No root veggies? Whazzup w/that?

[Anastasia Alston]

Hey, anybody know what's up with people not eating root veggies? I mean it sounds like some kind of "purer raw than thou" thing to me, but just checking to broaden my knowledge. I've been happily raw for 2 years including eating root veggies with no problems whatsoever. Again, what gives? :)

Anastasia Alston
Brainy Pup behavior & training
Santa Fe, NM

[mallow]

Hi. I'm not sure what you're responding to, exactly. I'm pretty sure that most of us (or at least a lot) eat root veggies. Carrots, beets, daikon radish, red radish, dandelion roots, burdock... the list goes on.

Some people prefer to minimize them due to their high sugar content. If someone has some sort of sugar-sensitive issue, this might be helpful.

There are those (like Victoria Boutenko) who prefer to emphasize greens over root veggies (and flower veggies, like broccoli, etc.) because apparently chimps only eat roots when there is a shortage of greens and fruits.

You may also find people saying that one should avoid over-doing root veggies in juice form. This is usually because if you, for example, drink a lot of straight carrot juice, you're getting a lot of sugar with no fiber to slow absorption. This can cause issues for some, particularly those with blood sugar level-related troubles... (diabetes, hypoglycemia, candida, etc.)

The juice thing is also because many think one should try to consume juice from greens, etc., due to mineral, chlorophyll, etc. content and therefore recommend down-playing roots.

[DopeRawAbundance]

Garlic, Onion: I've read some'n or other about them killing brain cells or somethin'.

Potatoes: Low nutrition, high starch, weak/highly hybridized

Beets, Carrots: High sugar, weak/highly hybridized

All that said, I've only read the potato/beets/carrots part in David Wolfe's book, it seems no on on this forum has that philosophy.

[Revvell]

I have no idea what you're talking about. I eat 'em.

[Anastasia Alston]

Not something I've seen here on this forum, just out in "the wide world", most recently in comments made to a Facebook friend of mine who's recently gone vegan/raw. He keep getting pestered by someone on his friends list to "stop eating root veggies" & only eat what grows above ground because this is somehow "more pure". I think the fact that he made the switch from veg to vegan is pretty cool enough in & of itself; he'll make any other changes as he sees fit! It's his life/diet & he'll do what he believes best for himself. I don't really care what he does, I'm just curious about the "no root veggies" thing. :)

I personally thought/think it's a load of crap & yet another way to seem "purer-than-thou" as people tend to enjoy having/being part of all manner of in crowds. Nothing I've read (& Goddess knows I've read A LOT) has tipped a hat towards the validity of anything of the sort, so figured I'd come here & check it out! ;) Like I said I eat root veggies on occasion (not my fave - I prefer to pig out on baby salad greens & sunflower sprouts) but wanted to check in to see if there was some (valid, real) research I had missed out on!

Anastasia Alston
Brainy Pup behavior & training
Santa Fe, NM

[Anastasia Alston]

I have no idea what you're talking about. I eat 'em.

<LOL> I do, too & with no problems whatsoever! This particular person referred to herself as "plegan" (?????) & keeps going on about how "important" it is health/spirituality-wise to abstain from eating roots. Whatever floats yer boat chica, but ya ain't gettin' my carrots or beets & how'm I supposed to make nori rolls without my jicama "rice" seeing as how I'm SO not a fan of cauliflower "rice"? Ee-GAW people can come up with some really weird shtuff! :D

Anastasia Alston
Brainy Pup behavior & training
"The bigger brain way to train."
Santa Fe, NM

[Revvell]

Ee-GAW people can come up with some really weird shtuff! :D

Yeah. Make 'em special. I got a label! Plegan? Beegan? Vegan? *shrugs*

[streetsurfer]

I'd be miserable without my macca:(

[Revvell]

I prefer to pig out on baby salad greens & sunflower sprouts)
Topped with shredded carrots and beets. :)




but wanted to check in to see if there was some (valid, real) research I had missed out on!


Not on this forum methinks.

[DopeRawAbundance]

I can't find it on the internet, but there was a karmic chart in David's book that had root vegetables in the negative zone because you're destroying the foundation of the plant when you eat them. Greens were neutral because you can harvest them without killing the plant, and fruits were positive karma because they don't harm the plant when harvested, and they contain seeds so you're doing the plants a favor by spreading 'em. Going by those standards, you could say it's also bad karma to eat fruits without seeds (banana, grapes, oranges, watermelons) since they're merely being kept alive for our consumption and never get to lose their v-card.

[Revvell]

... and they contain seeds so you're doing the plants a favor by spreading 'em.

Since I use a toilet, any seeds that are in any plant I eat.... do not really get "spread". OR, they get tossed somewhere but not on the ground usually. O.k., that gives me an idea... rather than mowing the lawn, methinks I'll just spit the seeds out on it and.... heyyy! Can you imagine how cool that will be with watermelon, peach, pear, plum, apple seeds spread all over the yard? :p

[DopeRawAbundance]

Since I use a toilet, any seeds that are in any plant I eat.... do not really get "spread". OR, they get tossed somewhere but not on the ground usually. O.k., that gives me an idea... rather than mowing the lawn, methinks I'll just spit the seeds out on it and.... heyyy! Can you imagine how cool that will be with watermelon, peach, pear, plum, apple seeds spread all over the yard? :p

I just had some cherries recently and kept the pits for spring plantin' in my yard. I also have a whole bag of seeds I plan to toss around on some Johnny Appleseed.

[streetsurfer]

I googled a little on this last night and came up with a branch of vegetarianism called Jainism. Pulling up the plant to harvest the root crop, is to the devout Jains, killing a life form. Just as well, extracting the root crop from the ground could harm tiny life forms in the soil.

A thread on this same topic of not eating root crops came up a few months back,but I don't think it went very deep into explaining the reasoning behind it. It seems to me it was for different reasons than kahrma or Jainism, though.

[Revvell]

Take pics! I wanna see!!

This is not OUR yard and, although we've got permission to do anything we want to it (aka "enhancing" it), we can pretty much do what we want. I don't think I'll just throw the seed out BUT, I do have garden space.. so, thinking I'm gonna do it your way too! Did you get organic cherries? I'm not finding them yet.


I just had some cherries recently and kept the pits for spring plantin' in my yard. I also have a whole bag of seeds I plan to toss around on some Johnny Appleseed.

[streetsurfer]

Had to edit: My word, look what I've gone and done. I've run away with Anastasia's thread. Sorry Dear!

-------
You might want to read up on it now. Could be you need to get started sooner than later. Stratifying and scarifying the seeds might be needed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratification_%28botany%29

Cherry trees with desirable fruit are most often if not always grafted to a stronger root stock, IIRC. Growing from seed could leave you with a more spindly, weaker or slower growing tree, producing fruit of a different type than what you planted due to cross pollination from other trees in your area, and taking longer to do so. If your like me though it's certainly worth experimenting with.
I'm all for letting plants sort it out for themselves...survival of the fittest, diversification of genes and whatever. But that takes time. From the eons of history of the apple tree reseeding on it's own, there are lots of interesting varieties out there that we don't see in the markets. There is an apple orchard museum in NY with many, many trees, some delicious, some not so, all shapes and sizes, some don't resemble apples even. If you are interested in this, read The Botany of Desire/Micheal Pollan. Hows that for a botanists name-Pollan?

It would likely be a better investment of your time/money to buy a cherry tree of the desired type. A young guy like you DRA, you could give it a go and if it works out to be a good fruit tree, you could even take cuttings to graft onto other stock if you ever chose to move from the home you are in. You could choose a root stock more suitable to the climate you moved to. I can't say it won't work out for you. A guy like me now, who is not long for this world would be better off buying and planting, or moving an established tree. I would however, love to attempt grafting on a few variety of cherry to one tree. Long ago my uncle taught me how to graft an apple tree on which he had five different apples. I don't have any other hands on experience with it, but I am pretty sure grafting is the way cherry trees are most always propogated, not from seed.

[skier2]

Garlic, Onion: I've read some'n or other about them killing brain cells or somethin'.

Potatoes: Low nutrition, high starch, weak/highly hybridized

Beets, Carrots: High sugar, weak/highly hybridized

All that said, I've only read the potato/beets/carrots part in David Wolfe's book, it seems no on on this forum has that philosophy.

Garlic= proven when RAW to have serious cardiovascular benefits
Onion= kills bacteria and yeasts (I have actually shown this in a lab)
Beets= EXTREMELY rich in phytonutrients-->

From wikipedia: "Beetroots are rich in the nutrient betaine, which is important for cardiovascular health. It functions by acting with other nutrients to reduce the concentration of homocysteine, a homologue of the naturally occurring amino acid cysteine, which can be harmful to blood vessels and thus contribute to the development of heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Betaine functions in conjunction with S-adenosylmethionine, folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B2 in order to carry out this function.[2]

Additionally, several preliminary studies on both rats and humans have shown that betaine may protect against liver disease, particularly the build up of fatty deposits in the liver caused by alcohol abuse, protein deficiency, or diabetes, among other causes. The nutrient also helps individuals with hypochlorhydria, a condition causing abnormally low levels of stomach acid, by increasing stomach acidity.[2]

Beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure and thus help prevent cardiovascular problems. Research published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension showed drinking 500 ml of beetroot juice led to a reduction in blood pressure within one hour. The reduction was more pronounced after three to four hours, and was measurable up to 24 hours after drinking the juice. The effect is attributed to the high nitrate content of the beetroot. The study correlated high nitrate concentrations in the blood following ingestion of the beetroot juice and the drop in blood pressure. Dietary nitrate, such as that found in the beetroot, is thought to be a source for the biological messenger nitric oxide, which is used by the endothelium to signal smooth muscle, triggering it to relax. This induces vasodilation and increased blood flow.[3]

Carrots= extremely high in Vitamin A, soluble fiber, natural sugars, etc.

The point is, these foods, for the most part, are incredibly nutritious, and store and keep for longer than greens, and are available when greens aren't. I really think you shouldn't get so bent out of shape about what one or two people advise. YOU are your own best source of judgement.

[mallow]

Garlic, Onion: I've read some'n or other about them killing brain cells or somethin'.

Gabriel Cousens says that they disrupt the connection between the left and right cerebral hemispheres, if I remember correctly. He wrote this in Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine, but in his earlier book Conscious Eating he includes them.

I personally don't eat garlic, onions, etc. They don't make me feel good now. But some do well on them. I used to eat them all the time, and they made me feel great. They are strong medicine, and have great benefits for those who are suited to them. If they eventually start to bother you (even if you've enjoyed them for years) then stop. Simple :)

[T-Bird]

My brain definitely feels spaced out after eating raw garlic. Can't concentrate, focus, etc. Would have paid money for that back in high school!:eek:

Last summer - I used pickled garlic (out of my homegrown/homemade pickles:) )with better effect and better taste....

But yeah - raw garlic does indeed mess with my brain. Now - whether it is in there going samurai on innocent little brain cells, or doing something beneficial up there - I don't know....:o

[sport]

I am a bit in the "no root vegies" camp.
I have 2 reasons for this.
1. It makes sense to me that my ancestors did not root around in the dirt to get their food.
2. (and this is probably the main reason) I do not seem to want them.

[Anastasia Alston]

So, as usual it seems that unless you have religious reasons for not eating roots, it's an individual thing. Just wanted to check in. So far I feel just fine eating root veggies when my body says it's okay & avoiding them like anything else in my diet when my body says "Nuh-uh!" Kewl! Thanks all! :)

[Revvell]

1. It makes sense to me that my ancestors did not root around in the dirt to get their food.


Actually, they did and were burned at the stake for it.

[Green_Woman]

ROFL, Revvell

Uhm, guys, what's up with all the Wikipedia references? You do realize that Wikipedia is just about as reliable a source of solid health information as... well... your physician. ;)

I eat carrots, beets, a few other root veggies. I eat what MY BODY wants. That's my only rule, and She is my Guru. 'Nuff said.

[DopeRawAbundance]

I eat carrots, beets, a few other root veggies. I eat what MY BODY wants. That's my only rule, and She is my Guru. 'Nuff said.

What if she wanted a Big Mac with extra mayo? Time to get a new body OOOH BURN.

[T-Bird]

What if she wanted a Big Mac with extra mayo? Time to get a new body OOOH BURN.

Oh - Dope - like, you totally pwned her!

[Revvell]

Uhm, guys, what's up with all the Wikipedia references? You do realize that Wikipedia is just about as reliable a source of solid health information as... well... your physician. ;)


Noooo! It's not truuuuuue! It's online! It HAS to be right!!! Say it isn't so!!! :p;)

[skier2]

Wikipedia has a bad reputation. That doesn't mean that what is says can't be true. Some things are, and some things aren't. If a root vegetable is soft enough to eat by itself without cooking or grating, I cannot see why it can't be a part of a healthy raw diet. I would rather use carrot pulp to make carrot cake than try to make a mock carrot cake out of nuts. For God's sake, we use enough nuts as it is and you're telling me that root vegetables are bad??? They're a bit starchy, yes, but last time I checked, humans need carbs, and eating carrots or drinking their juice or beet juice is better than drinking gatorade or some other source of easily digestible sugar, no?

[Green_Woman]

What if she wanted a Big Mac with extra mayo? Time to get a new body OOOH BURN.

Clearly you don't understand what I mean by "listen to your Body"... but then, I already knew that. ;)



Wikipedia has a bad reputation. That doesn't mean that what is says can't be true.


Wikipedia is not an "it". Wikipedia is a free site whereby anyone who so desires can go in and type ANY answer to ANY question, and have it appear as "fact". As a past experiment, I've gone in and messed with answers myself. It's incredible how easy it is to spread misinformation.


Wikipedia itself can not be used as a credible source, HOWEVER.... you CAN use it as a "search" tool to FIND credible sources... rather than reading the article on Wikipedia, look at the Source/Bibliography lists at the bottom of the article and use THOSE scholarly articles for your sources.

:)

[Revvell]

... and you're telling me that root vegetables are bad???

G_W didn't say that. She said:



I eat carrots, beets, a few other root veggies. I eat what MY BODY wants. That's my only rule, and She is my Guru. 'Nuff said.

She SAID not to depend on Wiki for reliable, true information.