Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => Welcoming Committee => Topic started by: nutritionalgrail on January 26, 2014, 09:57:03 pm
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Greetings,
My name is Christopher Clark. I'm a writer, consultant, recipe creator, and teacher on the topics of nutritional science, Paleo nutrition, and healthy food preparation.
For the past 2-year I have doing intensive research and writing towards my new book, Nutritional Grail. I just launched it last night :) So as to spread the word, I am giving away absolutely FREE downloads of the ebook. I am grateful to those who will later write a review on Amazon, but there is no obligation.
Story Cartel, an Amazon-affiliated site, is hosting my book now: http://storycartel.com/books/753/nutritional-grail-ancestral-wisdom-breakthrough-science-and-the-dawning-nutritional-renaissance/ (http://storycartel.com/books/753/nutritional-grail-ancestral-wisdom-breakthrough-science-and-the-dawning-nutritional-renaissance/)
Please feel free to tell anyone and everyone who might be interested.
A little more about me: christopherjamesclark.com
Many thanks,
Christopher
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Hi Christopher, congratulations on finishing a book. I'll give it a read, and if it's good I'll write a review on Amazon. If it's really good, I might write a longer, more thoughtful review on my website.
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Thank you very much Eric. I would be extremely grateful. Best regards :)
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If your book has anything cooked in it, you won't get much praise here.
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Hi ys, thanks for the heads up. My Fat chapter is very much advocating raw fat. I do have some cooked recipes though. Sorry :) In any case, I hope it's an interesting and informative read.
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I downloaded your book, and I have started reading it. Questions pop up in my mind, left and right!
My most important question so far is, since the first item on your list of things to eliminate for improved health and wellness is "processed foods," why would you advocate the most universal of all food processing, by which I mean "cooking" food to change it's structure and flavor?
To guide your answer, I might add that my evidence points irrefutably to cooking as a major source of inflammation and indigestion. Cutting out neolithic grains/legumes did nothing to improve my health, even when those items were raw. If yours had been the first book I read (instead of Aajonus Vonderplanitz's), I would have been misinformed and misled... and I would have rejected anything "paleo" as a solution to my health problems.
My next question is about that section on raw fat. I feel like we're playing "The Emperor's New Clothes" when you mention a short list of processed oils as an example of good raw fats. Do you really think that these modern products qualify as paleolithic foods? Paleolithic man didn't even have pottery... where did they store these expressed oils?
My unsolicited advice: hold back on your book, make it true, and then publish it. There are many good suggestions on this Forum for transitioning to a raw paleo diet. Your book is all transition, no arriving! You're like the majority of doctors who advise their patients how to take big-pharma medication to make their modern-diet symptoms more bearable.
At this point, my review would be entitled "SELL OUT!" I'll keep reading, or more accurately, skimming for any truth you might have included.
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Hello eveheart,
Thanks for the feedback. You are right that my use of the word "processed" is not as clear as it should be. I should have made a distinction between traditional processing (cooking) and more intensive, industrial processing (oil extraction using high heat and hexane solvents).
Regarding the recommended fats, of course paleolithic man couldn't extract these oils, but I think they could eat coconuts, no? The fat wouldn't change through no-heat extraction. I based my fat recommendations on the proportion of saturated/monoun/polyun, favoring saturated and monoun. I think of Paleo nutrition as a template, from which we can make sensible, practical adjustments.
Thanks very much for this feedback.
Best regards,
Christopher
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I just finished reading the book and left a positive review on Amazon. Hopefully a hard-copy will be available soon, as I'd love to buy a copy as a reference book. Christopher, you've done a great service by writing this book. Don't let the extremists who frequent this site convince you otherwise.
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I'm scanning this now.
Will give a review.
Might be good for my parents.
If your book has anything cooked in it, you won't get much praise here.
Ha ha ha... you are right on the money there. Is raw bone marrow recommended in the book? Nope.
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Hello Christopher,
I quickly glanced at your new book last night. I was very impressed with all the information you provided. I have a passion for nutrition as well. Nothing really stands out that I haven't heard/read before. Not to take away from your book at all. But, you do come across as a great researcher that is open minded to new and old ideas! You seem to put a lot of different books and ideas and mold information together, and I think that is the strength of your book. It's funny that you would post at the "Raw Paleo Diet" website. But, I'm sure you have done your research, and found out that there are a lot of people who don't follow a "RAW" animal diet, or who are not quite ready for such a diet. I feel these people could benefit from the suggestions in your book. There's a lot of them here! -\. Some of the posters on this site have no clue about the "RAW PALEO"diet. They think it's a "cure all"! I try and tell people who listen, that nutrition is a foundation. You can build something on a solid foundation. But, you can't expect to eat a raw steak and it's going to cure all your ails in your life l). Lets be honest, this diet (RAW PALEO) will never go mainstream. There's too many barriers to overcome (in our society). Your book is right at a sweet spot where most people can accept. Cold processing oils, raw fats, even grass fed butter. Not to mention grass fed meats as well.
I will add that most people on this site have no clue about nutrition. It's not to surprising because most Americans have no clue at all. Not to say every poster is American (not the case). We have a lot of educated, very smart people on this site world wide. But, you get my point.
I did enjoy your book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to live/experience a healthier lifestyle. I would never encourage someone to go Raw Paleo cold turkey. I think diets are an evolution, where one diet can lead to another. I really think a majority of people should take notice of your book, and its research and start there. In that regard I would endorse your nutritional book.
I'd like to add that, I didn't wake up one morning, and decide to eat raw meat and fats. A little over 14 years ago I had no clue about nutrition. I'm still learning to be honest with you. There are so many books and theories out there, most people hardly know where to start. Just like writing a nutritional book doesn't happen overnight. Learning about nutrition doesn't happen overnight either. It's a process. I like that you kept your ideas and examples simple. I think most people can follow your recommendations, and incorporate them into their lives. Nutrition doesn't have to be brain surgery. But, you need to understand a basic good foundation. Once you achieve that, you can start incorporating your own ideas and experiment more.
I'd like to wish you luck on this book and its future success! Thanks for sharing your book and its information with the members of this site. I'm sure this book will help out a lot of people!
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Hi, Christopher. I browsed your book and I think the book is easy to read and useful for the general public.
It seems to me that your research/recommendations are general rather than in-depth? Maybe that is your intention? For instance, you recommend enamel-coated cast iron cookware and slow cookers but you do not discuss the lead/cadmium that might leach into food from these cookware.
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Eric, thanks a lot for the review! I sent you a private message.
Goodsamaritan, thank you also for reading my book and I would greatly appreciate a review :)
Goodsamaritan and Chris, yes I posted the book on "Raw Paleo" despite the fact that my book is neither 100% raw nor 100% paleo. I am keeping my ideas always open and trying to reach out to others who approach nutrition from a similar mind state. And Chris, I agree with you that nutrition and finding one's optimal diet is a long process. For me it's been about 15 years since I started trying to figure things out. I made a lot of progress but still more to be learned :)
Joy2012, you are right, I probably should have gone more into the issue of heavy metal contamination with certain kinds of ceramic cookware. I think I will address this in an upcoming blog post. Thanks.
Chris and others, I would greatly appreciate a short, brief, honest review on Amazon. Thank you everyone! :) :)
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Hmm, I smell troll l) .(not referring to the OP, though, of course).
I am none too keen on promoting a cooked-palaeodiet book. However, such a book can be useful for those who have friends/relatives who have anxiety-ridden hangups about eating raw meats but are still willing to make a few small steps towards real health in other ways.
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@TylerDurden
A troll? Why? I am completely open about who I am and what I am doing. My purpose is to reach out and connect with people interested in nutrition. I don't mind if those people don't have exactly the same views as me. I have recently published a book, and yes, I want to promote it. But at the moment it is free for anyone and everyone. I don't understand the troll comment.
Best,
Christopher
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I already made rather clear in my previous post that you, the OP/original poster were not being referred to as a troll. 8) ;) Your behaviour is fine.
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Well, I will have a look at the book, though I can see re mention of the awful Taubes that I will not be too fond of certain passages.
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1st comment:- There is the initial notion that all those studies done on (cooked) saturated fats must be bogus. The trouble with this claim is that there have been way too many such studies made for them to be so blithely dismissed. I will concede that only a few research scientists have had the balls to admit that the problem is only with cooked animal fats(ie the production of heat-created toxins via cooking) rather than with all animal fats in general, the latter view being foolishly more common.
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General history and myth could have been left out in favour of, say, a history of diets, starting with the 19th century or earlier. Just my thoughts, though.....
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I quite enjoyed how the book started by talking about mythology. It gave the text an artistic flair that most non-fiction sorely lacks. If anything, I wish Chris has carried that thread throughout the book.
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Thanks for your comments! Very helpful...
I have to admit that I've always been lousy with internet abbreviations...took me forever to figure out what LOL means!
Now I know OP :) :) :)
Cheers!
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His dismissal of animal-related scientific studies is rather extreme. A lot of animal-related studies done on heat-created toxins in cooked foods have demonstrated the harm done by cooking, whereas it would be impossible due to foolish prejudices among scientists for a study to be done on people eating raw meat diets.
Unfortunately for CCs claims a lot of studies on the harm done by cooked meats do also take into account the smoking factor and there still is a sizeable negative effect on health on non-smokers in studies once smokers are not counted.
Michael Fumento did a couple of great pieces, debunking Taubes' ideas, such as this one:-
http://www.fumento.com/fat/reason.html (http://www.fumento.com/fat/reason.html)
The next chapter on grains overlooks one important point. It claims that all we need to do to be healthy is to switch from eating highly processed grains to eating grains prepared in "traditional, ancient " ways. Yet, plenty of evidence exists to show that in Neolithic times, human health and longevity plunged as soon as they switched from palaeo diets to neolithic ones involving raw dairy and grains prepared traditionally.
He then mentions that chronic inflammation is behind many major diseases but chooses not to mention that cooking also produces lots of toxins which greatly increase inflammation.
He then mentions bacteria as being vital for the human body. What is not mentioned is that intake of bacteria is mostly destroyed by the acidity of the gut, so, really, only raw food diets, especially ones involving rotting meats, have a chance of properly influencing gut flora in a big way.
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Regarding cereals, you are right. And I make repeated mention throughout the book that a non-cereal diet is better. Nevertheless, I observe that for some people, dropping cereals after a lifetime of consuming them is not practical. Based on this observation, I have explained the best types of cereals and also the best ways for preparing them. But many times throughout the book I say we are better without cereals and I encourage people to transition to a diet consisting of meat/fish + vegetables + modest amounts of fruit.
My citations to Taubes were for his investigative work, not for his actual nutritional views. I referenced him for some documents he obtained regarding the sugar industry and his observations about the selection criteria for epidemiological studies being accepted in journals.
Throughout the book I am very supportive of raw foods, especially raw fat. I don't, however, think it needs to be all or nothing.
In any case, I thank you very much for your feedback.
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I hope you don't feel bad about the comments you got or may get here because this is the RAW paleo diet forum and we do have differences with the mainstream cooked paleo diet community.
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No hard feelings at all :)
Very informative for me and I enjoy to hear different perspectives, especially from people who are so scientifically grounded.
It's a great forum.
Cheers :)
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I like your open and cordial attitude. I hope you will come to the forum regularly, which I believe will be mutually beneficial.
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Christopher,
I think you did a great job! I think this is a good starting place for people trying to improve their nutrition, but I think people with disease or illness will need to go an extra mile or two 'out of the box'. Your book reads so well, and is the first I feel I can honestly recommend to friends who just want to get onto a better eating plan. I have not felt that way about others that either read like they are in a rush to get to print for financial agenda, with many typos, poor grammar, not enough literature references, read like a Sally Fallon commercial, or have supplements for all to purchase. It's like every book there is something worth taking, but enough not so worthy that I don't want to share with my family or friends.
I like your writing style, passion, and humility. I hope you stay that way for any future works you complete! You are an effective communicator, and will be well received, I think. I think for today, and for the general population that is not ill, but wanting to improve nutrition you've provided a great resource composite, thus eliminating the daunting task of doing all that research that you have done. I think your book can bring many people to square one, maybe like AV did for a lot people here.
I think most of us here have done plenty of 'research' on our own bodies, so there is plenty of (hopefully constructive!) criticism coming your way.
Congratulations, and best wishes to you!
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I downloaded it and had a look at all chapters. It’s an incredible amount of work, high-quality work. Thanks a lot for making it freely available on line.
But I’ve shifted 27 years ago to a completely different and even opposite paradigm: the instinctive raw paleo diet, or “instincto” in short. This new, revolutionary approach, makes the apprehending of the tremendously complex phenomenon of nutrition much easier and more reliable. It also makes the conventional dietary science obsolete.
All the best,
François
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For those who are interested, I've written a review of Christopher's book on my website (http://www.aisthetica.com/resources/nutritional-grail/). Feel free to give it a read if you're still on the fence as to the value of the book, and forward freely.
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Hello everyone, great to be here... Newbie from Philippines and thanks for sharing the book... ;D
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For those who are interested, I've written a review of Christopher's book on my website (http://www.aisthetica.com/resources/nutritional-grail/). Feel free to give it a read if you're still on the fence as to the value of the book, and forward freely.
Great review and your writing style is over the top!
Welcome to Mark74.