimenting with a fruitarian diet which is a lot of fun in the short term (a few days or weeks), I recommend the following:
1. Eat no more than 33.3% high-sugar fruits, such as melons, mangos, peaches, etc.
2. Eat plenty of non-sweet fruits, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, nonis, etc.
3. Eat plenty of high calcium, alkaline-forming fruits, especially: figs, olives, oranges, panini (prickly pear), papaya and rambutan.
4. Breathe in pure air.
5. Take in and swim in only pure water (containing no acid-forming minerals, such as chlorine).
6. Avoid stress-inducing and acid-forming environments (e.g. cities).
7. Eat plenty of silicon-based foods: peppers, chilies, okra, etc. Silicon can be biologically transmuted into calcium by the liver (see Biological Transmutations by Kervran).
8. Avoid all nuts! (They are too acid-forming. One will be thrown off center by eating them if no greens are in the diet. Nuts must be balanced with greens).
9. Eat a sufficient quantity of olives. Olives have a naturally high sodium content (even when unsalted).
Keys to a high-fruit diet:
1. You must be active to burn up all the sugar (fuel) you are putting into your body.
2. You must be mentally positive.
3. You must be emotionally stable.
4. You must have the right metabolism for this kind of diet.
The Ideal Spiritual Diet Of Humankind
“AND BY THE RIVER UPON THE BANK THEREOF, ON THIS SIDE AND ON THAT SIDE, SHALL GROW ALL TREES FOR MEAT, WHOSE LEAF SHALL NOT FADE, NEITHER SHALL THE FRUIT THEREOF BE CONSUMED: IT SHALL BRING FORTH NEW FRUIT ACCORDING TO HIS MONTHS, BECAUSE THEIR WATERS THEY ISSUED OUT OF THE SANCTUARY: AND THE FRUIT THEREOF SHALL BE FOR MEAT, AND THE LEAF THEREOF FOR MEDICINE.” — Ezekiel 47:12
To elevate the spiritual powers, consider eating a mineral-rich, Live-Alkaline Fruit (LAF) Diet of green leaves and fruits for a few days. Increase your positive karma by consuming avocados for fat, wild green-leafed vegetables and non-hybridized sweet fruits of a high alkaline content (i.e. blackberries, cherries, currants, figs, grapes, kumquats, lemons, limes, loganberries, mameys, mulberries, oranges, papayas, prickly pears, raspberries, sapodillas and tangerines).
The Ancients, Longevity and The Secret
The longevity of the biblical patriarchs is legendary.
One of the most startling discoveries I came across by suggestion of my friend Steve Adler was the “Bible Code” concept. It has been discovered that the first five books of The Bible, commonly known as the Torah, are encoded. What is interesting for us is the dietary law laid down in Genesis 1:29 — herbs and fruits. By analyzing Genesis 1:29 after understanding the Bible Code it was discovered that it contains, in code, the seed-bearing plants which existed in the Garden of Eden. The seven seed-bearing plants embedded in this verse are: barley (grass), wheat (grass), vine (grapes), dates, olives, figs and pomegranates. The three food classes are there. For more on this fascinating subject, please see Cracking The Bible Code by Dr. Jeffrey Satinover.
Consider how the Bible Code discovery mirrors the 8 most important bio— active fruits of the ancient Essenes: grapes (vine), dates, olives, figs, pomegranates, apricots, carob and small yellow apples. The Essenes are a religious group originally based in the Dead Sea region of Israel. They are historically known for their raw-vegetarian dietary philosophy, well-developed wisdom and remarkable longevity. The Essenes are still around today. In fact, your author has been involved with the Essene church since 1996.
The ancient Britons, according to Plutarch, only began to grow old at 210. Their food consisted almost exclusively of acorns, berries and water. The ancient Greeks of the pre-heroic age lived on oranges and olives. We know from our understanding of The Sunfood Triangle that it is highly likely that wild green-leafy foods were included as well. The fat is there, as well as the fruit, and the green leaves. They all must be there.
Again we see such longevity in the Bulgarians, who are the longest-lived people in present-day Europe. They often reach ages exceeding 105 and even up to 125. Their simple diet consists of fruits (sugar), vegetables (chlorophyll) and sour milk or buttermilk (fat). They are a thin people typically weighing between 122 and 130 pounds (56 and 59 kilograms). This again goes to show the truth that the less weight you carry the longer you live — we have yet to discover an obese centenarian.
1 Decide today to include significant portions of green-leafy vegetables, sweet fruits (with seeds) and raw plant fats/oils in your diet. These food classes could constitute 75%+ of the diet.
2 Balance the three food classes against each other to achieve exceptional health!
3 Begin experimenting with different superfoods and determine which ones agree with you.
Three Food Classes and their Benefits
THE BENEFITS OF CHLOROPHYLL (RAW):
• Insure good, daily elimination.
• Chlorophyll: Nature’s medicine.
• Counteract acid-forming foods such as nuts, seeds, durians, cooked foods, apple cider vinegar, proteins, animal products.
• Counteract acid-forming air toxins such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfuric acid, nitrous oxide, chlorine, etc.
• Greens are the lung cleansers.
• Deactivate, combine with, and help wash out heavy metals.
• Alkaline-forming foods. Greens make the body alkaline.
• Best source of alkaline minerals (calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron and trace minerals).
• Balance the endocrine system (especially if wild greens are eaten).
• Green-leaves naturally brush and clean the teeth.
• Green-leaves naturally broom out the entire digestive tract as they pass through the body.
• They ground the mind.
• They calm the system.
• They are karmically neutral.
• Antioxidants.
Three Food Classes and their Benefits
THE BENEFITS OF SWEET FRUITS (RAW):
• Glucose/Fructose/Sugar: Immediate energy.
• Karma: A positive role in spreading fruiting plants and trees about brings us good luck.
• Pleasure.
• Captured nutrients from the Sun — Sunfood!
• Cleansing food: Fruits are relentless cleansers and mucus dissolvers.
• Vitamin C.
• Antioxidants.
THE BENEFITS OF FATTY FOODS AND OILS (RAW):
• Builds better brain tissue.
• Insulates the nerves; protects the body against pollution.
• Helps reverse heart disease and atherosclerosis because the lipase enzyme present in raw plant fats (except nuts) helps metabolize the cooked fat clogging the arteries and lymph system.
• Replace trans-fatty acids which have hindered the respiration of each cell.
• They are a stabilizing factor in raw diets.
• They ground the body.
• Long-term fuel.
• They deliver minerals to the bones; they help with the assimilation of minerals, including calcium.
• They help transport vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with other nutrients, to the tissues.
• Antioxidants.
Three Food Classes and the Effects of Overdose
SYMPTOMS OF A CHLOROPHYLL OVERDOSE
• Spaciness.
• Laziness.
• The feeling of being too passive.
• Feelings of being too cold (with the exception of wheatgrass juice which can make one feel too hot.)
SYMPTOMS OF A SUGAR OVERDOSE
• Excessive urination.
• Light-headedness.
• Tooth sensitivity.
• Edginess. Anxiety.
• Constipation.
• Sores in the mouth
(this can be caused by a potassium overdose: eat sodium-residue foods, such as celery or kale, to help relieve this condition).
• Black circles under the eyes (adrenal exhaustion).
• Grogginess.
SYMPTOMS OF A FAT/OIL OVERDOSE
• Mucus elimination.
• Liver stagnation.
• Edginess.
• Sluggishness.
• Oily pores.
• Pimples.
• Constipation.
• Feelings of being too hot.
• Feelings of being “hung over.”
• Strong body odor.
The Best Sugary Fruits include:
Apples
Apricots
Berries of all types
Black Sapotes
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cacao fruit (chocolate fruit)
Cherimoya
Cherries (wild are best!)
Crab Apples
Dates of all exotic types
Figs of all types (wild are best!)
Goji Berries
Grapes with seeds
Incan Berries
Jackfruit
Loquat (they are close to the wild state)
Lychee
Mango
Mangosteen
Melons with seeds
Mulberries
Oranges with seeds
Papaya (must be organic, all conventional are now genetically modified)
Passion Fruit
Paw-Paws
Pears (the wilder, the better)
Persimmons with seeds
Plums
Pomegranate (extremely strong fruit, resists hybridization)
Raspberries
Sapodilla
White Sapote
All wild sweet fruits and berries
Akee (a relative of the durian fruit that grows in West Africa and the West Indies)
Avocados
Borage seed oil
Cacao beans (chocolate nuts)
Coconut oil/butter
Durians
Flax seed and its oil (cold pressed)
Grape seeds
Hemp seed and its oil (cold pressed)
Nuts of all types (cashews must be soft to be truly “raw”)
Nut butters (almond butter is excellent)
Olives and their oil (stone pressed if possible, cold pressed is also good)
Peanuts (must be certified aflatoxin free)
Pili nut (a tasty, oily tropical nut originating in the Philippines)
Poppy seeds
Pumpkin seeds and their oil (cold pressed)
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Tahini (sesame butter)
Unhulled tahini (an alkaline fat, high in calcium)
Young coconuts (young Thai coconuts are available in the US at Asian markets)
The Best Green–Leafed Vegetables include:
Arugula
Bok choy
Celery (very important; an excellent source of sodium)
Cilantro
Crane’s bill
Collards
Dandelion
Dark green cabbage
Endive
Fennel (wild)
Kale (especially dinosaur kale)
Lamb’s quarters (goosefoot)
Lettuce (all types)
Malva
Mustard (wild)
Parsley
Purslane
Spinach
Spring onions (green)
Sunflower greens
Wild radish
All green herbs
All wild edible greens
Algae (blue-green, chlorella, spirulina, and marine phytoplankton; these are alkaline-green protein superfoods, they are not true leafy-vegetables; nevertheless they can be used in this category)
