Eating nothing but raw, plant-based foods is such a radical idea to some people that they sometimes inquire about the existence of clinical research that support such a lifestyle. While there seems to be a plethora of scientific studies that validate the health benefits of a plant based diet, less well known is the preponderance of evidence that argue the even greater health benefits of eating a raw food diet. Here are just a few notable examples of such research:
- Pottinger’s Cats. In 1932 Francis Pottinger, M.D. conducted a 10-year study on 900 cats to test the raw vs. cooked food diets. He divided the cats into two groups and fed the first group only raw foods and fed the second group the same exact same food only it was cooked. The first group of cats fed raw food remained healthy, had good bone structure and density, were playful, were easy to handle, and they produced healthy kittens year after year with ease. The second group of cats that were fed cooked food developed cancer, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, glandular malfunctioning, kidney disease, sexual impotency, paralysis, skin diseases, allergies, pneumonia, difficulty in labor and severe irritability (making the cats difficult to handle.) The first generation of kittens born to the cooked food cats was ill or abnormal. The second generation was born either already diseased or dead. The experiment had to be terminated early because by the third generation the mothers were sterile! The excrement from the cooked food cats was so toxic that the plants fertilized with it were stunted and weak; whereas the plants grown in soil fertilized by the excrement of the raw food cats grew normally. Dr. Pottinger conducted similar tests on white mice. His results were identical to those in the cat experiment.
- Enzyme Nutrition. Starting in the 1930’s Dr. Edward Howell conducted 55 years of scientific research on humans on the subject of raw foods and enzyme depletion caused by eating cooked food over a lifetime. His groundbreaking studies revealed that enzymes are the catalysts for all biological processes and that life cannot exist without them. He also discovered that while raw, living foods are teaming with enzymes that cooking completely destroys them due to their sensitivity to heat. Enzymes within any given food make the digestion of that food possible. Eating cooked food not only denatures the food but also forces the body to steal metabolic enzymes in an attempt to digest the enzyme depleted food. Dr. Howell was able to make a direct correlation between eating enzyme depleted cooked food and the onset of chronic degenerative disease in humans. Dr. Howell’s conclusion – many if not all, degenerative diseases that humans suffer and die from are caused by the excessive use of enzyme-deficient cooked and processed foods.
- Goldot. Lewis E. Cook, Jr. and Junko Yasui performed experiments comparing the effects of raw foods versus cooked foods in rats. The experiment involved three groups of rats. The first group was fed a diet of only raw foods. They grew into completely healthy specimens and never suffered any They grew rapidly, never became fat, reproduced with vigor and enthusiasm, and produced healthy offspring. They were always playful and affectionate. Upon an age equivalent to 80 human years they were put to death and autopsied. All their organs, glands and tissues appeared in perfect condition without any signs of aging or degeneration. The second group of rats was fed, from birth, diets of cooked foods. These rats became fat and were afflicted by the very same diseases afflicting present day society including: colds, fevers, pneumonia, poor eyesight, cataracts, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, etc. during the life-cycle of the second group, the rats exhibited vicious, nervous, and self-destructive behavior. They had to be separated to keep from killing each other. Their offspring were consistently ill and displayed the same behavioral characteristics as their parents. Most of the second group died prematurely from diseases or various epidemics which swept through the colony. Autopsies performed on this group revealed extensive degeneration in all the organs, glands, and tissues of their bodies. The third group of rats was fed a diet identical to the second group until they reached the equivalent human age of 40 years. They displayed the same symptoms of ill-health and self-destructive behavior as the second group. At the end of this time period, the rats were placed on a strict water fast for several days. Then they were fed the raw diet of the first group. This diet was alternated with periods of fasting. Within one month their health and behavior patterns changed dramatically. They became affectionate, playful and never became ill. Autopsies performed after the human equivalent of 80 human years indicated this group had reversed its degenerative tissue damage.
- Paul Kouchakoff of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne Switzerland reported in 1930 that the white blood cell count goes up dramatically when eating cooked food indicating its toxic effect on the body. However, the chemical makeup of blood does not change when consuming raw food.
- Sir Robert McCarrison in India conducted a study where he fed monkeys their usual diet, but in cooked form. The previously healthy monkeys all developed severe intestinal problems. The autopsies reveled gastric and intestinal ulcers. Subsequent experiments on rats and the Hunza people (generally considered to be the healthiest population in the world) McCarrison concluded that a natural, raw food diet and healthy bodily activity is the best defense against degenerative diseases.
- Stiner in Switzerland conducted a study where he fed guinea pigs their usual diet, but in cooked form. His previously healthy animals succumbed to numerous diseases including: anemia, scurvy, goiter, dental carries, glandular degeneration and arthritis.
- “The Effect of Heat Treatment on the Nutritive Value of Milk for the Young Calf: The Effect of Ultra-High Temperature Treatment and of Pasteurization”, British Medical Journal (Vol. 14, No. 10), 1960. This study entailed feeding calves their mother’s milk after it had been pasteurized. As a direct result of consuming this heat processed milk, 90% of the calves in the test died before reaching maturity.
By Brian Hetrich, Greenhouse Manager at Hippocrates Health Institute