rawfoodies in nyc givin carrots and beets a bad rap??!

[rawsurfer]

when i was eating at quintessence the chef was explaining to me how beets and carrots have been hybridized over the years and their sugar levels are unbalanced with the other nutrients and that they can cause candida...

i duno if i believe this but i am open minded. does anyone know anything about this?

[Rawkinlocs]

Never heard it...but I have heard that Juliano bad-mouths bananas for the same reason. Go with you gut bro, go with your gut! If you listen to all these little voices in the wind, you wouldn't be eating much of anything at all and that's real!

[dreamrawalwz]

I've heard of that too. Today most fruits/veggies have been hybridized and are SO much sweeter than the original fruits and really aren't the best for you, but at this point, what can you do? We can't get away from it!

[barose]

I heard and read it all: bananas, carrots, peaches, apples, cilantro, grapes, greens, and so on has been hybridized. Thats a lot of food we cant eat. :) Then try eating *only* local, non-dehydrated food, make sure all spices are raw and so on. What would we have left?

[dreamrawalwz]

I heard and read it all: bananas, carrots, peaches, apples, cilantro, grapes, greens, and so on has been hybridized. Thats a lot of food we cant eat. :) Then try eating *only* local, non-dehydrated food, make sure all spices are raw and so on. What would we have left?

water! Oh wait....nevermind! Spring is bad, distilled is bad, tap is horrible, well isn't much better, etc. I guess you have to ask yourself how YOU feel and don't listen to "them"

[Nurse in the Raw]

We should just all take enzymes and be done with it!

[dreamrawalwz]

We should just all take enzymes and be done with it!

Haha that reminds me. I overheard customers talking about how "they" are making food pills basically and how we all will be living off that one day :eek: No thanks!

[rawsurfer]

i personally see myself as a breatharian at some point in my life. less stress always tryin to have food. i mean, whatt if i want to go to some crazy barren country where it's just not available. i could always just eat the local cuisine but wouldnt prana energy just be so much more efficient?

[Sammijane]

i do not eat carrots, beets, or grapes without seeds. i cut out bananas for a while too until i started making green smoothies (they became almost essential). when I go for a while without eating bananas and then eat one... it just feels WRONG. but... now i've got myself used to it again. don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing. there is def something wack about hybridized foods. but... hey... don't be fanatical right?

[Riiiya]

yea hybridized food :[ it's really disturbing once you think about it.. but hey- what can we really do? i guess we just make the best choices possible in the situation :/

[rawsurfer]

i guess so...

[Frecs]

ummm...well, I guess they could go and get some Queen Anne's Lace since that is the origin of carrots. Yes, man has played around with plant genetics to achieve more desirable food traits just as we have done the same with dog breeds. But, here's the thing, a true hybrid is either infertile (ie., mules) or will not reproduce in kind (will revert). So, perhaps if it concerns you, don't eat fruit without seeds but even some with seeds are hybrids. You may choose to look for "heirloom" vegetables which are not hybrids but may still be plants that man has created over time (brassicas -- cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc -- all come from the same ancestrial plant) to suit his taste, appearance, or growing preferences.

Personally, I think one can over think the whole thing and obsess about the minute until one drives oneself crazy or at least drives those around them crazy. Consider the facts, take what you can use (or deal with) and leave the rest. Don't make yourself crazy! :rolleyes:

[EmJo]

Stress and worry will kill you faster than eating the "wrong" foods.

[barose]

I think GMO and non organic foods is much worse than hybrids, if you're going choose something to eliminate from your diet.

[raven]

Keeping the blood sugar stable is essential. Personally, I'm cautious with beets, carrots and bananas, although I agree that it's hard to make a good tasting green smoothie without bananas. I'd just exercise caution. If you've ever seen wild carrots, they look nothing like the hybridized carrots we buy in supermarkets or health food stores. Most foods have been hybridized but I'd be careful with the ones which are overly sweet. There are many raw food experts who are judicious regarding consumption of these foods.

Suzy

[aililiu]

im careful for bloodsugar reasons as well. i do eat bananas, though not as much as before, sometimes carrots.... but i try to keep it to a minimum and do not like to eat anything seedless, generally. in a pinch i will, but if i have other options, i choose a less hybridized food. david wolfe says some interesting things about it in the sunfood diet.

[dreamrawalwz]

My body reacts weirdly do seedless grapes, carrots, and seedless oranges. It could be psychological, but I doubt that very much.

[StarFire]

So what did I miss... I don't eat much carrots or beets cuz I (personally) have a reaction to the sugar content in them. Bananas are one of the few fruits that I can eat without any reactions.... so I'm not sure what you are all talking about??? why are bananas bad??? :(

they just grow wild here (we have 6 wild banana trees in our yard) and there are wild ones all over the jungles here... and we go out and pick them, eat them, freeze them, smoothie them, make them into ice cream and fruit leathers...

so -- what's wrong with bananas :( ???

[exurb]

I say don't get too hysterical about it, however there are some culprits where they are breeding them sweeter and sweeter and it's pissing me off that you can't get anything but the sweet versions.

I wouldn't worry about the carrots and the beets. Have you ever tasted a wild carrot - go pull up a "queen anne's lace" wildflower, which is a wild carrot and try to eat the root. If it wasn't hybridized we wouldn't be eating them at all.

The things that have gotten really out of hand to me are the corn and the pineapples. Original corn with one sugar gene kinda went starchy when it wasn't freshly picked, and now if you look in a commercial seed catalog you can get corn with multiple sugar genes for maximum sweetness, called sugary enhanced or SE corn. The public does not like the old corn generally, so pretty much all the corn that is available (even from farmers at markets) is sugary enhanced.

Same thing with these golden pineapples that are twice as sweet as the pinapples they used to sell ten years ago (which are now almost impossible to get).

If you have a garden you can get some seeds for old wild versions of things. BTW, Wild arugula is amazing. I have a friend who forages for wild asparagus in the spring.

I think be conscious of it and try to eat less sweet stuff, but don't get so crazy that there's not much left to eat. You can also blend foods with less sweet things in your Vitamix, so if you're worried that those apples are too sweet, blend with celery, etc... or eat in combinations with less sweet foods.

My kingdom for some old corn, where it didn't taste like you're eating candy...

[dreamrawalwz]

So what did I miss... I don't eat much carrots or beets cuz I (personally) have a reaction to the sugar content in them. Bananas are one of the few fruits that I can eat without any reactions.... so I'm not sure what you are all talking about??? why are bananas bad??? :(

they just grow wild here (we have 6 wild banana trees in our yard) and there are wild ones all over the jungles here... and we go out and pick them, eat them, freeze them, smoothie them, make them into ice cream and fruit leathers...

so -- what's wrong with bananas :( ???

Bananas now are definitely hybrids. Probably even the "wild" ones in your yard. "True" bananas have seeds in them, supposedly, but the hybrid ones don't. When was the last time you bit into a banana and got a seed? I know I havn't lol.

[cinnamon panda]

"The problem is that bananas have not had sex for 10,000 years. Edible bananas are mutants with three sets of chromosomes instead of the two found in wild bananas, causing the edibles to be seedless and therefore sterile.

Without seeds, the edibles cannot reproduce -- something discovered by Stone Age foragers, probably in Papua New Guinea, some 5,500 years before the pharaoh Cheops built the largest of the Giza pyramids. Since then, the banana has spread around the world, every plant grown by replanting shoots that sprout from the base of mature stalks. Most banana plants come from the original trees of 10,000 years ago. "

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/05/BUGF75VU791.DTL

i found this interesting

[MysticTree]

Crumbs!

It's not like plants don't cross pollinate in the wild. It seems a bit extreme, if not racist even, to want pure-bred carrots!!!:rolleyes:

Georgina

[crystalmoon]

I havent really heard much about this but I do avoid any fruit & veg that isnt organic, seasonal & locally produced. But I have noticed that since being high raw I seem to have gone off bananas & carrots. They used to be the fruit & veg part of my SUKD (standard uk diet), Ha! Ha! Im trying to trust my body as much as possible as i transition to fully raw vegan & my body just hasnt been wanting these foods.

[Amuzon1]

Can someone please tell me the difference between a hybrid and something that is genetically modified? Isn't that what hybrid means? To be genetically modified with something else? Or is GM only messing with 1 plant to take out or put in something whereas hybrid is intermixing plants? I'm confused! :eek:

[MysticTree]

Genetic modification is where the dna in a plant is messed with. Hybridisation is two different but compatible plants producing offspring.

Georgina

[mulch]

that was how i understood the whole genetically modified vs the gmo stuff
at the small farmers market by my house (that is opened seasonally and only for a few hours on saturday)
they sell purple and orange cauliflower
why
tie dyed veggies are never attractive

i read the sunfood diet by david wolfe
it was too guru granola for me
i am not 100% granola
i just have tendencies
so blessing water (getting it from some stream someone)
or as he put it, not drinking much water in the city because of the polution etc is too much for me

i got all freaked out about hybridized plants and then i remembered my classes in biology and realized everything is hybridized
hence mendelian genetics
so i calmed myself down and realized that
since i am not a guru and do not get
inspiration from people scaring the sh$# out of me
i gave that book and others that i got from other authors
back to the library
i went on this diet to eat healthier and feel better
not obsess over organic vs gmo vs hybridized vs can i really afford this lifestyle-->nope so the heck with everything and drive me to mcdonalds
that is the reason i think allissa's approach is sucessful
it is available to everyone and the goal is attainable
i like success and feel 100% successful when i eat raw

[Zuri]

when i was eating at quintessence the chef was explaining to me how beets and carrots have been hybridized over the years and their sugar levels are unbalanced with the other nutrients and that they can cause candida...

i duno if i believe this but i am open minded. does anyone know anything about this?


I've heard that and believe it to a point. I don't eat beets or carrots because they mess with my blood sugar. They just don't do a thing for me and I found that their sugar content made me want more sugar.

I don't care what is said about bananas. I can't see myself not eating them. They taste great and come in handy! A green smoothie without a banana????

[MommyB]

Crumbs!

It's not like plants don't cross pollinate in the wild. It seems a bit extreme, if not racist even, to want pure-bred carrots!!!:rolleyes:

Georgina


Great answer! I was starting to get depressed about all this talk until I ran across your message :p

[MommyB]

Well said!!!:D


that was how i understood the whole genetically modified vs the gmo stuff
at the small farmers market by my house (that is opened seasonally and only for a few hours on saturday)
they sell purple and orange cauliflower
why
tie dyed veggies are never attractive

i read the sunfood diet by david wolfe
it was too guru granola for me
i am not 100% granola
i just have tendencies
so blessing water (getting it from some stream someone)
or as he put it, not drinking much water in the city because of the polution etc is too much for me

i got all freaked out about hybridized plants and then i remembered my classes in biology and realized everything is hybridized
hence mendelian genetics
so i calmed myself down and realized that
since i am not a guru and do not get
inspiration from people scaring the sh$# out of me
i gave that book and others that i got from other authors
back to the library
i went on this diet to eat healthier and feel better
not obsess over organic vs gmo vs hybridized vs can i really afford this lifestyle-->nope so the heck with everything and drive me to mcdonalds
that is the reason i think allissa's approach is sucessful
it is available to everyone and the goal is attainable
i like success and feel 100% successful when i eat raw

[Lilly the Naiad]

I think it all depends on the kind of person you want to be. If you think health is solely based on what you eat, without taking into account psychological issues such as stress, enviromental issues that can't be avoided at this point such as air pollution, water pollution, even noise pollution and countless others, and decide that this fruit or that vegetable isn't 'pure' enough you will probably develop an eating disorder. Then I'd ask which is worse, eating a carrot or having an eating disorder?

Humans think too much! If the carrot feels bad for you, then by all means don't eat it. But if you're going to over analyze food that is already a gigantic step up from the common unhealthy choices, save yourself the stress that's probably worse than a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.

I personally don't eat corn, I will eat some if I have to but generally avoid it because it doesn't make me feel good.

The people who claim that this or that vegetable isn't pure enough for a perfect diet naturally make a living out of analyzing food and tend to go to extremes with it.

I love Alissa and the fact that she's been a raw foodist and coach for so many years and has kept free from the puritan path that so many raw foodists get into.

In my opinion, If it doesn't make you sick, enjoy it.

[andra]

I actually grow my own carrots for part of the year from seed. They are yummy and are not perfect looking, either. I have never felt any ill effect from carrots. I get a bit woozy if I eat too many grapes, though. I get the same woozy feeling from eating too much melon, even though I love the taste.

And yes, in the wild, plants cross polinate. I was growing dill and cilantro next to each other and they must have cross polinated because I then started to get some strange hybrid of the two.

andra

[baltochef]

The ONLY way to really control what you eat is to grow it yourself..This way you can know, as much as it is possible to know, the origin of the seeds & plants that you use to grow your food..

However, since most of us do not have access to enough land to attempt to feed ourselves this way, we are dependent upon others for our food supply..

Many of the foods that we want, simply cannot be grown where we reside..

The other issue is that we have become spoiled into having produce, that is out-of-season locally, be available year round by flying it in from other countries..

The foods that we take for granted here in the USA (& in most other countries with good transportation systems) are now availabe practically the entire year round..Unless you are in your 50's or older, most people have no recollection that foods in the grocery store were only available seasonably..

Back when I was a child most fruits were only available for so many weeks or months per year..If I recall correctly, bananas were the first fruit to be availabe for the entire year, with some months being better than others..

To some extant, the raw vegan lifestyle is dependent upon having this incredible bounty available to us year round..Most modern people have virtually NO tolerance for eating the same thing all the time..We want & demand variety in our choices not only with food..

I would submit to everyone that the only way to achieve peak nutrition & health would be to consume raw produce as soon as possible after it has been harvested..This way we would be able to eat the least amount necessary for optimal health..Since this is not possible for any but a small minority of raw foodists, we have to do what we feel is best for us as individuals..

I would agree that modern corn carrots, beets, potatoes, etc. have been modified to the point that we should try to grow & eat the older Heirloom varieties instead..A heirloom carrot grown in fertile organic soil will taste sweet, but not sugary, as do hybrid ones..

Try to consume as much heirloom, organic fruits & veggies as possible, but don't obsess if you have to eat hybrids or produce that is not organic..Do the best that you can, according to budget & circumstance, realising that PERFECTION can never be achieved, only strived towards..

[strangeseraph]

Its okay sug, just get what fruits and vegetables you like. :) I can't get much organic where I am without travelling an hour on a bus and payinig an arm and a leg, so in a pinch I just get the canadian non-org stuff and its still an apple, its still a radish, whatev. :) We're eating the best most healthful food in the world, so enjoy!

[StarFire]

RAW SURFER.... okay - now that avatar :eek: ... i know its halloween and all... but ... I miss your surfing pic :D !!!

beets and carrots... two things I love... and two things I rarely eat :( . I dunno about the morphing-hybrid'thingy... but I do know that I will get the same reactions after eating them as I would if I ate a mango...

but this - GMO thing that you're talking about -- this doesnt' apply to organic garden grown variety does it? Are you saying that when we buy seeds or starter plants and plant them ourselves - that these are already hybridized by someone?? hmmmm...

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/naked.jpg

[StarFire]

Bananas now are definitely hybrids. Probably even the "wild" ones in your yard. "True" bananas have seeds in them, supposedly, but the hybrid ones don't. When was the last time you bit into a banana and got a seed? I know I havn't lol.


applebananas have little tiny black seeds in them! YEAH!!! http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/joy11.gif ... there is hope in the world!!

everyone come to hawaii and eat applebananas!!!! :D

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/th357582627l0ng1ru-11.gif

[meancat]

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

This is almost too much to think about!! I'm having a hard enough time just cutting out junk and processed foods!!

[viva diva]

''Stress and worry will kill you faster than eating the "wrong" foods.''
this diet is stressing me out so much

lilly andra and em jay FAB posts for once i feel really one of you guys xx

[rawsurfer]

haha starfire dont worry after the holidays i will give you all a fun surfing pic to look at. looks like the pumpkin ate too much sad candie huh.

ya i think the seeds from a hybrid will grow those hybrids themselves.

and carrots giving people sugar rushes? weird. i am much more likely to get a sugar rush from an apple or banana or grape or melon or any other fruit for that matter than from a carrot or beet.

jsut me.

thats wild starfire how you are so sensetive to sugar? why is that? i know it is off thread but...




agggghghhhh (rawkinlocs arresting me)

[andra]

Hi there everybody!

The carrots that I grow are from seeds that I bought at the health food market in my area and it stated on the packet that they were heirloom/non gmo. This particular company is dedicated to that, so I believe them.

Gardening has become a recent hobby of mine--maybe for the last 4-5 years. It has been trial and error, based on a learning curve of mistakes and victories. I am organic; I do not use chemicals. I use certain flowers and strategize how I plant for pest control. Now, I just wanted to tell everybody that I have a very small area to work with. I live in a townhouse with a small "backyard" which has been landscaped to be garden only (with nice steps down the walkway between the two growing areas, which are three layers on each side). In addition, on my deck are many containers which I also grow things from. This season I grew carrots, three kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of lettuse, onions, one rasberry bush, herbs galore, peppers and cucumbers. I have grown squash before but not this year. Some of these are in pots and some are in the ground. One year I had a cucumber vine growing from a pot on my deck--it spiraled all around. Husband kindof protested that year, since the vine kindof took over the space!!:D

I love growing things and giving excess produce away. It is a labor of love. And I love that I can buy a pack of seeds for 1.19 and get 3 months worth of lettuse. In fact, I just started a second harvest of lettuse since the weather is still warm here.

I know that not everybody is in the position to grow stuff. I wish I had more room--it is funny, both my sisters have tons of land and neither are inclined to grow anything. Me, I like digging in the dirt. I am getting better with coping with bugs--last year I had a small outbreak of catipillars on the carrot greens. It really upset me--I just trimmed the green part where the 'pillar was and relocated it far away. I am kindof scared of bugs, which makes me a poor excuse for a gardener. Oh well.

Sorry for the ramble. Gardening and talking about growing food really inspires me. I will be quiet now.

As an aside, today I tried to make my first green smoothie in my vitamix (which I had never used before). I got the ratios all wrong and it turned out horrible. But, I consulted with my friend and I went back to the store so hopefully tomorrow it will be better.

Finally--hi viva diva! Thanks for the positive mention. I am supporting your efforts--hope you are doing ok.

andra

[mulch]

i live in an apartment and have lots of random pots around trying to grow things. he he.
my success is wheatgrass/pet seeds for my cats
and herbs that were already started
i am currently trying to grow herbs and tomatos from seeds.
i know it is october but i got started in late september
i didn't label my seedlings like a good girl so i have no idea what i am growing:D
as a result of my new green thumb
i have the pleasure of ladybugs landing on me while i am sitting at the computer, ants repossessing my wheat grass,
wild fruit flies and other mysterious things in the air (why do they come out at night????) i have escorted many ladybugs out of the house but the ants are vicious. it is like they are on a timeline to get things done. my mom says to raid the house (as if i live in one). i don't even own anything that toxic anyways. tired of rambling about something totally nonrelated to the op.

[StarFire]

haha starfire dont worry after the holidays i will give you all a fun surfing pic to look at. looks like the pumpkin ate too much sad candie huh. .... YES AND IT'S EVACUTATING IT TOO~~ LOL!!! Grrrosssssss....!!!

ya i think the seeds from a hybrid will grow those hybrids themselves.

and carrots giving people sugar rushes? weird. i am much more likely to get a sugar rush from an apple or banana or grape or melon or any other fruit for that matter than from a carrot or beet.

jsut me.

thats wild starfire how you are so sensetive to sugar? why is that? i know it is off thread but...




agggghghhhh (rawkinlocs arresting me)


aaaccckkk.. http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/backingout.gifthread hijacker :eek: - I'm reporting yu!! http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/Pointing.gif ....

I dunno why I'm so sensitive to sugar and fruit... I'll tell ya it sucks!! I live in a land filled with exotic fruit! pineapples growing in my yard, lychee, mangos, rambutan,.... papayas right outside my kitchen window~~... sigh... the most delicious wonderful watermelons ever grown..... arrrrgghhhh... the suffering!!! :(

ahhh well.... I shall survive!

[sciencegal]

Well said, Lilly!!!Do we have to overanalyze everything???
I'm analytical enough without thinking about what's a hybrid and what's not!!:p There are more important things in life to "worry" about besides fruit and veggies!! Personally I love my carrots and beets! Maybe some of those other raw foodists don't have anything else better to do?? That's why I like (no,love) Alissa's approach. Ok. Enough said. I'll go back to reading now!! Sciencegal:D :eek: :p

[rawsurfer]

ya man beets and carrots make a great base for a salad dressing

[kristi7mark]

I try not to sweat the small stuff and just focus on eating and doing what feels "right" to my body. And believe me, after being raw for a while if I do something that isn't right my body lets me know right away.

I have found, in the past, that I can get so hyper-focused on organic,non-gmo vs conventional and whether beets or carrots are too sugary, and whether the water supply is safe, and the air is clean , and blah, blah, blah.... that I can make myself so freaked out I am afraid to eat, drink, or breathe. But reality is life requires all three, thus I simply make the best possible choices available to me at the moment, pray and ask God to bless my intent and enjoy!

With raw, it is so easy to relax and enjoy. I love it! :)

[Stina]

I totally see the point of minimizing or avoiding hybrids but I just got back into juicing organic carrots and feel great with it. No sugar let down. I'm very physically active, as I both exercise and clean houses for a living, so I think I just burn up that sugar and put it to good use. When my big bag of carrots runs out, I'll try just green lemonade juicing and compare how I feel.
This has been an intelligent, thoughtful thread. These are why I come to this board :)

[rawsurfer]

bumpin it baby