Mark’s Daily Apple

Raw Foodism with Chef Dan22

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We at Mark’s Daily Apple believe raw, fresh, whole foods are best, but we do not endorse everything purported in the following interview, and are not recommending a raw food diet. Rather we present this interesting information for critical discussion, to pique your curiosity, and to encourage exploration of different health approaches. We do not believe foods are “living” and do not advocate “enzyme therapy,” but of course fresh, unprocessed foods are ideal for anyone.

Do we have you interested?

Let me introduce you to “live food chef, restaurant consultant, and personal coach,” Raw Chef Dan. Chef Dan is the co-founder and chef of Quintessence, a popular, organic and raw food, gourmet restaurant in New York City. His recipes have been featured in The Raw 50 by Carol Alt, and in The Complete Book of Raw Food.

If you haven’t figured it out already, Chef Dan is a huge proponent of eating a raw food diet for a healthy lifestyle. We caught up with him recently and asked him some questions about his health philosophy.

What are living and raw foods?

This is really hard for me to answer any more. It is such a huge question which really invites dozens of other questions. The answer to this one question alone is an entire book in itself. I recommend reading The Sunfood Diet Success System by David Wolf.

Why are enzymes important?

That’s another book - Enzyme Nutrition by Dr. Edward Howell.

Is an enzyme supplement as good as raw food?

If you take an enzyme supplement and you are still eating pesticides, bleaches, coloring, flavorings, preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, homogenizers, fillers, starches, dairy, genetically engineered food, denatured foods, processed and refined sugars and salts… then NO!

Why go raw?

To feel great, look great, live a quality life, spend your money on yourself and not your doctor, make the most of every day, save the environment, perpetuate good karma, save the human race and the world we live in.

Why eat only organic foods?

Pesticides, bleaches, coloring, flavorings, preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, homogenizers, fillers, starches, dairy, genetically engineered food, processed and refined sugars and salts… are all poison and will kill you; sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. But in the end nearly every illness and discomfort we suffer from, be it a common cold or terminal cancer, is caused by what we put into are mouth. Why eat poison?

Is this a fad?

Truth has never been a fad.

Is this just another vegetarian or vegan diet?

No, it is a consciousness of truth. Some vegetarians/vegans are among the most unhealthy people I know. This practice is very limiting due to a proliferation of arcane information, religious or political agendas, and ignorance. Usually practiced by people who have good intentions, but are ether uninformed, misinformed, just plain stubborn or ego protective.

We as humans tend to hold on to behaviors and ideas as part of our ego identity rather than letting go of what we have to get what we don’t. We will say to ourselves, “If I spent so long doing it, and put so much energy and faith in it, to give it up would be to admit that a good portion of all that it was, all that I am, was in fact wrong. Then I was wrong, and if I admit that, then who am I, or who am I to be now.” I find this conversation very strange, as we only know what we know and that is based on information we were exposed to at that time. We are exposed to many possibilities, we adopt beliefs that make since to us at that time, and then we make them very personal as if they were our beliefs to begin with. This makes new information very hard to except even when proven to be true by all essential means. It is hard to except because it offends our past and present identity. Or in other words our ego. This common and unnoticed behavior is actually an insult to our intellect and our inherent ability to reason. We forfeit our need, and the opportunities, to become better - to protect a behavior that is a part of our present ego identity. Silly creatures aren’t we? How self-defeating is that? I prefer to say “that is what I believe up to now, but it is certainly open to debate.”

What about protein?

Elephants, whales, giraffes, silver back gorillas, in fact the largest and strongest animals on the planet, are all vegetarian. How much protein do you need for [expletive deleted] sake? Most of the digestive ill conditions we suffer from are cause by the over-consumption of dense proteins. And most every illness we suffer from as humans is rooted in an ill digestive system. The real questions here are: What about acid and alkaline balance? What about nutrient dense foods? What about quality of foods? What about quality water? What about sunlight and clean air? What about reducing stress? What about not distorting the planet we need to survive? What about the truth for a change?

What does a raw/living foodist eat?

Everything that is still living has one or all of these characteristics: active livings seeds, roots, enzymes or friendly cultures. Raw/living food is more about how the foods are prepared and the nutrient/energy potential it offers. We eat about ten times the variety of foods that a non-raw foodist eats. Take a look.

How can you tell if something is a raw/living food?

It says so on the label. It’s not heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. It may be sprouted. It still has seeds that will sprout and grow. It could be planted. It continues to grow. It maintains its own hygiene. The micro-organisms within it are still living.

How can you tell if someone is a raw/living foodist?

They are not overweight. They don’t have offensive body odors/breath. They glow from the inside. They are happy. They have a ton of energy. They have a positive outlook on life. They are caring and loving. They are on a path of self development and higher consciousness. Women don’t suffer during their periods, men don’t suffer from impotence. They are real, whole, living, functioning, aware, grounded human beings that don’t need pharmaceuticals or even doctors for a consistently steady state of well-being. Living, loving, joyous, beautiful people the way it was meant to be!

What do you think about eating a raw food diet? Hit us up with a comment!

Further Reading:

A Food Revolution Manifesto

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Technorati Tags: raw food, living food, enzyme therapy, Chef Dan, Daniel Hoyt, Quintessence

Posted: Diet, Health, Interviews, Reviews

A Food Revolution Manifesto2

I am excited to introduce you to one of Mark’s Daily Apple’s favorite authors. His name is Sandor Katz (you can call him Sandorkraut), and he is a self-proclaimed fermentation fetishist, herbalist and food activist. In just two books he has inspired us to try our hand at creating our very own savory seed sauerkraut, and to (further) challenge the practices and tactics of multinational food conglomerates.

Sandor Katz’s first book, Wild Fermentation, turned us on to this maverick. In it he provides readers with numerous, healthy fermentation recipes while uncovering the mysterious process of using fungi and bacteria to transform and preserve food – a method that has been used for thousands of years. (You’ve got to get this book for the ginger beer recipe alone!)

In Mr. Katz’s latest book he tackles a much broader and controversial topic. The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements is a thoroughly researched exposé on the miserable state of America’s food system and how it is affecting our society. His compelling and passionately delivered arguments will make you rethink why you are eating the foods you consume.

As he explains in the book, people rarely consider creating food for themselves anymore. We have been programmed to be consumers and not producers, so we sit back and let Big Food deliver tasteless and nutritionally inferior food items to our dinner tables.

This is to the detriment of our food, our health, and the environment, but to the benefit of Big Food’s bottom line. Our complacency and desire for cheap, convenient foods has resulted in an obesity-plagued and disease-ridden society with, seemingly, no end in sight.

As Sandor states, “Our food system, in which barely one percent of the people produce food for the other 99% to eat, is producing diseased people, diseased land, diseased animals, and diseased economies.”

Sandor doesn’t just deconstruct the system. In a conversational and inspirational tone he also gives hope and offers answers to the innumerable questions with which we are faced. With cold, hard facts and personal anecdotes The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved will encourage you to take charge of your food supply and your health.  

If you would like to learn more about the food revolution, or are looking for alternatives to the corporate dominated food system in America, pick up this book, read his arguments, and make use of the countless resources and suggestions Sandor provides. 

We recently had the opportunity to interview Sandor about fermentation, Big Food, and sustainability.

Thank you for taking the time to answer a few of our questions, Sandor.

It is my pleasure.

Let’s get down to business. Why fermented foods?

Fermented foods are delicious and nutritious. Their flavors are so compelling that almost all “gourmet” foods are the products of fermentation (cheeses, cured meats, olives, condiments, coffee, chocolate, bread, wine, beer, to name just a few popular ones). Nutrients are “pre-digested” by fermentation and become more bioavailable. Fermentation also generates additional nutrients not found in the foods prior to fermentation. And ferments eaten raw contain live-cultures which replenish bacterial populations in our bodies and enhance digestion and immunity.

Can’t we handle a little processed food?

It depends what you mean by “processed food.” All fermented foods are processed. They are examples of what are known as “value-added” foods. When you turn cabbage into sauerkraut, you add value to it. Similarly, milk is worth more when you turn it into cheese, grapes when you turn them into wine. Food processing is part of every human culture and culinary tradition. So processed foods are not intrinsically bad. However, in our time, food processing, like food production, has largely disappeared from our lives and into factories where they are hidden from view. And increasingly food processing has departed from the realm of the traditional or natural. Most processed foods now contain hydrogenated oils (trans fats), high-fructose corn syrup, and/or genetically-modified ingredients. Potato chips, sodas, and candy don’t leave you feeling well-nourished. My personal feeling is that most people can handle a small amount of junk food, but only if it is in the context of a mostly wholesome diet. The results of eating mostly junk we are seeing all around us, in rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases, and even more dramatically in demographic trends suggesting that average life expectancy in the U.S. is decreasing for the first time in our history.

What is wrong with Big Food?

At the present historical moment, every aspect of food production and distribution, from farming to retailing, is concentrated to an unprecedented scale. This makes big profits for corporate food processors, while disempowering small farmers, rural communities, and consumers. Of every dollar that we spend on food at a supermarket, only 19 cents goes to farmers. The rest goes into this huge infrastructure of food processing, distribution, and marketing. The factory style of monoculture farming that this scale breeds transforms farming into a noxious activity that drains resources and pollutes. And of course, the highly processed foods that this system produces are largely anti-nutritious. Big Food is destroying the earth, destroying our health, and destroying community food security and economic structure.

What can an average American do to help fix our broken food system?

First, get to know some farmers and buy food that they produce directly from them. And then, start gardening and thereby producing some of your own food, and some to share. In our culture, we learn to identify primarily as “consumers.” Well, it is not sustainable for us to just consume. We need to break out of this confining and infantilizing role and empower ourselves and one another to become producers as well. That helps create better food choices for everyone.

Be sure to check to check out Sandor Katz’s website and books: Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved.

Do you buy meat and produce locally, or take joy in fermented foods? Share your stories with fellow readers!

Further Reading:

Coca Cola: Part of the problem

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Part of the problem 

Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick: Also part of the problem

Technorati Tags: Sandor Katz, fermentation, Big Food, sustainability, Wild Fermentation, The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, book review

Posted: Aaron’s Additions, Big Agra, Big Moo, Health, Interviews, Reviews

The Cardiac Insider Is Back: Nurses, Put Down Your Cheesesteaks0

“Now, you need to exercise at least 5 times a week, cardio wise. You should really try to do weight training as well, to make you stronger. Do you have a gym membership? Do you have any gym equipment at your house? And don’t forget to follow your low fat, low salt, low cholesterol diet. Here are your 13 drug prescriptions. Do you have any questions?”

… And this all happens in the 15 minutes before we discharge you from the hospital. That is, after you have had a 4-day stay with us. And 50% of the time, it is being said by a very overweight, under exercised, cheese-steak-eating nurse! I am not a mean person, but come on! This is yet another little gripe form your friendly nurse at Diabetes Notes and A Hearty Life.

Did your mother ever teach you the phrase, “practice what you preach”? I know I learned manners from observing my mom and dad. So how can a cardiac patient that is being discharged from a hospital take you seriously if you look like you have never walked a flight of stairs yourself? I am by no means a lean, mean machine. But I do try to stay heart-healthy by exercise and a moderated diet. I am also a diabetic, so while I can commiserate with my patients, I can also call their bluffs.

Adrian Clark Flickr Photo

Why do clinicians who have all the resources in the world choose to do themselves wrong? I don’t know.

And why do we decide to do teaching with our patients 30 minutes before they are discharged?

By the way, those last few minutes are when our patients are most anxious. They are going out on their own, having to deal with their cardiac issues without the guidance and security of the hospital staff. Why not start the nutrition and heart health education the day of admission? Allow a few days for the patients to absorb the info and formulate some questions they might have.

After all, isn’t that part of our job? Making sure that the patient has all the resources and information they need to ensure success! Not that success always happens. Believe me, I don’t always see rainbows and roses, just read my last post here at Mark’s blog. And I get just as frustrated as the next nurse with noncompliance and neglect, but I think we are all at fault. We can’t just point our fingers, you know?

What do you think? Have you ever been a patient and had a similar situation happen to you? Do you think we need to rethink our ways of teaching as clinicians? I want to hear it. The good, the bad and the ugly…except if you have a story about me, haha.

Editor’s note:

Was Kendra’s post insightful for you? How ’bout those cheesesteaks! You can discuss this post in the forum. Would you like to read more from Kendra about health care in the trenches? Let us know! And, for more great insights and heart-healthy tips from this cardiac care insider, be sure to visit Kendra’s blog.

Technorati Tags: cheesesteak, hospitals, patient care, cardiac health, nurses, health education, Kendra James, A Hearty Life, Diabetes Notes, guest post

Posted: Health, Interviews

True Confessions of a Cardiac Nurse (Guess Who’s Getting in the Way of Health?)2

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Kendra James and I have been a cardiac critical care nurse for many years. I also write Diabetes Notes and A Hearty Life for b5media. I have so much to say about health care, nutrition and being heart-healthy. Mark asked me to share some of the thoughts that I ponder frequently and that quite frankly, just get under my skin. Buckle up, ‘cause here we go!

Do you want to know what gets me all fired up?

Repeat offenders.

No, I don’t mean the kind that are convicted and thrown in jail (I have a pretty strong dislike for them also though). I am referring to the patients that frequent the hospital so much, I know their likes, dislikes and family members by first names. I am not speaking of the very sick, terminally ill, or justifiably admitted patients, but rather, my cardiac patients that just don’t get it. Well, to be totally honest, they choose not to get it! Ugh…

How many times in one month can you do dietary teaching for the same person? You go through the whole spiel. Print it out on paper, review it with their family members, address any questions they might have and do this all with a smile on your face just to repeat the whole process 12 days later. Does anyone else out there feel my pain? Low fat, low cholesterol, restricted salt diet equals success for the cardiac patient. Fast food 5 times a week followed by 14 cups of coffee a day, and no-holds-barred on the salt shaker equals a visit with this very irritated nurse yet once again.

I care about my patients, I mean truly care about their health and well being. I want to know I provided a service to them and gave them the tools they need to maintain their health outside the hospital. When I have a MI, myocardial infarction, or CHF, congestive heart failure, patient that is signing himself or herself out 6 times a day to go and smoke, I just don’t get that warm ‘n fuzzy. Would you?

I know that the majority of health care professionals, including doctors, feel the same way. Believe me, it is a common topic among the staff at any hospital. What could I do to get my point across in a more effective way for these “repeat offenders”?

I guess I could adapt the attitude that some of my fellow nurses and physicians have, and just not give a hoot. I could say, “I’m getting paid one way or another,” but that just isn’t me. I am one of the nurses with empathy and compassion who wants to make a difference. You thought there were none of us left, huh?

So, to answer my own question, I guess that is why I got into health care blogging. I want to provide education and resources to people who actually want it; people who are listening to what I have to say, even if not always agreeing. Being a diabetic and cardiac critical nurse, I feel I have something to offer patients and health care providers. My sites Diabetes Notes and A Hearty Life do just that. Check them out if you want to hear what else this very opinionated and caring nurse has to say on a daily basis.

Thanks for stopping by to give us the inside track, Kendra. It’s all too easy to place the entirety of the blame for our unhealthy problems squarely on the shoulders of Big Pharma, HMOs, or - in our view - unenlightened doctors and nurses. This is a prescient reminder that good health requires that everyone take responsibility - most importantly, you.

Posted: Health, Interviews, Uncategorized

A Rare Interview with the Fuming Fuji0

The Fuming Fuji is famous for his feisty tirades against “toxic food”, especially, in his (or its?) words, “when it is aimed at the small fry.” Until now the notoriously voluble but reclusive fruit has refused all interview requests. Now, for the first time, the Fuming Fuji speaks. Mark’s Daily Apple is pleased to bring you this exclusive interview. But also a tiny bit scared.

Fuming Fuji, you have come out strongly against such children’s favorite as cheese-n-crackers, Gogurt, milk-n-cereal bars, and even the healthiest of breakfast cereals. Your critics say you are extreme and you’ve even been labeled a narcissist by a prominent historian and psychologist*. What do you say to your detractors?

The Fuji has no need to entertain the silly opinions of those who consider the combination of moo goop and corn cardboard to be fuel fit for the tiny tots. “Healthiest of breakfast cereals”. Ha ha, that is very humorous!

Well. Fuming Fuji, you’re certainly not shy about taking on “Big Agra” and “Big Moo”. What, in your view, are food manufacturers doing wrong?

Oh, Fuji grows weary of it all. To be honest, some days I lose my juice. That is never pretty, I can tell you. Most children’s snacks are death nuggets. They are either Blunder Tonic chemical baths or corn syrup sugar biscuits. Even the fruit added into such products as breakfast cereals is -

- Not-berries, right? I remember reading that in a column of yours -

- please do not interrupt the Fuji. That is very unwise. As I was saying, the C.E.O. of Eggo, David Mackay, is a personal enemy of mine. Oh, wait, perhaps I was not saying that. You have broken my trail of thought.

I apologize, Fuji. It won’t happen again.

It had better not.

Again, I am very sorry. I was simply expressing my enthusiasm for your particularly brilliant turns of phrase. It won’t happen again.

[Appears to be pouting.]

Fuming Fuji, precisely what should children - seedlings, as you call them - eat? Does the Fuming Fuji always say no?

I say yes to fresh vegetables, fresh lean meats, organic dairy, and fresh fruit - even apples. I am really a very easy-going apple. I am much more normal than my critics will claim. Like any apple I enjoy a good roll in the barrel from time to time.

Fuming Fuji, what are your credentials?

My degree is in Fumology. This is often overlooked. I am highly-qualified to fume.

What do you say to the recent flap over your condemnation of applesauce? Is this a personal thing?

I would eat applesauce myself if it would help the seedlings grow into strong apples. Also, if I could eat. Applesauce is a sugar bucket of enzymeless ugly fruits not fit for the shiny produce section. It is generous to even call them fruits, really.

I see. Fuming Fuji, curious readers are dying to know: are you seeing anyone special? Is there a sweet lady who gets to the core of the Fuji?

While I am aware of the profound effect my appearance has on others, I would appreciate if you would remain professional and direct your advances to someone more appropriate for you. I am sure you would do very well with pears.

…Okay. Fuming Fuji, what is the single most important food that parents and caregivers should keep away from their children?

If I told you that I would have nothing to fume about! That is an old Fumology joke, by the way. There is always plenty that is fumable by its very nature. You will find that most seedlings’ snacks are some sticky, chewy conglomeration of milk and grain. Usually it is very high in sugar and artificial ingredients. Nutripals is a good example. Oooh, they make the Fuji really furious. I nearly lose my peel over those. Many products are marketed as healthy, such as Nutripals, yogurt, and cereal bars, and they are no different from what is found in a candy bar. The best advice for raising healthy seedlings is to keep their little mitts off anything in a box. That is all for today. I must prepare.

Thank you so much for taking the time to -

[End interview.]

* Dr. Johannes Cobbler, widely-renowned apple studies expert. To learn more about Dr. Cobbler’s contributions to academia, please see A Brief History of the Apple.

Technorati Tags: Fuming Fuji, children’s health, apple

Posted: Interviews, Raise Healthy Seedlings, The Fuming Fuji, Uncategorized