Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Linda Wooliever of Vermont Fiddle Heads and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

What I love about the raw food movement is that it teaches people to eat locally, from their own garden, local farmers or community supported agriculture, as well as wild harvested foods, and to prepare and eat minimally processed whole foods. I love that raw foods are some of the best food I have ever tasted, jam packed with water and flavor!

But I don't necessarily like all aspects of the raw food movement. It can be strict and somewhat purist and the message that you can eat whatever/whenever you want so long as it is raw. I took a lot of the messages to heart even though some didn't intuitively make sense. I wanted to believe what I read. I said to myself, "Well, it seemed to work for other people, so why not me?"

I like experimenting with new foods and ideas, so I gave myself a green light to eat WAY too much fat on the raw food diet. I also gave myself the go ahead to eat a lot of raw chocolate, which can also be high in fat and while it is very fun to use wild with raw cacao, I don't recommend it for daily use. Long story short, I began to gain weight on raw food.

Despite having a relatively low caloric intake, most of my calories were coming from fat. After 8 years and much experimentation with my raw foods diet, I started to feel a bit run down and I was a little perplexed about what to do. The books that recommend a low-fat raw food diet, don't really explain how to do it because when it comes time to show recipes, these recipes are nut-rich, very dense and heavy.

Thankfully my friend gave me Dr Fuhrman's book to read as a gift and I really felt grateful for it. His message was very similar to some raw food dudes that I applaud who also extol the importance of a low-fat, minimally-processed, vegan diet. What I REALLY appreciated was actually spelling out the daily food intake goals per day, i.e. a pound of raw greens and other veggies, a pound of cooked greens, etc.

This helps a lot of people, I think, and it helps a person like me. I can very easily adapt how I eat to this daily plan and I make it easy and delicious. I finally felt like I was getting some guidelines that seem doable and sensible. This is a lifestyle and not a diet.

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Michelle Obama has made healthy eating her go-to issue and she’s pretty serious about it. Just last Friday, Mrs. Obama and local school kids broke ground on the new White House vegetable garden on the famed South Lawn, the first in many decades. She’ll be growing fruits, vegetables and herbs which will be harvested in the coming year and used in the White House kitchen. Michelle Obama has always been very receptive to the idea of having a White House garden and is being praised for her views about food in connection with children; the Associated Press reports.

The first lady has already been crusading for healthier foods, discouraging processed foods and placing more focus on locally grown fare, but the White House garden is not a new idea. In the 1800s, John Adams planted the first garden so that he and his family could enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. Then in the 1940s, in support of the war effort, Eleanor Roosevelt brought back the White House garden, calling them “Victory Gardens” and encouraged all Americans to plant their own.

And even now it’s catching on. Last summer, some Los Angeles residents transformed a dreary cinder block wall into a vibrant garden cascading with strawberries, tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. This is great, especially since healthy foods, like fruits and veggies, are scarce in poorer neighborhoods.

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• The economy is suffering. And unemployment is rising. But green jobs are expected to boom, such as farmers, CSA coordinators, recyclers, conservation biologists and solar power installers. Currently, the solar industry employs over 25,000 workers, but it could leap to 110,000 by 2016; via FastCompany.

• Speaking of community supported agriculture. There are plenty of reasons to eat local! Locally grown food tastes better, retains more nutrients, contains no genetically modified organisms, promotes genetic diversity, and is better for the environment and preserves open spaces; from Green Living Review.

• Now, despite out obvious recession, interest in green products continues to grow. A new survey of 9,000 consumers revealed shoppers deliberately bought more green products in 2008 than any year before. In 2007, 32% of people sought green products, but in 2008 it increased to 34%; ENN reports.

• Electricity usage from the internet doubled between 2000 and 2006. But don’t feel guilty. According to data, the internet’s energy efficiency is improving. Old dial-up connections sap 3.56 kWh per GB, but new stuff, like DSL and cable, only consume .17 kWh/GB and .72 kWh/GB, respectively; via earth2tech.

• Under the new administration, government officials are hopeful the "Bigger Better Bottle Bill" has its first real shot at becoming law. The legislation would impose a nickel deposit on non-carbonated beverage containers and invest unredeemed deposits into state cleanup programs; The Post-Standard explains.

• The European Union seeks to tighten environmental standards for ships, striving for zero waste and zero emissions, by strengthening existing laws surrounding ship waste disposal at port facilities and setting up an environmental management system to oversee the maritime shipping sector; from ENN.

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