Raw food

[fabkebab]

In your "raw food" podcast, you contradict yourself

1 ) Raw food has not been shown to increase life expectancy
2 ) You then reccomend that we should eat raw food because its delicious and healthy

If it were healthy, then wouldnt it increase life expectancy?

Seems like you are so keen to slam the raw-foodists, that you are prepared to be illogical to do so....

:boxedin:

[Zep]

You are addressing this to whom, pray tell?

[fabkebab]

Brian Dunning - podcaster of "skeptoid"

[Zep]

1) It would have been a good idea if you had said so, and...

2) Are you certain he actually posts here?

[fabkebab]

This part of the forum is called

" JREF Forum » Skeptical Podcasts » Skeptical Podcasts » Skeptoid "

I suspect he shows up here from time to time :-)

No disrespect intended

[Brian Jackson]

If it were healthy, then wouldnt it increase life expectancy?

Longevity or quality of life? Personally I'd rather live leaner and meaner than longer and fatter. But I'd like to know the health benefits as well. Haven't heard the podcast... just read the post.

[Puppycow]

I heard the podcast and there is nothing contradictory about what he said in it.

The claim of raw foodists is that eating cooked food is unhealthy, and Brian debunked a number of very specific claims.

The claim that eating a diet of only raw food without any cooked food will increase ones' life span is the claim, and this has not been proven. Essentially this is the same as claiming that eating any amount of cooked food will shorten the life-span.

Most of the "experts" recommend eating a variety of foods. For example carrots are considered healthy, but I don't think anyone reasonable would recommend eating nothing but carrots.

Therefore there is nothing contradictory about what he said.

[fabkebab]

I believe that Brian made some sort of blanket comment that no diet change had been proven to extend life (I was a little surprised by the comment) rather than saying he was specifically talking about raw food research (although admittedly it would have been an implied statement given the topic of the show!)

In this case I am going to accept what you say rather than dissect the podcast by listening to it again -

All the best
Andrew

[Puppycow]

IIRC he said that there is some evidence that a very low-calorie diet may extend life in animals. Whether the same is true of humans is still an open question.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was true, but most people with normal levels of willpower would not have an easy time following such a diet.

[briandunning]

Just because something is healthy doesn't mean it extends your life. It may help to reduce one cause of heart disease.

[fabkebab]

If it reduced a cause of heart disease, it would extend life expectancy (on average) because one possible cause of death would be removed

[briandunning]

You are right about that. But there is nothing special about "raw food" that reduces cholesterol - there are many types of low-cholesterol diets. Raw food happens to be one of them, but is by no means the only way.

[kmortis]

IIRC he said that there is some evidence that a very low-calorie diet may extend life in animals. Whether the same is true of humans is still an open question.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was true, but most people with normal levels of willpower would not have an easy time following such a diet.

'Cause we're not animals?

From time to time, Mama Mortis gets on various food kicks. We've done raw foods, for about two weeks when I cooked steak. I have canines, I like to use my canines for their intended purpose on occasion. Overall, it wasn't bad, I'd never be able to sustain it for too long, but as an adjunct to a better balanced diet it makes a wonderful addition. Just don't listen too much to Juliano. He's a nut.