the last diet question

Question
I have conflicting ideals I'd like to have put to a close.

I'm overweight and have this "perfect" regimine and diet program based on cutting edge information and its tailored to my biological qualities.  For example I am glucose insensitive,, I must consume 50% protein instead of 30% per day.  I weight x amount of lbs have x percent of bodyfat, will do x amount of activity and have derived a caloric consumption calculation to provide the "exact" amount of calories for my body to suffice its energy requirements during days of activity and consuming the same amount of those calories on the "rest" days will provide a surplus of calories to allow my muscles to grow.. as per this link  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi41.htm

Furthermore I've dialoged with John Berardi and he took the liberty of sending me a link to his conclusions on how consuming BCAA's and carbohydrates after a workout are greatly beneficial and reduce/control catabolism after strenuous activity.  http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/puzzle_2.htm

Then I ran into this link, http://www.alphaomegafood.com/protein_truth.htm ,  in where to my suprize I've noticed not only endurance but also bodybuilding athletes have been able to win world competitions on vegetarian diets.  
*****  Now I don't know how to persue my goals since my plan is based on a diet that seems to be a fallacy and am very incertain about how to persue my goal of building a muscular physique less than that of a professional "bodybuilder" but more than that of the average joe.  

So here it is:
1.  What portions of what food mix of fruits and nuts, how many calories per day should I consume for 1 hour of weight training and/or 1 hour of caridiovascular exercise?  My average daily activities are considered to be light office work I weigh 225 lbs and have 27% bodyfat am 5'11 in heightm, I'm 26 years old.   

2. How to eat/prepare raw meats and not get sick?  During international travel the supermarket meats seem just scary to eat raw with their horrible appearance.... Why eat raw meat to begin with if supposedly with raw fruit and vegetables its enough?  What portion of vegetables vs fruits should I eat to not break my body during extreme physical exertion for the results I want to attain?  A couple of my close friends have had to up the amount of food they eat and up the amount of weight they lift to get muscle gains....  I can get by on a couple pounds of leaves you say and still lift the weight they do?

3. Are hydrolized protein isolates also dangerous? supposedly they are amino acids pre-digested readily absorbed in the blood stream.

4. I love rappini, spinach, broccolli, cabbage and vegetables ... I love to fry them in olive oil and chopped garlic with salt or sometimes just boil them and throw them in a dish of pasta... is this a no-no also?  I understand vegetables may have pesticides, toxic residues etc etc... so what do you do.. do you dip them in boiling water for a minute, two minutes or just haven't overlooked this?

5. I forget but their are certain grains that cannot be eaten raw and can cause you to get intoxicated... maybe wheat but I'm not sure.. my memory is shady but it was about a study the USDA did on raw beans or probably consuming raw wheat.. did you ever run across this study yourself,,  is there a list of safe foods to eat raw to avoid these negative eventualities?


Thank you for your time

Michael Vitale

Answer
Hello Michael,

1)I'm not sure what kind of RPD-like diet you specifically follow, but rawpalaeolithic  diets usually require you to eat only a very little in the  way of fruits, veg  and nuts, as they are less easy for the body to digest. The diets are (usually) primarily  raw-meat based. I can't give you an estimate of calories either, as the diet doesn't really work that way, it's more intuition-based - For example, raw fat is very high in calories and RPDers are encouraged to eat large amounts of it, but high-fat diets tend to lead to lower weight not more(unless you eat/drink raw dairy, which can lead to increased weight/bloating, sometimes).

2) If you're having trouble with eating raw meats from suprmarkets you could add spices such as raw garlic and raw  onion on them, provided you only use a small amount. Those new to RPD diets sometimes marinate raw  chicken/raw fish in freshly-squeezed lemon juice which gets them used to the taste, and this might cover up the usual poor taste of supermarket meats. The best thing, of course, is to avoid supermarkets and buy from (organic) farmers' markets or  a local fish-mongers, if that's at all possible.

3) It's a really  bad idea to take processed supplements on an RPD diet, even hydrolysed protein isolates.  The reason is that once your body starts getting a lot of raw food, especially raw meat/innards, into its system, it usually starts to detox any poisons/artificial substances etc., resulting in various symptoms as the toxins leave the body. For example, when I first started the RPD diet I continued to take  processed vitamin and mineral pills for a time  and would get frequent stomach-aches from them, which stopped only once I got rid of them.

4) RPDers rarely  eat raw veg  as it's not a primary palaeo food and because it's so difficult to handle  due to the  indigestible cellulose(and because it's not very tasty). You'd be  far better off just using a twin-gear juicer for raw veg(the best is the Green Star) - that way you get all the enzymes/vitamins/minerals quickly absorbed by the body without getting the cellulose as well. Obviously, it's best to use organic veg if at all possible, but if it's nonorganic just washing it thoroughly in cold water will do.

5) Eating raw grains, such as Essene bread(?), is a no-no on most  raw, palaeolithic diet(excpet the Maker's diet, I believe). The whole idea is that any Neolithic food is toxic to humans in the long-term, which is why some  RPD diets(though not all) exclude raw dairy as well.  I don't have the  relevant studies to hand, right now, but beans, for example, apart from causing flatulence etc.  are supposed to contain phytic acid, which inhibits the absorption of vitamins and minerals as well as any other food which is  in the stomach  at the same time. Grain products  have  also been  implicated in diabetes/insulin insensitivity among other illnesses.

I apologise for not being more informative, but while I do do quite a lot of sport, I'm not a  regular bodybuilder so I can't give reliable, exact data re what to eat before or  after  workouts. There is however quite a long tradition among bodybuilders/athletes to  follow  a raw-meat diet of some kind, and you will find  a  number of them  on the livefood Yahoo group. Just follow the link below and click the  "Join This Group" button, on th top-right:-

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/live-food/

Hope This Helps,
Loki

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