The Raw Life : Becoming Natural In An Unnatural World

Rating:
Summary: The Raw Life: Becoming Natural In An Unnatural World
Review: A great book! I have bought over 15 books in the past month on the benefits of eating 70%-100% raw foods, and while all of them have been terrific, this one is the easiest read. I am kind of on my own down here in Ormond Beach, and this book surely helped in my quest to discover the joys of the raw food lifestyle. The section on what goes on in the slaughter houses, poultry processing plants, and the fish packing plants and the unhealthy nature of all three industries as a whole, surely convinced me to avoid these poisens for the rest of my life. Additionally, the interviews with other raw food experts, and the list of healing retreats was especially helpful. Thanks, Paul.

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginers, OK for more experienced
Review: As the title suggests ("The Raw Life"), author Paul Nison advocates a departure from the usual American diet, which is decidely heavy on animal protein and animal fat. If you want to follow the regimen to the letter, even such staples as fish and poultry are to be eliminated, as is any food, regardless of origin, to which you apply heat.

Raw fruits and vegetable comprise the totality of the suggested diet. Moreover, you eat only certain combinations of raw food at any one sitting.

My take on the diet is that it would help the typical overweight American, but would also prove to be extremely difficult to follow. For example, with salad bars on the wane, where could one realistically dine in a social situation, such as at a restaurant with family and friends? Eating is as much social as it is biological.

I think that if you have the requisite will power, excess weight and bad dietary habits probably aren't a problem for you as it is for most of the rest of us. To help with the required commitment, the author creates a series of fictive "enemies" that have to be taken on and defeated. One by one, readers are inveighed to take on and vanquish the challenges of "Sugar Man" and "Smoking Man". Some people will find this approach helpful, while others will find it overdone and hokey.

I offer one caution, if you decide to follow the Raw Life diet religiously. Author Nison freely admits that a Vitamin B-12 deficiency is a possibility, if one eats only vegetables and fruits. In an evolutionary sense, mankind probably ingested some small amounts of animal protein, even before the invention of cooking. This was probably taken in the form of small animals, insects, and fish. Since most folk probably won't be able to follow the strict diet completely, B-12 deficiency won't pose a problem.

Nonetheless, lack of sufficient Vitamin B-12 over time can pose significant problems. If you follow the book to the letter, you may wish to eventually consider B-12 supplementation, by using injections or by using tablets that are absorbed sublingually (i.e., placed under your tongue).

"The Raw Life" is an intriguing and potentially useful book. Readers should realize that following the dietary changes will require serious changes in thinking and in lifestyle.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly Written
Review: I am so glad I took it out at the library before I spent money on it. I found the overuse of the analogy to boxing got old real fast. Very little practical information for the beginner Raw Foodist of the why's and wherefor's. I found it to be entirely too extreme and fanatical. If this had been the first book I ever read on the Raw lifestyle I would have been instantly turned off and gone back to just being vegetarian or stayed with the S.A.D.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: I could only read the first chapter and was immediately turned off by the analogy to boxing. Images of Mohammad Ali (in his current state) sprang to mind and I immediately wondered if I would end up in a similar state after years of following this diet. After all, the "contender" you are ultimately up against is yourself. I suggest a less conflicted approach. Brian Clement's book "Optimum Health" is a good start and there are a number of other good books on living foods. The gist of this diet/lifestyle is eat fresh "living" whole organic foods (the plant's fruit, preferably), cut out products containing toxins (a very long list), hygiene IS important ("cleanliness is next to godliness"), drink plenty of fresh clean water (a mountain stream would be ideal, just kidding). It's easier and better for you, if you make the changes in stages. Start out with the easy stuff. I found it extremely easy to eliminate meat from my diet much harder to eliminate processed foods. You will also find some things easier than others. Look at it as a journey, not something you have to achieve all at once and you can stop at whatever point YOU are most comfortable with. Good Luck!

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginers, OK for more experienced
Review: I found this book to be very basic about the subject. I am already 50 percent on my way to this diet ideal, so I am not a beginer. But,I found the affirmations against bad food groups to be helpful. The author encourages you to vocalize your affirmations. ie. "I do not want to drink alcohol, I will have water instead". This is a good idea that will help me. Also, it was great to find out more about weight loss and teeth problems associated with this diet. The interviews at the end of the book were helpful and inspiring. The book was a good and easy read, but like a lot of raw food books, it is written in a way that makes the diet seem less scientific and more like a fad. High inspiration, low scientific method. Depends on what you need. I will keep it in my health library.

Rating:
Summary: For a much younger reader!
Review: I was really disappointed in this book as it was my first attempt to get in touch with raw eating. If you're a 12 yr old with a Karate Kid attitude then this book is for you. Not a good book if you're looking for help with transition to a raw food diet. Very little mention of what you should eat on a raw food program other than the obvious (fresh veggies and fruit), just a lot of caveman hype about what to avoid eating, drinking, smoking or swallowing. And the spelling and grammar were atrocious as well. Sorry Paul, better luck next time.

Rating:
Summary: This is my favorite intro to Raw Foods book!
Review: Paul Nison's book is clear and concise and very interesting. I think the interviews with long time preeminent raw foodists set it apart from many of the other books that I've read. Thanks to these one on one interviews, and his very simple style of writing Paul manages to cover a lot of territory quickly and succintly. I highly recommend this book for someone that is either just starting out, or is just considering going raw but hasn't yet made the commitment. Paul and his subjects make a strong argument for eating foods as close as possible to nature and never turning on the oven again.

Rating:
Summary: A RAWSOME READ!
Review: Paul's book is unique in the field, written from a truly fresh perspective that doesn't simply follow the usual formula for books written on the raw food diet. Paul has many great insights in this book, and has made the information extremely accessible. I think this book will help a lot of people, even those who normally wouldn't read a raw food book - this one will hold their attention, and they'll be entertained in the process! If "cooked food man" knows what's good for him, he'll stay down for the count - Paul Nison has clearly shown himself to be the victor, and how we can be victors, too. This book is a must read. I believe Paul is an up and coming leader in this movement.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly Written
Review: This book has got to be one of the most horribly written books I have ever seen. I seriously wonder what kind of company would publish something like this. Thank God I got it from the library. The grammar and spelling are horrible and the material doesn't flow very well. The constant boxing analogies are totally unnecessary and take away from the value of the underlying information.
Right from the get go I was disappointed with this book. As soon as I read the Foreward by David Wolfe I wanted to put the book down. It read like it was written by a teenager.
Although this book contains some decent information about raw foodism, the writing style and use of the boxing analogy completely take away from any sort of benefit. If you are looking to spend money on a book about raw food, PLEASE do not waste your money on this. Rent it from the library if you think you might actually like it.