You can try and I wish you good luck. It's been done in Europe with no or negative results. Anyway I think it would be more correct to formulate it the other way around and instead of talking of the benefits of raw (raw nutrition should be considered the normality, aka the reference state) focus on the damages done by heating and processing food, not especially the destruction of nutrients, but the generation of billions of different kinds of abnormal molecules and new chemical compounds.
I spoke with Dr. Robert Lustig. Regarding the dangers of AGEs and how cooked fats and proteins break down into toxic substances and he agreed with me... I went on to say that it seems no researcher is willing to touch the subject of studying Raw meat consumption with a 30 ft pole, which he also agreed with...
This interaction encouraged me to start this thread and, made me think that there must be many people of good continence out there, who are able to initiate the type of systematic changes needed to bring balance to the force...if only they could be empowered and encourage to do so by some means.
My goals are to reach the luminaries and ignite curiosity among those who are in the know and on the cutting edge.... perhaps from there I could begin to participate in other peoples Pod Cast and reach broader audiences. Pessimist out there be assured that I am well aware that the vast majority of the world couldn't give a Dung Heap about much of this, so I would like to focus attention on a select few individuals who may be able to engage in constructive public discussion forums which would be able to inform the minority of people who are actually open to the Message.
Though my mind is full of Raw and untapped experiences that need to be shared, I am inexperienced with verbal forums, and need more practice with directly communicating a cohesive message with the public at large, in smaller venues before feeling comfortable setting up my own Pod Cast. I have very little experience with being a host or preforming monologues, and would at first look to have a side kick or experienced interviewer to prompt thought provoking discussions.
As someone who works in the academic realm, I wish you the best of luck Derek but it's a tough nut to crack. Research is largely driven by the potential to commercialize a patentable therapy or drug. A researcher can't very well patent some aspect of a raw diet, or even commercialize it. Without the promise of a profitable product down the road, it's hard to get a company (or a government) to invest in research trials, and they are quite expensive. Even relatively simple trials with a few research subjects might cost a quarter million dollars.
Have you ever considered doing a podcast, either an audio podcast hosted by iTunes or a video podcast on YouTube? Seems to me that would be the best platform to talk about your lifestyle, uninhibited. I'm gearing up to start my own podcast come early 2017, though it won't focus exclusively on diet.
The Spread of Information is no longer restricted to establishment dominated channels....Inspiration is fractal, viral, and virtually unstoppable once it has been unleashed...there are no longer impenetrable barriers....the ivory towers of academia are crashing down....
It may be very well true that real world trials and scientifically accredited research in the field of Raw Paleo Diets is beyond the grasp of such lofty headed dreamers as myself....but the game is changing and we are now being aided by a growing and monumental shift in consciousnesses of Millions of human beings who are now beginning to question the validity of that very foundation of the scientific establishment.
What is needed is for catalystic voices to rise up and with passionate pleas to higher levels of reason, and emphatically decry the inequity built within the structural hierarchies, and economic interest that have hijacked the human enterprise. Let me face the scientific establishment with a spirit of defiance and make the claim that if I were to have the same access to resources as the Big Pharma Giants....millions of dollars, the highest tech facilities, and a legion of skilled technicians, devoted to non drug based nutritional, and holistic life therapies; then the results would be miraculous.
Though Critics and cynics could scoff at such hyperbole as having no proof, the very fact that the current establishment would be totally unable and unwilling to disprove such assertions, would only give credence to those whom believe that the current systems are failing us....This may not be any consolation for those who seek "absolute" results on some observable level, but its a more realistic place for those with broader vision to begin.
I would suggest to a RVAF-diet-friendly type like Dr Mercola to set up a RVAF diet study. The trouble is that, while there are plenty of RVAFers in the LA area, I have found that whenever one undertakes a project, that there has to be at least 1 person doing 99% of the work in terms of effort/getting people together etc., with 2 or 3 others doing it part-time, and the rest trying as hard as possible to skive off any work while muttering vague encouragements. I would suggest a very small, very well-constructed, unbiased study at first, and, if possible, including more people in later studies.
The trouble is that american institutions would be worried about litigation so would avoid doing such a study. But, surely, if all participants signed various legal waivers, there should be no problem with it. Err, as a last resort, why not set up a crowdfunding entry or three for money to set up such a groundbreaking raw, palaeolithic diet study? Perhaps there are forum-boards for science-geeks where you could advertise such a study, where you could You could mention the terrible bias against such a study etc......Oh, and, perhaps, rawpalaeo not RVAF. We don't want to include some of the primal dieters who regularly report deeply unpleasant symptoms from consuming raw dairy while always claiming it is just detox.
Oh, and don't mention rawpaleodietforum. After all, any expert who jumps on the bandwagon will want to become the next RVAF diet guru or whatever, and set up his own forums etc.
I am in agreement with this,
Dr. Mercola would be an Ideal person to reach out to for starters....unfortunately the higher profile luminaries in the alternative health world are often difficult to contact directly... if anyone knows of better channels to reach out to people of means who may be receptive to our cause please let me know.