Supplements as a Safety Measure

A part from vitamins B₁₂ and D, most or all of your nutrient intake will be met by a well-planned diet. However, there may be times when eating arrangements are an unusual challenge, such as when you are too busy to manage meals well, you are limiting your caloric intake in an effort to lose weight, you are traveling or are in other circumstances that restrict your food intake, or you are uncertain that you are meeting optimal nutrient intakes with diet alone. In such situations, a multivitamin-mineral supplement that has a wide range of minerals and vitamins (including vitamins B₁₂ and D) at recommended levels can be a wise and reassuring choice. (See table 8.2, page 154, and table 9.2, page 185, for the adult DRIs for vitamins and minerals.)

Typical multivitamin-mineral supplements are low in calcium compared to the DRIs; otherwise, the pill would be too large to swallow. Therefore, in order to get significant amounts of calcium (preferably accompanied by vitamin D), you will need to take a separate calcium supplement, although it can be taken at the same time as your vitamin-mineral supplement.

Many brands of multivitamin-mineral supplements advise taking several tablets to meet the DRI or daily value (DV). Since most of what you need will come from your diet, you likely will do well with just one multivitamin-mineral supplement plus one calcium tablet per day or every few days. Aside from vitamin B₁₂ (which can be taken either alone or as part of a multivitamin supplement), single-nutrient supplements are generally not the best choice, in part because the nutrients so often work as teams, and also because high intakes of one mineral (such as zinc) can interfere with absorption of another (such as copper).

Weight Management

Well-designed raw vegan diets are a powerful and effective choice for healthful weight loss. In addition to following a well-planned diet, make regular exercise part of your regimen for good health. If your weight drops to unhealthy levels or you suspect nutritional deficiencies, modify your diet to meet recommended intakes, making sure you obtain sufficient calories and protein. If necessary, enlist the support of a qualified health professional.

Menus for Excellent Health

In the pages that follow, you will find six raw vegan menus that meet the DRIs, providing that you include supplementary vitamin B₁₂ (see page 166), a source of vitamin D (see page 151), and a little kelp or iodized salt for sodium and iodine (see page 187). Water or herbal tea can be added as desired. Each menu is presented at three different calorie levels:

Food Combining Theory and Fact

Food combining, a concept used in planning some raw diets, originates from a 1911 theory developed by New York physician Howard Hay. Hay took an interest in the research of 1904 Nobel Prize–winner Ivan Pavlov on the digestive process of dogs. Hay concluded that digestion is easier if we don’t simultaneously eat foods that require different amounts of time to break down. Experimenting with his own diet during a time of ill health, Hay changed from a pattern of large meals that regularly featured meat with potatoes and white bread to a diet of whole foods with a much greater emphasis on plant foods. He eliminated cigarette smoking, lost weight, and regained his health. Hay’s guidelines became the foundation for a system of food combining. The guidelines for this way of eating stated, for example, that “proteins” (meaning the food group that includes meat, poultry, fish, nuts, and legumes) interfere with good digestion when combined with starchy vegetables (such as potatoes), grains, or sweet fruit, but that “proteins” could be eaten with green leafy vegetables.

Since these origins, various proponents have adapted the food-combining principles by classifying foods into four to nine categories. The foods in each category are said to combine well or poorly with foods in other categories. For instance, it is said that fats do not combine well with fruits or starches, protein does not combine well with starches, fruits do not combine well with anything other than leafy greens, and melons do not combine well with any other foods. Food-combining rules can be complicated, and the permissible combinations differ depending on the presenter’s interpretation, personal experience, and preferences. We now recognize that that food-combining theories have significant limitations and drawbacks. At the same time, we can learn from them.

LIMITATIONS

Food combining was based on a belief that if a protein and a starch are eaten together, the body will wear itself out by producing both alkaline and acidic digestive juices, which nullify each other and impair digestion. This is simply not true. Since this theory was first developed, physiologists have learned that the stomach is always acidic and the small intestine is always alkaline, no matter what foods are eaten. When a plant food that contains mostly carbohydrate is consumed, digestion starts with the salivary amylase in the mouth, then moves on to the acidic environment of the stomach, and continues in the small intestine. When a food high in protein is eaten, major steps in the digestive process take place in the stomach, due to the acidity there. These are followed by enzymatic actions that occur in the alkaline environment of the small intestine.

Every whole plant food, without exception, contains protein, fat, and carbohydrate. The body is well adapted to digest these natural combinations.

Scientific evidence to support the food-combining theories is lacking.

Some combinations that break food-combining rules can be helpful to the body. For example, the vitamin C in many of the fruits listed in table 8.2 (page 154) can help to increase the absorption of iron from the iron-rich plant foods listed in table 9.4 (page 198). Also, the fat in foods such as seeds and avocados assists our absorption of minerals, fat-soluble vitamins, and phytochemicals from greens and other foods eaten at the same time.

POSITIVE INSIGHTS

The century after Hay’s theory was proposed was also the century in which the science of nutrition was born. Our understanding of digestion has evolved from where it was in 1911, yet Western science can learn from Eastern concepts of nutrition and from cultures such as Japan that place a greater emphasis on digestive health. A gap remains between Western scientific concepts and the subjective observations about digestion that form the core of food combining.

Taking an interest in food combining can help people to simplify their meals and improve digestion. For example, some raw foodists have discovered that it works well for them to eat fresh fruit early in the day, and to wait a while before rounding out the menu with other foods.

Indigestion may be improved by avoiding certain food combinations. If you experience bloating, gas, or indigestion, keep a journal of your eating habits and symptoms. This can help to determine whether certain foods or combinations cause difficulty. (Other factors, such as stress and uncomfortable emotions, can affect digestion too.)

a basic 2,000-calorie menu

a 2,500-calorie, higher-protein version of this menu, with a few added items

a 1,600–1,700-calorie variation of the basic menu

The higher-calorie version is suitable for someone who is larger or more active. Athletes may further increase their calorie, protein, and iron intakes by increasing portion sizes or including more foods. The lower-calorie menu is designed for someone who is smaller, less active, or trying to lose weight. In a few cases where noted, the DRIs are not met for every nutrient. The recipes on pages 256–301 are used in the menus.

Two menus have the option of either sprouted or cooked legumes and sprouted grains, buckwheat, or quinoa (menus 1 and 2). Two of the menus are centered on fruit, with added greens, seeds, and nuts (menus 3 and 4). Menu 4 is presented in terms of the weights of the different food groups for a day, rather than meals. Menu 5 requires little preparation apart from washing the produce. Menu 6 is a more gourmet approach, with a lovely dinner that is suitable for a celebration.

In practice, you may vary these menus; they are intended to illustrate how raw foods can be used to meet scientific recommendations. You might replace a lunch item with a Thai Spring Roll with Spicy Pecan Sauce (page 292). You may dine on Spicy Mexican Salad (page 288), Avocado Dip (page 269), and Salsa Flax Crackers (page 266), or set out a Whole Meal Salad Bar (page 296) in place of the supper listed. You don’t need to meet the DRI for every nutrient every day, but aim to meet these as average intakes over time.

Menu 1

LIGHT AND NUTRITIOUS

This menu provides adequate protein, calcium, iron, zinc, other minerals, and vitamins, and is moderately low in fat. To maintain energy through the morning, some people like to have the juice first and the smoothie as a midmorning break. The ground flaxseeds, which provide omega-3 fatty acids, can be sprinkled on one of the other menu items if you prefer. The salad bar choices may be mixed into a salad or arranged on a plate.