Customer Reviews

The Raw Secrets: The Raw Vegan Diet in the Real World

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

What I like best about this book is that from his own journey, the author seems to have come full circle - making him very human and approachable rather than dogmatic and preachy as many raw food authors tend to be. I have been a raw foodist for many years - and have heard from people who were on their path in that direction but stopped because the information they were getting was an "all or nothing" approach. Reading this book allows you to be human. To make mistakes, to long for your favorite foods and to even allow them into your bodies if that is what your bodies are calling for. His message seems to be that feeding the spirit is equally important as feeding the body and that stressing about the diet may wreck more havoc in your being than actually eating the cooked food!

Don't get me wrong - this is not a "so-so" raw foods book... It is very pro raw food and active - but with human understanding and compassion which is lacking in many of the newer books on the market. He refers to the various movements popping up all over the states and shares his own personal quest for truth and how on his journey he found his way back to the most basic core principles and ideology of the raw foods movement. This book is not written from his ego, but rather from his heart - exposing his own pitfalls and sharing what he has learned from them.

A wonderful bonus is that he often refers to important hygienic materials published in other countries and languages. This wonderful inclusion opens the readers mind to information from many new sources, previously undiscovered in this country. I found his work to be easy to read and well documented. AS a mother, I found his inclusion and mention of pregnancy and children's dietary needs a very valuable and a welcome surprise. His list of TRULY raw foods will surprise even many long term raw foodists and his thoughts on un-cooked recipes, nut loafs and massive avocados will be a wake-up call for many raw foodists who have wondered why they have not yet achieved their "perfect health".

If you will be buying one book on the living and raw foods dietary lifestyle - this is the book!

This book is important, it does tell the secrets but it takes some people long to get to the point of understanding why that is. If you are trying to go raw without first having practiced food combining as in Fit For Life, for example, you won't realize there's something wrong with eating most of the recipes out of all these gourmet raw food uncookbooks, as you do feel better than usual relative to your usual Standard American Diet. But food combiners who then go raw and eat as currently promoted by Nature's First Law gurus, know something is wrong. If you eat miscombined meals, you're going to miss out on what raw food properly combined can give you. (It is true after a couple years you can miscombine some things without it zapping your energy but not early on and not at every meal.) I'm talking about feeling light and energetic, real happiness, super heightened senses, no body odor, sparkling clear eyes and glowing skin, strong hair and nails, hours of pure bliss, and the best sex you have ever experienced especially when shared with another raw fooder. Fit For Life gives you glimpses of all these even if you eat meat regularly, but keep in that routine and then go raw, properly combined even for only a few weeks and you will experience these things. You may have to have gone through that whole cycle to pick up his book and go, "Ya, I figured all this out too, this guy will save other people a lot of time..." He's got the guts to talk about the fanatasism, binging, and the extremism of treating it like a religion when it's simply the science of digestion and absorption of nutrients from unadulterated whole foods which have a lot of water in them. I applaud Frederic and thank him for his book. Enjoy!

If you're into the raw-vegan diet, this book will find its place on your shelf. Raw Secrets is vital for beginners because it exposes all of the common pitfalls of the diet. Frederic's first-hand experiences take you through all of the of the myths, concerns, and major areas of this great lifestyle. Most of the 28 chapters are short and to the point, with personal input from Frederic. The book's forward is an introduction by Patenaude describing his rollercoaster health. After spending years having raw/cooked diet swings, he found it in his heart to write this book. It's purpose: to inform others so they don't have to learn things the hard way.

The first chapter delves into human anatomy and our "natural" diet. It takes us through our instincts and physical characteristics that call us to raw foods. Most of the chapters that follow deal specifically with the diet. Some of the headings include: "Fat," "Protein," "Detoxification," "Teeth," "Sleep," "Giving Up Bad Habits," and "Digestion." From Chapter 16, "Food Combining," Patenaude says, "We should be eating one food at a time and never mixing together anything." He continues, "With a simple, mainly raw diet, we automatically avoid most bad food combining." He then goes into the properties of certain foods and how they will react when eaten with others. Important tips such as these are extremely valuable to even experts!

The closing appendices of the book have daily menu ideas, testimonials, and comments on certain foods. I particularily enjoyed this book because Frederic's voice is felt throughout the entire thing. All of his words show sympathy toward us because he's interested in our well-being. For everyone new to the diet or long-time gurus, check this book out! ...

I found this to be a very good book and I highly recommend it (along with the first two books of Harvey and Marilyn Diamond in the Fit for Life series of books: "Fit for Life" and "Fit for Life II: Living Health"). This author espouses following the wisdom of Natural Hygiene (no, not your dentist but the natural hygiene your internal body needs).

(Side note: I recommend that you read one of the Fit for Life books, first... as an introduction to Natural Hygiene. You should have some idea about veganism and raw foodism before you get this book. If you've never wandered in to this arena previously, this should be the second book you read. You really need the context of information - a framework from which to operate/think - when reading this book.)

So many authors on raw foodism are so legalistic that is can be sometimes a turn-off or simply daunting to try to follow in the the steps thay lay. Make no mistake, Patendaude marks his line in the sand and leaves no doubt how he feels about eating anything other than what he recommends. That said... he does back off a bit later in the book to give people who cannot be 100% raw-foodists or even 100% perfect in the way he recommends folks eat raw food suggestions on what to do instead (or in the interim). (Hint: it's not the way Juliano would have you eat.)

Patenaude even rests your mind by telling you not to get so worked up about your diet and your foods. Why? If you are, then the damage the stress is doing is worse than the food itself. So... eat the best you can (preferably his way) and live your life in peace and harmony.

I've read many, many raw food books. This one is rated as my favorite, thus far. I've learned so much from it. Will I become as "perfect" at the author is? Probably not. However, I've gleaned info to make improvements, and I've "recevied permission" not to worry about what I'm "doing wrong".

I've never seen this type of support given from other authors. Others leave you with the sense that if you aren't eating "100% their way" that you are completely wreaking your body and your life. Frankly with so many other stresses in my life, I don't need another guilt trip. Thanks to this author, I no longer have one regarding the "mistakes" on my road of raw food eating.

Not only that but I have learned info - "ah hahs!" - that make sense and learned about the pitfalls in the common raw food diet that end up railroading the individual right back to cooked food. Now, I know what to do in order to avoid them.

Also, there were things that bothered me about the "popular" raw food diet that seemed contrary to what I've learned about how our body processes foods and receives nutrition. I was glad to see my thoughts confirmed here and what to do, instead.

Get the book. Considering the cost of many raw food books out there, this is an extreme bargain to boot.

Lastly, this is NOT a cookbook. Though he does have menu suggestions for a typical day(s) in the latter part of the book, there are no recipes. So... before you go plunk down gobs of money on all kinds of recipe books (like I already did), read this one. Then, choose wisely.

I unfortunately had to find myself stumbling through pages and pages of conflicting information in inferior books until I broke down and bought The Raw Secrets. Yes, the title is cheesy, but the book is Gold. I only wish that I had found this before I spent over $50 on books by Shazzie Holdstock and David Wolfe. Frederic Patenaude gives sound, nutritional advice based on the idea, "Let's use some common sense here." This book is succinct, lucid, and (thankfully) not filled with the patronizing, propaganda garbage-like "stuffing" that can so often accompany advice on becoming a raw foodie. Buy this book now. Anything else should be an afterthought.

"Raw Secrets" is the book to read if you've been researching optimal health and/or raw food and are confused by all the conflicting information. Based on sound principles that are logical and self-evident, this book dispels myths that even long term raw fooders are subject to. Beginners will love the definitive tone the author uses on rarely discussed topics like how to tell the difference between "real" and "false" hunger, the futility of "superfoods" and supplements, and how to deal with cravings (among other transitional issues). Experienced raw fooders will find lots of valuable, insightful information, including some that has recently been discovered.

This book belongs on the bookshelf of every person interested in taking charge of his/her own health, right next to Art Baker's "Awakening Our Self-Healing Body". The information in these two books will allow you to free yourself from the fear of disease, forever. Based on the guiding principle that cause and effect govern the universe, including human health, these two books will give you an overall understanding about the cause of disease, and will tell you where to look if you want a more comprehensive approach. Disease is not a malevolent entity waiting to pounce on unwitting victims! It is a process the human body undertakes to preserve life, and its causes are not mysterious. Arm yourself with information, don't put your health into the hands of those who haven't the faintest clue (nor interest in) what the real causes of disease are.

I found the advice and information in this book very helpful in terms of improving the quality of my raw diet. There are certain pitfalls that new raw fooders tend to get trapped in, which slow down their road to health. Patenaude's clear, concise recommendations on how to improve the diet as well as how to avoid making common mistakes has helped me to make smarter food choices.

Although I found that this book is more for an advanced raw fooder, the appendix contains a chart for transitional foods and replacements. There are also many testimonials from raw fooders who changed the way they ate, experiencing tremendous health and healing.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to refine and improve their diet.

I have read many books on raw food and this is perhaps the best.
The author shares his experiences and how to avoid common pitfalls going raw. This book is perfect for the beginner and I wish I had it when I began my journey. I learned many of the same things Frederic has learned...read this book, it is a must for anyone interested in obtaining ultimate health.

If you are struggling with a raw vegan diet, or are just getting started and want to save yourself a world of problems, this book is a wonderful asset. After 6 months as a raw foodist, I had not experienced "Paradise Health" and was wondering why my progress had stagnated. This book pointed out the pitfalls I had fallen into, and reminded me to go back to basic health (natural hygeine) principles and use my own intuition. Concise, practical, and inspirational, this book was truly a godsend. Just a word of advice - the book assumes that you already know most of the rationale behind raw food diets, etc., so if you are new to raw veganism I would supplement your reading list with less targeted material. Thank you Frederic for your insights, and for the courage and integrity to point out the lessons that you have learned since you first started writing on the subject.

I have been a Raw Vegan (mostly) for 4.5 years based on the teachings of David Wolffe. I was still having gas problems and thought it was normal. When I read Fred's book it addressed these problems and more. After applying what he wrote I found that everything he said worked. I had even more energy all day, less gas, more comfort. All because of some good fine tuning. This is a great book to fine tune what you are doing if you've been a raw vegan for a while.