Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet [Paperback]

Stephen Arlin (Author), David Wolfe (Author), Fouad Dini (Author), R.C. Dini (Author), Marc Wolfe (Author), Ken Seaney (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Maul Brothers Publishing; 6th edition (January 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965353303
• ISBN-13: 978-0965353304
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

193 of 200 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best approach, November 28, 2000

By 

D. Read "Maximumdread" (GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet (Paperback)

I have been gradually transitioning to a raw-foods diet (I have been vegetarian for a little over two years), so I have been reading a ton of books on the subject. It's a good thing that this was not the first one I read. It's a shame that the authors, while being highly motivated and passionate about a raw-food diet, have chosen to advocate the subject in such an in-your-face, absolutist manner. It's really a turn-off. They have taken stances that are easily supported by documented facts, but instead of supporting them with facts, they choose to make raw-foodism sound like a religion. It's not a religion, it's just a way of eating. I'm sure their approach is a turn-on for some people, so perhaps it's good that a book like this exists for those people who need to hear the message this way.

That said, I'd avoid this book until you've read some more sane and well documented books like Dr. Norman Walker's "Enzyme Nutrition," which is the most scientific and documented of all the literature on the subject. Other good books are Ann Wigmore's wheatgrass book and some of her other books; any of the books by Steve Myerowitz; and the "How I Conquered Cancer Naturally" book. I have also heard that two books called "The Raw Life" and "Blatant Raw-Foodist Propaganda" are good. The Natural Hygiene literature is generally very good as well. Take advantage of all the raw food related web sites out there.

Sorry to diverge from the review, but after getting off coffee, soda, aspartame, refined sugar, and other obvious evils, I have been increasing the raw food in my diet gradually to the point where my diet is 80-95% raw most days. The results have been incredible. I feel amazing (everyone always says that, but it's true) and the pounds are just falling off. I don't feel deprived at all, and eating takes on a new meaning when you can feel the food nourishing your body in a way that cooked food never did. You owe it to yourself to try this, especially if you are infirm or overweight in any way. Take it one step at a time. No need to switch 100% your first day.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Where did they get their information?, January 19, 2002

By 

Jennifer Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet (Paperback)

When you write a non-fiction book, you are supposed to include references. This book has very, very few. Some of the so-called "references" shouldn't even be included. Here's an example of a reference from Appendix C of the book: "The reason scientists do experiments on animals is because cooked-food addiction has severely clouded everyone's mind. They cannot think for themselves. They cannot see reality, so they need their proof demonstrated to them by torturing defenseless creatures(p.206)." The entire book consists of this type of emotionally charged but scientifically unsound propaganda.

It's a shame, because I really believe that eating a raw food diet is one of the most healing things you can do for your body. But this book doesn't focus on the positive aspects of eating raw fruits and vegetables nearly as much as it does with statements like "dead, cooked corpses are the sources of unnatural diseases (p.19)."

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Motivational, but in a cult sort of way, January 3, 2003

By 

Marcus T. Brody (Tampa Bay, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet (Paperback)

The Raw Food Diet. It's a very controversial diet. Why? David Wolfe, Stephen Arlin, and the other Nature's First Law guys.

God's diet shouldn't be controversial. I agree with what the authors are saying, but they say it in a way that makes you dislike them. Drilling the message into your head like a drill sergeant that "Cooked Food is Poison" might do it for some, but not for me. To me, these guys approach raw foodism as if it's a cult following. Kind of like, "Hey, jump on OUR bandwagon and live right. Everyone else is living wrong." They poke fun at every single diet on the planet, even vegans, who don't even eat animal products.

The abrasive way they deliver their message is unique, but it didn't do it for me. Give me scientific data, not catch phrases and slogans. Give me SOME science at all, not what is 'believed' to be the truth. Do raw foods energize? No doubt they do. Is everyone who eats processed, devitalized foods poisoning themselves? Yes, they are. But are the ones who eat wholesome nutritious foods, mostly vegan, poisoning themselves? No. Poison is a harsh word. Raw foodists can "poison" themselves even worse by overeating on sweet fruit, nuts, seeds, and aggravating a vata condition with the dieuretic action of the sweet fruits. This isn't mentioned in this rah-rah book.

All in all, not a very good intro to raw foodism. This diet is not a cult. It's a healthy way of life, but you must know how to do it properly. For this, I recommend "Conscious Eating" by Gabriel Cousens.