Raw Food Diet
Weight Loss
Food Addiction

"A Raw Food Diet for Weight Loss Eliminates Insatiable Cravings"

When I was researching for information to learn why I should go use a raw food diet for clients, I was a bit disappointed to find that there was main an abundance of anecdotal information such as success tories and obvious explanations such as increased nutrition.

It was obvious to me that when a raw food diet for weight loss was incorporated even to a degree, there was a vast improvement in the success of the client. That, however, did not explain some of the miracles I was seeing.

What was it about a raw food diet for weight loss that was so helpful? I had trouble thinking it was just a matter of more nutrition in the raw food diet weight loss.

The results, when incorporated as part of a full program, were dramatic and reached across all areas of their health.

Over and over, when I work with a client and start using a predominantly or partial raw food diet for weight loss I hear ...

"A Raw food diet for weight loss helped lower my blood pressure"

"The Raw food diet for weight loss improved my vision"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss improved my sense of taste"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss deepened my sleep"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss increased my muscle mass"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss tightened my skin and reduced wrinkles"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss made hair more full and strong"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss catapulted my energy levels."

"A Raw food diet for weight loss caused incredible mental focus"

"A Raw food diet for weight loss eliminated my diabetes"

Any explanation I was able to find were very common sense and there is nothing wrong with that, but I knew there had to be more scientific documentation as why the results from a Raw food diet for weight loss were so “miraculous.”

Well, I found out I was looking in the wrong place. I was looking for scientific data on the benefits of a raw food diet but I should have been looking at the negative effects of a cooked food diet. This is where I was able to find abundant scientific data in support of the raw food diet.

As it relates to this site a raw food diet for weight loss is my focus here so if you want more information health consequences of cooked and raw food, other than weight loss, you can email me and and I will send you the scientific research I have found.

When coaching my clients on my weight loss method, one of the main problems we run into is insatiable cravings of fattening, toxic and harmful foods.

I want to go over some of the reasons.

Cooked Foods Act Like A Toxin

A raw food diet for weight loss eliminated toxic response from the body. This first is that a study found that your body reacts the same way to eating cooked foods as it does when it gets infected or there is a toxin it is exposed to.

Specifically, once your start to eat cooked foods, the white blood cells start to be produced in large quantities.

In 1930, under the direction of Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, research was conducted at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne, Switzerland. The effect of food (cooked and processed versus raw and natural) on the immune system was tested and documented.

Dr. Kouchakoff's discovery concerned the leukocytes, the white blood cells.
It was found that after a person eats cooked food, his/her blood responds immediately by increasing the number of white blood cells.

This is a well-known phenomena called "digestive leukocytosis", in which there is a rise in the number of leukocytes - white blood cells - after eating.

Since digestive leukocytosis was always observed after a meal, it was considered to be a normal physiological response to eating. No one knew why the number of white cells rises after eating, since this appeared to be a stress response, as if the body was somehow reacting to something harmful such as infection, exposure to toxic chemicals or trauma.

Back in 1930, the Swiss researchers at the Institute of Chemical Chemistry made a remarkable discovery. They found that eating raw, unaltered food did not cause a reaction in the blood.

In addition, they found that if a food had been heated beyond a certain temperature (unique to each food), or if the food was processed (refined, chemicals added, etc.), this always caused a rise in the number of white cells in the blood.

The researchers renamed this reaction "pathological leukocytosis", since the body was reacting to highly altered food. They tested many different types of foods and found that if the foods were not refined or overheated, they caused no reaction. The body saw them as "friendly foods."

However, these same foods, if heated at too high a temperature, caused a negative reaction in the blood, a reaction found only when the body is invaded by a dangerous pathogen or trauma.

The worst offenders of all, whether heated or not, were processed foods which had been refined (such as white flour and white rice), or pasteurized (a process in which milk is flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), or homogenized (also seen in milk where the fat in milk is subjected to artificial suspension), or preserved (chemicals are added to food to delay spoilage or to enhance texture or taste).

Toxicity was important to me because I have already found out that toxicity is a barrier to weight loss. So a raw food diet for weight loss was a major tool to assist in healthy natural weight loss methods.

So I was interested what specifically are in cooked foods that our bodies are reacting to?

Below are some of these items and the main reactions they produce in the body.

Beta-Carbolines and Addiction

Let's get into how raw food diet for weight loss virtually eliminates insatiable cravings.

There are naturally occurring neurotransmitters your body makes to help regulate appetite and motivation and also the deposit of fat.

• serotonin^1,2,3,4,5
  
• dopamine^6,7,8,9
  
• norepinephrine^10,11,12
  
• growth-hormone¹³
  
• prolactine¹⁴
  
• oxytocine¹⁵
  
• vasopressin^16,17
  
• leptin, acting through CRF^18,19,20
• neuropeptide Y²¹

Example of How It Works.

Serotonin for example, is a regulator of appetite. Appetite increases inversely to serotonin. High levels of serotonin can result in lowered appetite.

This is why some people on selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) will state they get very hungry after stopping it.

Light is also another factor that affects serotonin levels. Daylight will reduce the degradation of serotonin, thus leave more in the system.

If the body’s ability to impair the metabolism of serotonin is damaged, cravings can seem to be uncontrollable.

Obesity generally accompanies an impaired metabolism of one (or more) of these appetite/weight regulators:

• serotonin²²
  
• dopamine²³
  
• norepinephrine²⁴
  
• Growth hormone^25,26
  
• somatostatin²⁷
  
• prolactin²⁸
  
• oxytocin^29,30
  
• vasopressin^31,32
  
• neuropeptide Y³³
  
• the ACTH- and cortisol- interaction with- CRF³⁴
  
• the interaction between leptin and CRF and neuropeptide Y^35,36

But what else can cause metabolism of these appetite-regulators to be impaired?

As I mentioned SSRI’s such as prozac, diet pills, hormonal contraceptives, etc. and alcohol - but also substances in our every day food.

These include all foods that have been heated in any way – creating beta-carbolines.^{37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46}

Wheat products^47,48,49,50 and dairy products^51,52,53 contain opioid peptides.

Opioid Peptides are amino acids that mimic the effect of opiates in the brain.

An opiate is a drug, hormone, or other chemical substance having sedative or narcotic effects similar to those containing the very addictive opium or its derivatives.

Opioid peptides may be produced by the body itself, like endorphins, or be absorbed from partially digested food. The effect of these peptides vary, but they all resemble opiates.

Brain opioid peptide systems are known to play an important role in motivation, emotion, attachment behaviour, the response to stress and pain, and the control of food intake.

These opioid peptides^{54,55,56,57,58,59,60} and almost all beta-carbolines^{61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69} are physically addictive - making you eat more.

Just think of the aroma of bread when you pass by a bakery; you'll become instantly "hungry." This is not just because you are addicted, but also because your body has started to secrete digestion juices as soon as you caught that stimulating odor. Your rumbling stomach definitely tells you to eat.

A raw food diet for weight loss is a way to side-step the toxic and manipulative effects of all this.

This Is Not An Accident

Food-manufacturers are aware of the physically addictive qualities of opioid peptides and beta-carbolines.⁷⁰ They apply this knowledge to increase and maintain the number of their customers, and to successfully compete with other food-manufacturers.

They know that wheat and milk protein contain the most opioid peptides, and that is why these proteins are most often added to prepared food products. They know that beta-carbolines also increase your appetite. That is why they are also added to most food products, including sauces and spices; in so-called "taste enhancers."

How many times have you continued to eat something you didn't really like? You took a bite, and for some reason you couldn't leave it alone until you had finished the whole package. That package of cookies might have been laying in your kitchen cabinet for a few days, but once it was opened and you had taken one bite, it kept pulling you back to get more.

But have you ever experienced this with fruit? No, you have never had to have another banana, apple or orange. You might love to eat fruit when you are hungry, but it never keeps pulling you back to eat some more.

Now you know: you do not keep on eating because you are weak or pathetic, or "because your father did not give you enough attention." but because you are physically addicted to beta-carbolines and opioid peptides.

If your overeating was due to some psychological reason, any food that tastes good, including ripe fruits, would be equally satisfying. But this is not the case. All of us are physically addicted to these beta-carbolines and opioid peptides.

Again, another reason why a raw food diet weight loss is a hugely success method.

But each of us is different, and is susceptible to these chemicals in a different way, as different people prefer different brands of cigarettes, alcohol or coffee. That is why food- manufacturers experiment; they add a bit more wheat protein to their products, some malt, or a bit less milk protein, or combine these with concentrates of a particular dehydrated protein heated in combination with sugar.

Then they must make sure that we are familiarized with "the taste" (their specific combination of addictive chemicals) of this new product. They strategically position their dealers in the supermarket to offer the customers a free sample. And we behave according to the expectations of the food manufacturers: politely.

And so we take what she offers us, and try it. And if this specific blend of addictive chemicals matches our own addiction, our brain says, "I like it!", and we will buy the product later on.

This strategy is the same as that applied by the "pusher" who gives drugs for free to youngsters to get them addicted and thus gains new "junkie" clients.

They Create "Food-Junkies"

There actually is no fundamental difference between a drug junkie and a food-junkie; they both are addicted to physical addictive chemicals. They both need their fix every few hours. They just look different: the drugs-junkie gets skinnier and does not take care of his/her appearance. The food junkie becomes overweight or obese and takes even more care of her/his appearance. Both become dependent and need larger doses to achieve the same effect.

Taste-enhancers, for example, are concentrated dehydrated protein, containing beta-carbolines. They don't really enhance taste, but actually influence neurotransmitter-receptors.^71,72,73 Wheat protein and / or milk protein are found in many prepared food products. These contain opioid peptides. Be sure to check food-product labels.

Monosodium glutamate is also added to food to stimulate appetite,⁷⁴ partly acting through the same pathways. Beta-Carbolines also affect the glutamate- receptors by affecting the release of acetylcholine, which they do by effecting benzodiazepine-receptors.

A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug

A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical or psychotropic is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior.

Benzodiazepines results in sedative, hypnotic (sleep-inducing), anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic action. These properties make benzodiazepines useful in treating anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal and as a premedication for medical or dental procedures. Benzodiazepines are preferred for the treatment of insomnia; longer-acting benzodiazepines are recommended for the treatment of anxiety.

When combined with other central nervous system depressants such as alcohol and opiates, the potential for toxicity increases.

These beta-carbolines are not just physically addictive; they can also contribute toward obesity because they can impair the metabolism of these weight/appetite regulators:

• serotonin^{75,76,77,78,79,80,81}
  
• dopamine^{82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94}
  
• norepinephrine^{95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104}
  
• oxytocin (through GABA-receptors)^105,106
  
• CRF^{107,108,109,110,111}
  
• Growth hormone and prolactin-level, through TSH^{112,113,114,115,116}

The same is true for opioid peptides, which can impair metabolism of these weight/appetite regulators:

• serotonin^117,118
  
• norepinephrine^119,120
  
• oxytocin¹²¹
  
• vasopressin¹²²
  
• CRFz¹²³
  
• neuropeptide Y¹²⁴
  
• prolactin¹²⁵

But what if the influence of the food-chemicals on those appetite / weight-regulators is very limited?

Very few of us become overweight because we eat far too much. Generally, we eat a little bit too much.

Unfortunately, even if we only eat 1% too much daily, we have already gained 1 kg. / 2.2 pounds of pure fat every single year.

Since most of us are susceptible to beta-carbolines and opioid peptides, we eat a little too much every day. If that is 5% too much, we will gain 5 kg. / 11 lbs. pure fat each year.

And the less we have been breast fed, the earlier we ingested cow's milk-opioid peptides, impairing our set-point mechanism at a very early age. (Scientific research has shown that formula fed babies have an increased risk for becoming obese in later life).^{126,127,128,129,130,131}

Formula milk-manufacturers are no different from any other company; they do everything to increase sales. To increase their sales, they had to convince women that formula milk is as good as mother's milk, and even better since it's 'fortified' with extra vitamins and minerals. Simply ignoring the fact that mothers' milk contains all the nutrients that babies need, and that too much of any extra mineral is harmful.

However, the essential difference (in general) with 'normal business' is that infant feeding has lifetime consequences.

Increasing future cravings in both mother and child, for the sole purpose of increasing sales, is criminal.

But we must acknowledge that it was a clever long-term move: babies that are fed formula milk make 'better' future food-consumers. Sales are guaranteed. These manufacturers even pushed (and push) their product in developing countries at low prices - thus establishing a future market for food-retail giants.

Unfortunately, the real costs of formula milk are extremely underestimated; formula fed children are, on the average, less intelligent,^{132,133,134,135,136,137,138,139,140,141,142,143,144} and more subject to obesity.^{145,146,147,148,149,150} They are also more susceptible to all kinds of allergies, infections and diseases.^{151,152,153,154,155,156,157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,16
8,169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196} And these babies averagely cry more often.

To save yourself and children from eating a little bit too much you need to prevent the uptake of impairing food-chemicals.

The better way to look at it is by not looking at what you cannot have but by looking at all the fresh, nutritious foods that ARE available. As anyone who does a raw food diet for weight loss will tell you the more you explore the more vast the choices there are.

But you are more in control when doing a raw food diet for weight losss. On other diets, you can see now that you are not totally in control. You are fighting against some formidable opponents.

Heterocyclic Amines (HCA)
Addiction And Cancer

There is another toxin that a raw food diet for weight loss avoid or eliminates. This toxin is also an addictive chemical but also carcinogenic.

Cooking creates heterocyclic amines (HCA). Many of these HCA are directly or indirectly physically addictive.^{197,198,199,200,201} Due to the heat of cooking, these HCA originate from the interaction between protein and carbohydrates and / or creatine (in red meat) or nitrate (in vegetables). Some examples :

• tryptophan + form- / acet-aldehyde = 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline (pro-mutagenic)²⁰²
  
• tryptophan + glycolaldehyde = 1-hydroxymethyl-tetrahydro-beta-carboline²⁰³
  
• tryptophan + sugars (by freezing) = 1,1'-ethyliden-ditryptofaan (very toxic)²⁰⁴
  
• serotonin + formaldehyde = 6-hydroxy-tetrahydro-beta-carboline²⁰⁵
  
• serotonin + acetaldehyde = 6-hydroxy-1-methyl-tetrahydro-beta-carboline²⁰⁶
  
• tyramine + nitrite = 3-diazotyramine(4-(2-aminoethyl))-6-diazo-2,4-cyclohexadienone (carcin.)²⁰⁷
  
• salt + nitrite + protein / sugar = 2-chloro-4-methylthiobutanoate (mutagenic)²⁰⁸
  
• glutamate + sugars = 2-amino-6-methyldipyrido-(1,2-a:3',2'-d)imidazole (carcinogenic)²⁰⁹
  
• glutamate + sugars = 2-aminodipyrido-(1,2-a:3',2'-d)imidazole (carcinogenic)²¹⁰

When aldehydes react upon cyclic amino acids or -amines (like tryptophan, tryptamine, serotonin, phenylalanine, tyrosine, dopamine, tyramine, aniline), mostly beta-carbolines and isoquinolines originate. When creatinine (from meat) is involved, mostly imidazoquinolines and imidaziquinoxalines originate.^211,212 (Glutamate and tryptophan are amino acids, tyramine and serotonin are amines, and aldehydes are sugars)

Almost all cooked or prepared foods contain:

• 9H-pyrido(3,4-b)indole = beta-carboline = tryptophan / tryptamine + aldehydes^{213,214,215,216,217,218,219}
  
• 1-methyl-9H-pyrido(3,4-b)indole = 1-methyl-beta-carboline = tryptophan / tryptamine + aldehydes^{220,221,222,223,224,225,226}

These substances influence benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, and indirectly lots of other neurotransmitters.^{227,228,229,230} If these substances further react upon amines like aniline, they even become mutagenic^231,232. How much HCA originate depends on how much protein the food contains and on how much the food is heated.^{233,234,235,236,237,238,239,240} Because red meat contains both lots of protein and creatinine (creating creatine), prepared red meat contains the most HCA, especially when grilled^241,242. Besides prepared red meat, also prepared fish, soy and poultry contain lots of HCA.^{243,244,245,246,247,248,249,250,251} Flavor-enhancers and bouillon contain protein-concentrates and therefore contain lots of HCA too.^{252,253,254,255,256,257,258} But also prepared foods containing less protein contain HCA, like prepared grains²⁵⁹ and -vegetables,^260,261,262 and even foods like beer, soy sauce and canned orange juice.²⁶³

These are just a few examples - there are many more!

Yet another reason to use a raw food diet for weight loss. But there is more. A raw food diet for weight loss can reduce the risk of cancer.

Cooked Food and Cancer

Some heterocyclic amines (HCAs) found in cooked meat are known carcinogens. ^{264,265,266,267,268,269,270,271,272,273,274}

NCI's (National Cancer Institute) Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics found a link between individuals with stomach cancer and the consumption of cooked meat,²⁷⁵ and other studies for colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer^276,277 is associated with high intakes of well-done,²⁷⁸ fried,²⁷⁹ or barbecued meats.^280,281,282 People who eat medium-well or well done beef were more than three times as likely to suffer stomach cancer as those who ate rare or medium-rare beef.^283,284,285

None of these dangers are present in a raw food diet for weight loss.

References

All the references are on this link,

Raw Food Diet, Weight Loss & Food Addiction References

Coaching

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